Posted on 07/12/2005 8:19:20 AM PDT by WBL 1952
Need some help on Bush's actual statement re: Plame
I recall something more along the line of him having a lengthy answer and saying that if it was proven by a prosecutor that somebody BROKE THE LAW they would be terminated; for this we need the whole question & answer session to keep the context.
Any help out there?
What he said in effect was that if he found out that any WH staffer had broken the law they would be 'dealt with'
He said if anyone leaked "classified" either information or documents, he wanted to know about it and would then deal with it.
Q Do you think that the Justice Department can conduct an impartial investigation, considering the political ramifications of the CIA leak, and why wouldn't a special counsel be better?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of.
And so I welcome the investigation. I -- I'm absolutely confident that the Justice Department will do a very good job. There's a special division of career Justice Department officials who are tasked with doing this kind of work; they have done this kind of work before in Washington this year. I have told our administration, people in my administration to be fully cooperative.
I want to know the truth. If anybody has got any information inside our administration or outside our administration, it would be helpful if they came forward with the information so we can find out whether or not these allegations are true and get on about the business.
Yes, let's see, Kemper -- he's from Chicago. Where are you? Are you a Cubs or White Sox fan? (Laughter.) Wait a minute. That doesn't seem fair, does it? (Laughter.)
Q Yesterday we were told that Karl Rove had no role in it --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q -- have you talked to Karl and do you have confidence in him --
THE PRESIDENT: Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.
And again I repeat, you know, Washington is a town where there's all kinds of allegations. You've heard much of the allegations. And if people have got solid information, please come forward with it. And that would be people inside the information who are the so-called anonymous sources, or people outside the information -- outside the administration. And we can clarify this thing very quickly if people who have got solid evidence would come forward and speak out. And I would hope they would.
And then we'll get to the bottom of this and move on. But I want to tell you something -- leaks of classified information are a bad thing. And we've had them -- there's too much leaking in Washington. That's just the way it is. And we've had leaks out of the administrative branch, had leaks out of the legislative branch, and out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I've spoken out consistently against them and I want to know who the leakers are. Thank you. END 2:15 P.M. CDT
Scott McClellan, Sept. 29, 2003: "The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030929-7.html
He said if anyone in his admin BROKE THE LAW, he would deal with him.
That's a far, far cry from what Rove has done.
Let the leftists try to make something of this. They're only hurting themselves by desparately flailing about for something, anything, with which to hurt the President.
They've never cared what anybody actually said before, why would they now. This is about a woman who has appeared in a photo spread in Vanity Fair, for Pete's sake.
I agree, when I heard on Fox and Friends this morning that President Bush would fire him, I promptly emailed them and said they should get their facts straight, I heard President Bush say "dealt with" in response to the reporter asking him if he would fire him.
I agree, when I heard on Fox and Friends this morning that President Bush would fire him, I promptly emailed them and said they should get their facts straight, I heard President Bush say "dealt with" in response to the reporter asking him if he would fire him.
Economy ------ Check, A-ok
Unemployment - Check, A-Ok
Afghanistan --- Check, Liberated w/ Free Elections
Iraq --------- Check, Liberated w/ Free Elections
Elections ---- Check, Republican Prez, House & Senate
Terror ------- Check, No attacks since 911 on US soil or upon US soldiers outside Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush at a June 10, 2004, press conference after the G8 summit:
Q: Given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President [Dick] Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?
BUSH: That's up to --
Q: And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?
BUSH: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts.
McClellan at a September 29, 2003, press briefing:
McCLELLAN: The president has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it [the leaking of Plame's identity], they would no longer be in this administration.
[...]
Q: You continue to talk about the severity of this and if anyone has any information they should go forward to the Justice Department. But can you tell us, since it's so severe, would someone or a group of persons, lose their job in the White House?
McCLELLAN: At a minimum.
Q: At a minimum?
McCLELLAN: At a minimum.
Slightly related is Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev) interpretation (which has been more widely quoted than McCellan's original version):
"The White House promised if anyone was involved in the Valerie Plame affair, they would no longer be in this administration, ... I trust they will follow through on this pledge. If these allegations are true, this rises above politics and is about our national security."
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