Posted on 12/31/2003 3:45:51 PM PST by Jeff Gannon
HOUSTON (Talon News) -- The Washington Post reported Friday that according to their sources, the Central Intelligence Agency believes people in the Bush administration are continuing to release classified information to damage figures at the center of the Niger "yellowcake" controversy.
According to the Washington Post story, the CIA has alleged that one or more senior administration officials revealed the name of a covert operative to columnist Robert Novak. The complaint has led to an FBI investigation of the White House to determine circumstances surrounding the release of the identity of Valerie Plame to the media.
Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, claims someone at the White House sought to destroy his wife's career because of the report he filed after his mission to Africa in 2002. Wilson disputed the administration's statements about Saddam Hussein's efforts to buy uranium from Niger to advance his WMD programs.
The Washington Post cites an unnamed source who says, "The CIA is angry about the circulation of a still-classified document to conservative news outlets." They point to a memo referenced in a Talon News interview of Wilson that suggests his wife was instrumental in his selection for the fact-finding trip to Africa.
Talon News was the only service identified by the Washington Post as having knowledge of the memo's existence. The newspaper goes on to say that CIA officials have challenged the accuracy of the document purportedly written by a State Department official who works for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Jeff Gannon, the White House correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief for Talon News declined to reveal whether he had seen the memo or had its contents described to him.
While he would not disclose his source, Gannon said, "I will tell you that the information did not come from inside the administration."
"For something that is supposed to be classified, it seems that this document is easily accessible," Gannon added. "Washington is leaking like a cheap umbrella. Just look at what's happening over on Capitol Hill."
Gannon was referring to private Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committee memos that have been leaked to various media outlets in the last few months.
Gannon's exclusive interview with Wilson focused on the many unanswered questions about the "outing" of his wife.
Gannon points out that other possibilities exist which might explain how Plame's name was revealed without the malice that Wilson believes was retribution for his decision to go public with criticism of the White House.
"When Bob Novak asked why a known partisan like Wilson would be sent on a critical mission to help the administration build its case to go to war with Iraq, the answer might have been that his wife got him the job, not realizing her identity was classified," Gannon said. "It's not as if nepotism is unheard of in Washington."
The Talon News reporter added, "Some people out there see a clandestine war going on between the White House and the CIA. It is generally perceived that a substantial amount of blame for intelligence failures that otherwise might have prevented the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has been laid at the agency's doorstep by the administration. They suggest the agency is fighting back with an allegation of a wrongdoing in the Plame matter."
In related matters, Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the leak investigation on Tuesday and called on Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, to serve as a special prosecutor.
Fitzgerald led the investigation of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who was charged with 22 counts of corruption.
In a Tuesday press conference, Deputy Attorney General James Comey said that Ashcroft's decision was not based on a conflict of interest but rather the desire to eliminate any appearance of conflict or favoritism.
"The attorney general in an abundance of caution believed that his recusal was appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances and the facts and evidence developed at this stage of the investigation," Comey said. "I agree with that judgment."
Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
Something else the VF story left out -- and which the mainstream media has consistently failed to mention -- Plame's boss quit the agency. Hastily and with little notice. In August, just a month after the phit hit the shan.
Wanted to "spend more time with the family"...
It is already known who the leakers are, and they are not on our side. There are trouble makers in the CIA, and they are about to be outed.
Head of CIA Weapons Analysis Program Leaving - A top CIA expert on weapons of mass destruction, who became embroiled in controversy over whether the White House stretched evidence about Iraq's programs, said he planned to leave the agency in October. - Alan Foley, who heads the Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center, told colleagues in a note dated Aug. 29 that he had been "thinking about life after the agency for some time" and decided to leave after 26 years to enter the private sector. - He alluded to this summer's finger-pointing between the Central Intelligence Agency and the White House over who was responsible for an unsubstantiated claim in President Bush's State of the Union address in January that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa.
Oddly, I don't recall ever seeing a news story that linked Foley to Plame, in any way. Not so much as a cross-reference in a story about Foley's resignation -- "the man who was Plame's superior..." -- nor in any account covering Plame/Wilson (as in "subsequently, Ms. Plame's superior, Alan Foley, resigned as head of...")
This connection was totally missed by the mainstream media. Even Walter Pincus never made the connection...
Yes. This whole Plame thing is disloyalty, and payback for Bush ignoring Tenant's misgivings about yellowcake, even though British Intelligence stands by, to this day, its contention that Hussein was seeking yellowcake, actively.
Novak revealed Plame's identity in June; suddenly, in September, the CIA raises a stink about it.
Payback works both ways.
Here is the link to the webpage where "Valerie Plame"'s name appears. The sentence reads, "He is married to the former Valerie Plame..."
"Everyone" in Washington (meaning it was common knowledge in the DC social circles) knew that she worked for the CIA. Most assumed she was an analyst, which is what she actually was at the time of the Novak story. Once the story broke, it was reported that she was an agent.
Here are a few stories that fully explain the whole situation:
Scandal! by Clifford May
No Yellowcake Walk by Clifford May
Spy Games by Clifford May
We had a real "flame war" about the Valarie Plame situation. There were a lot of newbies (most likely DU'ers) that flooded FR when the story started breaking.
FREEPER "Wolfstar" did some really good research on this situation. Here is a link to the FR post where he published his findings. It is a VERY revealing read. I have a version of what Wolfstar put together in an HTML file that can be attached easily to an email. If you want a copy, drop me a FREEPmail with a regular email address, and I will be happy to forward.
All you really have to know is that Wilson hates Bush and the whole thing was a set up that is being argued over the phrase "significant amounts".
The whole situation summed up is that Wilson did find evidence that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger, but it was a "significant amount". Wilson discounts it. The President cited British intelligence in SOTU address. Wilson flips out and thinks the President was talking about his "intelligence gathering" trip to Niger. He writes an article saying there was no uranium. Novak starts asking why, of all people, was Wilson sent to Niger in the first place. His research (asking around to some "insiders") revealed that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA and while she didn't make the decision, she facilitate him as the emissary for the trip to Niger. Novak asks the CIA rep her status, they didn't tell him that she was an agent and that she, or other, might be at risk if he revealed the name. Novak "throws in" the fact that "Wilson's wife, Valarie Plame" works for the CIA, which gets to at least one of the reasons he was sent.
Boom! Story breaks. Wilson has his opening and blows the whole thing out of portion, just to make the Bush administration (whom Mr. Wilson eloquent and publicly refers to as ""Fu##ing A$$holes and "Thugs") look bad.
That about sums up the whole story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.