I thought ignorance was not an acceptable criminal defense?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

They can say all they want that Rove didn't know she was an undercover agent. Does that really matter in the eyes of the law? And given that he DOES have access to these materials, how likely is it that he didn't know?

Plausible deniability died with Nixon. Looks like Bush and Rove forgot about that one.

[Beaver Tail]

1. ignorance of the facts is an excuse

ignorance of the law is not

Edit here

SO it comes down to

1: does he know that Plame was a CIA undercover agent
2: did he know that releasing information is against the law?

If he was unaware that Plame was a CIA agent (yah, like he didn’t know) than he broke no law because he was ignorant of the fact she worked for the CIA but he did say he believed Wilsons wife worked for the CIA so his ass is not covered here. The only quest is did he know she was undercover?

Now if he knew she worked for the CIA undercover then he is as guilty as sin regardles if he was aware if he broke the law or not.

[rasputin1952]

6. I find it difficult to believe that Rove didn't have an inkling

of what was going on throughout the whole thing. He is far too calculating to miss the situation he was getting into. He felt as if no one would call him on it. He didn't believe that he was vulnerable, as most of those who get caught believe. He overstepped his bounds.

What he divulged to the Grand Jury, and what he is saying before/now publicly, has a great deal to do with how this will play out.

In any case, I agree w/you, albeit w/a heavy heart, ignorance of the law is not an excuse...I am ignorant of many laws, and feel as though I would be hard pressed if held accountable to some of them...:(

[PurityOfEssence]

14. Funny you should mention that word "inkling"...

Junior lied when he told the press that none of them had the slightest inkling there was anything wrong with the intelligence they were using to justify the war of greed. Not only were there "inklings", there were many qualifications to virtually all of what they claimed. He KNEW this personally because Tenet kept excising references to mushroom clouds from speeches and there were numerous complaints raised from analysts about the rocket tubes, the drones and all sorts of other things.

This should be the word that hangs the man; he and his supporters have long claimed that he never "lied" in the run-up to war, but that he just conflated threats and pumped up some hyperbole. That's crap. He lied. He lied with the 16 words when he said that we'd learned about this from Britain.

People will--for some bizarre reason--give others a pass on the most odious forms of deliberate misleading, but a "LIE" is unforgivable to them.

[rasputin1952]

16. "inkling" was the most diminutive word I could think of at the time...

:)

I find it incredible that he could not have had any info before he opened his mouth. Rove is not the kind to take these things lightly...he HAD to do some homework before he let loose.

IF what he said to the GJ doesn't jive w/what he said publicly/privately, (as leaker), he's in deep stuff....:)

[underpants]

2. That's pretty much what Imus said this morning

Talking to David Gregory (NBC).

As the President's right hand man he surely would know about her status and if he didn't he was obligated to find out before using her name as he did.

[wtmusic]

3. There are all kinds of problems with that approach

Why was he calling journalists with this information then? How did Novak find out she was undercover?

A very skinny tree to hide behind.

[underpants]

4. Two names-let's not forget that we need TWO names

Per Novak's column

[whatever4]

5. hahaha It could even be seen as sexual harassment

I mean, after all, what business of Roves was it, the wife of Wilson, what right did he have to bring her into discussions of Wilson's job?

It's like asking someone if they're married in a job interview; one's family is no business of the government. Past backround checks, it is NONE of their business. EVEN if her job was to send Wilson on his mission, the fact that she is his wife was a VERY unprofessional statement to make to the press. Just my two cents on that.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Yes, in this case, ignorance IS an excuse...

Becasue the law specifically says that the person doing the outing must know that the covert agent is just that -- covert. So, yes, ignorance is an excuse in this case. And since one is innocent until proven guilty, prosecutors will have to prove that Rove knew that Plame was a coovert agent when he outed her -- a very, very difficulat task.

[Beaver Tail]

8. That is still ignorance of the facts

That she was an undercover CIA agent so the whole ignorance of facts/law is just redundent in this specific law.

[wtmusic]

11. Not so difficult

when motive is considered. Why did Rove make the phone call in the first place? Remember, whether Rove knew she was a covert agent is irrelevant. It's whether a jury believes it beyond a reasonable doubt.

[quiet.american]

9. Karl Rove has had no problem being referred to as "a genius."

Now all of a sudden Rove is going to play dumb?

Fuhgeddaboutit.

[Brent Turbeaux]

10. Absolutely! See: Ollie North

Perhaps Ollie North was dragged out as a scapegoat, but he made "I can't recall" the news buzzphrase of the year, and now he's got his own radio show... sooooooo all Rove has to say is that he didn't know she was undercover, he didn't know he was breaking the law, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY he can't remember who told him. That last line stalls the inquiry -- possibly indefinitely. A little wrist slap (maybe), and then this is all under the rug.

[kestrel91316]

12. But: nothing is a crime if you are a Republican nt

[Totally Committed]

13. That's what I was taught in Civics class

in Jr. High...

ignorance of the law is no defense.

TC

[DURHAM D]

15. If Rove did not know Plame was CIA and did not know what her

job was then he had no reason to talk about her at all whatsoever. The only reason he had to talk about her was that he did indeed know what she did.

Not CIA = no story.

The "conversation" with reporter is in and of itself proof that he knew Plame's position.

[Inland]

17. Some crimes require "specific intent"

that is, knowledge that there IS a law and that the conduct BREAKS the law.

"ignorance is no excuse" applies to those crimes that were at common law, murder, rape, arson, larceny, that is, things that you really should know are wrong.

[LunaC]

18. To just say "Wilson's wife"

You'd be talking about Valerie WILSON. "Plame" was her professional name and that could ONLY have come from classified CIA documents. Rove knew damn well who/what she was when he talked to Novak and "Valerie Plame" was outed.