Prosecutor In CIA Leak Case Casting A Wide Net (My Title: CIA Questioned in "Leak" Case)

Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, July 27, 2005 | Walter Pincus and Jim VandeHei

[tobyhill]

His organization VIPS admitted that they knew of inside CIA sources that agreed and would act upon their theory that leaks are ok to "tell the truth".

[blogblogginaway]

Let me get this straight. Someone who Novak DOES NOE KNOW approaches him on the street and ... HELLO .....Wilson's name comes up. This STRANGER to Novak HAPPENS to be a friend of Wilson. Wilson 'TIPS' the prosecutor to that event.

LOL!!! oh sure, oh right ..... nothing suspicious here.

[SolidSupplySide]

OK, so Wilson claims that the mystery person was a complete stranger to Novak. I don't buy it.

[SolidSupplySide]

OK, so Wilson claims that the mystery person was a complete stranger to Novak. I don't buy it. Wilson's word isn't exactly gold to me.

[tobyhill]

It's even in Wilson's own book.

[blogblogginaway]

Sorta has the smell of MD4BUSH, doesn't it?

[roses of sharon]

Of course these "reporters" in NY and their bosses are political operatives, and have been for decades. They write the script.

I fault the conservative press for letting them get away with it by not writing about it and exposing their agendas, regularly and consistently. They are treated as legit, our pols go on their shows, and talk to them regularly.

WHY would a conservative/Republican speak with a DNC op?? Just to be berated, lectured to, and lied about????

[tobyhill]

I do too fault at least neutral journalist for not recognizing and writing about it but I think it's about to change and I'm seeing some signs of this.

[Carolinamom]

Andrea Mitchell admitted when asked that it was common knowledge that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA. So how in thunder could there have been a "leak"?

[Enchante]

I don't imagine for a second the person was any stranger to Novack - why would he sound off about sensitive information he hadn't yet published to a complete stranger?? It was probably someone well known to Novack, and it was not uncomfortable for Novack to give this person a "heads up" about how the Wilson fraud was being debunked, but Novack didn't realize that this person was close to Wilson and would scurry straight to Wilson's office to fill him in.....

[tobyhill]

Because it doesn't make as good of a story unless the MSM uses the word "leak" at least 15 times in an article. "Literary Flair" as Wilson puts it.

[Enchante]

The "complete stranger" characterization is almost certainly a red herring introduced by Wilson, more of his "literary flair" aka as fraud and deceit. Why on earth would Novack or any prominent person stroll along for a block or two with a "complete stranger" and regale them with sensitive information for a column not yet published??? I am quite confident that if I walked up to Novack or any prominent public person on the street and asked to walk with them they would not proceed to blurt out the most sensitive information currently on their project list..... Does not compute.

Ordinary people would not chat up a "complete stranger" like this and Novack is a prominent public figure who surely does not blurt out all that he is working on to every stranger he meets.....

No, it was surely someone Novack knew at least casually, and he must have felt it was worth his trouble to give this person the "heads up" on why the Wilson fraud was about to be debunked (though the MSM still won't report on it accurately to this day). Novack may have mouthed off too much, because he had no idea this anonymous person was close to Wilson, but it was surely someone Novack knew and someone Novack thought he wanted to influence with the info about Wilson and Plame.....

[cyncooper]

The "writing his own op-ed" could be a subtle reference to the fact that Wilson had served on background in previous stories peddling his false story about having debunked Iraq seeking uranium in Niger and then revealed himself (oh happy day---ack) by his own hand.

I know what you're saying.

[mosquitobite]

Don't journalists normally want to keep their stories SECRET until published so that another journalist doesn't report it first?? Why would Novak tell someone what he was about to write? It doesn't compute ONE BIT!

The other interesting fact is Novak is not in jail, which means he told the SP who his source was. My bet is the source was the person on the street on July 8th.

My bet is Wilson PLANTED this "friend" to give CREDIBILITY to his story. "Hey Novak! He's not lying about it! His wife works at the CIA!"

[cyncooper]

It's pretty much established she was not covert and even the media stated as much in their court filings trying to save Cooper and Miller from contempt citations.

The Harlow passage only made me think he was either misinformed because her status was never formally changed, or he was deliberately deceitful. Neither is very impressive for an employee of the CIA.

I fear for our country viewing the types that populate that agency.

[cyncooper]

The investigation is serious and the grand jury airtight. The "leaks" are for the Wilson/anti-Bush faction.

[mware]

Yah, brahs! From your lips to Doug Thompson's ears. Do NOT be surprised if Doug Thompson and Capitol Hill Blue play a part in all this somewhere down along the line. They're exactly the kind of crowd that Puddinhead Joe would leak to....

Yes, and all of us at FR know how reliable Doug's sources are.

[NathanBookman]

This ex-military intel guy says Harlow was looking to get even about CIA taking fall on Niger:

http://macsmind.blogspot.com/2005/07/wider-net-wider-misreporting.html

[Shermy]

You think that was Pincus? Could be I suppose.

"CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked but also how the administration went about shifting responsibility from the White House to the CIA for having included 16 words in the 2003 State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium from Africa, an assertion that was later disputed.

There's the new spin angle, ignore all the other WMD, make up a story that the "CIA" didn't support the "16 words" and maintain the "Bush Lied" meme. The apology was a mistake, I agree, they should have waited for the situation to clear.

[Amanda75]

The truth is, he can't find anyone to file against in this whole mess, who, oh who is it that leaked, no one knows, too funny.