Novak: Rove Was a Source in Outing Plame

[kurth]

July 12, 2006
Novak: Rove Was a Source in Outing Plame
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:29 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame. In a column, Novak also says his recollection of his conversation with Rove differs from what the Rove camp has said. ''I have revealed Rove's name because his attorney has divulged the substance of our conversation, though in a form different from my recollection,'' Novak wrote. Novak did not elaborate.

A spokesman for Rove's legal team, Mark Corallo, said that Rove did not even know Plame's name at the time he spoke with Novak, that the columnist called Rove, not the other way around, and that Rove simply said he had heard the same information that Novak passed along to him regarding Plame. ''There was not much of a difference'' between the recollections of Rove and Novak, said Corallo.

Novak said he is talking now because Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald told the columnist's lawyer that after 2 1/2 years his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to Novak has been concluded. Triggering the criminal investigation, Novak revealed Plame's CIA employment on July 14, 2003, eight days after her husband, White House critic and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the administration of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.

Novak's secret cooperation with prosecutors while maintaining a public silence about his role kept him out of legal danger and had the effect of providing protection for the Bush White House during the 2004 presidential campaign....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-CIA-Leak-Novak.html

[saracat]

1. Explain to me again why Rove didn't commit treason?

And with this, why isn't Fitzgerald inditing Rove? Someone?

[Quixote1818]

3. Because Bush declassified Plames identity

So, unless Rove lied to the prosecutors and they can prove it then Rove has not broken any laws. He is absolutely a traitor to his Country as is Bush and Cheney but when you have the POWER to commit treason and get away with it legally you know things are fucked up! The only thing we can do now is try to educate the public on this. Help them see that we have a president who is a legal traitor!

[saracat]

6. I am not sure that Bush can transfer the identity to anyone other than the

In other words, he could not allow Rove to give the info to Novak. And Novak had NO authority to publish Plames identity. Novak cooperated with Fitz because he knows a crime has been committed. He is now coming forward and appears to be saying Rove is lying. If Rove is lying, he is covering up a crime. He did not declassify Plame because the CIA would have to have known that.And she was still classified at the time. That is why the CIA asked for this investigation.

[bowens43]

12. it seems that technically, the idiot

can decalssify anything , anytime. They do not have to infoerm the CIA.

[H2O Man]

14. Though some in the

administration claim that to be true, it is not.

[sam sarrha]

9. sorry but thay just means D*bya committed Treason, she was an active agent

searching for info about Irans atomic program and terrorists in Saudi Arabia.. Ooopps.. is that why the only anti terrorist program was outed to same the family friends who attacked this Nation on 911, well that explains a lot..

[liberal N proud]

15. But didn't he declassify after she was outed?

That would put the act of exposure by KKKarl before the declassification and therefore treason

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Is it confirmed that Bush has the right to covertly declassify a CIA

agent's identity? I say covertly, because, if he indeed declassified her status, he told no one until he himself was outed. Remember how he responded when the CIA agent outing was first brought to light? He said he would deal with the leakers in his administration. In other words, he was covering up for himself. That tells me that everything we see today is part of a cover-up. Even this opinion that Bush has the right to declassify CIA operatives without the CIA's knowledge, is a cover-up attempt.

[FUGW]

22. I love how the Authoritarians say everyone knew Plame was in the CIA

when she was outed, so it was no big deal. But the NY Times SWIFT story was a well kept secret that no one knew about before the story, it's pathetic.

[htuttle]

29. I don't think he can declassify a CIA agent's identity unilaterally

CIA Agents' identities' are classifed by an act of Congress, not by the Executive Branch.

[Biernuts]

25. Because the Constitution defines treason and what Rove did

doesn't fit the definition.

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court." ARTICLE III, Section 3

You probably can't even have constitutional enemies without a declaration of war. Even with the Atomic Bomb spies, they were tried & convicted of Espionage, not Treason

Treason, shit, they can't even make a case for the Intel Officer ID protection Act

[Hissyspit]

2. Didn't Bush say he'd fire anyone involved in the leak?

[Quixote1818]

4. He said: They would be "Taken Care of". nt

[Hissyspit]

5. CNN article from a year ago:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/18/cia.leak/

"That appeared to differ from a response Bush gave in June 2004, when he was asked whether he stood by his promise to fire whomever was found to have leaked Plame's name. 'Yes,' Bush said at the time."

[Hissyspit]

7. Here's a Media Matters piece:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200507120004

Fox's Cameron parsed Bush's past statements on the fate of the CIA leaker: Bush "never actually said the word 'fired' "
Rather than presenting the facts about President Bush's past statements on the fate of administration officials found to have leaked the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame, Fox News chief White House correspondent Carl Cameron claimed that Bush "never actually said the word 'fired.' " In fact, both Bush and White House press secretary Scott McClellan have clearly indicated that if found, the leaker would be fired. But Cameron attributed to "reporters and Democrats" suggestions that senior White House adviser Karl Rove could be fired for his role in outing Plame.

Bush at a June 10, 2004, press conference after the G8 summit:

Q: Given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President (Dick) Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?

BUSH: That's up to --

Q: And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?

BUSH: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts.

McClellan at a September 29, 2003, press briefing:

McCLELLAN: The president has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it (the leaking of Plame's identity), they would no longer be in this administration.

[sam sarrha]

8. Rove was fired from Poppy Bush's White House for leaking CIA info..is

there a trend here... insubordination, and lack of knowing what is right and what is wrong, or lack of caring

[threadkillaz]

13. Moral of the Story

There's a k-a-r-l in every l-e-a-k-e-r.

[sam sarrha]

10. I smell a Medal of Freedom...

[Sherman A1]

11. unfortunately

I think you are right on this one. Treason is probably more correct, however it will most likely be a medal for the whole group that 'Valiantly defended freedom from the pesky facts delivered by Joe Wilson".

[Disturbed]

16. Who told Novak about

Brewster Jennings?

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. Wasn't it a casualty by association?

The fact that Valerie Plame was identified as a CIA agent made everything around her suspect. So, her cover-employer, Brewster & Jennings, was naturally assumed to be a cover-business for the CIA?

[Perky]

17. If Bush fires Rove

For his involvement in the Plame affair,,,,he would get a bump in the polls. If he did it loudly saying that no man is above the law and Rove has disgraced the presidency and been blindly, foolishly loyal he would get a 15 point bump in the polls.

As is it Bush will be seen as blindly loyal to Rove as ever. Tony Snow is going to have to dance awfully fast today. .. Watch McCain say have to go. At the end of the day Karl Rove just nationalized the fall elections.

[Biernuts]

26. Not sure we want to nationalize the election - Bush has already

moved from 35% to 40% to 43% over the 6/29 to 7/9 timeframe. He's got 20+ points over Congress.
<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/>

[Dinger]

18. So, What's The Deal With Fitz?

Has he washed his hands of this case?

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. I'm holding out for two possibilities:

That Scooter Libby will turn evidence against someone (Cheney) and that Bush will be thoroughly pummeled by public opinion for "declassifying" this information to use as a political weapon.

[Olney Blue]

23. Novak implies that there was no agenda from the WH. So why did

Libby lie to the Grand Jury? Something is still very wrong with this story.

[Biernuts]

27. Remember they haven't yet proven that he did - and it's not

as George Tenant said, a slam dunk.

They need to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, not only that his statements were factually inaccurate, but also that he knew so at the time he was making them. This is a very losable case if his explanation sounds credible to a jury.

[H2O Man]

30. silly n/t

[Fermezlabush]

24. Yet, Rove himself said he'd fire the leaker - only days ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1600895

[cantstandbush]

28. We are doomed. The blatant double-standard with our legal system is the

is the final blow to a free America.

[izzybeans]

31. My guess is Rove was sent in to cover up the mess

like leave a copy of whose who on his desk.