No Indictment of Rove in CIA-Leak Case!

NRO ^ | 6/13/06 | Byron York

[The G Man]

June 13, 2006, 6:44 a.m.

No Indictment of Rove in CIA-Leak Case
Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald makes a decision.

By Byron York

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed top White House adviser Karl Rove that Rove will not face indictment in the CIA-leak investigation, National Review Online has learned. The word came yesterday, when Fitzgerald told Rove lawyer Robert Luskin that he, Fitzgerald, did not plan to seek charges against Rove. This morning, Luskin released a brief statement:

 

On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove.

In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation. We believe that the Special Counsel’s decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove’s conduct.

 Rove appeared five times before a grand jury investigating the CIA-leak case; the most recent was in April. Before appearing before the grand jury, Rove was interviewed by FBI agents assigned to the investigation. Fitzgerald’s inquiry, it appears, focused most intensely on the first two sessions — the FBI interview and the first grand-jury testimony.

The key question to be resolved by Fitzgerald was said to be whether to charge Rove in connection with his testimony regarding a brief July 11, 2003, conversation with Time magazine’s Matthew Cooper. In both his interview with the FBI and in his first grand jury appearance, Rove did not tell investigators about the conversation with Cooper. By the time Rove appeared for a second time before the grand jury, Rove had discovered evidence — an internal White House e-mail — showing that he did indeed talk to Cooper. Rove gave the evidence to Fitzgerald, who then questioned him about it at length.

Rove is thought to have testified that he simply did not remember the Cooper conversation until he discovered the e-mail. (Cooper himself described the talk as being about two minutes long and occurring right as Rove was leaving on vacation.) Supporting Rove’s contention was the fact that Rove, apparently, testified from the very beginning that he talked to columnist Robert Novak, which suggested he was not trying to hide his involvement in the case from Fitzgerald.

A decision by Fitzgerald — one way or the other — had been anticipated for months. There was widespread speculation that Rove might face charges for lying to Fitzgerald’s grand jury much like those filed by Fitzgerald last October against Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff. Now, it appears that will not happen. And so far, at least, no one has been charged with violating any of the underlying laws in the case — either the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act.

Rove’s fate has been the subject of intense discussion among critics of the Bush administration. Perhaps foremost among them is former ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, was the CIA employee at the center of the affair. In August 2003, Wilson vowed to pursue Rove vigorously, saying, “At the end of the day it’s of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs.”

— Byron York, NR’s White House correspondent, is the author of The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of How Democratic Operatives, Eccentric Billionaires, Liberal Activists, and Assorted Celebrities Tried to Bring Down a President — and Why They’ll Try Even Harder Next Time.

---

National Review Online - http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjQzM2QxZWFmNDRkMTBkZDg5ODI3OTNkNjgwYmJiZjc=

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It is amazing how far reality is from the hatefilled fantasy constructs they have spun around the President and his people.

[LonePalm]

Just in case you hadn't seen this. I can hardly wait to see how Leopold and Pitt will spin this.

The DUmmies will eat them alive.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[rightinthemiddle]

I'm sure Hissy Mathews will lead with this story on Hairball tonight. He'll parade an endless stream of Dims for the whole hour, each one admitting they were wrong.

[FreedomPoster]

Oh, my, oh my, oh my! LMBO!

Antidepressant sales are about to skyrocket, it's time to buy some Big Pharma stock.

[kddid]

Fitz couldn't come up with another bogus indictment, huh? I'm sure it was not for a lack of trying. This whole affair should have been dropped a long time ago. It appears to politically motivated. No undercover Plame, no crime. Besides, as many have pointed out, since when did Dems start caring about the CIA and/or our military? I still can't believe this has dragged on like this. What a waste of time and money.

[ChadGore]

President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, right, departs the White House with Bush in this July 14, 2005, file photo. Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into the leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said Tuesday, June 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

[daybreakcoming]

The President is in Iraq?!?!

[Raycpa]

This was the news I woke up to this morning

Not a great way to start the day. Hubby came into the bathroom and said "Do you feel like you just got punched in the stomach?" I sure did. All that anticipation for nil. Well, maybe he's going after bigger fish -- if he gets Cheney all will be forgiven.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2335471&mesg_id=2335682

(Sorry, Jim. I just had to. )

[tiredoflaundry]

WOW! He made a surprise visit!

[SoFloFreeper]

[daybreakcoming]

Wish Reuters would have waited til he left Iraq to break the news.

Love that new tag line!!

[Raycpa]

One year ago today

Reid says Rove should resign, Bush and Cheney should apologize for leak
09:21 AM EDT Jun 13, 2005
NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Democratic leader said Sunday that presidential adviser Karl Rove should resign because of his role in exposing an undercover CIA officer, and a veteran Republican senator said President George W. Bush needs "new blood" in his White House.

Rove has not been charged, but he continues to be investigated in the CIA leaks case that brought the indictment and resignation Friday of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, an adviser to Bush and the top aide to Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has not made a decision on whether Rove gave false testimony during his four grand jury appearances. Rove is Bush's most trusted adviser.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he is disappointed that Bush and Cheney responded to the indictment by lauding Libby and suggested they should apologize for the leak that revealed the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame.

"First of all, the vice-president issues this very terse statement praising Libby for all the great things he's done," Reid said. "Then we have the president come on camera a few minutes later calling him Scooter and what a great patriot he is. There has not been an apology to the American people for this obvious problem in the White House," Reid (D-Nev.) told ABC's This Week.

Meanwhile, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said Cheney should "come clean" about his involvement and why he discussed Plame with Libby before Libby spoke to reporters about her.

"What did the vice-president know? What were his intentions?" Dodd asked on Fox News Sunday.

"Now, there's no suggestion the vice-president is guilty of any crime here whatsoever. But if our standard is just criminality, then we're never going to get to the bottom of this," Dodd said.

Democrats appearing on Sunday talk shows portrayed Libby's indictment as one of many serious problems surrounding the White House and one of several allegations raising questions about Republican ethics.

Republicans repeatedly said the charges have been made against only one individual and that Libby should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Public opinion appears to be running against Bush. Almost half the public, 46 per cent, say the level of ethics and honesty in the federal government has fallen with Bush as president, according to an ABC News-Washington Post poll.

That's three times the number who say ethics and honesty have risen during that time.

Republican Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi said Bush should be on the lookout for "new blood, new energy, qualified staff, new people in administration."

He said poor advice may have even contributed to the failed nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

A grand jury charged Libby on Friday with five felonies alleging obstruction of justice, perjury to a grand jury and making false statements to FBI agents. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and $1.25 million US in fines.

Libby was not charged with the crime that the grand jury was created to investigate - specifically, who leaked the name of Plame to reporters in 2003. Libby and Rove were named by reporters brought before the grand jury, but it was unclear whether they knew that she was a covert agent.

Reid said Rove should resign or be fired for even discussing Plame. He recalled that Bush once said he would fire anyone involved in the leak, although Bush later amended that standard to say he would fire anyone convicted of a crime.

"If he's a man of his word, Rove should be history," Reid said on CNN's Late Edition.

Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Rove has not been charged with any crime and that any talk of him stepping down is politically motivated.

"Senator Reid is entitled to his opinion, but he's not the president of the United States, and he doesn't administer justice in this country," Specter said.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said there "absolutely" should be an internal White House investigation. But he said allegations of illegal activity appeared to be focused only on Libby.

"I think the likelihood of Karl Rove being indicted in the future is virtually zero," Graham said on Face the Nation.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged an internal investigation.

"The real question for President Bush is going to be: is he going to be like Nixon: hunker down, get into the bunker, admit no mistakes," Schumer said, "or like Reagan, who actually admitted mistakes, did a mid-course correction and brought in new people, bipartisan people, people above ethical reproach, into the White House."

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/051030/w103034.html

[imskylark]

"Heads up PJ,it should be a good one"

I can't wait to see what Truthoutthedoor does with this information. I can imagine them saying, 'we still stand behind this story.' LOL!!!

[rwa265]

It's kind of scary that people are that disturbed, period.

[SoFloFreeper]

Some of the loons on DU are now thinking ROVE testified against CHENEY, and that CHENEY is the one being targeted by FITZ!

Hilarious.

[imskylark]

"I don't care what liberals think"

But it is great entertainment.

[rwa265]

Go to post 136. Mo1 has a link there. Thanks, Mo1. I didn't know who he was either.

[LucyJo]

LOL. Thanks for posting that...must have a storehouse of cliches, and I think at least half of them were used in that post!

[dfwgator]

"No Fitzmas for you!"

[daybreakcoming]

But if our standard is just criminality, then we're never going to get to the bottom of this," Dodd said.

Dodd believes we should have a "special ethics prosecuter"??? The demos really don't want to go there.

Thanks for the history of foolish utterings by demo dummies. Without the internet, they would never have seen the light of day again.