LAT: Leak Probe Was Told of White House Interest in Wilson

[DeepModem Mom]

Leak Probe Was Told of White House Interest in Wilson
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON -- Top aides to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were intensely focused on discrediting former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV in the days after he wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times suggesting the administration manipulated intelligence to justify going to war in Iraq, federal investigators have been told.

Prosecutors investigating whether White House officials illegally leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, a CIA officer who had worked undercover, have been told that Bush's top political strategist, Karl Rove, and I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, were especially intent on undercutting Wilson's credibility, according to a person familiar with the inquiry.

While lower-level White House staff members typically handle most contacts with the media, Rove and Libby began personally communicating with reporters about Wilson, prosecutors were told.

A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors said Rove's interest was so strong that it prompted questions in the White House. When asked at one point why he was pursuing the diplomat so aggressively, Rove responded: "He's a Democrat." Rove then cited Wilson's campaign donations, which leaned toward Democrats, the person familiar with the case said....

***

It is not surprising that White House officials would be upset by an attack like Wilson's or seek to respond aggressively. But special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald is examining whether they or others crossed the legal line by improperly disclosing classified information or perjured themselves in testifying later about their actions. Both Rove and Libby have testified....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-leak18jul18,0,4779848.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[darkism]

1. Holy hell, is the press finally waking up?

All it took was one of their own to be prosecuted.

[Demeter]

60. The LA Times IS a REAL Newspaper

The rest are just mimeograph machines.

[KittyWampus]

65. But Where Is This Info Coming From. Any Guesses To The Source?

[Cha]

68. We've seen many

propoganda pieces in the la times.

That's why this is so startling!

What's up with this?..

"A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors said Rove's interest was so strong that it prompted questions in the White House. When asked at one point why he was pursuing the diplomat so aggressively, Rove responded: "He's a Democrat." Rove then cited Wilson's campaign donations, which leaned toward Democrats, the person familiar with the case said...."

What's the timeline on this? Wilson voted repuke until they outted his wife, no?

[joeunderdog]

74. Boston Globe front page story last 2 days. This is good. n//t

[Stand and Fight]

2. This is good stuff.

Kicked and recommended.
:kick:

[girl gone mad]

8. Very good stuff.

Does it remind you of anything?

Woodward and Bernstein were on MTP yesterday talking about the switchblade mentality of the Nixon White House.

This White House is no different. They think they are above the law when when it comes to attacking enemies, real or percieved.

[havocmom]

38. This WH has too many of the same players as the Nixon WH.

They think they learned their lessons. Turns out they missed one or two. Plus, Nixon didn't have the internet to contend with.

Can't imagine Rove going stoically to the slammer like G. Gordon did though... Somehow, he seems to be the type to squeal like a little piggy. How's his, ahem, health?

[gauguin57]

66. More cowbell!

You gave me a good laugh with your little film of Will Ferrell as a member of Blue Oyster Cult!

[tmooses]

3. This is the first time I've seen Bush/Cheney included in the involvement

on the attack on Wilson. Am I mistaken or are we in for a big show here.

[me b zola]

4. IMO, you are not mistaken, we are in for a big show

:popcorn: :beer:

[Swamp Rat]

5. This will be an interesting week.

:popcorn:

[Pachamama]

11. Hey, pass the popcorn & make lots of it!

This is going to be a very long show....

:popcorn:

:woohoo:

[Swamp Rat]

12. Oi Pachamama!

:hi:

I hope there's a WH press conference today. :D

:popcorn:

[tmooses]

6. Yep, think I'll stock up on the Dead Guy Ale and make myself comfortable.

[mom cat]

20. Don't forget that Bush was on the plane July 7,2003 along with Rice

and Powell. Within days,Rove is reporting back to Rice's #2 mar, Stephen Hadley at let him know that he had succeeded in the assignment:to blunt Wilson's story (don't go to far out on that one) as well as block info as to how much the story was hurting the White House ("I didn't take the bait").
So, the top aids to two for the people on the plane that day are "managing the story" along with disseminating info from a memo about Plame that was carried onto the plane by Powell...a memo that "everyone saw". So, who gave the orders to set up the Plame outing. Who was the senior most person on the plane that day?
Hint, the plane was Air Force One!
Self-edited for spelling.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

7. Between the lines - Downing Street Minutes

The dots are being connected. Now if the public will just pay attention.

[Lex]

9. Yes, at the root of it all is their dis-information campaign re: Iraq

and WMD/nuclear capabilities.

The WH was so hell-bent on fixing the intelligence (as the Downing Street Memo shows) so they could justify the war, that in their zeal they okay'd blowing the cover of a CIA agent just to smear and discredit her husband, who wouldn't get behind the WH's version of events surrounding the Niger/uranium question.

I hope the corporate media picks up on the larger picture here (twisting the intelligence).

[DeepModem Mom]

24. And also "CAMPAIGN strategy": from the article --

"The disclosures about the officials' roles illustrate White House concern about Wilson's July 6, 2003, article, which challenged the administration's assertion that Iraq had sought to purchase nuclear materials. Wilson's article appeared as Rove and other Bush aides were preparing the 2004 reelection campaign strategy, which was built largely around the president's response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein."

[LynnTheDem]

10. Everyone seems to have forgotten; Tenet told bush in OCTOBER 2002

to take the "Niger yellowcake" bullshit OUT of his speech.

bush did so.

And put it BACK in for his Jan 2003 SOTUA.

[Skittles]

13. WOW Lynn

you are correct and damn if I HAD forgotten

[mom cat]

21. Tenet was the one who insisted that the words be taken out of the Oct

speech. Cheney wanted the yellowcake "story" to float as justification for the war...That is why it added into the SOTU speech, but under the ruse that it was info from the British!

[LizW]

19. Yes! That's the key bit of information.

They KNEW the Niger uranium claim was bogus, but they kept trying to force it in there. Cheney knew, but he kept saying it. Bush knew, but he said it in the freaking SOTU. Rice knew, and she lied like crazy when it started to be questioned in the spring and summer of 2003.

There were lots of Democratic critics of the war in 2003. They didn't go after Wilson because he was a Democrat, they went after him with a huge concerted effort because he had the goods that could hurt them, and he was willing to do it.

You know they irony? If they hadn't overreached and been such huge freaking shameless LIARS, he might not have done it. It was because of Cheney's relentless questioning about the Niger uranium rumor that Wilson ever got involved. But once he went to Niger and knew the truth, he was galled by their constant lying about it. The WH made Wilson into the threat he became to their game.

I have to say again what I've been saying all along: the Wilson/Plame smear is not a garden variety smear of any critic of the war or the WH. It was a big and important smear because they are protecting Cheney. Somewhere, there's paper that proves that Wilson reported his findings to the CIA and that Cheney saw those findings and had them buried.

[UpInArms]

23. The SOTU is a Constitutional mandate of the president

it would therefore be perjury by the president to outright LIE during the SOTU -

impeachable?

I think so.

[LizW]

27. Absolutely an impeachable offense.

But it won't happen because the Republicans put party before EVERYTHING, even the Constitution.

[KoKo]

30. And, does anyone remember the press saying Bush was hard at work

on his SOTU speech and there was a video clip of him looking like he was checking it carefully with pen in hand? At the time I thought the press were just trying to "prop the Chimp up" making it sound like he actually read and worked on his speeches instead of just going to the podium and reading the teleprompter with a wire in his ear helping him if he missed a word. I think I even posted on DU about it because those of us who were against Iraq Invasion and protesting were reading every bit of info we could and thought the "Niger Yellowcake" was false because there were other stories coming out at the time about falsification of intelligence. Any one else remember that time here on DU?

How did the words get back into the SOTU? Did they think they had buried the Wilson report well enough that they could get away with it?

[DemBeans]

31. completely agree...

Do you think our Republican ubermeisters are going through ethical contortions and demonstrating their moral bankruptcy in order to defend Karl Rove? I don't.

They're getting their stories down to defend Cheney, because that's exactly who this freight train is headed for.

[CAcyclist]

52. Don't Forget Wilson's Report is But One Of THREE

There were 3 reports that disproved the Niger-Uranium rumor.

Here is what Wilson said in his book, page 2:

"they had chosen to ignore three reports that had been in their files for nearly a year:mine as well as two others - one submitted by the American Ambassador to Niger, Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick, and the other by four-star Marine Corps General Carlwton Fulford, who had also travled there."

[ernstbass]

72. This point keeps getting lost

The press needs to hammer away at this because it takes the wind out of the repugs' offense against Wilson (which is failing miserably anyways)

[MGKrebs]

22. Tenet might also have known there were forged docs

at the time of Wilson's trip, which was 7 months before they actually surfaced.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4125158&mesg_id=4125158

[CAcyclist]

54. Yes, Here's What Wilson Says In His Book:

Page 1,2: Wilson " knew what information the administration had about Niger because in early March 2002 I had briefed the CIA on the results of a trip I had made for them to that African country.

Page 2

"Speaking before Congress, the nation and the world, President Bush had confidently declared : ' The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.'

But his confidence was misplaced. The documents that formed the basis for that flat assertion were not submitted by the State Dept. to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) until early February 2003, after the president's speech. On March 7, the IAEA went on record with the verdict that the documents were 'not authentic.' The next day, the State Dept. claimed that it had been taken in by the forgeries."

[Toucano]

26. Excellent reminder, Lynn

Condi said it got back in because "we simply forgot". I think it was on Meet the Press.

[Sydnie]

34. You are charged with National Security, how do you "Just Forget"

about a non-fact like that? They would rather claim that they are incompetent than say they were acting in a deliberate manner, even though anyone looking at it has to know that they were acting in a deliberate manner. After all, they are the ones that are supposed to be "keeping us safe", right? If they are forgetting such details as this, what other details are they missing? They have done that too with the August, 2001 memo about Osama.

Incompetent. They need to be removed. Time to let the grown ups back in the office and stop this high schoolish baby game from destroying our country any more than it already has.

[Cha]

64. It's in the sotus for-EVER..

For all posterity!

[bklyncowgirl]

14. Holy Duelin' leakers, Batman!

Most of the stuff we've seen coming out has tended to exonerate Rove. It's been presumed to come from Rove's lawyer. This is pretty damning stuff--no way Rove put this out.

"A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors" Could this be Fitzgerald trying to throw a scare into them or one of the witnesses who had decided it would be fun to make them sweat?

I'm guessing the latter, and that it's someone on the outs with the Administration, maybe Colin Powell, maybe George (Slam Dunk) Tenet?

[Jane Austin]

44. Why do you think Powell would try to "make them sweat"?

He has gone along with everything they've done.

[Jackpine Radical]

46. Isn't the leak Cooper?

He knows what he testified to, after all.

[DeepModem Mom]

50. I'm curious, too, bklyncowgirl -- WHO IS THIS LEAKER? Anybody else...

have theories?

[oioioi]

62. Surely it's "Palm Tree" Powell ?

Maybe not the leaker of this particular snippet, but I'll bet he's the one with the goods on them - Fitzgerald's Ace card.

He was on the plane and is a "former adminstration official".

Is he attempting to regain some credibility for being set up as a fool and liar by the admin?

It fits.

[DeepModem Mom]

67. Could be, oioioi. ("Palm Tree Powell" -- LOL!) nt

[oioioi]

70. Watch these videos.....

This is just the cutaway -

http://mediamatters.org/static/video/mtp-20040518.mp4

This is the end of the interview (you need to endure a 30 second ad).

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4992866/

Incredibly, MSNBC has excised the cutaway from Powell in the second video, even though this is the main point of the story and Russert mentions it in the wrapup.

[DeepModem Mom]

73. Thanks, o -- I remember that bizarre episode! nt

[bklyncowgirl]

71. It could also be "Slam Dunk" Tenet

Both of these guys went along with this gang of war criminals and had their reputations destroyed in the process.

Anyone know if "Slam Dunk" was on Air Force One with "Palm Tree"?

[WhiteTara]

77. you are so polite my name for him is

Colon Polyps
BTW welcome to DU :hi:

[oioioi]

78. Thoughts on "Palm Tree" Powell.

The nickname is inspired by Doonesbury's depiction of him as a palm tree - wish I'd thought of it myself.

The palm tree moment on the video is rather telling and I think unmasks the degree to which Powell felt betrayed by being sent out for the dog and pony show at the UN.

Here's a transcript of what took place before the cutaway to the palm tree....

Russert: Finally, Mr. Secretary, in February of 2003, you placed your enormous personal credibility before the United Nations and laid out a case against Saddam Hussein citing...

<camera swings away from Powell to shot of trees>

Powell: Not off.

Emily: No. They can't use it. They're editing it. They (unintelligible).

Powell: He's still asking me questions. Tim.

Emily: He was not...

Powell: Tim, I'm sorry, I lost you.

Russert: I'm right here, Mr. Secretary. I would hope they would put you back on camera. I don't know who did that.

Powell: We really...

Russert: I think that was one of your staff, Mr. Secretary. I don't think that's appropriate.

Powell: Emily, get out of the way.

Emily: OK.

Powell: Bring the camera back, please. I think we're back on, Tim. Go ahead with your last question.

Russert: Thank you very much, sir. In February of 2003, you put your enormous personal reputation on the line before the United Nations and said that you had solid sources for the case against Saddam Hussein. It now appears that an agent called Curveball had misled the CIA by suggesting that Saddam had trucks and trains that were delivering biological and chemical weapons. How concerned are you that some of the information you shared with the world is now inaccurate and discredited?

Powell: I'm very concerned. When I made that presentation in February 2003, it was based on the best information that the Central Intelligence Agency made available to me. We studied it carefully; we looked at the sourcing in the case of the mobile trucks and trains. There was multiple sourcing for that. Unfortunately, that multiple sourcing over time has turned out to be not accurate. And so I'm deeply disappointed. But I'm also comfortable that at the time that I made the presentation, it reflected the collective judgment, the sound judgment of the intelligence community. But it turned out that the sourcing was inaccurate and wrong and in some cases, deliberately misleading. And for that, I am disappointed and I regret it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4992558

Perhaps Powell is now attempting to redeem his political credibility. Or maybe he's just taking it personally.

From what we now know, Palm Tree has the motive and the means to be Fitzgerald's primary source.

By the way, thanks for the welcome!

[WhiteTara]

79. I had completely forgotten about that interview

and I love the potted plant reference. Good catch. See you around.

[Libby2]

15. It should be an interesting week.

[usregimechange]

16. Motive. Kick

[clydefrand]

17. Quote attributed to Novak from the article of interest:

Wilson said in an interview Saturday he had known that Novak was interested in him a week or so before the column appeared. He said a friend who saw Novak on the street reported that Novak told him, "Wilson is an asshole and his wife works for the CIA."

Wonder who Novak thinks is an asshole now? Probably Wilson. That guy never admits a mistake either and anything goes with him as long as it sides with the republicans.

[Libby2]

18. I would love to see that

old bastard do some time.

[kestrel91316]

55. Question: Did this friend of Wilson's also testify ..................

before the GJ??? That would be proof that Rove initiated a leak of classified info, to a complete stranger, no less.

OMG, what an asshat.

[Cha]

69. billmon writes an accurate

picture of novak on http://www.billmon.org

Scroll down past the graphic of "rove's last stand"..

[LeftHander]

25. Snowballing....this is as big as Watergate...nt

[DeepModem Mom]

28. Article now has new headline on website:

Top Aides Reportedly Set Sights on Wilson

[maddezmom]

29. Prosecutor's Probe Centers on Rove, Memo, Phone Calls

~snip~
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the leaking of a Central Intelligence Agency agent's name is now focused on how Rove, one of President George W. Bush's closest advisers, and other administration officials dealt with a key fact in an equally key memo.

The memo, prepared by the State Department on July 7, 2003, informed top administration officials that the wife of ex-diplomat and Bush critic Joseph Wilson was a CIA agent. Seven days later, Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was publicly identified as a CIA operative by syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

On the same day the memo was prepared, White House phone logs show Novak placed a call to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, according to lawyers familiar with the case and a witness who has testified before the grand jury. Those people say it isn't clear whether Fleischer returned the call, and Fleischer has refused to comment.

The Novak call may loom large in the investigation because Fleischer was among a group of administration officials who left Washington later that day on a presidential trip to Africa. On the flight to Africa, Fleischer was seen perusing the State Department memo on Wilson and his wife, according to a former administration official who was also on the trip.

more:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=awaBbp4fMlgg

[DeepModem Mom]

32. Thanks, maddezmom -- things are poppin' out all around! nt

[DemReadingDU]

43. Why would Novak call WH on July 7, 2003?

Someone must have called Novak first, then Novak called WH to confirm with Ari Fleischer?

[maddezmom]

49. Judy Miller?

[kentuck]

33. Which brings up the question of reporters that assist them ?

Reporters know they are are to destroy their opponents, yet they are more than willing to assist them. That is a big problem. Some of them were even on the White House payroll.

[bigtree]

35. Top Aides Reportedly Set Sights on Wilson

By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten
Times Staff Writers

July 18, 2005
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-leak18jul18,0,4996008.story?coll=ny-leadnationalnews-headlines

WASHINGTON — Top aides to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were intensely focused on discrediting former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV in the days after he wrote an op-ed article for the New York Times suggesting the administration manipulated intelligence to justify going to war in Iraq, federal investigators have been told.

Prosecutors investigating whether administration officials illegally leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, a CIA officer who had worked undercover, have been told that Bush's top political strategist, Karl Rove, and Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were especially intent on undercutting Wilson's credibility, according to people familiar with the inquiry.

Although lower-level White House staffers typically handle most contacts with the media, Rove and Libby began personally communicating with reporters about Wilson, prosecutors were told.

A source directly familiar with information provided to prosecutors said Rove's interest was so strong that it prompted questions in the White House. When asked at one point why he was pursuing the diplomat so aggressively, Rove reportedly responded: "He's a Democrat." Rove then cited Wilson's campaign donations, which leaned toward Democrats, the person familiar with the case said.

This, I think, will be the crux of our attack. To rest all or our efforts on the hope for indictments or conviction seems to be folly, no matter how delicious the prospect. The focus on the manipulation of Iraq intelligence will be valuable to efforts to end that war.

[tmooses]

36. That's it. Endangering national security to get at a "Democrat". I had

to turn off the Tv on Friday's Hardball when I heard the senator from Texas (Richardson) refer to Rove as a man of integrity.

[Jane Austin]

45. "the senator from Texas (Richardson)"

You must mean Hutchison.

[reprobate]

48. Hardball? Careful. It'll turn your brain to mush. Viewing lowers IQ 5pts

[havocmom]

37. A defination of insanity: Doing the same thing over & over

again, hoping for a different result.

Isn't trying to discredit Wilson what started this particular mess they are in?

:eyes: These guys are slow learners.

[K8-EEE]

39. WERE? They Still ARE....

the ONLY way they address their own actions is in the context of "attack the attacker." It's so lame and obvious.

[OKthatsIT]

40. Novak is a 'reporter', why isnt he in jail?

Isnt he suppose to say where he got his source?

[redqueen]

41. Would either Rove or Libby turn on the other?

[snippy]

42. This is part of what Judge Tatel called "the plot against Wilson."

I liked the fact that the judge referred to "the plot against Wilson" in the Court of Appeals decision, but I do wish he had referred to "the criminal conspiracy originating in the Oval Office and extending to every member of the slimy, corrupt, dishonest, and criminal Bush administration."

[kestrel91316]

56. I call it "The Plot Against America" nt

[Supersedeas]

47. Why b/c he is a democrat (who dared to confront the NeoCon war machine)

[Zorro]

51. How about a "Rove as Valdemort" meme?

Rovedemort.

Could get a lot of mileage out of that.

[JohnnyBoots]

61. While he

is obviously a Slytherin and the name works, I think Rove is more of a Lucius Malfoy than "He who must not be named", Cheney though....

[Miss Chybil]

53. Why did this Pincus get a pass on disclosing his source and has Novak

disclosed his source? Also, I thought, when this broke two years ago, the White House had directed all of its "officials" to sign a waiver of confidentiality in this matter. What happened to that? And, is Fitzgerald only to write a "report" on his findings, or is he asking the Grand Jury for an indictment?

[cal04]

59. How come Cheney wasn't questioned under oath? Just like

with the Sept. 11th commission

Vice President Dick Cheney was recently interviewed by federal prosecutors who asked whether he knew of anyone at the White House who had improperly disclosed the identity of an undercover C.I.A. officer, The New York Times reports in its Saturday editions, citing people who have been involved in official discussions about the case.

"Cheney was also asked about conversations with senior aides, including his chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, according to people officially informed about the case," the Times says. "In addition, those people said, Mr. Cheney was asked whether he knew of any concerted effort by White House aides to name the officer. It was not clear how Mr. Cheney responded to the prosecutors' questions."

The interview of the vice president was part of a grand jury investigation into whether anyone at the White House violated a federal law that makes it a crime to divulge the name of an undercover officer intentionally, the newspaper explains. Cheney is not thought to be a focus of the inquiry, which is headed by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney in Chicago, the Times points out. Fitzgerald was appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel in the case.

White House officials have denied that any senior aides disclosed the name of the officer, Valerie Plame, to Robert Novak, who wrote in his syndicated column in July 2003 that Ms. Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, was an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Times adds.
"It is not clear when or where Mr. Cheney was interviewed," the Times continued, "but he was not questioned under oath and he has not been asked to appear before the grand jury, people officially informed about the case said. His willingness to answer questions was voluntary and apparently followed Mr. Bush's repeated instructions to aides to cooperate with the investigation."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/02/politics/main620810.shtml

[Kristen]

57. Fire Karl Rove!

The only good thing to come out of this whole Valerie Plame
conundrum is that it's finally given Bush his second-term
scandal. Thank goodness, he's not as slippery as everyone
thought he was!

I'm so excited about this that I've made a couple t-shirts
just for the occasion! check them out at
www.cafepress.com/juditmiller and www/cafepress.com/firekarl. 

Rove is such a weasel!

[njdemocrat106]

58. Welcome!

Definitely agree with you regarding the Plame affair!

:hi:

[nolabels]

75. It's so obvious that needs to be done.

And so obvious that it can't be done. The time of epic ironic twists of fate, when will they ever end :crazy:

[wallwriter]

63. Ooh! The tension is killing me!

But I'm willing to wait if it means getting more "big game" to trial and to jail.

[Supersedeas]

76. respond agressively with the dirtiest of tactics