Novak reveales source for Valarie Plame leak

[Jerk]

His name is Joe Wilson
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15988

Who da f*** is Joe Wilson? Some Right wing republican neo0con conspirator on Haliburton's pay roll?

This guy needs to be shot for TREASON! He OUTTED a super secret ninja CIA agentet.

[Hatfield]

well i guess that settles that

[jk the sooner fan]

herr will be so disappointed......he was certain it was karl rove.....

[Vaevictis]

Um. That isn't what he (apparently) said.

According to drudge (http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2006/07/11/20060711_215233.htm):

"My primary source has not come forward to identify himself... Bill Harlow, the CIA public information officer who was my CIA source for the column confirming Mrs. Wilson's identity. I learned Valerie Plame's name from Joe Wilson's entry in 'Who's Who in America'..."

Not quite the same as "I learned it from Joe Wilson" as you say. (FWIW, IIRC, Who's Who in America is a essentially an encyclopedia of politically important people in the USA. The fact that it's "Joe Wilson's entry" should not be taken to mean that Joe Wilson wrote it.)

We'll get better details, I suppose, when he publishes his column tomorrow.

[Jerk]

Um. That isn't what he (apparently) said.

According to drudge (http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/data/2006/07/11/20060711_215233.htm):

"My primary source has not come forward to identify himself... Bill Harlow, the CIA public information officer who was my CIA source for the column confirming Mrs. Wilson's identity. I learned Valerie Plame's name from Joe Wilson's entry in 'Who's Who in America'..."

Not quite the same as "I learned it from Joe Wilson" as you say. (FWIW, IIRC, Who's Who in America is a essentially an encyclopedia of politically important people in the USA. The fact that it's "Joe Wilson's entry" should not be taken to mean that Joe Wilson wrote it.)

We'll get better details, I suppose, when he publishes his column tomorrow.

A NAME is good enough.

Hang the treasonous bastar.d

[Vaevictis]

So who are we supposedly hanging? Bill Harlow, or the guy(s) who wrote Who's Who?

[Jerk]

So who are we supposedly hanging? Bill Harlow, or the guy(s) who wrote Who's Who?

Joe Wilson, the guy who leaked Valarie Plame's name to Who's who (she's a double secret agent)

[soonerscuba]

Remember how totally worth it whitewater was, goose meet gander.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Remember how totally worth it whitewater was, goose meet gander.Yeah, and poor old James McDougal suffered a "heart attack" in prison shortly before testifying about something...Whodathought?

[Vaevictis]

Joe Wilson, the guy who leaked Valarie Plame's name to Who's who (she's a double secret agent)

What makes you think Joe Wilson leaked it to Who's Who? (other than the rabies, I mean)

[soonerscuba]

Yeah, and poor old James McDougal suffered a "heart attack" in prison shortly before testifying about something...Whodathought?

I think you missed my point, and that we probably agree on this issue.

Whitewater: politically motivated massive waste of money (three inquiries that totaled $80m tax dollars) that revealed the primary targets of said investigation committed no wrongdoing.

CIA leak case: politically motivated massive waste of money that is revealing that the primary targets of said investigation committed no wrong doing.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I think you missed my point, and that we probably agree on this issue.

Whitewater: politically motivated massive waste of money (three inquiries that totaled $80m tax dollars) that revealed the primary targets of said investigation committed no wrongdoing.

CIA leak case: politically motivated massive waste of money that is revealing that the primary targets of said investigation committed no wrong doing.I'm thinking we let Whitewater die without getting to the bottom of it.

[soonerscuba]

I'm thinking we let Whitewater die without getting to the bottom of it.

holy ****.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

This actually does **** me off if Wilson did leak it to Who's Who. I mean he acted like she was James Bond

[Jerk]

The page I linked to has been cut in half, with them saying "the full report to be shown tomorrow" blah blah. So I can't re-read it to figure out how Novak claims Wilson published the double secret agent's name in Who's who.

[Vaevictis]

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7050/620/1600/josephwilson_whoswho-thumb.jpg

Is it a security leak that someone is listed as married to a CIA agent? (ie, just that they're married to the person, not that the person they're married to is CIA)

(Personally, I'm guessing not. Last I checked, marriage licenses are public record and are not usually classified.)

[Jerk]

Probably not, Vaev...but it sure made it easier for someone to cross check some info to find out who Valarie Plame was.

[Vaevictis]

I'm thinking the real problem here is that someone confirmed that she was a CIA agent, not that she was married to Joe Wilson.

Maybe that's just me though.

If Joe Wilson did that, he should get hammered. But, AFAIK, that's not what Novak is saying.

[Jerk]

I'm thinking the real problem here is that someone confirmed that she was a CIA agent, not that she was married to Joe Wilson.

Maybe that's just me though.

Or there might not be a problem because I have never seen it confirmed that she was a covert agent.

The Investigation by Fitzgerald was to find out who leaked the name of a secret covert CIA agent. No one has been charged with that.

It's also well-known that Wilson has blabbed about his wife being a CIA employee long before 2002. Tim Russert was told, for example. This thing has turned into a deal where they march dozens of people in front of grand juries over several years over and over until they can find where their testimonies are inconsistant enough to make a charge. Hell, you could do that to anyone.

[OklahomaTuba]

Nice.

Joe Wilson is a complete scum bag.

[OklahomaTuba]

I'm thinking the real problem here is that someone confirmed that she was a CIA agent, not that she was married to Joe Wilson.

The real problem is that Joe Wilson got his wife to send him to Africa, to prove Bush lied about the "yellow cake" Iraq was after.

Turns out, Joe W actually proved George W correct, and then decided to lie about what he found.

All on the tax payers dime.

[Vaevictis]

My understanding was that her identity as a CIA agent was classified "Secret", and that she had been a covert agent within the prior five years. She was, however, apparently "unlikely" to be used as a covert agent again in the future.

One of the issues people seem to be concerned about is that in revealing her identity as a secret agent, it may be that other active covert activities were exposed due to links with her in the past. I don't have a source, but I vaguely recall a report that indicated an active shell corporation was exposed, as were the people who were using that shell corp. (As I "vaguely" recall it, you might take it more as an example of an example of why revealing her identiy might be bad, as opposed to why it really was bad)

[Vaevictis]

The real problem is that Joe Wilson got his wife to send him to Africa, to prove Bush lied about the "yellow cake" Iraq was after.

Wait, so it's okay that somebody (allegedly) released classified information to the press?

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Only if the Libs do it ;)

[OklahomaTuba]

Wait, so it's okay that somebody (allegedly) released classified information to the press?

Hmm, didn't say that.

[Vaevictis]

Well, if the real problem in this story is that Joe Wilson did something totally unrelated to the release of classified information, then you implied it (intentionally or unintentionally).

Just asking for clarification.

[OklahomaTuba]

Well, if the real problem in this story is that Joe Wilson did something totally unrelated to the release of classified information, then you implied it (intentionally or unintentionally).

Just asking for clarification.

No, didn't imply it whatsoever.

If a law had been broken, someone would have been charged by now.

Again, the problem was using the CIA and his wifes position in the CIA to go after Bush politically.

[jk the sooner fan]

well dont i feel silly, according to the dallas morning news, Novak says that Rove was the leak

if so, he needs to be fired and subjected to criminal prosecution

[jk the sooner fan]

.
Associated Press

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 2½ 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.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Typical Lib Paper attacking Rove ;)

[jk the sooner fan]

well after reading it, it says that Rove was not the first official to mention Plame, that he later confirmed what another official had said

hell i dont know, alot of splitting hairs and he said/he said.......will be tough to prove either way i'd imagine

[LoyalFan]

"Harlow gains fame, blame in Plame name game!"
Infrared film at 10!

Hey! What the farouk kinda name is "Plame" anyway. Isn't it an Anglicized form of "Bin Laden"? Hmmmmmm...

LF

[OklahomaTuba]

hell i dont know, alot of splitting hairs and he said/he said.......will be tough to prove either way i'd imagine

Seems like it would be a lot easier to actually charge someone after 3 years if Plame was actually "covert".

[Vaevictis]

hell i dont know, alot of splitting hairs and he said/he said.......will be tough to prove either way i'd imagine

Don't you just hate lawyers? :D