[oceanview]

the media never claimed that at all. they claimed they had a right to protect a source to deny testimony, none of the media people involved in this case ever admitted she was already outed - in fact, they all claimed they didn't know who she was before talking with Rove and Libby. you believe this was truthful? on what basis? you are asking us to believe that Mandy Grunwald's husband, Miller who has covered WMD and intel issues amongst the DC press corp for years, and Andrea Mitchell's boss Tim Russert - that none of them knew who Wilson's wife was before talking to Rove and Libby. you buying that?

you are correct about Libby's problem - but this does show that the GJ was never about determining whether the outing was a crime and who might have done it - it was always about setting a perjury trap for the administration people.

[Cboldt]

the media never claimed [that Plame was already outed] that at all.

Only in an amicus brief. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1369614/posts

they claimed they had a right to protect a source to deny testimony, none of the media people involved in this case ever admitted she was already outed - in fact, they all claimed they didn't know who she was before talking with Rove and Libby.

As to the point that the reporters argued priviledge, I agree, that was their argument. Reporter-source confidentiality trumps the governments need to investigate. They lost that argument.

As to the point of certain members of the media asserting they didn't know of Plame before Libby told them, I'll have to reread Libby's indictement to be sure, but to my recollection, that fact is neither assereted or necessary to establish the truthfullness of Libby's statements to investigators. IN other words, assume thatthe media did in fact know of Plame before Libby told them - the indictment wording and charges would not change.

[Zacs Mom]

"the media never claimed that at all."

There were thirty-six (36) major news organizations and professional reporters' groups (including CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Reuters, The Associated Press, The Tribune Company, The Washington Post, The New York Press Club and The White House Corespondents) who asserted that "no crime" had been committed in the "Plame Leak" case because, among other things, Valerie Plame's identity had previously been disclosed to both the Russians and the Cubans.

On March 23, 2005 these news organizations and professional reporters' groups filed this legal motion: