Everyone Forgets [Libby's lawyers remind the first prosecution witnesses how much they've forgotten]

Slate ^ | Jan. 24, 2007 | Dahlia Lithwick

[Gomez]

You want a leak case? Here's a leak case: socialite-actress-producer Zeta Graff suing socialite-actress Paris Hilton for libel and slander for Hilton's alleged leak to Page Six of the New York Post. Hilton allegedly falsely reported that Graff had gone "berserk" at a London nightclub when she saw Hilton dancing to "Copacabana" with Graff's ex-boyfriend Paris Latsis. Hilton allegedly also reported that Graff tried to rip a $4 million diamond necklace off Hilton's neck, and that Graff, according to Hilton, is allegedly "a woman who is older and losing her looks, and she's alone. She's very unhappy." Graff is in her mid-30s.

But instead we have Scooter Libby and no tiny dancers. Yesterday's opening arguments supplied high drama—Libby's claim that he was hung out to dry so that Karl Rove could continue to work the levers of Bush's brain—but today the trial gets down to the more mundane business of whether Scooter lied to investigators and the grand jury.

In case you believed that trials are interesting, this morning's cross-examination of Marc Grossman—the first prosecution witness, a former undersecretary of state who testified yesterday afternoon that he told Libby that Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA—would quickly disabuse you of that enthusiasm. Libby's attorney Ted Wells makes about 200 rapid-fire attempts to impeach Grossman's credibility, some of which are silly, and some of which result in bits of bloody tissue on Grossman's chin.

[FreedomNeocon]

Slate?

Really?

Why not just post a DU blog entry.

[jwalsh07]

High dudgeon.

[woofie]

The last witness of the day is Craig Schmall, Libby's morning intelligence briefer from the CIA. On direct examination, he describes how briefing books are organized and tabbed and then details the events of June 14, 2003, which included a visit to Libby's office by Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz. He was "very excited about it." When asked why the Cruise-Cruzes were visiting, Schmall relates that they were "there to discuss with Libby how Germany treats Scientologists."

I I knew Tom Cruise was invoved in this

[Shermy]

""But he's still a good prosecution witness. He smiles when he says, "I forgot.""

Yeah, I always have a good feeling about a person who smiles whent they say "I forgot" -- not.

I think I now understand Fitzgerald's crafty plan...to show that everyone is lying involved with this mess, so Libby must be too.

[piasa]

Cruise visited Armitage on June 13, 2003 the day Armitage met with Novak to leak Plame's "identity"

[piasa]

Tom Cruise Political Campaign Contributions
http://www.campaignmoney.com/biography/tom_cruise.asp

FRIENDS OF BARBARA BOXER
Democrat
1,000
03/31/2003

NEW YORK SENATE 2000
Democrat
5,000
06/30/2000

NEW YORK SENATE 2000
Democrat
5,000
12/27/1999

MAJORITY 2000
Democrat
10,000
09/02/1999

[woofie]

Its pretty dam bizarre

[zeugma]

Schmall testifies about the Plame leak, including his concerns about the "grave danger" that might follow the disclosure of the name of a CIA officer that could lead to "innocent people in foreign countries" who could be "arrested, tortured, or killed" as the result of outing an agent. This elicits a stern caution from the judge that jurors not consider the matter of Plame's status as a CIA agent, or the dangers of leaking her identity: These issues are not before them.

Here's an interesting tidbit from the article.

Since the judge has already ruled (or so I understand anyway) that Plame's status as a CIA "operative" isn't an issue in the case, how is he now going to manage to erase the memory of the jurors? He's not allowing the defense to rebut, but will apparently allow it to be mentioned anyway. 

[gusopol3]

he also briefed Libby about a bomb diffused near a residential compound

c'mon it's worth the post just for this line. The last bomb that "diffused" left the air over Manhattan funky for a day and a half.

[popdonnelly]

What to make of multiple Washington insiders, all of whom are attempting CYA?

[Fedora]

I believe I posted a correction on that somewhere, as I realized later I was conflating Marc Grossman and Marc Ginsberg there (which IIRC I originally stated correctly elsewhere). Ginsberg is the one who booked Wilson's first TV appearances. The part on Grossman and the ATC is correct--the link is through the Cohen Group.

[piasa]

Oh, thanks for that correction. That explains why that was the only source I had for that tidbit.

[piasa]

"...Grossman like the Wilsons is linked to the American-Turkish Council"

[CutePuppy]

See more re Grossman, Wilsons, and others in "American Turkish Council" [ATC] here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1725871/posts

[piasa]

thanks!