NYT Downplays Cheney-Libby Leak Story

[leveymg]

Just a little sidebar to the bigger story that's on the DU Frontpage. The NYT this morning has placed the Cheney-Libby story at the bottom of the Washington section. I couldn't find it in the main headline area, and thought that maybe the Waas story hadn't been confirmed. Ouch. But, lo and behold, it confirms something about the Times - it's an all but dead newspaper.

Ex-Cheney Aide Testified Leak Was Ordered, Prosecutor Says
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/politics/10leak.html
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By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: February 10, 2006
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 — I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, told a grand jury that he was authorized by his "superiors" to disclose classified information to reporters about Iraq's weapons capability in June and July 2003, according to a document filed by a federal prosecutor.

The document shows that Mr. Libby, known as Scooter, was actively engaged in the Bush administration's public relations effort to rebut complaints that there was little evidence to support the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed or sought weapons of mass destruction, which was used to justify the invasion of Iraq.

The document is part of the prosecutors' case against Mr. Libby, who has been indicted on charges that he lied about his role in exposing the identity of a C.I.A. operative to journalists.

The prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, said in a letter to Mr. Libby's lawyers last month that Mr. Libby had testified before the grand jury that "he had contacts with reporters in which he disclosed the content of the National Intelligence Estimate ('NIE')," that discussed Iraq's nuclear weapons capability. "We also note that it is our understanding that Mr. Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose information about the NIE to the press by his superiors."

Also note: neither the headline nor the lead paragraphs mention Cheney as anything other than Libby's former boss. This is a prime example of why the New York Times is no longer the news source of record in the United States. We have to read down to the bottom of the story to find the likely reason the editors want to shove this story out of sight:

"Mr. Fitzgerald said in his letter that Mr. Libby discussed the contents of the classified report in a July 8 meeting — 10 days before it was declassified — with Judith Miller, then a reporter at The Times. Ms. Miller, who spent 85 days in jail before agreeing to testify in the leak case, has told the grand jury that Mr. Libby told her about Ms. Wilson at the same meeting."

Oh, that's why. Grey Lady's still part of the problem.

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Nice door Cheney

Good get away plan.
Damn smart even have pet goat there ready :rofl:

[shaniqua6392]

2. Just the fact that they held on to the wiretap story

which they knew about before the 2004 elections tells me they have become a conservative newspaper. They only released the story at all because one of the writers was coming out with a book and had to get the jump on him. This knowledge could have changed the election. The NYT is a rag.

[dusty64]

3. Last page

of my local rag along with the Abramoff does know * story. I can't help but wonder the page placement if Clinton/Gore were pulling this shit.....

[mzteris]

4. get it noticed

by emailing that story and the other cheney/libby story in the NYT today.

If we all did it, it would make that most emailed list and more people (online anyway) would "see" it.

[Moderator]

5. leveymg

Per DU Rules, please limit your post to 4 paragraphs of the article cited.

Thank you

DU Moderator