Libby's plight began with Joe Wilson's lies

The Mobile Register ^ | Oct 29, 2005

[Hadean]

THERE CAN be no doubt that the criminal charges leveled against former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr. are serious. Whether or not Mr. Libby is found guilty, the shame of it all is that the alleged crimes grew from such a petty political dispute.

One fact relevant to the dispute was that Valerie Plame, the wife of a former ambassador named Joseph Wilson, worked at the CIA. Mr. Libby and others in the administration apparently considered Mr. Wilson to be a two-bit political hack. Mr. Libby was correct about that. But, apparently in a bid to score a political point against Mr. Wilson, Mr. Libby discussed with some reporters the fact of Ms. Plame's employment by the CIA.

The fact of her CIA employment was classified. The Justice Department began an investigation to see if Mr. Libby or others had violated any law governing such classified information. The laws at issue are complicated and confusing.

Mr. Libby may have been trying to protect himself against those potential criminal charges. Or he may not have wanted the public to know the vice president's office played such hardball political games. For whatever reason he might have done it, however, the grand jury alleges that Mr. Libby lied about the timing and nature of his discussions with the reporters.

But the grand jury did not charge him or anybody else with a crime for the disclosures themselves. As has been the case with so many other political scandals, the cover-up itself seems to be the crime -- even if what was covered up was not itself illegal.

Perjury is a serious crime. If he is found guilty of the charges, Mr. Libby deserves to face the legal punishments that will ensue.

We shall see.

What we likely also will see, but what prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald himself said is not at issue in this case, is a tale spun by Bush administration opponents to the effect that Mr. Libby's alleged crime is part and parcel of the supposed dishonesty of the whole administration policy toward Iraq.

Whatever one thinks about administration policy in Iraq, the biggest dishonesties in the original episode involving Mr. Wilson and Ms. Plame came not from the White House, but from Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson's mission, arranged by his wife, was to investigate stories that Iraq had tried to buy "yellowcake" uranium from Niger. Mr. Wilson is a liberal activist, and Ms. Plame was a CIA employee whose division scoffed at the stories. Naturally, Mr. Wilson concluded that the stories weren't true.

But his conclusions weren't necessarily those of the CIA officials who debriefed him. They found that some of the facts he reported -- ones he apparently thought unimportant -- actually bolstered the likelihood that Iraq had indeed tried to buy uranium.

More than a year later, a big brouhaha erupted about the yellowcake stories. Mr. Wilson began talking to reporters, making speeches and writing a New York Times column, all saying the administration had known the story about Niger was a "flat-out lie."

The problem was that the administration's story was that "the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." (Note: The British said it was from Africa in general, not necessarily Nigeria. To this very day, the British government stands by those stories.)

The administration's 16-word statement was true. And other CIA analysts, using the information from Mr. Wilson himself and from other sources, considered the British intelligence reliable. That's why the CIA again and again approved those 16 words.

Mr. Wilson did not stop there, though. He had learned that eight months after his trip, some documents about the alleged yellowcake transactions had shown up -- but that they had proved to be forgeries. He told three different reporters that he personally had checked out the documents and found them to be forgeries. He said these forged documents were part of the basis of his conclusion, upon returning from his mission, that the yellowcake story was false. He said the administration deliberately ignored his report.

Mr. Wilson lied. The documents did not even appear until eight months after his mission ended. (He later admitted as much.) They formed no basis for his own report. And the documents had nothing to do with the claim made by the British government and repeated by President Bush.

Later, after Ms. Plame's identity was disclosed by columnist Robert Novak, Mr. Wilson told reporters that his wife had nothing to do with getting him assigned to the trip -- that he was sent at the instigation of the vice president. This was also false: Ms. Plame personally suggested her husband's name and pushed it within the CIA.

Mr. Libby was incensed. He began telling reporters that Mr. Wilson had lied about the forgeries, lied about the vice president's supposed involvement, and (later) lied about Ms. Plame's involvement.

In the course of those discussions, Mr. Libby discussed Ms. Plame's identity. Now he is accused of lying under oath about whether he discussed it.

Mr. Wilson was clever. He lied only to the press and public, not under oath. If Mr. Libby lied under oath, he will pay the price. What is often true in sports is also true in politics: In a brawl, the only infraction penalized is the last punch thrown, because it's the only one seen by the official.

[ONETWOONE]

Ok now let's get answers to real questions. 1. Who sent Wilson on that overseas mission? 2. Why, was he chosen with all the qualified CIA people all over the world? I think someone will come forward from within to tell the real story some day.

[Jaysun]

"Mr. Libby and others in the administration apparently considered Mr. Wilson to be a two-bit political hack."

"But, apparently in a bid to score a political point against Mr. Wilson, Mr. Libby discussed with some reporters the fact of Ms. Plame's employment by the CIA."

I could do without this kind of nonsense. Why do they always feel compelled to add their speculation? Just give us the facts, messenger boy, and leave the guesswork up to us.

[tkathy]

If the reps dont put Wilson under oath before a congressional hearing, they are going to tank even more in the polls.

[Bommer]

Mr. Wilson was clever. He lied only to the press and public, not under oath.

What about in front Congress under oath?

[mass55th]

Does anybody even know if Fitzgerald ever bothered to call Wilson or Plame to testify under oath?

[RedEyeJack]

"The fact of her CIA employment was classified."

Is this true?

Is the identity of all CIA employees classified or just selected employees? The information previously published was that her identity while "undercover" was classified and that there is a law that specifically prohibits IDing such personnel (under very specific circumstances).

Fitzgerald apparently wants to make the case that Valerie Plame-Wilson's status was classified. If so who classified it and when. Is there a document that so indicates? And, if Fitzgerald is making the case that Libby was lying to cover up the disclosure of her classified employment he will have to prove (or the actual prosecutor will have to prove) that Libby knew it was classified.

Wilson is a proven provocateur. I hope he keeps running his mouth because sooner or later he will corrupt this whole thing if he hasn't already.

As above, I also want to know who at the CIA officially approved Wilson's orders to go to Niger. If that person works for Plame it would, in my world, be evidence of conspiracy at least at the political level if not the criminal level. Second, I would like to know who made the decision to allow Wilson to return and be paid without submitting a written report. Also, who did he report to and did they make a report at the time of what was discussed when he was debriefed. Was that report classified? If so, the the info that Wilson published in the NYT would have been classified and he should be held to account for leaking...

[ClaireSolt]

I heard that they testified, and are threatening a civil suit.

[petercooper]

Maybe Libby felt he had to lie b/c he wasn't positive Plame wasn't covert, and he was just covering his tracks, albeit sloppily and illegally. Who knows.

[Hadean]

This is all I could find. Wilson is on the list, Plame is not. So at the least Wilson was questioned, but nothing indicates it was under oath...

---

Those who have either testified or have been interviewed by Patrick Fitzgerald (or by FBI agents) in connection with the Plame probe. Please send us omissions and additions and expansions. Anonymity is guaranteed. To repeat: the list below is of those who have been interviewed by officials in connection with the case. Inclusion does not necessarily indicate that the listed person has testified under oath.

Bush: Early Summer, 2004 (did not testify under oath)
Cheney: Early summer, 2004 (did not testify under oath)
Ex-Dep. Sec/State Richard Armitage
WH Assist. To. Pres. Dan Bartlett
Ex-WH press aide Claire Buchan: Feb. 6, 2004
WH COS Andy Card
Time's Matt Cooper: July 13, 2005
Ex-WH press. sec. Ari Fleischer (at least twice)
A.G. Alberto Gonzales: June 18, 2004
Ex-DOS BIR dir. Carl Ford
NSA Stephen Hadley
Ex-CIA comm. dir. Bill Harlow
Assis. Sec. of Commerce/Ex-Rove assist. Izzy Hernandez
Assist. Sec. of State Karen Hughes
Ex-Sec/State counterproliferation offic. Bob Joseph
Washington Post's Glenn Kessler
Ex junior WH press aide Adam Levine: Feb. 6, 2004
Cheney CoS Irving L. "Scooter" Libby (twice)
Ex-Cheney adviser Mary Matalin: Late January, 2004
Current WH Press Sec. Scott McClellan: Feb, 6, 2004
Ex-CIA dep. dir. John McLaughlin
Cheney aide Cathie Martin
New York Times ' Judy Miller (twice)
CIA comm. dir. Jennifer Millerwise (did not go before grand jury)
Columnist Bob Novak
Ex-Sec/State Colin Powell: July 16, 2004
Ex-Abramoff assist./Rove assist. Susan Ralston
WH DCoS Karl Rove (4 times)
NBC News' Tim Russert
Stranger who stopped Novak in the street
Ex-CIA dir. George Tenet
Sen. Adviser to Sec/State Jim Wilkinson (has said he did not testify)
Ex-Amb. Joseph Wilson

On the witness list at one point but never called to tesify:

New York Times' Nick Kristoff

"Cooperated" with Fitzgerald:

Sec/State Condoleezza Rice

Others believed to have testified:

John Hannah, David Wurmser (senior members of Cheney's staff) (Hotline sources)

Other journalists mentioned in press acounts as having initially sparked Fitzgerald's interest:

Time's Massimo Calabresi
Time's Mike Duffy
Time's James Carney
NBC's Andrea Mitchell
NYTer David Sanger
Newsday's Timothy M. Phelps
Newsday's Knut Royce
Newsweek's Evan Thomas
Ex-Postie Mike Allen
NBC's Campbell Brown
WSJ ed. page. editor Paul Gigot / reporter Greg Hitt
Ex-celeb. James Guckert/Jeff Gannon

[SpeakLittle_ThinkMuch]

This is one of the best summary articles I've seen anywhere. Thanks for posting it.

[mass55th]

Thanks for the list. I highly doubt Wilson testified under oath. More than likely he was interviewed by the FBI. Of course we all know that Joe would never lie.

/sarcasm off

[LivFREEordie]

*

[Quilla]

I believe the author used the word "apparently" to justify his choice of the term "two-bit political hack." He doesn't necessarily know if the administration considers Wilson to be a dime store political hack or other derogatory description. He's merely laying the groundwork that Wilson is a hack.

As for the second example, the author again asserts an assumption, not necessarily something he knows for a fact.

I thought this to be an excellent recap of the Wilson/Plame affair and only wish the author had mentioned that Wilson is "apparently" a traitor.

[mewzilla]

Mr. Wilson was clever. He lied only to the press and public, not under oath.

We don't know that. In any case, you don't have to be under oath to get into legal trouble for lying to the Feds.

[norwaypinesavage]

"1. Who sent Wilson on that overseas mission?"

His Wife.

"2. Why, was he chosen with all the qualified CIA people all over the world?"

See answer to Number 1

[Just mythoughts]

"Ok now let's get answers to real questions. 1. Who sent Wilson on that overseas mission? 2. Why, was he chosen with all the qualified CIA people all over the world? I think someone will come forward from within to tell the real story some day."


This investigation seems to have put a stop order in finding out answers to these questions. Who can be asked? Perhaps the President could asked Mr. Goss to submit a report on the method of selecting "intel" seekers, and specifically who selected Mr. Wilson.

We the people have the right to know that our government servants are actually working for US.

This whole affair seems to have been a leftist political orchestration to protect Saddam.

[manwiththehands]

"Mr. Wilson's mission, arranged by his wife, was to investigate stories that Iraq had tried to buy "yellowcake" uranium from Niger. Mr. Wilson is a liberal activist, and Ms. Plame was a CIA employee whose division scoffed at the stories. Naturally, Mr. Wilson concluded that the stories weren't true."

This is all I need to know about this story.

[pepsionice]

What starts to become funny about this entire story is the fact that ole Valarie was sitting in her Rancho Virgina home...driving her SUV to work there...and she gets this "secret agent" status bestowed upon her. I can understand this for any dude who works in London or Bulgaria...but if you live in Virginia...you just don't earn "secret agent" status. Something bogus about this law really stands out. I need some congressman to sit down and explain this to me.

[Piquaboy]

Wilson goes skating off into the sunset without a care. Why was he not brought in and questioned? Also, Robert Novak? Wilson outed his wife on many occasions. If she was covert, I am the king of England.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Bookmark BUMP

[SERKIT]

Mr. Wilson was clever. He lied only to the press and public, not under oath.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wilson lied to Congress and that's OK?

If Mr. Libby Wilson lied under oath, he will somehow NOT pay the price.

What is often true in sports is also true in politics: In a brawl, the only infraction penalized is the last punch thrown, because it's the only one seen by the official.

But all the spectators understand what apparently was missed by the SP. Wilson is the rat in this caper. What are the factors that led the SP/GJ to state with certainty that Plame was covert?

[Hadean]

Ok now let's get answers to real questions. 1. Who sent Wilson on that overseas mission? 2. Why, was he chosen with all the qualified CIA people all over the world? I think someone will come forward from within to tell the real story some day.

Quote from a Washington Post article dated June 12, 2003 on the CIA's perspective of Wilson's trip to Niger:

"This gent made a visit to the region and chatted up his friends," a senior intelligence official said, describing the agency's view of the mission. "He relayed back to us that they said it was not true and that he believed them."

When the British government published an intelligence document on Iraq in September 2002 claiming that Baghdad had "sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa," the former ambassador called the CIA officers who sent him to Niger and was told they were looking into new information about the claim, sources said. The former envoy later called the CIA and State Department after Bush's State of the Union speech and was told "not to worry," according to one U.S. official.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A46957-2003Jun11&notFound=true

I'm guessing the Washington Post talked to the same people that sent Wilson to Niger.

[Ann Archy]

PLAME was NOT in front of the Grand Jury??? I am actually in tears at the un-fairness of all of this.

I have lost ALL faith in our Justice Sysytem, and I despise Democrats because they seem to be evil.

There will come a day when NO REUBLICAN will run for office or serve in any capacity!!

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I believe Fitz said it [Wilson's role, the lies, etc] was irrelevant to his case.

[Jackie]

.

[Wilson] told three different reporters that he personaly had checked out the documents and found them to be forgeries.

Here's an extremely interesting article from The American Prospect about the fake intelligence reports:

CLICK HERE

.

[Ben Hecks]

"1. Who sent Wilson on that overseas mission?"

We've accepted the story that the CIA sent Wilson to Niger. Actually, I don't think we've seen proof of that....for all I know, the DNC or Kerry campaign paid for his trip. If the CIA really did send him, some sort of travel document should be on file showing the name of the individual that authorized the trip. That individual should then be asked why Wilson was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement and why Wilson was allowed to release details of his trip upon his return. This thing has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.

[p23185]

If the reps dont put Wilson under oath before a congressional hearing, they are going to tank even more in the polls.

Hear, hear!! I couldn't agree more, and I think it would be a great way to get back at this cabal that is trying to take out BUSH.

[Hoodat]

This just occurred to me. Since Wilson didn't bother to write a report, someone at CIA wrote the report instead. My question is this: How would Joe Wilson know what that report said, and how was he able to speak with authority concerning this report? After all, the report was classified, yet Wilson had no classified clearance with CIA. Can someone explain that one to me?

[Jaysun]

I believe the author used the word "apparently" to justify his choice of the term "two-bit political hack." He doesn't necessarily know if the administration considers Wilson to be a dime store political hack or other derogatory description. He's merely laying the groundwork that Wilson is a hack.

As for the second example, the author again asserts an assumption, not necessarily something he knows for a fact.

I thought this to be an excellent recap of the Wilson/Plame affair and only wish the author had mentioned that Wilson is "apparently" a traitor.

I understand the use of the word Quilla, it's the assumptions themselves that I have a problem with. The article itself is great, and the two examples I gave aren't very important to the overall article.

I see this sort of thing all too often. He presented me with an opportunity to bitch about the subject, and I took it.

[Americalover]

It is so sad that a man the President so admires and who has given so much for his country must be persecuted to feed the left. Let's pray for a quick trial, it will expose this for what it is. Fitzgerald will drag in on forever, the last thing he wants is for the facts to see the light of day.

[Texas Songwriter]

Was the mission which Wilson was sent on a CIA mission or was the mission of the Kerry Campaign and campaign trick. Did Kerry and his surrogates concoct and execute this mission. Was Plame working as a CIA analysist when she sent Wilson, or was she working as a Kerry supporter and activist. When Wilson returned he continued to do the bidding of the Kerry camp. Then suddenly, when he became radioactive because of his big mouth, Kerry distanced himself from Wilson and fired him.

[BnBlFlag]

But isn't this the way it's supposed to be? The Dims do the crime; the Pubbies do the time.