Plame Affair Heating Up (Wash. Post)

[mefoolonhill]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11208-2003Sep27.html

By Mike Allen and Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, September 28, 2003; Page A01


At CIA Director George J. Tenet's request, the Justice Department is looking into an allegation that an administration official leaked the name of an undercover CIA officer to a journalist, administration officials said yesterday.

The operative's identity was published in July after her husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, publicly challenged President Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy "yellowcake" uranium ore from Africa, which can be used in nuclear weapons. Bush later backed away from the claim.

The intentional disclosure of a covert operative's identity can violate federal law.

[Unknown Known]

1. SIX journalists were called and were told her name

This is UNF*&KINGBELIEVABLE! We all thought Novak was the only one this was revealed to. They told six altogether

A senior administration official said two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and revealed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11208-2003Sep27.html

[FauxNewsBlues]

2. Even Worse

The leaker to the Washington Post isn't the only person who knows about the criminal conduct. They felt they could tell this anonymously without getting caught. This means that the two leakers, plus this guy, and many others know.

The White House is very aware that two people broke the law. They were obviously proud of it, and let others know about the 6 journalists they tried to get to illegally reveal Plume's identity. They told so many people that the person talking to the post can't be identified immediately by them. The whole administration is obstructing justice here.

[Rose Siding]

5. Maybe not all of them

"A senior administration official" is confirming now. That's going to help.

[ModerateMiddle]

8. reading the rest of the info out there

it seems that the "leakers" belatedly requested that Novak "not use her name", but Novak didn't hear the request as very significant. Evidently they were trying to discredit Wilson by pointing out some sort of "nepotism" in that his wife was the one who "recommended him" for the task in Niger. Although how wonderful that opportunity was is not clear, as Wilson himself says that he wasn't paid anything for the trip other than expenses.

[izzie]

21. I bet it was not real high up as they never take that fall.

Not with this group. Even Bush father spent time with signing his people and Reagons out of trouble just before he left office. Now we have them all back in gov for their pay offs. Really a bad group for passing the buck, and it goes down not up with this group.I still think Bush is a front man. He has even said he does not read papers and lets these others tell him. My God we have all used that stlye at times and know how it works.May be we should be really worried he will start running things.

[Nottingham]

3. You knew More people Knew! They wanted Everybody to Knew!

:bounce:

[mhr]

4. Spread the Word!

Send Articles and Links To Your Friends.

This is what I sent to my email list this evening.

------
Hi All,

Some may remember the 16 word controversy that occurred this summer when the White House was forced to admit it lied about Iraqi uranium in Bush's state of the union address.

This disclosure was forced when Ambassador Joseph Wilson exposed the White House claim publicly in a NY Times article where he recounted his fact finding mission to Niger at the request of the Vice President's office.

What did not receive much attention at the time was the later disclosure by columnist Robert Novak that Wilson's wife was a covert CIA agent. Presumably this was done as retaliation toward Wilson and to send a message to others, don't tread on the White House.

The problem, though, is that outing a CIA covert agent is a FELONY and the source for Novak's disclosure has been traced back to the White House, specifically, one Karl Rove.

On Friday, the CIA formally asked the Justice Department to investigate the disclosure. If pursued this could lead to felony charges landing on the White House doorstep.

Time will tell, but this could truly become Bush's "nigergate."

There are too many stories to copy here but the links below provide all that is needed to follow the story so far.

Enjoy
------
Leak of CIA Name Being Investigated
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11208-2003Sep27.html

CIA seeks probe of White House
http://www.msnbc.com/news/937524.asp

The Wilson War Continues
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,490646,00.html

C.I.A. Seeks Inquiry Into Naming of an Operative
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/28/national/28WILS.html?ex=1065326400&en=9c82e52f10cc2ed2&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

A Vengeful White House?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/27/eveningnews/main575449.shtml

Talking Points Memo
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
(Joshua Marshall has some good thoughts and further comments on the
situation. He also has a good interview with Ambassador Wilson as well.)

[Pale_Rider]

6. Rove and Novak to Gitmo!

Send them now!

[UpInArms]

23. thanks for all the links

so nicely summed up (emails are now wiring their way around the news community :)

really liked the last paragraph of the CBS article - lifted my spirits, that one did.

[Democat]

7. Let it be Karl Rove!

Off to Cuba with him.

[eileen_d]

9. What *will* Bush do without his brain?

Surely replacement brains aren't that easy to find.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Same thing he does with Rove's brain

Make a mess of things.

[grasswire]

11. weird

someone posted this article about 2 1/2 hours ago under its real headline, and that thread was locked for being a dupe. This is a dupe under a made-up headline.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=136335

[NashVegas]

16. Well ...

The locked thread didn't include a URL, and neither thread have the title of the article as it is now.

Someone referenced the same article within the MSNBC thread after TahitiNut made a "Kick," (but 2 hours later) so perhaps (s)he got confused. Certainly it was less than 12 hours old, but I think they are trying to keep thread numbers to a minimum so the board space doesn't get flooded with the CIA story.

[tsipple]

12. Reuters Just Picked Up the Story...

Reuters Link

That's now:
MSNBC
Time Magazine
CBS
The Washington Post (major escalation there)
CNN Headline News (starting around midnight tonight)
and now Reuters.

Can AP be far behind?

[PurityOfEssence]

13. Novak is a ruthless, unprincipled thug

"They said if her name was printed, it might be difficult if she was traveling abroad, and they said they would prefer I didn't use her name. It was a very weak request. If it was put on a stronger basis, I would have considered it."

This is supremely ugly; a true translation is that I'm going to do whatever I damn well please to smear enemies of this administration. It truly avoids the obvious: that compromising an intelligence operative is caree--if not literal--assassination of a national security operative. This is vindictive and reckless in the extreme. He is party to the destruction of a valuable asset in the field; how much does her career destruction damage the nation's ability to anticipate threats?

Why, Bob? Why would you endanger our country just to perform revenge for the Bush administration?

[NashVegas]

17. Yabbut You Know What?

Without him, we wouldn't have this to use, now would we? Wasn't he the only one who went to print with it?

Novak is one of the few conservative journalists who publicly disagreed with the administration, before it was cool for conservative journalists to show independence, when he criticized their stance on Israel and Palestine.

If by any remote chance he gets questioned, I hope he'll refuse to name the leak. To do otherwise would weaken freedom of the press. 'sides, if we are stuck guessing the identity, the perception can be held that it could be anyone right up to Cheney (doubtful though) or Rove (hmmm) and on down to low level staffers (more likely).

[thebigidea]

18. yeah, Novak is vile - but, I can't find the motivation to hate him here

the blame lies with Rove/Cheney/Card/etc.

If the shoe were on the other foot and it was a liberal journalist getting leaks, we'd be defending him.

Novak was just the errand-boy. Find the boss.

(plus, his reporting is often useful. As opposed to his commentary, which is complete drivel. And laden with spittle.)

[NNN0LHI]

22. 6 other reporters were given the same info and refused to print it

But Novak thought he was a big enough White House suck ass to get away with it. And you still think Novak is a nice fellow? Novak committed a federal crime which may have caused people to die here. Give me a break.

Don

[thebigidea]

25. Yeah, I think Novak is a "nice fellow"

sheesh, where did you get that from?

The White House is responsible for outing their own goddamn agent. That's the bigger fish to fry here, not Novak. He's a fetid mudpuppy in the pond.

[kclown]

29. Hate him or not, Novak is not guilty

The law in question provides an exemption for journalists,
unless a pattern of revelations can be shown.

[NNN0LHI]

30. Link to text of the law. Please point out the exemption for journalists

http://foi.missouri.edu/bushinfopolicies/protection.html

[screembloodymurder]

24. The treasonous bastard

should face a military firing squad. What is the minimum sentence for treason?

[thebigidea]

14. and what would Poppy say?

"Even though I'm a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors."

G.H.W.BUSH, 1999

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. So how did two WH officials

even know that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent? That's not the sort of information that even WH officials would normally be privy to?

So did someone in the WH (Rove?) who was purposely trying to discredit Wilson request and receive his personel files and probably his FBI files? Isn't this the sort of thing Clinton got in big trouble for, just asking for people's FBI files?

Seems there are a few more people, than just 2 WH officials involved in this mess. I wonder what poppy Bu$h thinks of little Georgie's friends now?

[snippy]

27. I think this was all coordinated by the WHIG.

That would mean Andy Card and Turd Blossom Rove in charge of the decision to leak the info on Wilson's wife.

[RainDog]

28. Maybe it came from the B Team

remember the B Team, Cheney, Wolfowitz, etc who were "gathering" evidence on their own about the threat of WMD, yellowcake, etc. in the build up to the war?

They would have access to CIA operatives in the region.

hmmmmmmmmmm.

maybe whoever did this was doing the bidding of Wolfowitz and Cheney and other members of Team B.

that would be sweet, if these rogue proto-facists could be removed, as well as Rove.

[0007]

19. We'll now see what the dems

are made of, this is a sweetheart set-up to nail this crooked administration.

[thebigidea]

20. somehow, I don't see Jane Harman getting too riled up

or at least, riled up enough to do anything but be "deeply discouraged" - right before babbling about bipartisanship.

she's been a continuous dissapointment to watch. Something about that Intelligence Com. - phew...

When they get on that, it probably turns into that old Bill Hicks routine about JFK...

[screembloodymurder]

26. This story was burried in my local paper

It's a republican rag.

[trapper914]

31. It didn't appear in mine.

Oh well. Looks like it's up to me to spread the word.

BTW, I gotta say, the Bushies didn't play this one well at all. The minute Plame's name got printed, they should've shown some false self-righteous indignation and sacrificed someone. That way, they would've leaked the information, but would've looked like "stand up" guys.

Waiting for the CIA to blow the lid off it 2 months later makes them look seedy as hell.

So, who was it? My guess: Cheney and Condi (or her deputy, Steve Hadley).

[VolcanoJen]

32. Message from the Moderator

Let's keep our discussion about today's "Six Journalists" Washington Post story consolidated into this thread, which is the original, earliest LBN thread on this topic.

This is indeed a hot-and-heavy development, but for the purposes of keeping LBN "lean and mean," it's best if we flesh out our ideas about the story's impact in one hard-hitting thread (which happens to be this one).

Thanks,
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator

[underpants]

33. Ooooh Rove "frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs."

Wilson, while refusing to confirm his wife's occupation, has suggested publicly that he believes Bush's senior adviser, Karl C. Rove, broke her cover. Wilson said Aug. 21 at a public forum in suburban Seattle that it is of keen interest to him "to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs."