Why did Comey have to clarify Fitzgerald's authority on 2/6/04?

[milkyway]

Comey's letter says:

At your request, I am writing to clarify that my December 30, 2003, delegation to you of "all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity" is plenary and includes the authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal criminal laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure, as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation...<more>
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/index.html

Just five weeks earlier, Fitzgerald was given the case by Comey (that letter is also at Fitzgerald's site), but without explicitly stating Fitzgerald could investigate and prosecute violations of any federal laws relating to the outing of Plame. It seems to me that during that five weeks Fitzgerald had already discovered that the criminal conspiracy might be much larger and deeper than just the vengeful outing of Plame. He thus asked Comey to clarify that he does indeed have the authority to conduct a wide-ranging investigation (rather than just one narrowly focused on the Plame outing).

In other words, while the mainstream media has only in recent days reported that Fitzgerald may be widening his probe beyond the outing of Plame, Fitzgerald may have actually have done so almost two years ago. I wonder what he's found out.

[madrchsod]

1. fitzgerald also went to two judges

to get "permission" to widen the scope of the investigation. i think it was about the new york times leads he found

[Ouabache]

2. it also says he can investigate intimidation of his investigation

as well. And I think that is the most startling part of the clarification. Did it only take five weeks for someone to attempt to intimidate Fitz?

That could be another path of inquiry which is taking so long. Fitz is trying to nail the bastard that tried to intimidate him from the get-go.

[Burried News]

3. Surely he has someone reading the net and has found out alot.

The issue now is what can he prove? I think he can prove most of what I've seen discussed here.

The question that I think is the hardest for him - what is in America's best interest? That goes way beyond justice. Does one only uphold the law or does one have a responsibility to preserve the rule of law (with the understanding that that might entail pulling back on what could be prosecuted but is not in the peoples' best interest to prosecute).

My view - the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

[shraby]

4. What is in America's best interest is

the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and I think that is where Fitzgerald intends on taking the whole schmear.

[milkyway]

5. a little kick.