Wilson Names Three Possible CIA Leakers

Yahoo News ^ | 4/29/04 | AP

[wagglebee]

WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has been pegged as a possible leaker of the name of CIA (news - web sites) operative Valerie Plame to a syndicated columnist, according to a new book by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, Plame's husband.

In "The Politics of Truth," to be published Friday, Wilson says Libby is "quite possibly the person who exposed my wife's identity," according to The Washington Post, which obtained an early copy.

Wilson writes that a "workup" of his background was done by the White House in March 2003, after his public criticism of the administration's Iraq (news - web sites) policy.

"The other name that has most often been repeated to me in connection with the inquiry and disclosure into my background and Valerie's is that of Elliott Abrams, who gained infamy in the Iran-Contra scandal," he writes. Abrams is currently a Mideast specialist on the National Security Council.

Another suspect named in Wilson's book: White House chief political adviser Karl Rove. "The workup on me that turned up the information on Valerie was shared with Karl Rove, who then circulated it in administration and neoconservative circles," Wilson writes.

Columnist Robert Novak has said only that "two senior administration officials" were his sources.

Last October, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said his conversations with Rove, Libby and Abrams have ruled out their involvement.

On Thursday, McClellan said: "Mr. Wilson has publicly stated his primary objective is a political agenda to defeat the president in this election, and I don't intend to do a book review."

A federal grand jury is probing the leak of the CIA officer's identity. Subpoenas were issued to the White House on Jan. 22. The grand jury is attempting to find out if anyone violated a federal law that prohibits the intentional disclosure of the identity of an undercover agent by officials with security clearances.

Some critics have speculated that officials in the Bush administration had told reporters the name of the CIA officer to discredit her husband and his criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.

[wagglebee]

It was "Deepthroat", your wife was a lousy agent, you were a lousy diplomat, get over it.

[victoryatallcosts]

Give whoever leaked his wife's info a medal.

[COEXERJ145]

Of course, because Joe Wilson accused these people, the media will accept it as gospel.

[onyx]

Wilson had his 15 minutes.
Now he's penned a book.
LM#O!

[Peach]

I'd bet cash $$ it was Richard Clarke.

?? Evans from Newsweek I think it was said a few weeks ago that it was funny the Bush administration sent out Clarke to give an off the record briefing to reporters about how the administration was really doing because he's the one who leaks everything anyway.

[sinkspur]

Three possible leakers?

Good. At least two of them can sue his butt for slander.

[spectre]

So let me get this straight - a guy is writing an "expose" book in which the premise is that one of three people MAY be guilty of something?

And he expects people to lay down real money for this?

[THX 1138]

Some critics have speculated that officials in the Bush administration had told reporters the name of the CIA officer to discredit her husband and his criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.

some critics=usual suspects

[muawiyah]

Actually, it was Joe and his wife who had the information and the motive!

[cookcounty]

Possible? About this he writes a book?

[hobson]

I was hoping it might be Clarke but the timeing is wrong. Clarke left in the spring, the leak occured during the summer.

[Ethyl]

What a bunch of bunk!!!!!!! Get over it joe, we don't care, your wife aint' that special, ugly maybe.

[YaYa123]

In the following Knight Ridder piece, the headline says Wilson fingers Cheney. But reading the article, you soon find out Wilson is playing the Woodward game of book promotion...hyping his book with false allegations he dare not make in writing.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/8552389.htm

[Toskrin]

Joe, you know exactly who the leaker was. It was YOU!

[MJY1288]

Joe Wilson is a fraud, nobody from the Bush Administration asked Joe Wilson to go to Niger, nor did anyone in the Bush Administration ever finger Niger as the country the British Intelligence claimed Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase "Yellow Cake" Uranium (Uranium Oxide)

The fact is that Joe Wilson was sent to Iraq by his wife's office (CIA's Counter Proliferation) yet his trip was approved by the State Dept. Robert Novak is constantly quoting people from the CIA or State Dept. he has no real connections to this Administration and his connections are with the career bureaucrats in the State Dept. and CIA. The person who leaked her name doesn't work at the White House.

The bottom line is, Joe Wilson took those 16 words in the SOTU speech and tried to claim his trip to Niger to them, and the facts just don't back his claims up. I've done a lot of research on this and Joe Wilson is a liar and a fraud

[teletech]

So let me get this straight - a guy is writing an "expose" book in which the premise is that one of three people MAY be guilty of something?

And he expects people to lay down real money for this?

You got it! Isn't that a hoot?

[Mike Darancette]

At a minimum Wilson has libeled two people.

[Dark Knight]

>>Wilson writes that a "workup" of his background was done by the White House in March 2003, after his public criticism of the administration's Iraq (news - web sites) policy. <<

Let's see, CIA opertive Joe Wilson goes to Niger, spends eight days drinking tea in a hotel, and comes back with a definitive "There was no yellowcake transfer to Iraq."

CIA did not even bother to write down his drivel. Joe Wilson starts to publically proclaim his Quixotic mission as the definitive yellowcake proof. Rememeber it was a secret mission that he was claiming in the press. A reporter, Novak, calls the CIA to find out what UBER moron suggested him for the mission. He's told it's Valerie Plame, the wife of the "diplomat" in question. She works for the CIA so keep it between you and I.

Well, there's more than a few morons being protected in the CIA. One that would take someone recommending their hubby for a mission as legit, and finding out it was a scam. The other, who did not fire Ms. Plame after hubby told the world of his secret mission.

Joe Wilson outed his own wife. And was a moron to boot!

DK

[FreedomCalls]

So why is it a big deal as to who "outed" Plame when she and her minor position in the CIA was well-known among the glitterati party circuit in DC (even going so far as to pose for a photo spread in Vanity Fair magazine) whereas it is perfectly OK for the Sept 11 Commission to "out" the CHIEF OF THE CIA CLANDESTINE DIVISION? Politics?

9/11 Panel Outs CIA Spymaster

Raising further questions about whether it's doing more harm than good, the commission probing the Sept. 11 attacks has revealed the identity of the CIA's top spymaster, a position considered so sensitive that in the entire history of the agency the anonymity of the person who holds it has never before been breached.

Called to testify on Wednesday, James L. Pavitt, head of the CIA clandestine operations unit, told the panel, "I am not a public person."

In a story headlined "Clandestine, Or at Least He Was Until Yesterday," the New York Times noted that the decision to out Pavitt by having him testify in public was so extraordinary that even some panel members expressed reluctance about the move.

"My stomach's been turning as Mr. Pavitt's been answering questions here this afternoon," 9/11 commissioner former Sen. Bob Kerrey said.

Kerrey urged the White House to issue a legal opinion saying that Pavitt's appearance did not set a precedent, the Times said.

Asked if being outed by the 9/11 panel made him uncomfortable, Pavitt answered cryptically, "Yes and no ... no one in my position has ever testified publicly."

[Balata]

LOL! Shades of the hunt for "Deepthroat".