Judge Upholds Media Subpoenas in CIA Leak Case (PLAME/WILSON)

Reuters ^ | August 9, 2004 | James Vicini

[cyncooper]

"There have been no allegations whatsoever that this grand jury is acting in bad faith or with the purpose of harassing these two journalists," the judge wrote.

That's an interesting notation by the judge. Is "harrassment" usually cited by journalists avoiding testimony?

[Shermy]

Here's the Time story.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/992437/posts

[Red Badger]

Plame is the wife of Joe Wilson, a former ambassador who was asked by the CIA to travel to Niger in February 2002 to check reports that Iraq had tried to buy enriched uranium from the African country.

WRONG! Plame is the wife of Joe Wilson, who used his CIA wife's position to get her to RECOMMEND her husband for the assignment.....nepotism is okay as long as you don't get your family involved....

[12 Gauge Mossberg]

So is this ruling good or bad for Bush?

[YaYa123]

Hard to believe anyone in the Bush administration would leak anything but Depends to Matt Cooper, who is married to Clinton loyalist Mandy Grunwald.

[swilhelm73]

One does wonder what the Demies have been smoking. Ignoring everything else, wouldn't the Bush team have leaked, if they choose to do so, to a Deborah Oran, or a Dorothy Rabinowitz, a Susan Schmidt, ot some other reporter that isn't a rabid leftist or war opponent (Novak)?

[cyncooper]

Exactly.

See other thread---Cooper's might go to JAIL. I'll go find the link.

[cyncooper]

Court Holds Reporter in Contempt in Leak Case (WILSON/PLAME)

Time Magazine's Cooper Threatened with Jail for Not Revealing Source

[Wally_Kalbacken]

The journalists who were shopped on this story - should either shut up with respect to the grand jury and everyone else - or give testimony, under oath. But they should not have the privilege of commentary on this, soto voce to the Washington journalism community, while refusing to give their evidence to the grand jury. This investigation is going to cost tens of millions by the time it is all done and the journalists who refuse to testify will just increase the cost. Given what we know about Wilson's credibility and zeal to do work on behalf of the possible Kerry Administration - I think there could be some interesting results in this matter. Can you say blowback?

[oceanview]

good. there is no "reporter's privilege" right in the Constitution, at all. Let them take the 5th if they want to, although I don't see how answering these questions would cause them to incriminate themselves.

when is Novak testifying? I want someone to get on that stand at say "Wilson told me his wife was at CIA at a cocktail party we both were attending".

[Shermy]

These "leaks" came after Novak's article. The Time mag article reminds of Tenet's statement about Wilson not mentioning "forgeries" or documents at all in his 2002 oral report. Which is interesting, Wilson's NYTimes piece doesn't mention anything about documents or forgeries. But before that he related "anonymously" to Pincus, Kristof, the Independent and Rangwala that he proved the documents were forgeries, though American intel did not have them at the time. He usually claims now that he gathered information about the "signatures" which would be necessary. The agents who interviewed him say he didn't say anything about that. However, even if US didn't have the documents, they had reports mentioning the names on the documents. Which then folds into the issue whether his wife told him about them.

His statements about proving the forgeries could be just bragging, taking credit for what the IAEA reported in March 2003. Or it could be something more.

[bad company]

"So is this ruling good or bad for Bush?"


It depends on whose name comes out.

[cyncooper]

He may have already spoken to the gj.

[oceanview]

that is the risk here, but not just that they will tell the truth and someone at the WH will be implicated - what I fear is that they will lie, and get up there and say "person X in Cheney's office told me". then it becomes a "he said, she said" kind of case, how do you prove it?

[cyncooper]

Well, let's put on our thinking caps, 'k?

Since nobody supporting Bush or anybody in his WH "leaked" Plame's name (I've expounded at length before on that particular aspect before), then it isn't Bush or his people that should be worried.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

I bet if the journalists weren't turning in a Republican the Judge whould have ruled differently!

[cyncooper]

I bet if the journalists weren't turning in a Republican the Judge whould have ruled differently!

Why don't you walk us through your contention these journalists would be "turning in" a Republican?

I say all evidence points away from that.

[TomGuy]

Stand tough, Tim!

Free Tim Free Martha Free Tim Free Martha Free Tim Free Marth!

[cyncooper]

Good points in your post #11.

[Southack]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/29/novak.cia/

"Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this," Novak said on "Crossfire." "There is no great crime here."