I don't see how Rove can get away with the "not knowingly" defense

[Quixote1818]

I am probably not the first to bring this up but wouldn't the whole PURPOSE of mentioning Plame's name to reporters be to BLOW HER COVER???? I don't see any other possible reason for such a leak.

Is their something I am not considering here?

[jrthin]

1. Nope. For most rational

people that about sums it up.

[savemefromdumbya]

2. so do you think?

if Rove knowingly leaked then Bush and Cheny knowingly, knowlingly knew?

[fishnfla]

3. its murky but

there's more angles than a pyramid, but some are thinking that Judith Miller told him Plame was CIA, he may of figured it was an outed fact already and told Cooper and others

*so it has been said* Its a crime for goverment officials to out a undercover CIA agent, but reporters? I dont know

[ClassWarrior]

6. Don't say "outted"!!!

You "out" gay people. You BLOW THE COVER of a CIA agent!!! By saying Plame was "outted," you turn her from an agent of the United States into a surrogate lesbian. Don't advance the Radical Rightwing agenda by adopting their language!!

NGU.

[fishnfla]

11. oh for fuck's sake

:eyes:

[dflprincess]

4. Too many Hogan's Heros reruns

He thinks he make like Sgt. Schultz and claim he "knows nothing".

[Quixote1818]

7. Schultz could get away with that but Rove not knowing is like

Albert Einstein saying he doesn't understand simple division or Steve Jobs not understanding how to use Windows XP.

Rove is the Albert Einstein of political maneuvering and this was dirty politics 101.

[bahrbearian]

5. Worked for Chimpy. probably the same script writers.

[DefenseLawyer]

8. I haven't seen anyone say it was a GOOD defense

except right wing apologists and stooges of course, but if the e-mails and other documents prove that he leaked the name, it may be his ONLY defense. In fairness, one could argue that his purpose for the leak was not to "out" her as a spook, but merely to get out that she worked for the agency so as to claim Wilson was sent as a result of nepotism and that this somehow would discredit his findings in Niger. Let's say hypothetically that Plame was the head of the CIA, not undercover at all, but that no one knew she was married to Wilson. I think Rove would have still leaked the fact that they were married , not to out her, but to sully Wilson's integrity. I don't really believe that for a second and I don't think it would fly with most juries either. At any rate a defense like that isn't going to keep him from being indicted, which hopefully would be enough to end his political career.

[Quixote1818]

10. Thanks. It's good to know it's probably his only defense

and he was backed into a corner. Fucker!!!

[Igel]

9. The law requires that the person know the person s/he's naming

is a *covert* operative, and know that the CIA is taking affirmative steps to maintain the operative's cover. Furthermore, the person must be authorized to have access to the information.

If you believe that everybody knows John Dorfengebratten is an agent, it's not clear that you know he's covert.

If you don't know he's covert, you can't break the law. If you don't know that the CIA is protecting his cover, you can't break the law.

And if you weren't authorized to have access to the information, but found some document misplaced on the server, disclosing the information isn't breaking the law.

Dumbass law.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/50/chapters/15/subchapters/iv/sections/section_421.html