Cheney's Office Is A Focus in Leak Case

[cynatnite]

As the investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name hurtles to an apparent conclusion, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has zeroed in on the role of Vice President Cheney's office, according to lawyers familiar with the case and government officials. The prosecutor has assembled evidence that suggests Cheney's long-standing tensions with the CIA contributed to the unmasking of operative Valerie Plame.

In grand jury sessions, including with New York Times reporter Judith Miller, Fitzgerald has pressed witnesses on what Cheney may have known about the effort to push back against ex-diplomat and Iraq war critic Joseph C. Wilson IV, including the leak of his wife's position at the CIA, Miller and others said. But Fitzgerald has focused more on the role of Cheney's top aides, including Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, lawyers involved in the case said.

snip:
In the course of the investigation, Fitzgerald has been exposed to the intense, behind-the-scenes fight between Cheney's office and the CIA over prewar intelligence and the vice president's central role in compiling and then defending the intelligence used to justify the war. Miller, in a first-person account Sunday in the Times, recalled that Libby complained in a June 23, 2003, meeting in his office that the CIA was engaged in "selective leaking" and a "hedging strategy" that would make the agency look equally prescient whether or not weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.

The special prosecutor has personally interviewed numerous officials from the CIA, White House and State Department. In the process, he and his investigative team have talked to a number of Cheney aides, including Mary Matalin, his former strategist; Catherine Martin, his former communications adviser; and Jennifer Millerwise, his former spokeswoman. In the case of Millerwise, she talked with the prosecutor more than two years ago but never appeared before the grand jury, according to a person familiar with her situation.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/17/AR2005101701888_pf.html

:wow:

[dwightspencer]

1. They are too slick

Cheney will not burn even if he is caught in the open and given the Patsy hat. This new crop is not good at playing dead and taking the blame. Instead of selling others out, they will try to maintain a level of loyalty and cover their own rear ends. Don't you remember what happened with Michael Brown and how he was so incredulous in questioning? They don't care. They think they are above the law, beyond reason, and just untouchable. They all need to be exposed, but until the Iraq group's smoking gun is unearthed, they will wriggle out of every hold at every turn. Don't focus so much attention on Cheney or his office, because you just might miss some conspicuous document shredding.

[cynatnite]

2. Investigation is widening...

It's not all about Cheney, but he played a huge role. McGovern, a former CIA analyst, said Cheney took very frequent trips to the CIA headquarters which was unheard of. Politicians don't do that.

The players in WHIG, Cheney's office, Rover, Rice, etc...they're in on it and I think Fitz knows it. My guess is that Fitz may be onto something concerning the entire case made for war rather than just perjury.