NOVAK: 'NOBODY IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION CALLED ME TO LEAK THIS'

Drudge Report ^ | 09/29/03

[Pokey78]

In July I was interviewing a senior administration official on Ambassador Wilson's report when he told the trip was inspired by his wife, a CIA employee working on weapons of mass destruction. Another senior official told me the same thing. As a professional journalist with 46 years experience in Washington I do not reveal confidential sources. When I called the CIA in July to confirm Mrs. Wilson's involvement in the mission for her husband -- he is a former Clitnon administration official -- they asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else. According to a confidential source at the CIA, Mrs. Wilson was an analyst, not a spy, not a covert operator, and not in charge of an undercover operatives...

[mewzilla]

If Valerie Palme was mouthing off to the Beeb, isn't that against the law?

[Ann Archy]

Clinton HIRED George Tenet! That is ALL I need to know about him, because Clinton NEVER hired someone who wasn't DIRTY.

[Mo1]

If I heard this correctly, CNBC is reporting that Andrea Mitchell is denying that anyone from the White House tried to feed her info before the first Novak story was released.

Gee .. that's not what the WP reported

Sounds like the rats are scared of this story

[MasonGal]

That's exactly what I am planning to do - isntead of watching all the cable shows tonight and having to listen to all of this "stuff".

Maybe an old musical - HGTV, Food Network, the Weather Channel -

...anybody watching Crissy Matthews tonight? Just wondering - I can NEVER stomach him - just curious how he is covering this "big" story tonight. I'll bet he is going NUTS over this one.

[Ann Archy]

No...you're right...I just made a comment that Joe Scarborough was going to beat Fox in that time slot.

Scarborough had Bob Arnot do the most ulifting story reporting I had heard from Iraq!! I look forward to more of those.

[arasina]

The Middle East Institute has Wilson's bio under their Media Resources category. He's one of those people the media can call for expert information on stories having to do with the Middle East. The last sentence of the bio gives his wife's (maiden) name: "He is married to the former Valerie Plame and has two sons and two daughters."

Since I worked in a newsroom for over 20 years, I have a pretty good idea of how these things go. I think the MEDIA (broadcast and print, including Novak) were well aware of Wilson's wife's career.

More from the bio: "In 1982, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission in Bujumbura, Burundi. In 1985-1986, he served in the offices of Senator Albert Gore and the House Majority Whip, Representative Thomas Foley, as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazzaville, Congo, 1986-88, prior to his assignment to Baghdad.

Ambassador Wilson was raised in California and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1972. He is a graduate of the Senior Seminar (1992), the most advanced International Affairs training offered by the U.S. Government. He speaks fluent French.

WILSON'S BIO

[Phsstpok]

If she is an analyst and not a covert operator then it might not be a crime to reveal her identity. This may be much ado about nothing.

My information is that she's an analyst, not an agent. Further I've been led to believe that she was placed in the job by the Clintonistas to spin for them. On top of that her husband is a Clinton security advisor who has been very critical of Bush for some time, with no investigative experience. I find it incredible that he was selected to conduct this so called investigation. Now that's a scandal that needs to be checked out.

Back to the point, she's D.I., not D.O. If we're basing our judgement on whether or not she was officially a "spy" as to whether or not a law was broken (which is the argument being floated by the dims, and what the law is about) then no law was broken. We have to be careful, though.

My wifes uncle, who did work overseas under a "cover" job, was outed as a CIA agent in Philip Agees book. He could no longer work overseas and returned to Langley. He had been working as the agency crypie in several embassies (his favorite? Switzerland - his least favorite? at least the one he'd talk about, was Beirut).

His "legend" was that he worked as a crypie for the Pentagon, not CIA. Great cover, wasn't it? Anyway, exposing his identity endangered his life. How much more than his so called cover, I don't know, but he wasn't able to work overseas anymore.

He took early retirement sometime later and then went right back to doing the same job at CIA as an EDS contractor. He decided to really retire when they decided to switch to Notes. He wasn't going to go through another learning curve (g).

again, the reason I bring up the story is that he did work overseas and had a cover legend, even if he wasn't a "spy." It's conceivable the same was true of her, in which case you could clearly argue that the law was broken. But my info is that it's not the case. This is the important fact that reporters should be digging for. So far Bush's enemies in the press are taking the dim spin without question. Those less hostile to Bush are tentatively raising questions, but still not demanding the actual facts, from CIA or the dims pushing this.

My biggest concern is that she or her husband will turn up dead, like the "arms expert" used by the BBC for their "sexed up report" charges. If this story starts to fade look for some arkancide.

[piasa]

I've looked at his bio on the CPS web site from the beginning earlier this year and saved it, and all I saw was that he named his wife. There might be another bio out there but I haven't seen it.

[Kay Soze]

The Press will look SO VERY STUPID when they finally catch up with what we have known almost half a day now!

Cool!!

[MasonGal]

I saw that the other night, too. It was a very "good news" story - for a change of pace!!

[MasonGal]

That's why I've been a freeper for over 5 years now!!!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

It could be. Perhaps the Democrats will wish they never asked for an investigation.

[arasina]

They saw a glimmer of hope for it to bring down Karl Rove since the British version of this ("sexed-up") supposedly caused Alistair Campbell to resign (although Campbell apparently had told Blair back in April that he would be retiring). Campbell is to Blair as Rove is to Bush.

[jmstein7]

I just reviewed Rush's remarks on 24/7.

It seems very clear that the "leaker" is -- more than likely -- a Clinton holdover left within the administration.

The Dems have hung themselves. That's why the Congressional GOP (and the White House, for the most part) has been so quiet.

Now the GOP need only honor the demands that they have made -- I bet all roads lead to Chappiqua

[MasonGal]

I've been wondering why they were all so quiet on this. Perhaps that's why?

hmmmm....

[GailA]

Same here in Memphis.

[Grampa Dave]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/991716/posts

General Wesley K. Clark Calls For An Independent Investigation Into Leak of CIA Agent's Identity
http://www.clark04.com/press/release/005/ ^ | 09/29/03 | Press release


Posted on 09/29/2003 2:10 PM PDT by Pokey78


Little Rock -- General Wesley K. Clark (Ret.), Democratic candidate for President, has called for an independent investigation into an alleged violation of federal law by Bush Administration officials.

News reports say that the CIA has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations that Administration officials violated federal law by leaking the identity of a covert CIA agent.

"The Administration should not play politics with this matter. This issue is too important for political gamesmanship or to be managed by the John Ashcroft Justice Department," General Wesley Clark said. "The investigation must be independent of the Justice Department - otherwise the investigation could be influenced by political considerations. That is why President Bush should immediately refer this entire matter to a completely independent body - a body with credibility both in our country and with our allies around the world."

During his remarks in Austin, Texas, Clark called for a credible, thorough, and independent investigation. "Given the persistent questions about the Administration's use of intelligence to justify the war in Iraq, only an independent body can determine whether intelligence was manipulated for political purposes and whether, as a result of possible manipulation, there exists an intelligence gap that will have implications for our national security," said General Clark

[prairiebreeze]

You could be right of course. But I have less anxiety about this tonight after Novak's release than I did earlier.

Wonder how the spin is going on CNN with Novak being a commentator there??

Prairie

[mewzilla]

LOL! I saw that. Ashley's timing is impeccable!

[bluebunny]

The fact that Wilson focuses on Rove is not evidence, to me, or any link to Rove, but Wilson's mental link to the collective Democratic party angst.

That's exactly how I saw it too.