Republicans Nervously Eyeing Rove, CIA Probe Amid Bush's No-Comment

AP ^ | Jul 14, 2005 | Ron Fournier

[phoenix_004]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans are nervously watching the fight over Karl Rove's involvement in a news leak that exposed a CIA officer's identity, fearing that President Bush's chief political adviser is creating a credibility problem at the White House. While the president passed up another chance Wednesday to directly voice confidence in his deputy chief of staff, his political team engineered a series of testimonials from members of Congress who praised Rove and condemned Democratic critics. And Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, told reporters the president has confidence in his longtime confidant.

"The extreme left is once again attempting to define the modern Democratic Party by rabid partisan attacks, character assassination and endless negativity," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., chairman of the GOP congressional campaign committee. The Republican National Committee, virtually a political arm of the White House, urged GOP lawmakers to go public.

Still, several top GOP officials - including some White House advisers - said the fight was becoming a distraction to Bush's agenda. The GOP officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of Bush's friendship with Rove, said the president may face a credibility problem because his spokesman said in September that anybody involved in the leak would be fired.

These Republicans, all admirers of Rove, said they were surprised and disappointed when Bush stopped short of publicly backing his longtime aide.

Their concerns were reflected in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll that showed a plurality of voters rate Bush negatively on "being honest and straightforward" for the first time in his presidency. The focus on Rove comes as Bush publicly wrestles with a Supreme Court vacancy and growing voter unease with his policies on Iraq and Social Security.

A survey of Republicans outside Washington revealed similar concerns, though few officials were willing to go on record.

"I think he should resign," said Jim Holt, a GOP state senator from Arkansas who is running for lieutenant governor. He joked, "I hope Karl Rove doesn't come gunning for me."

Meanwhile, Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, called on Bush Thurday to fire Rove, saying that the president's confidant had engaged in an "abuse of power."

In an interview broadcast on NBC's "Today" show, Wilson decried what he called a White House "stonewall" in the wake of the Rove revelations.

Bush said Wednesday that he would not discuss the matter further until a criminal investigation is finished.

"This is a serious investigation," the president told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, where Rove sat just behind him. "And it is very important for people not to prejudge the investigation based on media reports."

Bush has passed up several opportunities to voice support for Rove, though the political operative's allies were told the vote of confidence was to come Wednesday. In a silent show of support, Bush chatted amiably with Rove as the pair walked to Marine One for the president's trip to Wisconsin on Thursday.

A federal grand jury heard more testimony Wednesday in its probe into whether anyone in the administration illegally leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame in July 2003. Her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration's rationale for invading Iraq, has said the leak was an attempt to discredit him.

Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper, who wrote an article that identified Plame, appeared before the grand jury for 2 1/2 hours.

Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, said in a statement, "Cooper's truthful testimony today will not call into question the accuracy or completeness of anything Rove has previously said to the prosecutor or the grand jury. If the prosecutor seeks additional information from Rove in light of Cooper's testimony, Rove will promptly supply it.

Each political side intensified its attempts to discredit the other on Wednesday, producing a flurry of press releases and news conferences.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and three other Senate Democratic leaders - Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan - sent a letter to Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, asking him to release results of an initial internal investigation into the leak.

MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group, announced its members would stage a protest in front of the White House on Thursday to demand Rove's firing.

A survey of more than a dozen Republicans who live outside Washington found most siding with the White House. "It's a tempest in a teapot," said Denzil Garrison, former state GOP leader in Oklahoma.

Holt, the lieutenant governor candidate in Arkansas, said he was assigned to the National Security Agency while serving in the Army from 1989 to 1996. "If I were an operative, I sure wouldn't want anybody to reveal my identity," he said.

The White House previously has said Rove was not involved in the leak. But an internal Time magazine e-mail disclosed over the weekend suggested Rove mentioned to Time reporter Cooper that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent.

[cotton1706]

Translation: Buckets Voinovich and his ilk are eyeing Rove with worry. The rest of us know there's nothing there to be had and the Democrats are going to look like idiots...Again!

[Dems_R_Losers]

Oh yeah, I'm SHOCKED to read that the RNC is a political arm of the White House!!!! I guess Terry McAuliffe was only at the DNC for fundraising too.

[Howlin]

While the president passed up another chance Wednesday to directly voice confidence in his deputy chief of staff,

This is utter HORSEHOCKEY......and a "manufactured" question to make the president and Rove look bad.

Here is what happaned:

LA Times:

7:11 PM PDT, July 13, 2005

WASHINGTON — President Bush said Wednesday he would not judge the role that senior aide Karl Rove may have played in revealing the identity of a CIA agent until a federal criminal investigator has finished his work.

Citing the continuing probe, Bush declined to defend Rove or to weigh in on the politically charged case, which has prompted Democrats to call for Bush to fire the White House deputy chief of staff or to curb his role.

"We're in the midst of an ongoing investigation, and this is a serious investigation," Bush told reporters after a morning meeting with his Cabinet. "And it is very important for people not to prejudge the investigation based on media reports. And again, I will be more than happy to comment on this matter once the investigation is complete."

The NYT:

July 14, 2005

Bush Says He Will Withhold Judgment on Rove Inquiry

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON

WASHINGTON, July 13 - President Bush said Wednesday that he would withhold judgment on whether Karl Rove, his senior adviser and political strategist, had identified an undercover C.I.A. operative in a conversation with a reporter for Time magazine.

Mr. Bush's comment came nearly two years after he suggested that he would fire anyone in his administration who had knowingly leaked the identity of the operative, Valerie Wilson. Her naming has led to a federal grand jury investigation.

On Wednesday, in his first remarks on the matter since the disclosure that Mr. Rove had alluded to the Central Intelligence Agency officer in a background interview in July 2003 with Matthew Cooper, a White House correspondent for Time, Mr. Bush held that it would be wrong to discuss the case while the investigation was under way.

"I have instructed every member of my staff to fully cooperate in this investigation," Mr. Bush told reporters after a cabinet meeting. "I also will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports."

Mr. Bush neither criticized nor defended Mr. Rove. But Mr. Rove sat directly behind him as he spoke, sending a visual signal that he remained on the job and at the president's elbow, where he has been throughout Mr. Bush's political career.

!!!!That is what happened!!!!

Liars!

[normy]

Still, several top GOP officials - including some White House advisers - said the fight was becoming a distraction to Bush's agenda. The GOP officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of Bush's friendship with Rove, said the president may face a credibility problem because his spokesman said in September that anybody involved in the leak would be fired.

Anyone leaking classified information is what Bush said. If Plames name was classified then he will have to fire Rove even though its complete BS.

I seriously doubt that Bush is worried. It doesn't distract from Bush's agenda either. Its really just filler until the Supremes are nominated.

[G.Mason]

"Republicans are nervously watching the fight over Karl Rove's involvement in a news leak that exposed a CIA officer's identity, fearing that President Bush's chief political adviser is creating a credibility problem at the White House."

Republicans are nervous combing their hair. In fact, Republicans are just plain nervous.

[Dems_R_Losers]

This story makes it official that the MSM has now conceded that Rove did not violate the law and is not going to be indicted. Instead, the target has shifted to attacks on the President's "credibility" for saying he would fire anyone who was "involved" with the leak. These people think we can't figure this stuff out, hahahaha.

[sydbas]

President Bush's chief political adviser is creating a credibility problem at the White House

I thought the war in Iraq was causing a credibility problem, or was is Abu Grahib, or Gitmo, or no WMD, or what is it? I can't remember anymore. And this is the second Jim Holt, whoever he is, reference I've seen now as far as proof that Republicans are 'worried'. I think it's time for them to dig up at least one other obscure 'worried' Republican now.

[popdonnelly]

Someone made an interesting point on another thread. Valerie Plame was a WMD expert for the CIA. In honesty, the CIA screwed up its WMD reports on Iraq. Plame gets to play victim, while Rove gets the shaft. Funny how the Dems and their friends in the media work.

[federal]

I thought the war in Iraq was causing a credibility problem, or was is Abu Grahib, or Gitmo, or no WMD, or what is it?

No NO NO it is the downing street memos !!!! I think??????? /sarcasm

[Stark_GOP]

Meanwhile, Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, called on Bush Thurday to fire Rove, saying that the president's confidant had engaged in an "abuse of power."
---
Joe Wilson should send Rove a thank you letter. "Jane Bond" was on her way to being the next star on the memorial wall at CIA headquarters. She did everything she could to undermine her own covert status. Plame engaged in gross stupidity which would have gotten her killed.

[tobyhill]

To have "no comment" is nervousness? Wow, now that's a jump from investigation to conviction. No trial even needed.

[ravingnutter]

Here is the real scoop...a Freeper reported:

Brit Hume said tonight the word from the Rove camp is that Rove learned where Joe Wilson's wife worked because a reporter told him.

This fits right in with the following article:

Something doesn't add up about why Judith Miller went to jail. The New York Times reporter didn't write a story about the Valerie Plame case and had a waiver from her source in order to talk about it to the grand jury. But she insisted on going to jail anyway. Speculation is mounting that Miller is protecting herself, that Miller was herself a source of information about Plame that made it to several Bush administration officials and was then recycled to columnist Robert Novak. He, then, disclosed Plame's employment by the CIA and her role in arranging for her husband Joe Wilson's mission to Africa to investigate the Iraq-uranium link.

This would help explain why Miller didn't write a story about the case. It would be difficult for Miller to write a story when she was so deeply involved in how it developed. Disclosure of her role then or now would be extremely embarrassing.

The more likely explanation is that Miller is protecting private discussions with administration officials, and that during those discussions she provided or confirmed information about Plame's identity. This would make sense. Both Miller and Plame covered the subject of weapons of mass destruction and it was likely that they knew one another, or at least were aware of each other's work in this field.

Source

All Miller has to do is sit it out until the GJ expires and nobody will ever find out that she and the NYT was behind this whole thing.

[lionheart 247365]

During the Bolton hearings back in April 2005 , Dick Lugar and John Kerry both gave the name of a CIA operative undercover and no one wants to talk about that . WOW!!!

This has been covered by SEAN Hannity , Michelle Malkin , Gordon Liddy and a host of conservative talk show hosts but nowhere on the MSM , who are avoiding this big story like the plague .. .. ..

[Alberta's Child]

That makes a lot of sense. Perhaps Miller herself is the real culprit in this investigation. Miller could very well be going to jail because she figured that she'd get more mileage out of her sanctimonious "protection of confidentiality" game than if she had been forced to take the stand and assert her rights under the Fifth Amendment.

[slowhand520]

"President Bush's chief political adviser is creating a credibility problem at the White House"

According to whom? Moveon, the Dems and the MSM (which have now morphed into synonyms) There is such a disconnect between the media and the press it is utterly outrageous. They believe their own lies that the nation is skeptical of this administration. Then they are shocked when election results show the opposite.

[eureka!]

Thanks for the info and I hope the SP has the goods on the Times and Miller without her testimony. As to the article, it's by Ron Fournier. 'Nuff said there.....

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

We can't have any more of this truth-telling to reporters now! They had a good lie going before Rove put them on the right track. Shame on Rove.

[GeorgeW23225]

That makes sense, ESPECIALLY since the special prosecutor has said repeatedly, that Karl Rove is NOT the target of the investigation.

My belief is that the "target" is Judith Miller........

[EricT.]

Spineless Republicans Nervously Eyeing Rove, CIA Probe Amid Bush's No-Comment

There, I fixed that headline.

[meandog]

...story belongs in DU Funnies