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Novak: I cooperated in CIA leak probe - Rove was a source in outing Plame
AP on Yahoo ^ | 7/11/06 | Pete Yost

Posted on 07/11/2006 5:48:29 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON - Columnist Robert Novak said for the first time Tuesday that he cooperated with the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Novak's decision to talk publicly came after he was notified a month ago by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald that he would not file criminal charges against one of Novak's sources, White House political aide Karl Rove.

Fitzgerald "has informed my attorneys that, after two and one-half years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded," Novak said in a statement.

Novak promised to provide details of his cooperation in a column Wednesday.

According to The Washington Post, Novak's column will say that he told Fitzgerald in early 2004 that Rove and then-CIA spokesman Bill Harlow had confirmed information about Plame.

According to the Post, Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information about Plame. Novak said he cannot reveal the identity of that source even now.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: billharlow; cia; cialeak; cooperated; josephwilson; karlrove; leak; novak; probe; valerieplame
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1 posted on 07/11/2006 5:48:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge
Meanwhile, Karl Rove was in Los Angeles today..

.

Karl Rove, White House deputy chief of staff, addresses the National Council of La Raza in Los Angeles July 11, 2006. Rove spoke on the Bush administration's plans for immigration reform. Rove's speech was disrupted twice by protestors. REUTERS/Fred Prouser (UNITED STATES)

2 posted on 07/11/2006 5:50:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi --- Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
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To: NormsRevenge
Well from the Novak quotes we have seen, we know this story is misleading, in fact I think it's an out and out lie.

They emphasize Rove here even though Novak makes it clear Rove was peripheral to the whole thing. They leave out the wee fact that Novak's source was Wilson's own public Who's Who entry. And they refer to a "Senior Administration Official" but Novak made clear it is not a White House person.

But there is no bias in the press.

3 posted on 07/11/2006 5:54:03 PM PDT by Williams
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To: Williams

So Fitzgrald took Novac's statement? Ignored it, and continued pissing away milions on a fraudulent investigation? Sure sounds like it to me./


4 posted on 07/11/2006 6:02:11 PM PDT by sgtbono2002 (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: NormsRevenge

WRONG:
According to the Post, Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information about Plame.

CORRECTION:
According to the Post, Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information on Joe Wilson's wife's role in instituting her husband's mission. The name of the "wife" was not mentioned. Novak had to research, on his own, to discover her name.

So, who is this "other senior administration official"? Is Novak going to tell us, or not?




5 posted on 07/11/2006 6:02:47 PM PDT by i_dont_chat (I have the right to offend. You can take offense or not.)
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To: Williams

Its the AP, of course it skewed so far it is a virutal lie. Obviously, no mention of Joe Blow strutting his and Valerie's stuff in Who's Who.

Its gotta be Rove this and Rove that or its not AP.


6 posted on 07/11/2006 6:29:02 PM PDT by rod1
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To: NormsRevenge
Columnist Robert Novak said for the first time Tuesday that he cooperated with the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

But why did they waste any time on an investigation, when it was the CIA that confirmed her employment?

If the CIA confirms your employment over the phone to someone calling in, you are not covert.

7 posted on 07/11/2006 6:30:07 PM PDT by marron
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To: rod1

Joe Wilson concocted this whole "outing" scam, possibly with some help. What a bum!


8 posted on 07/11/2006 6:40:02 PM PDT by popdonnelly
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To: i_dont_chat

think state department...


9 posted on 07/11/2006 7:22:15 PM PDT by PDR
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To: All

**UPDATE**

original title on yahoo..

Novak: I cooperated in CIA leak probe ^

now

Novak: Rove was a source in outing Plame
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060712/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_novak
PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer




WASHINGTON - Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

In a column, Novak also says his recollection of his conversation with Rove differs from what the Rove camp has said.

"I have revealed Rove's name because his attorney has divulged the substance of our conversation, though in a form different from my recollection," Novak wrote. Novak did not elaborate.

A spokesman for Rove's legal team, Mark Corallo, said that Rove did not even know Plame's name at the time he spoke with Novak, that the columnist called Rove, not the other way around, and that Rove simply said he had heard the same information that Novak passed along to him regarding Plame.

"There was not much of a difference" between the recollections of Rove and Novak, said Corallo.

Novak said he is talking now because Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald told the columnist's lawyer that after 2 1/2 years his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to Novak has been concluded.

Triggering the criminal investigation, Novak revealed Plame's CIA employment on July 14, 2003, eight days after her husband, White House critic and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the administration of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.

Novak's secret cooperation with prosecutors while maintaining a public silence about his role kept him out of legal danger and had the effect of providing protection for the Bush White House during the 2004 presidential campaign.

The White House denied Rove played any role in the leak of Plame's CIA identity and Novak, with his decision to talk to prosecutors, steered clear of potentially being held in contempt of court and jailed. Novak said he had declined to go public at Fitzgerald's request.

In a syndicated column to be released Wednesday, Novak says he told Fitzgerald in early 2004 that Rove and then-CIA spokesman Bill Harlow had confirmed information about Plame.

Contacted Tuesday night, Harlow declined to comment. But a U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter denied that Harlow had been a confirming source for Novak on the story. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Harlow repeatedly tried to talk Novak out of running the information about Plame and that Harlow's efforts did not in any way constitute confirming Plame's CIA identity. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Harlow may end up being a witness in a separate part of Fitzgerald's investigation, the upcoming criminal trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, on charges of perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI.

In his column, Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with information about Plame. Novak said he cannot publicly reveal the identity of that source even now.

"I have cooperated in the investigation while trying to protect journalistic privileges under the First Amendment and shield sources who have not revealed themselves," Novak said in his statement. "I have been subpoenaed by and testified to a federal grand jury. Published reports that I took the Fifth Amendment, made a plea bargain with the prosecutors or was a prosecutorial target were all untrue."

Rove's role in the scandal wasn't revealed until last summer when Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper disclosed that Rove had leaked him the CIA identity of Wilson's wife. Cooper cooperated with prosecutors only after all his legal appeals were exhausted and he faced jail.

While Rove escaped indictment, Libby has been charged with lying about how he learned of the covert CIA officer's identity and what he told reporters about it.

___

On the Net:

Chicago Sun-Times report:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-leak11.html


10 posted on 07/11/2006 7:41:07 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi --- Help the "Pendleton 8' and families -- http://www.freerepublic.com/~normsrevenge/)
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To: sgtbono2002
"So Fitzgerald took Novak's statement? ....."

Ahhhh, that is the genesis of this fiasco!

I cannot help but believe that were it not for the overriding imprudence of the incredibly egocentric and grossly vain Novak in the first place, this multi-million dollar agenda-driven witch-hunt could have been prevented -- either at its inception or in an early investigative stage.

I have held this thin-skinned journalistic miscreant in total contempt for years. At this pathetic juncture, I simply despise Novak for the vainglorious piece of dung that he is!
11 posted on 07/11/2006 7:45:14 PM PDT by dk/coro
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To: sgtbono2002

All good libs physh on the taxpayers dime. And Fitz sounds like a lib to me.


12 posted on 07/11/2006 7:45:16 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: NormsRevenge

After all now, the parties to this shabby attempt to tarish Bush WERE entirely free to NOT attemt this crime. Right Hillary???!!!


13 posted on 07/11/2006 7:55:46 PM PDT by Waco
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To: NormsRevenge
Novak said he cannot reveal the identity of that source even now.

Brit Hume Just Announced Novak's Sources on Plame Fox News

Posted on 07/11/2006 3:24:30 PM PDT by Hillary'sMoralVoid

Brit Hume said Novak learned of Plame's CIA status from JOE WILSON and then confirmed it in Who's Who! He also got confirmation from a CIA source whose name I did not recognize.

14 posted on 07/11/2006 7:59:03 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: kcvl
Brit Hume said Novak learned of Plame's CIA status from JOE WILSON and then confirmed it in Who's Who!

That's not what Hume said.

He said that Novak learned that it was Wilson's wife who got him the job in Niger from his original source, then Novak found her identity in Wilson's entry in Who's Who. Bill Harlow of the CIA confirmed that Plame worked for the CIA.

The speculation is that Richard Armitage is the original source, but it appears that we won't find that out anytime soon.

15 posted on 07/11/2006 8:05:19 PM PDT by sinkspur (Today, we settled all family business.)
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I don't think I would take Pete Yost's word on anything...


AP's Yost: Rove Got Away With 'Misleading' the Media


http://tinyurl.com/z85oa


The Media gets away with MISLEADING the American people on a daily basis.


16 posted on 07/11/2006 8:05:56 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: sinkspur
That's not what Hume said.

I didn't hear it. I posted what someone else said on another post. If you read my post you will see that.

17 posted on 07/11/2006 8:07:01 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: kcvl

Is there really ANYONE in America who cares a fig about this Plame person?


18 posted on 07/11/2006 8:10:55 PM PDT by varina davis
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To: NormsRevenge

BTTT


19 posted on 07/11/2006 8:13:05 PM PDT by PGalt
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To: varina davis

Yes, I care!!! Valerie Plame and her traitor husband Joe Wilson, and the enitre Democrat Party should be arrested and put on trial for treason!!!


20 posted on 07/11/2006 8:14:08 PM PDT by JLAGRAYFOX
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