Murray Waas, who has an excellent track record for these things, reports that Novak’s source regarding Valerie Plame was Karl Rove. Moreover, he reports that three days after the announcement of a federal investigation into the leak, Rove and Novak spoke by phone and — some investigators believe — concocted a cover story. (What this means in legal terms? The … Read More
The Week Ahead
So much to write about, so little time. I don’t have much to say about Bush’s approval rating breaking the 30% mark (last week’s Harris poll puts him at 29%). And the fallout over the NSA datamining of telecom records continues. But I’m looking forward to this week. There are two rumors which are getting the buzz: (1) Rove indicted … Read More
Why Outing Plame Mattered
Here’s the press release (in its original allcaps): INTELLIGENCE SOURCES SAY VALERIE WILSON WAS PART OF AN OPERATION THREE YEARS AGO TRACKING THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS MATERIAL INTO IRAN. AND THE SOURCES ALLEGE THAT WHEN MRS. WILSON’S COVER WAS BLOWN, THE ADMINISTRATION’S ABILITY TO TRACK IRAN’S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS WAS DAMAGED AS WELL. Interesting.
Rove Indictment Imminent?
Could be. Larry O’Donnell wrote: Karl Rove’s return to the grand jury today could mean the end of the Rove investigation or the beginning of the Rove prosecution. It depends on who asked Rove to return. If Fitzgerald asked Rove to return to the grand jury, that means Fitzgerald thinks he doesn’t have enough for an indictment. If Rove asked … Read More
Holy Crap!
Why is nobody talking about this (which comes from the right-leaning NY Sun, no less)?!? A former White House aide under indictment for obstructing a leak probe, I. Lewis Libby, testified to a grand jury that he gave information from a closely-guarded "National Intelligence Estimate" on Iraq to a New York Times reporter in 2003 with the specific permission of … Read More
White House Infighting
The rumors are apparently true. Rove is cooperating with the Fitzgerald investigation, and pointing investigators to the Cheney office. It was Rove, reports say, who informed Fitzgerald about the "missing" emails from the VP’s office. From The Washington Note: According to several Pentagon sources close to Rove and others familiar with the inquiry, Bush’s senior adviser tipped off Special Prosecutor … Read More
Waas’s New Scoop
Pretty big news: Beyond what was stated in the court paper, say people with firsthand knowledge of the matter, Libby also indicated what he will offer as a broad defense during his upcoming criminal trial: that Vice President Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials had earlier encouraged and authorized him to share classified information with journalists to build public … Read More
Plame: Yes, She Was Covert
Well, the ridiculous defense that "Valarie Plame was not covert" has finally — finally — been handed a death blow: Newly released court papers could put holes in the defense of Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, in the Valerie Plame leak case. Lawyers for Libby, and White House allies, have repeatedly questioned whether Plame, the … Read More
Valerie Plame Is Outted Again
The Washington couple at the heart of the CIA leak investigation had their cover blown by their small son as they tried to sneak away on vacation on Thursday. The former spy, who just retired from the agency, and the diplomat have been at the center of a CIA leak scandal that has reached into the White House. They said … Read More
Rove In The Crosshairs
I haven’t been following the minutae of Plamegate lately, but if this is true, it doesn’t bode well for Karl Rove: In late January 2004, the grand jury investigating whether top officials in the Bush administration knowingly leaked Valerie Plame Wilson’s name and covert CIA status to reporters subpoenaed the White House for records of administration contacts with more than … Read More
So Shouldn’t He Be Subpoenaed?
If Bob Novak is right, I think Fitz needs to subpoena POTUS. From the News-Observer: Newspaper columnist Robert Novak is still not naming his source in the Valerie Plame affair, but he says he is pretty sure the name is no mystery to President Bush. "I’m confident the president knows who the source is," Novak told a luncheon audience at … Read More
Pew Poll Puts Bush At 36%
I like this graph. Especially the dropoff among independents. Additional info from The Left Coaster: A new Pew Center poll out this afternoon shows that Bush’s approval rating has fallen to a new low of 36%, and he’s losing the support of moderate and liberal Republicans, and is seeing a steep decline in support amongst independents. The poll also shows … Read More
Punditry Gone Amok
This is an incredible piece of wishful thinking, spin, and rationalization from conservative blogger Tom McGuire at Just One Minute. McGuire starts his story by quoting from the "always interesting, sometimes accurate" (McGuire’s words) WorldNetDaily. You know you are in for a treat when the basis for a wingnut post starts out with WorldNetDaily (heck, even McGuire acknowledges that the … Read More
Plamegate: Most Serious Scandal In Three Decades
Via Atrios, Editor & Publisher takes a look at a recent CBS poll and tells us that the public thinks the Valerie Plame scandal is more important than any scandal in the past 30 years. Here are the numbers: Plamegate: 86% important 12% not important Clinton-Lewinsky: 62% important, 37% not important Whitewater: 49% important, 45% not important Iran-Contra: 81% important, … Read More
Even William F Buckley Gets It
Bill Buckley: The importance of the law against revealing the true professional identity of an agent is advertised by the draconian punishment, under the federal code, for violating it. In the swirl of the Libby affair, one loses sight of the real offense, and it becomes almost inapprehensible what it is that Cheney/Libby/Rove got themselves into. But the sacredness of … Read More