WP: Robert Novak Acknowledges Confidential Administration Sources

[DeepModem Mom]

Robert Novak Acknowledges Confidential Administration Sources
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 11, 2006; 6:23 PM

Syndicated columnist Robert Novak acknowledged for the first time today that he identified three confidential administration sources during testimony in the CIA leak investigation, saying he did so because they had granted him legal waivers to testify and because special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald already knew of their role.

In a column to be published on Wednesday, Novak said he told Fitzgerald in early 2004 that White House senior adviser Karl Rove and then-CIA spokesman Bill Harlow had confirmed for him, at his request, information about CIA operative Valerie Plame. Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information about Plame, and whose identity he says he cannot reveal even now.

"I'm still constrained as a reporter," Novak said in an interview. "It was not on the record, and he has never revealed himself as being the source, and until he does I don't feel I should."...

***

Novak says in the forthcoming column that he initially refused to reveal he sources in an October 2003 interview with three FBI officials. He says he remained reluctant to testify before Fitzgerald, even with the waivers the three officials had given the prosecutor, but that his lawyer told him he was sure to lose a costly legal battle and be cited for contempt of court. Novak says he testified before a grand jury a few weeks later, in February 2004, after reading a statement about his discomfort in discussing confidential sources.

He said he is speaking out now because Fitzgerald has notified his attorneys that the investigation, as it relates to him, has been concluded....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071100903.html

[kskiska]

1. Boo Hoo

(snip)

Novak's role in revealing Plame's CIA employment, which was classified, was the most controversial of his 49-year career as a Washington reporter. "What was frustrating," he said, "was that there were a lot of crazy things being said, that I had taken the Fifth Amendment or I had made a plea bargain. . . . It's obviously caused me a lot of trouble. If I had it to do all over again, would I have done it? It's a hard question to answer."

If, as they like to say, Plame wasn't undercover at all, why did they wage this huge campaign to out someone who wasn't really all that important?

[Igel]

11. It wasn't a big campaign.

She was accidental roadkill.

The articles had two themes: Wilson's trip was a partisan inside job; the CIA career staff are trying to undermine their employer's stated policies.

Plame's CIA-ness is simply part of "partisan inside job"; saying she was an operative was a link in a chain, but not the purpose of the chain. Plame was incidental.

[dweller]

2. "Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about

another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information about Plame, and whose identity he says he cannot reveal even now."

sounds familiar ...

http://www.mikehersh.com/printer_All_Roads_Lead_To_Cheney.shtml


dp

[tinfoilinfor2005]

5. I have a feeling that ninety percent of the people who read

this silliness by Novak immediately thought to themselves, "Cheney."

Only Novak thinks that this is some friggin deep dark secret.

[KAZ]

3. Hey Bob, think "Berlin's top World Cup official" and do..

... us all a favor, you treasonous POS.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. The next step: Acknowledging he is in fact a traitor.

A pity it's a step he'll never take.

[last1standing]

6. We've all been played.....again.

While we were all waiting for Fitzmas these filthy neo-cons were spilling their guts to the prosecutor's office knowing full well that Fitzgerald's integrity would keep him from leaking the facts of the case, even while they lied to the American people about it. Everything played in their favor. By choosing a prosecutor who was respected by the left as well as the right, they were able to circumvent any protests of favortism. By telling Fitzgerald the truth they were able to avoid prosecution. By lying to the people they were able to reinstall that piece of trash, bush*. And, of course, by letting all of this information leak out now that the danger is over, they get to reassure their base of how clever they are. The only downside for them was having to let Libby take the fall for the rest of them as a sacrificial lamb, but they'll just pardon him if he's not able to slide on a technicality anyway.

So there you have it. Commit treason, endanger the nation, and still come up smelling like roses. This country's soul is dead. Honestly dead.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bilgewaterbill]

17. When this episode first began I called it a non-starter.

I was wrong. We spent a ton of money and ended up with what? BUPKISS! Again! When are we going to learn that "Gotcha" ain't gonna happen? We have to win on issues. No miracle. No screw up by the administration. Better ideas.

[Lasher]

22. This was not a "nothing case" to the CIA

Republican talking points have achieved some success in muddying the waters by insisting that Robert Novak's outing of CIA clandestine officer, Valerie Plame, was not a violation of the law.

The 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act defines a "covert" agent as one who has been involved in a clandestine operation outside the United States in the last five years. Plame was involved in exactly that. The Act further stipulates that the identity of every covert agent is classified information.

The CIA filed a criminal referral with the Department of Justice regarding the leak of Valerie Plame's name in September 2003. The CIA obviously considered her to be a covert agent, since provisions of the Act would not have otherwise applied.

According to the Act, and according to the CIA, she was indeed a covert agent at the time her identity was illegally revealed by the Bush Administration, in an act of revenge against Joe Wilson because he had exposed their lies about Iraq trying to buy yellowcake uranium.

According to former CIA spokesman, Bill Harlow, "...after Novak's call, he checked Plame's status and confirmed that she was an undercover operative. He said he called Novak back to repeat that the story Novak had related to him was wrong and that Plame's name should not be used. But he did not tell Novak directly that she was undercover because that was classified." He also said that Wilson's wife had not authorized the mission and that if he did write about it, her name should not be revealed. (Washington Post, 27 July 2005).

[Thorn]

25. tn guy, you're twisting the words of that post.

You'd make a great Repuke spin master. Have you checked with Fox news for an opening?

The point was they lied in the daily news that they had no involvement. Rove even apparently lied during his first grand jury testimony but was able to lick his butt clean after he found out they had the goods on him. He subsequently became honest and probably spilled his guts for some kind of immunity.

A nothing deal? Bottom line, they (White House goons) DID leak classified information in an attempt to discredit Joe Wilson. Valerie Plame WAS a CIA agent not just an "employee". That fact that she is an agent is classified. It's a crime to divulge classified information. She was a non official operative, which meant she traveled overseas without diplomatic protection. She risked her life more so than others having that type of cover. She WAS an undercover operative. You trivialize that fact. The Goons probably didn't "out" her intentionally because they are hammer heads and in all likelihood didn't think through the results of the actions ( see Iraq War).

The Plame outing only underscores the administrations attempt to cover up the fact that they lied to all of us in trying to justify that damned war. But it did draw attention away from the real crime.

I thought Bush was going to clean house of anyone involved in that leak ?? oh, I guess except the Rovinator.

[tn-guy]

37. Perhaps you're right, but perhaps not

I'm not sure how using direct quotes from the post in question is "twisting the words" but if you feel that was the case, so be it.

You say that Rove lied in early testimony and later became honest. I have not been able to see any grand jury transcripts so I am unable to judge that issue. Apparently you have access to the testimony and can make a judgment.

All I know is based on news reports. And those news reports tend to agree that Fitzgerald knows the extent of Rove's involvement and that no indictment of Rove has been forthcoming. Since there was near universal agreement at the time of his appointment that Fitzgerald was fair, principled, honest and full of integrity I can only assume that he has not indicted Rove because he feels he has no case against him. Thus I have to decide who has the better insight into whether Rove committed a crime, Mr Fitzgerald - a competent prosecutor, who has access to all the evidence, all the testimony and who is described as principled and independent - or blog commenters who are generally partisan in their outlook. I don't mean to offend you, but given that choice I'm going with Fitzgerald. I'm sure that had he returned an indictment everyone at DU would have been willing to defend him against a charge of overzealous, politically motivated prosecution. Why would DU-ers not be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if he doesn't indict?

[leesa]

40. Karl Rove? Benefit of the doubt? Oh, I can't imagine why...because he's

a vile lying soulless scumbag? He used the "I forgot, I'm a busy guy" defense, between version one and version two

[tn-guy]

42. Please re-read my post.

I referred to giving Fitzgerald the benefit of the doubt, not Rove.

[Thorn]

45. Rove conveniently omitted testimony the first time through.

That has been in the media. Easily found a reference. http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0428nj1.htm

I am not arguing that Rove should be indicted. The law says that it is a crime to knowingly out an agent. He surely was involved in passing and verifying the information to reporters, even if his case might have turned on the point that he didn't actually use her name, but described her as the wife of Joe Wilson. The whole bunch have a proven track record of lying so why should I believe anything they say anymore. I personally think he said as much as he needed to cover his own ass, lying in the process.
I was disappointed not to see him tarred and feathered down Pennsylvania Ave but he likely got off on a technicality. He is one of the slimiest of the bunch, not to mention how Bush abruptly changed his position on firing anyone involved.
Don't forget, they lied about the war, and this was a botched attempt to discreted Wislon for providing data that said they were wrong. But in the long run it worked because those lies seem to be mostly forgotten by the Repugs in this country because of the Plame tangent the issue took.

[daleo]

16. I think Libby will die of a heart attack, rather than be pardoned

Just like Lay.

[DrZeeLit]

23. Great line. Don't even need the "just like Lay" -- it's the new "in"

thing.

Heart attack to avoid prosecution. or prison. or both.
The kind of heart attack where you're sipping Pina Coladas on a beach somewhere way far from extradition, with plenty of cash and a secret pardon in a safe deposit box in Switzerland.

Oh yeah.
Heart attack.
Cheney, too.

[daleo]

41. I guess the expression could be:

I think Libby will "die of a heart attack".

Either way gets the point across that something about it doesn't add up.

[Peace Patriot]

7. Novak didn't just out Plame. He also outed the entire CIA WMD...

...counterproliferation network that she headed. Plame outing, July 14, 2003. The outing of our counterproliferation network's brass plate company, Brewster-Jennings, July 22, 2003, an act that put all of the covert agents and contacts in this network at risk of getting killed, and disabled all projects.

How this man can still be writing for an American newspaper is beyond me--except that I know they're all traitors now, the whole goddamned bunch running the country and their lapdog press.

It's interesting what happened between the two Novak outings. Four days after Plame was outed, David Kelly, the Brits' chief WMD expert, was found dead, under highly suspicious circumstances (July 18). His office and computers were searched. THEN Brewster-Jennings was out (July 22). Kelly had been whistleblowing anonymously to the BBC about the "sexed up" pre-war WMD intel. Somebody outed him to his bosses. He was interrogated at a "safe house," the results of which were reported to Tony Blair on July 7 (Hutton Report). He was threatened with the Official Secrets Act, forced to partially recant before a Parliamentary committee, outed to the press (a big news story in England), and sent home without protection and apparently without surveillance. Found dead near him home, outdoors under a tree in the rain, apparently having slit one wrist and bled to death all night. What Blair was told was that Kelly "could say some uncomfortable things" (not had said--COULD say). Connection to Judith Miller. Kelly wrote his last email to her--July 17, the day he died--upbeat and forward looking, thought it would all blow over--but concerned about "the many dark actors playing games." Miller wrote the obit on Kelly for the NYT and failed to reveal this email and her close connection to Kelly (she had used him as a major quoted source in her book "Germs"). The email was later released by his family, not by her.

A pretty busy fortnight for Dark Side, I'd say. July 7-22.

[lovuian]

8. Novak is a traitor to this country and my hope is that the

Wilson's sue his butt!!!

[Bragi]

10. Just an observation

So we now know for sure from Novak that he was told about Plame by an unnamed senior administration source (the VP, or even the President?) and that he had the specifics of the information he was given about Plame confirmed by both Rove and Harlow.

I'm good with that depiction of what happened. So why is it not illegal for an administration official to expose a national security operation -- such as the one that Plame was involved with -- in pursuit of purely partisan advantage?

It certainly is civically irresponsible, and appears to be a kind of behaviour by elected high officials and their proxies that any sensible country would want to prohibit by law.

- B

[Igel]

12. It depends what the official said.

If he said "Wilson's wife helped send him", everything else follows. No mention of covert status; no mention of Brewster Jennings. No mention of Plame.

If she's a partisan, she'd have donated to Gore. She did. As Valerie Plame. And she gave her employer as Brewster Jennings. The contribution records are public, and oft used by DUers to expose the political leanings and contribution history of public figures--but it works for non-public figures just as well.

The only thing left is to confirm that Plame was CIA, even though she worked for a nearly non-existent front company. People admit that they did that; they say "but I didn't confirm she was undercover." But she worked for the CIA while claiming to work for a nearly non-existent front company: she's an operative.

[Nickster]

13. Novak also had said that when we found out who his source was that

we'd all be surprised because it was no one in the current White House. Is he lying now, or was he lying then?

Somehow I just don't buy a story coming from Howie Kurtz about something that Bob Novak is going to say. Something smells fishy to me. Who does it benefit to say this now?

[MurrayDelph]

14. He's parsing words

He was told by White House insiders that "Joe Wilson's wife" is a CIA operative; he was
told by "Who's Who" what her name is.

(What a douchebag)

[cal04]

18. Yahoo:Novak: Rove was a source in outing Plame

Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

In a column, Novak also says his recollection of his conversation with Rove differs from what the Rove camp has said.

"I have revealed Rove's name because his attorney has divulged the substance of our conversation, though in a form different from my recollection," Novak wrote. Novak did not elaborate.

A spokesman for Rove's legal team, Mark Corallo, said that Rove did not even know Plame's name at the time he spoke with Novak, that the columnist called Rove, not the other way around, and that Rove simply said he had heard the same information that Novak passed along to him regarding Plame.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060712/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_novak

[wicket]

19. K & R

:kick:

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Damn. Minority Americans, we need to pay close attention because

we need to learn how to weasel like white men. We're doing something wrong.

[Le Taz Hot]

35. Did Condi resign?

:eyes:

[The Backlash Cometh]

36. See. Condi is proof that we can all learn something!

[Flirtus]

38. ya'll making me smile, quit it

[Joe Bacon]

21. Fitzgerald shows his true colors.

Lets Republicans off the hook and now he is going after Blagojevich.

We were told time and time again how nonpartisan Fitzgerald was. We now know that is bullshit.

Once again, this is another case of IOKIYAR. Nazi Republicans are above the law. and the Whore Pre$$ says "Live With It'

My my how far this country has fallen...

[Tight_rope]

24. Novak: Rove was a source in outing Plame

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060712/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_novak

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
54 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

In a column, Novak also says his recollection of his conversation with Rove differs from what the Rove camp has said.

"I have revealed Rove's name because his attorney has divulged the substance of our conversation, though in a form different from my recollection," Novak wrote. Novak did not elaborate.

A spokesman for Rove's legal team, Mark Corallo, said that Rove did not even know Plame's name at the time he spoke with Novak, that the columnist called Rove, not the other way around, and that Rove simply said he had heard the same information that Novak passed along to him regarding Plame.

[dweller]

27. and who told Rove?

Pigboy is not a 'senior administration official' , is he?

dp

[Doctor_J]

26. So it's official - Rove has gotten away with treason

Ah, to have a media that would run this 24/7 from now until November.

I guess Fitz The Untouchable trned out to be just another GOP hack, more interested in hs party than the country. Why are all the SP's repubs, no matter who they're investigating?

[hang a left]

28. So where is the scumbag's article....

What is that rag he writes for again?? I want to look it up. Chicago Trib???

[hang a left]

29. The whole thing hasn't been posted yet

Novak reveals role in leak case

July 11, 2006

BY ROBERT D. NOVAK Sun-Times Columnist

WASHINGTON -- Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after two and one-half years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that, at the request of Fitzgerald, I have kept secret.

I have cooperated in the investigation while trying to protect journalistic privileges under the First Amendment and shield sources who have not revealed themselves. I have been subpoenaed by and testified to a federal grand jury. Published reports that I took the Fifth Amendment, made a plea bargain with the prosecutors or was a prosecutorial target were all untrue.

To read the rest of the column, turn to Wednesday's Chicago Sun-Times.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-nws-novak11.html

[hang a left]

30. What emptywheel has to say on the subject:

Goddamnit Press Corps, Don't You Know When You're Being Spun?!?!?!?

by emptywheel

Apparently not.

So far, we have Drudge promising Novak would out his source on every Fox program tonight I mean tomorrow or maybe is it tonight?, published almost simultaneously with Novak's premature ejaculation of a column, which he promptly removed, but which thousands of people have already seen. The column, of course, states that Novak won't out his source-presumed-to-be-Armitage. Now, perhaps these guys haven't seen it. Or they're just stupid. But there's Howie saying Novak won't out his source (and, curiously, saying that the premature ejaculation comes out on Thursday). Yet there's Tweety buying the Harlow is the source who outed Plame line, even after Shuster explained it to him all nice and slow that we already knew about Harlow's role. And a bunch of papers, apparently. Hellooooo!?!?! When they use the term "news" they generally mean stuff that is, you know, new. And whose name is on these press releases? Does it rhyme with "stove"?

I think the way this was supposed to work was that Novak would get everyone all breathless and watching Fox (it needs the ratings, dontcha know), only to reveal that his secret "source" is actually Bill Harlow, about whom Novak confirmed every detail he did today, plus a bunch, back in 2005. Well, given that his column is out already, ruining the surprise, Fox may not get the viewers. But damn, Novak has sure fooled a bunch of people. Are you guys really this stupid???

Whatever reason they spun this media extravaganza, it sure worked like a charm. Half of DC's press corps wandering around like amazed zombies at being fed 9 month-old news.

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/

[Peace Patriot]

31. Rove is guilty of a lot of things--including three stolen elections--

but he may well have been a relatively minor player in this crime.

Novak didn't just out Plame, he outed the entire WMD counter-proliferation network she was head of--at a time when WMDs were a big deal, nukes supposedly aimed at the west, and cause of a war and the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent people. Plame and the Brewster-Jennings network were specifically charged with PREVENTING the movement of illicit weapons. That was their job. They'd been working on it for 20 years, and no doubt had an intricate network of covert agents/contacts around the world. THAT's who the Bushites outed--not just any agent, and not just any network, but the very project head and network they NEEDED to track WMDs, if WMDs there were!

You all think the Plame and Brewster-Jennings outings were collateral damage? I don't. And I also don't think Rove would ever have taken it upon himself to out them. For one thing, Rove would be concerned about his own ass, re CIA retaliation. I'm sure Libby wouldn't have done this on his own either. No, this had to come from the top. From Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld or all three. And I think Wilson's article was just an excuse. The real target was Plame/BJ. The Bushites knew the article was coming. Their buds at the NYT would have told them, if nothing else. Wilson had been agitating about the matter for some time, both internally and finally in public. He called Condi Rice about it, and somebody told him, on her behalf, that she wasn't interested in his information, and if he was so concerned about it, why didn't he publish it? It's like she was baiting him.

I think, a) this is much, much, much deeper than it appears, and involves all the top Bushites, in worse crimes that we can see at present; b) Rove's reputation for ruthlessness was used to create a cover story; he thought he had legal cover--but had been set up to take the fall (by Libby, and maybe Cheney); he finally realized that he had been had, and has maybe given up Libby on the main outing crimes (and maybe Cheney); c) Fitzgerald is after Cheney on the main crime (but may have no way to get at who I think is the mastermind, Rumsfeld--Rumsfeld has built a fortress of protection around himself, and is the most dangerous individual of all of them), and d) the Bush Cartel may be willing to give up Cheney to save other aspects of the junta's agenda (it will vindicate Fitzgerald, but won't mean much as to justice, or politics; the Diebold Congress will never impeach; Cheney will retire in disgrace, but nevertheless in splendor).

I think that's what has been going on with all this, recently--Fitzgerald after Cheney, and the Bush Cartel figuring out various strategies to deal with it. I think Rove was under significant pressure--Fitzgerald had him on perjury from what I could see--and gave Fitzgerald SOMETHING (quite possibly evidence on Cheney, or something on Libby that might push Libby to give Cheney up). It's the scenario that makes the most sense. I mean, it's always possible in BushWorld that Fitzgerald has been bought, or threatened, or has succumbed to fatigue/stress, or was dirty on this all along (although that seems unlikely). I wouldn't rule anything out. And I wouldn't be surprised by anything. But I think it's a big mistake--and can be blinding--to view the Fitzgerald investigation strictly in the political foreground. Was Rove going to be operational for November, or not? That's a very narrow and myopic view--especially if what I strongly suspect is the case, that Rove was NOT the mover on these outings, just the operative; and that Fitzgerald was squeezing Rove hard for this reason. Rove was NOT about to go to jail for something he did not initiate, and that he may not even have fully comprehended (such as Plame/Brewster-Jennings being the MAIN TARGET, not the "roadkill").

My theory about what was being covered up by these outings is a Bushite scheme to PLANT nukes in Iraq--a scheme engendered at the Rome meeting in 2001, where the Niger forgeries were likely cooked up. The plan may have been both to cement Bush's and Blair's political position, by a "find" of WMDs in Iraq, AND to discredit the CIA, by drawing the CIA out into a public or known no-nukes-in Iraq position (through the "crude"--easily detectable--forgeries), and then to destroy and purge the CIA's better people, when the planted nukes were "found."

But the scheme went awry. SOMEBODY foiled it--stopped the illicit weapons from reaching their destination. There are two good possibilities for who stopped this plot: one of course is the CIA's own counterproliferation network--Plame & Co.; the other is the British chief WMD expert, David Kelly, who was found dead, under highly suspicious circumstances, right in the middle of the Plame/BJ outings. (Plame outed July 14, 2003. Kelly found dead, July 18--his office and computers searched. Brewster-Jennings--the entire network--outed four days later, on July 22 (also by Novak)).

It's just a theory, but it's a pretty good one, and explains a lot about the Bushites' behavior. (It also illuminates the David Kelly events.) And it may in addition explain something about Fitzgerald. If he is dealing with a plot to TARGET Plame and Brewster-Jennings--and not just a Rovian political dirty trick--he has all the more reason for secrecy and great care, and great thoroughness. He's playing chess with the Devil.

[Raine]

32. Doesn't matter

nothing will come of it...just another crime that they will get away and no one will pay for. :-(

[H2O]

33. As a matter of fact

That's exactly the way the article read.

"WASHINGTON - Now that Karl Rove won't be indicted, now that the president won't fire him, now that it really doesn't matter anymore, more details of the Valerie Plame leak investigation trickle out."

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/07/12/432224.html

Looks like the press agrees. I guess outing a CIA operative is not a crime.

[choie]

34. so we're supposed to accept this?

Are we just supposed to accept that Rove, upon bush's order, outed a cia operative - and that Fitzgerald has decided not to prosecute him??? I'm stunned and the complacency on the part of the media, and I especially, Democrats on this revelation. Like, because Bush "de-classifed" this information for his own disgusting, political vendetta, then that's okay - let's leave it at that??? If it was, say - Sidney Blumenthal or others in the Clinton White House, people would be calling for their heads. I'm disgusted at the roll over attitude I'm seeing. I admit, I have no idea what the next step would be - but certainly an outcry of revulsion and a demand for justice is definitely in order.

[leesa]

39. So can we crackdown on the leakers yet?

[T_i_B]

43. Novak: My role in Plame leak probe

It may not be the indictment that you lot are apparently overdue but here you go.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-novak12.html

WASHINGTON -- Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after 2-1/2 years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that, at the request of Fitzgerald, I have kept secret.

I have cooperated in the investigation while trying to protect journalistic privileges under the First Amendment and shield sources who have not revealed themselves. I have been subpoenaed by and testified to a federal grand jury. Published reports that I took the Fifth Amendment, made a plea bargain with the prosecutors or was a prosecutorial target were all untrue.

For nearly the entire time of his investigation, Fitzgerald knew -- independent of me -- the identity of the sources I used in my column of July 14, 2003. A federal investigation was triggered when I reported that former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, was employed by the CIA and helped initiate his 2002 mission to Niger. That Fitzgerald did not indict any of these sources may indicate his conclusion that none of them violated the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.

Some journalists have badgered me to disclose my role in the case, even demanding I reveal my sources -- identified in the column as two senior Bush administration officials and an unspecified CIA source. I have promised to discuss my role in the investigation when permitted by the prosecution, and I do so now.

[Up2Late]

44. Columnist names White House adviser in spy scandal (Guardian Unlimited)

(Add this to the pile)

Columnist names White House adviser in spy scandal

David Fickling and agencies
Wednesday July 12, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

The journalist at the centre of a criminal investigation into the naming of a CIA agent has revealed that top presidential aide Karl Rove played a major role in the affair.

Robert Novak, a conservative columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, admitted publicly for the first time that Mr Rove, one of George Bush's closest advisers, had been among his sources for a story outing CIA agent Valerie Plame. Publicly naming a CIA operative is a criminal offence in the US.

The affair raised suggestions that the White House was endangering national security for the sake of discrediting an Iraq war critic.

Ms Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, a former diplomat, had been sent on a fact-finding mission to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein had attempted to obtain "yellow cake" uranium ore from the country for a nuclear weapons programme.

(more at link) <http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1818726,00.html?gusrc=rss>

[Blue_Tires]

46. so who is the last source?

bush? cheney? condi? powell? someone unknown altogether?