Bush Interviewed in Gov't CIA Leak Probe

Yahoo! News ^ | June 24, 2004

[Kaslin]

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) was interviewed by government prosecutors Thursday in connection with the federal investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA (news - web sites) operative to the news media.

The president was questioned for 70 minutes in the Oval Office by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is heading the Justice Department (news - web sites) investigation.

[Kaslin]

FOX News reports Bush Hires Attorney in CIA Leak Probe.

You can imagine how the left will spin this

FNC article

[Howlin]

There's slobber all over my TV already from the reporters drooling.

[OldFriend]

Earthshattering......NOT.

It was announced that the president had hired an attorney weeks ago.

Even watched Linda Vester have an orgasm over the news alert.

Sheesh....

[bmwcyle]

When is someone going to ask Clinton about leaked and stolen FBI files?

[VRWC_minion]

OMG ? Bush didn't have Cheney at the meeting ? I'm sure that fact will be announced as leading news.

[cyncooper]

Related thread:

Patrick Fitzgerald interviews President Bush at WH (Plame/Wilson Saga)

[Kaslin]

Not surprising

[VRWC_minion]

Bush Hires Attorney in CIA Leak Probe

Thursday, June 24, 2004

WASHINGTON  — President Bush was interviewed by government prosecutors Thursday in connection with the federal investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative to the news media.

The president was questioned for 70 minutes in the Oval Office by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald (search), who is heading the Justice Department investigation.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush has hired a private attorney, Jim Sharp (search), a Washington trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

"The leaking of classified information is a very serious matter," McClellan said, adding that the president repeatedly has said that he wants his administration to cooperate with the investigation. "He was pleased to do his part."

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame (search), an undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last July. A federal grand jury in recent months has questioned numerous White House and administration officials.

Disclosure of an undercover officer's identity can be a federal crime.

Wilson has said he believes his wife's identity was disclosed to attack his credibility because he criticized Bush administration claims that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had tried to obtain uranium from Niger. Wilson went to Niger for the CIA to investigate the information about Iraq and he found the allegation to be highly unlikely.

[VRWC_minion]

Bush Hires Attorney in CIA Leak Probe

Thursday, June 24, 2004

WASHINGTON  — President Bush was interviewed by government prosecutors Thursday in connection with the federal investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA operative to the news media.

The president was questioned for 70 minutes in the Oval Office by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald (search), who is heading the Justice Department investigation.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush has hired a private attorney, Jim Sharp (search), a Washington trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor.

"The leaking of classified information is a very serious matter," McClellan said, adding that the president repeatedly has said that he wants his administration to cooperate with the investigation. "He was pleased to do his part."

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame (search), an undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last July. A federal grand jury in recent months has questioned numerous White House and administration officials.

Disclosure of an undercover officer's identity can be a federal crime.

Wilson has said he believes his wife's identity was disclosed to attack his credibility because he criticized Bush administration claims that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had tried to obtain uranium from Niger. Wilson went to Niger for the CIA to investigate the information about Iraq and he found the allegation to be highly unlikely.

[cyncooper]

MSNBC has three successive reporters report this:

David Gregory, Norah O'Donnell and Bob Kur.

Can Andrea Mitchell be far behind?

Interview has been reported at lasting 70 minutes, then Bob Kur said one hour and 10 minutes. Not under oath.

[VRWC_minion]

Getting an attorney and this interview indicates Bush has some knowledge that could be considered incriminating him or could be considered as being confidential.

If its confidential and Bush wants to avoid a civile suit, he may want to request that he be issued an subpeona to protect him from whatever disclosures he might make.

If its potentially incriminating, he might want to obtain immunity from prosecution and/or be certain he is not considered a target but rather a witness.

Either way, he needs an attorney to be the middleman between him and the prosecutor. The policy of the gov't is NOT to discuss such things directly with the individual.

[Kaslin]

I see Yahoo!News does have the full report now

[Kaslin]

When is someone going to ask Clinton about leaked and stolen FBI files?

You should know yourself that hell will freeze over before they will ask him that

[VRWC_minion]

Bush Interviewed in Gov't CIA Leak Probe

37 minutes ago

Add White House - AP to My Yahoo!

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) was interviewed by government prosecutors Thursday in connection with the federal investigation of who leaked the name of an undercover CIA (news - web sites) operative to the news media.

AP Photo

The president was questioned for 70 minutes in the Oval Office by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is heading the Justice Department (news - web sites) investigation, and members of his team.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush has hired a private attorney, Jim Sharp, a Washington trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor, and he was present for the questioning.

"The leaking of classified information is a very serious matter," McClellan said, adding that the president repeatedly has said that he wants his administration to cooperate with the investigation. "He was pleased to do his part. No one wants to get to the bottom of this matter more than the president of the United States."

McClellan noted that Bush has urged anyone with information about the case to come forward.

Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) and other top administration officials, including White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, also have been questioned in the investigation.

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last July. A federal grand jury in recent months has questioned numerous White House and administration officials.

Disclosure of an undercover officer's identity can be a federal crime.

Asked if Bush had answered every question, McClellan said, "The president was glad to do his part to cooperate with the investigation. The president was pleased to share whatever information he had with the officials in charge and answer their questions."

McClellan, who said he was not in the meeting, was asked if Bush had any information about who leaked Plame's name. "That's just getting into questions that are best directed to the officials in charge of the investigation. I would not read anything into that one way or the other. This is an ongoing investigation."

Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson has said he believes his wife's identity was disclosed to attack his credibility because he criticized Bush administration claims that Iraq (news - web sites) under Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had tried to obtain uranium from Niger. Wilson went to Niger for the CIA to investigate the information about Iraq and he found the allegation to be highly unlikely

[Freee-dame]

Wilson went to Niger for the CIA to investigate the information about Iraq and he found the allegation to be highly unlikely.

Who at the CIA authorized his trip? We still do not know who sent Wilson or who at the CIA got his briefing when he returned. He wrote an op-ed, but I don't think that counts as a briefing.

[anita]

Scott Mcclellan is a good loyal person but not a good spokes person for Bush. Ari is the correct peson to handle the arrogant WH presscore.

[bmwcyle]

Since Jun 24, 2004

Welcome to the FreeRepublic you worthless lib.

[cyncooper]

Who at the CIA authorized his trip?

Text of CIA Director George Tenet's statement

Excerpt:

There was fragmentary intelligence gathered in late 2001 and early 2002 on the allegations of Saddam's efforts to obtain additional raw uranium from Africa, beyond the 550 metric tons already in Iraq. In an effort to inquire about certain reports involving Niger, CIA's counter-proliferation experts, on their own initiative, asked an individual with ties to the region to make a visit to see what he could learn. He reported back to us that one of the former Nigerien (sic) officials he met stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office. The same former official also said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him and insisted that the former official meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between Iraq and Niger. The former official interpreted the overture as an attempt to discuss uranium sales. The former officials also offered details regarding Niger's processes for monitoring and transporting uranium that suggested it would be very unlikely that material could be illicitly diverted. There was no mention in the report of forged documents -- or any suggestion of the existence of documents at all.

Because this report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the President, Vice-President or other senior Administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.

In the fall of 2002, my Deputy and I briefed hundreds of members of Congress on Iraq. We did not brief the uranium acquisition story.

[petitfour]

Did Joseph Wilson speak the truth? I don't think he would know the truth if it hit him in the face. As for getting his wife killed, she seems to be in good health. As for her now compromised sources, I believe her husband is as much responsible for any deaths that resulted from the revelation of his wife's line of work. He showed a huge lack of judgement when he wrote an op-ed column about his trip to Niger. When you go public with something, you should expect that your whole life, including the occupation of your spouse, will become public. Hang the leaker and the other leaker, Joseph Wilson.