Time Reporter Says He Learned Agent's Identity From Rove

[dubyaD40web]

Time Reporter Says He Learned Agent's Identity From Rove

Oct. 31 2005 — One of the reporters at the center of the investigation into the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA officer, says he first learned the agent's name from President Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove.

Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper also said today in an interview with "Good Morning America," that the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, confirmed to him that Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a covert CIA operative.

A grand jury charged Libby on Friday with five felonies alleging obstruction of justice, perjury to a grand jury and making false statements to FBI agents. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines. Libby was not charged with the crime that the grand jury was created to investigate - specifically, who leaked the name of Plame to reporters in 2003. Rove has not been charged.

Wilson, who went to Nigeria 2002 to investigate whether or not the country was supplying Iraq with uranium to make weapons of mass destruction, opposed the war. He said he found no evidence of such an exchange in an op-ed in The New York Times. Wilson has argued that the Bush administration revealed his wife's identity in order to silence his opposition to the war.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/CIALeak/story?id=1265736&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. I'd love a transcript of the conversation with Rove!

COOPER: Is the President concerned about his Social Security agenda now that polls are showing it's in the tank?

ROVE: Hey! Did you know Joe Wilson's wife works for the CIA?

COOPER: Who?

ROVE: Joe Wilson! The guy that wrote that fucking lying crap in the Times! His wife sent him, ferchristsake!

COOPER: His wife works at the CIA? In what capacity?

ROVE: Oh, I've said too much. Bye.

[lebkuchen]

4. Where is this transcript?

I didn't see it in the original article, though maybe I skimmed too fast.

[Tesibria]

5. transcript not up yet

but watch for it at http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=769462

[deutsey]

2. With Rove "still under investigation" this might prove veeeery interesting

[PCIntern]

3. having lived thru Watergate as a college student

this scandal is going to come out much like the literary Oddjob went out the Plexiglass window from the depressurizing jet in Fleming's Goldfinger: Squeezed out like toothpaste, lodging at the wide buttocks until BOOM...shot out like a cannon...

[Lerkfish]

6. ? not sure what you're saying, but you sure do use interesting imagery.

:)

[PCIntern]

7. thanks...

what I meant to say is that drip, drip drip is how this is going to play out.

[Poiuyt]

8. That was Goldfinger who went out the window

Oddjob was electrocuted inside Fort Knox

[JetboyOne]

10. Zing!

PCIntern's credibility has just been destroyed!
(tee-hee)

[PCIntern]

12. LOL...

Nice try - did you work for the Rethugs?

Just kidding...

I know my literary Bond, too well, I'm afraid... BTW...

[booklearninboy]

11. You're both right!

The original poster referred to the "literary Goldfinger," and described the events in the book correctly. Oddjob goes out the window; Bond strangles Goldfinger as the plane descends.

In the movie, Oddjob is electrocuted and Goldfinger goes out the window.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi booklearninboy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MellowOne]

9. The pots boiling.....

people are talking...I'm popping some popcorn....gonna get good.

[Pawel K]

13. was a covert CIA operative

COVERT is the most important thing here. These bastards knew her identity was secret. I know Fitzgerald isn't finished with Rove.

[GayCanuck]

14. Did

Wilson report first to the CIA on the bogus uranium scam or to the NY Times first?

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

15. His report to the CIA was that the uranium claims were false.

He also attempted to work through the State Dept and the administration before coming out publically.

[Stephanie]

16. He tried to talk to Condoleeza Rice

She replied in writing that she was not interested in what he had to say, and why didn't he just go ahead and publish it? Which he did.

[Garbo 2004]

19. Wilson went to Africa in Feb 2002. He provided verbal report to CIA on his

return. So that would be end of Feb or beginning of March 2002.

It was no big deal for Wilson, he'd checked out stuff for CIA before. And the trip wasn't secret either. State Dept staff knew he was going. He checked in with the US Ambassador to Niger when he got there. She'd been sending back reports to State that the Niger claims were bunk.

Wilson actually was the third person to check out the claims in Niger and report back that it was bunk. (A US General had also previously investigated.)

Wilson's op ed didn't appear in the NYT until July 2003.

[GayCanuck]

20. Thank you

[The Judged]

17. Read post # 48 in the following thread for a surprise!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5219735&mesg_id=5219735

[Garbo 2004]

18. Not news. After Cooper's last grand jury testimony he wrote

an article "What I told the grand jury" where he discusses his conversation with Rove. Before that, Time turned over Cooper's emails to his editor to Fitz. Newsweek got copies and wrote about them. It's been known for months that Rove told Cooper about Wilson's wife working for CIA. Cooper had previously testified re: his conversation with Libby.

Here's Cooper's article where he discusses his testimony to the grand jury re: Rove: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071705X.shtml

[suegeo]

22. So Rove leaked the identity of Wilson which is a no no

So how did he slime out of being indicted? There are a few options that come to my feeble mind:

He must have cut a deal.

He didn't know Wilson was covert CIA when he spread her name around town.

He knew she was covert, but it wasn't malicious. (But wasn't he the asshole who was spouting "Wilson's wife is fair game?" sounds pretty malicious to me.)

He inadvertently leaked the information.

These people are simply nasty.

I don't think it matters if Rove was the first one to leak. If he told someone who wasn't cleared to hear it, he broke the law and he should be punished, butI'm no lawyer.

If he knew she was covert, he should have kept his yap shut. If he told reporters, the reporters then log it in notebooks (which can be stolen) They log it on their computers/networks, which can be tapped. They go to country clubs, and blab it over their tuna sandwiches while trying to pick up pretty girls. etc.

[loudsue]

23. Kickin' it back up to the top! n/t

:kick::kick::kick:

[leesa]

24. Rove never does anything inadvertently or without malice. Wilson had

become an enemy so he would have immediately looked to see who in his circle he could hurt/threaten. There is no way Rove didn't know EXACTLY who she was. It's his area of expertise.
He also would have known her because she was tracking WMDs and nukes and they wanted to plant fake reports. She's the one they would have been trying to avoid.