I'm a bit confused here about the NIE..

[Canuckistanian]

Was Plame specifically mentioned in the famous NIE about the Niger evidence? I don't remember hearing anything about a direct Plame-NIE connection.

If she was, then Shrub seems to be toast. If not, then the argument could go on for years.

And yes, I realize that the NIE has not been fully disclosed.

[cynatnite]

1. Yes, she was on it, but her cover wasn't declassified...

That's my understanding of it.

[Canuckistanian]

5. That would require a separate declassification, no?

You can't just out a CIA agent just because her name is on another document that's being declassified.

[cynatnite]

6. I would think so...

but they're spreading around that bush can declassify whatever the hell he wants whenever he wants.

There is a process and I think that includes meeting with the CIA. The point needs driven home that bush bypassed this process altogether by sitting in the WH and saying 'get it out there'.

Another complication, and I don't know much about this, is that there is an executive order, I believe, that gives Cheney leeway in declassification of documents.

I'm wondering if that's what Fitzgerald is having to sort through on this case.

[drm604]

2. I've been confused about this also.

I think they want us to be confused. But it does seem like it must have mentioned Plame, otherwise why would it have anything to do with the Plame case?

[OnyxCollie]

3. I had the same question.

Read this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=880488

[Canuckistanian]

7. Wow, massive distraction going on there

I can see why Fitzgerald was so pissed that it led him to press the obstruction of justice charges against Libby.

To me, the issue is very simple. The non-answers, misdirections and outright lies are throwing everyone off the track and are wasting the prosecutions's time.

[Marie26]

11. That's all a red herring, IMO

Massive speculation & excitement, but the source turns out to be a blog. Nobody in the MSM or Fitz's office is claiming that the NIE had Plame's name. It doesn't make any sense for it to be there. Why would Plame's name be in a "National Intelligence Estimate" on Iraq? This was written in 2002, before the war, & contains the "evidence" of Iraqi WMDs. OK - This is just an intelligence report about the WMDs. It was written way before Wilson ever started talking about his trip to Niger. Why would the CIA bother to mention Wilson, or Plame's identity, at that point? She's just one of a million agents - w/a classified identity. There'd be no reason to name her specifically. Plus, this memo was issued in 2002. If the White House already knew Plame's identity in 2002, why were they scrambling to find out her identity in June 2003? Fitz's indictment states that Libby made numerous calls to the CIA & State Dept. in June 2003 to get information about Wilson, & was told at that time that Plame worked for the CIA. He also asked for a State Dept. memo about Wilson's trip & his wife's role. Why would they bother doing all that if they already had her name & position in a 2002 memo. It doesn't make any sense. IMO, the VP's office's desperate search for info about Wilson & his wife's identity in June 2003 proves that they did not know her identity before then. So, that information was not included in the 2002 National Intel. Estimate.

[Postman]

4. October 2002 NIE

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/reports/2002/nie_iraq_october2002.htm

"Finally, the claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in Africa are, in INR's assessment, highly dubious."

[Marie26]

8. No, I don't think so.

I asked this question too, cause everybody was saying that the NIE leak proved that Bush leaked Plame's name. But, Plame herself was never mentioned in the 2002 NIE memo that Bush "declassified". Plame's identity was revealed in a later, 2003 State Dept. memo about Wilson's trip to Niger. So, if Bush leaked the NIE, it doesn't mean that he leaked Plame's name. Of course, he could have also "declassified" the Wilson memo, or ordered Plame's name declassified at the same time. But the NIE declassification is basically not relevent - they are two different leaks. It doesn't prove he revealed Plame's name. And, in fact, Plame's name had already been leaked before Bush ever declassified the NIE memo. Bush leaked the NIE doc. in July 2003; AFTER Libby had leaked Plame's name to Judy Miller in June 2003. So, I think the NIE declassification is basically a big distraction from the real issue. It helps to confuse, and to obscure who truly ordered the leak of Plame's name (Cheney, IMO). Please correct if this is wrong, but that's my understanding of this.

[Canuckistanian]

9. Ok, so the State Dept. memo seems to be key..

What were the circumstances surrounding the declassification and what details were available in that memo (and when).

The NIE issue does seem to be a red herring.

[Marie26]

10. Brief summary

I used to have the facts clearer, but it's become hazy since Fitzgerald's press conference. Fitz's indictment of Libby does a really good job of laying out the timeline of how the leak occured. I think Bush used the fake Niger claim in his Jan. 2003 SOTU speeach. In May, Wilson spoke to the NY Times, & reveals that he had investigated the Niger uranium claim back in 2002 & found out that it was false. The NY Times publishes this info, w/Wilson as an "unnamed ambassador" source. In response to this story, the Bush Administration seems to go into a tizzy & Libby asks the State Dept. & CIA for info about Wilson's background. He discusses this info w/Cheney. In early June, someone at the CIA told the VP's office that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent. The State Dept. memo was written on June 10, 2003, in response to numerous queries by the VP's office about the Wilson trip. This memo reveals Plame's identity, her position in the CIA Counter-Proliferation Unit & her role in sending Wilson on the Niger trip. Then, on June 23, Libby leaks Plame's identity to Judith Miller. On July 12, he leaked her name to Matthew Cooper.

So, the NIE report, as far as I can tell, is totally irrelevant. It never comes up in Fitz's indictment, & doesn't seem to be the source of the information about Plame's identity. The Bush Ad. seemed to first learn about Plame in June 2003, from CIA moles & later from the State Dept. memo. When you read the indictment, it's pretty clear that the VP's office was the motivating force behind finding this info, circulating it, & leaking it to the press. IMO, Cheney is using this NIE thing as a smokescreen to confuse the prosecutors & also the public. It's maybe possible to argue that Bush could declassify something under that stupid unitary executive, but it's a lot harder to make the argument that Cheney can.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_indictment_28102005.pdf