WSJ: CIA Leak Queries Look at Disclosure

[hang a left]

CIA Leak Queries
Look at Disclosure
Of Classified Data
By JOHN D. MCKINNON, ANNE MARIE SQUEO and JOE HAGAN
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 21, 2005; Page A3

WASHINGTON -- The range of questions that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has asked witnesses in the CIA leak case suggests he may be exploring whether to charge White House officials with leaking garden-variety classified information.

Mr. Fitzgerald's initial mission was to see if the leaking of Valerie Plame's name violated a 1982 act that bars the intentional disclosure of an undercover intelligence operative's identity.
TRACING THE LEAK

Learn more about Rove, Libby, Miller and people involved in the investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame's identity, and review the leak timeline.

But lawyers and others close to the case say he may be piecing together a case that White House officials conspired to leak various types of classified material in conversations with reporters -- including Ms. Plame's identity but also other secrets related to national security.

Mr. Fitzgerald's office declined to comment on the investigation yesterday. Because a grand jury investigating the leak is scheduled to expire in a week, Mr. Fitzgerald is expected to decide on any possible charges soon.

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http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB112979632005874185.html?mod=todays_free_feature

[Demoiselle]

1. Wow. This appears to add to, if not contradict the NYTimes...

Times story says he's focusing on coverup charges...This sounds like he's going for the whole enchilada.

[hang a left]

3. Yep did you catch that part about not just investigating Plame

outing but other classified information related to national defense. Can you say Brewster Jennings?

[ingac70]

5. Somebody has to pay for that!

Most folks don't realize this is about a helluva lot more than just Valerie Plame.

Bushies will be in for a jolt!

[leveymg]

7. Wider than that. He's looking at the Niger yellowcake forgery, which

touches on the Larry Franklin OSP-AIPAC spy case,Michael Ledeen and the role of Israeli intelligence in cooking up phoney documents and driving Big Dumb Brother to do their dirty work for them in knocking over Saddam. Will that be Syria or Iran, next?

[HereSince1628]

15. There has been interest in whether or not Miller had a clearance

so it may be that some of Fitz' interest is in the secrets shared with her that ended up in her reporting of evidence of WMD.

That would, as you suggest, take the timeline being investigated back to before the start of the invasion of Iraq.

[IndianaGreen]

4. The NY Times is finished as a newspaper

Everyone else has scooped the Times when it comes to Plamegate. The worst indictment of the Times is when they acknowledged killing a story from their own journalists because it dealt with Libby and Judy.

Sulzbelger should commit hara-kiri.

[grytpype]

6. I agree.

We have heard that he is "focusing" on a number of things, and I think he is focusing on ALL those things! The Whole Enchilada.

[hang a left]

13. I love Mexican food!

:evilgrin:

[ingac70]

2. I am giddy with anticipation!!

:bounce:

[grytpype]

8. WH source says Rove discussed discrediting Wilson!!!!

From the article, UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Yesterday, one former administration official said Karl Rove, the deputy White House chief of staff, had discussed former diplomat Joseph Wilson and the role of his wife, Ms. Plame, with White House staffers in 2003. That buttresses the possibility that Mr. Fitzgerald is investigating charges related to leaking classified information.

The former official said Mr. Rove had these discussions after Mr. Wilson went public with claims that the Bush administration had twisted intelligence to build support for the Iraq war. Mr. Rove discussed discrediting Mr. Wilson, the former official said, adding that Mr. Rove didn't necessarily name Ms. Plame or make her a key talking point in conversations with other White House officials. Prosecutors have been told of these internal discussions.

Robert Luskin, an attorney for Mr. Rove, said, "The allegation is maliciously false."

Wow!!!!! Luskin's denial means "That's not what my client told the grand jury."

[TexasLawyer]

9. "whether the exposure of Ms. Plame caused damage..."

well, how about the death of 2,000 American soldiers, untold numbers of dead and injured Iraqis, and the squandering of a trillion dollars?

And that's just for starters. I'm sure we might come up with a few additional damages if we put our minds to it.


"In part, the weight of an indictment on leaking classified information could depend on whether the exposure of Ms. Plame caused damage. That isn't clear. Damage-assessment reports commonly are done when such leaks occur, but congressional staffers say they haven't seen any such document related to this investigation."

[hang a left]

11. The reason congressional staffers haven't seen any document

relating to this investigation is because they can't even trust them with the information.

[longship]

10. Well the NYT has their own cover-up to maintain.

A NYT reporter may be heavily implicated in this matter. No wonder NYT thinks that Fitzmas is only going to focus on Rove/Libby. If Father Fitzmas has widened the investigation to include the larger conspiracy of fixing the intelligence to go to war, Juicy Miller and the NYT may be fucked. The investigation doesn't have to go very far down that road to get Juicy's teat caught in the ringer.

[NVMojo]

12. it's really sickening to see Judith the Liar recognized as a prize

reporting fighting for journalistic rights ....

[displacedtexan]

14. WTF is "garden-variety classified information?"

Classified is classified.

What's so difficult about understanding that word, WSJ?

[0007]

16. It seems to me that the WSJ is trying to set up the idea that

the Plame leak isn't all that serious when it comes to the letter of the written laws.

:shrug: