Bloomberg-Rove, Libby Accounts in CIA Case Differ With Those of Reporters

[LiviaOlivia]

Rove, Libby Accounts in CIA Case Differ With Those of Reporters

By Richard Keil

July 22 (Bloomberg) — Two top White House aides have given
accounts to the special prosecutor about how reporters told them
the identity of a CIA agent that are at odds with what the
reporters have said, according to persons familiar with the case.

Lewis “Scooter'’ Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief
of staff, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that he first
learned from NBC News reporter Tim Russert of the identity of CIA
agent Valerie Plame, the wife of former ambassador and Bush
administration critic Joseph Wilson. Russert has testified before
a federal grand jury that he didn’t tell Libby of Plame’s
identity.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told Fitzgerald that he first learned the identity of the CIA agent from syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who was first to report Plame’s name and connection to Wilson. Novak, according to a source familiar with the matter, has given a somewhat different version to the special prosecutor.

These discrepancies may be important because one issue Fitzgerald is investigating is whether Libby, Rove, or other administration officials made false statements during the course of the investigation. The Plame case has its genesis in whether any administration officials violated a 1982 law making it illegal to knowingly reveal the name of a CIA agent.

~snip~

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/07/21/breaking-bloomberg-reporting-that-rove-libby-may-be-subject-to-perjury-charges/

[wishlist]

1. Thanks for posting n/t

[democrat in Tallahassee]

2. get your stories straight boys. lock up russert while you're at it!

[bpilgrim]

3. I heard it from Novak, first, too!

:evilgrin:

peace

[grannylib]

4. God, what a doofus....it makes me want to cry. What a fucking moron.

[wiggle-room]

5. YES! YES! YES!

THIS IS IT!

Oh man, its good to read this tonight.

They deserve to be tried for treason, but hit 'em with perjury every chance you get.

This is making me smile, big time.

[Jane Austin]

7. That's not just perjury; that's obstruction of juctice, too.

They seemed to be trying to throw the prosecutor off the trail.

I don't think he's going to appreciate that. Heh Heh.

[natrat]

6. hello mcfly it's called treason

you stupid old arrogant peabrain fuckers

[Cocoa]

8. "using reporters as shields"

Jaws really nails it in this sentence:

The leak case shows that administration officials have in effect been using reporters as shields by claiming that the information on Plame first came from them.

[Kingofalldems]

9. And to think Russert was their waterboy

with his softball questions on MTP. They played you good Tim.

[LiviaOlivia]

10. Rove and Novak. Libby and Russert. Bolton and Judith?

Someone said that Bolton has appeared before the grand jury on Hardball tonight.

[short bus president]

11. If he has, something's seems kinda wrong...

This is a quote from the NY Times Friday front page story, discussed here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1644462

"Ms. Hughes is to have her confirmation hearing on Friday on her nomination to lead the State Department's public diplomacy operation. Mr. Joseph was recently confirmed as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. As part of their confirmation proceedings, both had to fill out a questionnaire listing any legal matters they had become involved in." (emphasis mine)

If Fitzgerald's talked to Bolton, shouldn't we know about it for the same reason we know he's talked to Karen Hughes and Robert Joseph?

:shrug:

[LiviaOlivia]

13. Read it on dkos.

http://jorndorff.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/21/20017/4206

Also just read this:

Mr. Rove has also told the grand jury that he never saw the memo, a person briefed on the case said. Democrats who have been eager to focus attention on the case have urged reporters to look into the role of a number of other administration officials, including John R. Bolton, who was then undersecretary of state for arms control and international security and has since been nominated by Mr. Bush to be ambassador to the United Nations.

In his disclosure form for his Senate confirmation hearings, Mr. Bolton made no mention of having been interviewed in the case, a government official said. In the week after Mr. Wilson's article appeared, Mr. Bolton attended a conference in Australia.

http://nytimes.com/2005/07/22/politics/22leak.html?ei=5094&en=da4770e9392bb1c6&hp=&ex=1122004800&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1122001242-bauqhJ6eVo82+7C7Qc2BrA&pagewanted=all

NYT and Bolton, curious..

[hedda_foil]

16. If he testified and didn't include it in his disclosure ....

That's perjury right there.

[LiviaOlivia]

17. Yes I know

That's what we're talking about. :)

[goforit]

12. Sounds pretty murky and damaging to me!!!

[IChing]

14. This is also CONSPIRACY in legal terms with more than one

Law. An agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.

Legal definition of Conspiracy
Conspiracy. A combination or confederacy between two or more persons formed for the purpose of committing, by their joint efforts, some unlawful or criminal act, or some act which is lawful in itself, but becomes unlawful when done by the concerted action of the conspirators, or for the purpose of using criminal or unlawful means to the commission of an act not in itself unlawful.

A person is guilty of conspiracy with another person or persons to commit a crime if with the purpose of promoting or facilitating its commission he: (a) agrees with such other person or persons that they or one or more of them will engage in conduct which constitutes such crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit such crime; or (b) agrees to aid such other person or persons in the planning or commission of such crime or of an attempt or solicitation to commit such crime. Model Penal Code, § 5.03.

Crime of conspiracy is distinct from the crime contemplated by the conspiracy (target crime), Corn. v. Dyer, 243 Mass. 472, 509, 138 N.E. 296, 314, cert. denied, 262 U.S. 751, 43 S.Ct. 700, 67 L.Ed. 1214. Some jurisdictions do not require an overt act as an element of the crime, e.g. Corn. v. Harris, 232 Mass. 588, 122 N.E. 749.

A conspiracy may be a continuing one; actors may drop out, and others drop in; the details of operation may change from time to time; the members need not know each other or the part played by others; a member need not know all the details of the plan or the operations; he must, however, know the purpose of the conspiracy and agree to become a party to a plan to effectuate that purpose. Craig v. U. S., C.C.A.Cal., 81 F.2d 816, 822.

There are a number of federal statutes prohibiting specific types of conspiracy. See, eg., 18 U.S.C.A.  371. See also Chain conspiracy; Co-conspirator's rule; Combination in restraint of trade; Confederacy; Seditious conspiracy; Wharton Rule.

Chain conspiracy. Such conspiracy is characterized by different activities carried on with same subject of conspiracy in chain-like manner that each conspirator in chain-like manner performs a separate function which serves in the accomplishment of the overall conspiracy. Bolden v. State, 44 Md.App. 643, 410 A.2d 1085, 1091.

http://americandefenseleague.com/conspdef.htm LINK

[cliss]

25. Man....whew, I'm looking hard at your photos, IChing.

Could it possibly be? ....that maybe....just possibly....

I believe the reason all this is coming to a head is because of Iraq. That country is a quagmire. It's such a failure, on such a colossal scale that it's hard to imagine.

Water seeks its own level. Because of these fools, this country is in dire danger. That's why this Plame thing got dredged up, at long last.

[wookie294]

15. ''I heard that, too''

"I've said too much."

[RDANGELO]

18. So now will they crack

and tell who really gave the information to them. Is Fitz saying give me a bigger fish and I'll give you immunity.

[Kittycat]

19. Where is the Bloomberg link?

TIA

[blondeatlast]

23. Full article in the link in OP. nt

[tuvor]

20. Bloomberg Reporting That Rove, Libby May Be Subject To Perjury Charges

BREAKING: Bloomberg Reporting That Rove, Libby May Be Subject To Perjury Charges

Below is a Bloomberg article which is reporting that Karl Rove, senior adviser to the President and deputy chief of staff, and Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, are being investigated for having lied to a federal grand jury about how they learned the identity of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame (Murray Waas at the American Prospect wrote a similar story yesterday).

Rove, Libby Accounts in CIA Case Differ With Those of Reporters

By Richard Keil

July 22 (Bloomberg) — Two top White House aides have given accounts to the special prosecutor about how reporters told them the identity of a CIA agent that are at odds with what the reporters have said, according to persons familiar with the case.

Lewis “Scooter'’ Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that he first learned from NBC News reporter Tim Russert of the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, the wife of former ambassador and Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson. Russert has testified before a federal grand jury that he didn’t tell Libby of Plame’s identity.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told Fitzgerald that he first learned the identity of the CIA agent from syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who was first to report Plame’s name and connection to Wilson. Novak, according to a source familiar with the matter, has given a somewhat different version to the special prosecutor.

These discrepancies may be important because one issue Fitzgerald is investigating is whether Libby, Rove, or other administration officials made false statements during the course of the investigation. The Plame case has its genesis in whether any administration officials violated a 1982 law making it illegal to knowingly reveal the name of a CIA agent.

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/07/21/breaking-bloomberg-reporting-that-rove-libby-may-be-subject-to-perjury-charges/

[Trajan]

21. I believe this is a dupe ....

But it is absolutely delicious ......

Couldnt get their stories straight, I see ....

Wonderful ....

They apparently ignored their mommas when she told them not to lie ....

BAD boys get tossed into jails ....

[tuvor]

22. I hate duping, but I couldn't find anything else posted.

Plus this is just too damned important.

(What would Devo do? I guess they'll tell all at Bumbershoot. Alas, I won't be going.)

[The_Casual_Observer]

24. ooooops! They must have figured that the reporters wouldn't squeal

Not too smart of them, was it?

[papau]

26. Rove, Libby Accounts on Plame Differ With Reporters' (Update1)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/economy/usgovernment.html

Rove, Libby Accounts on Plame Differ With Reporters' (Update1)

July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Two top White House aides have given accounts to a special prosecutor about how reporters first told them the identity of a CIA agent that are at odds with what the reporters have said, according to people familiar with the case.

Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that he first learned from NBC News reporter Tim Russert of the identity of Central Intelligence Agency operative Valerie Plame, the wife of former ambassador and Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, one person said. Russert has testified before a federal grand jury that he didn't tell Libby of Plame's identity, the person said.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told Fitzgerald that he first learned the identity of the CIA agent from syndicated columnist Robert Novak, according to a person familiar with the matter. Novak, who was first to report Plame's name and connection to Wilson, has given a somewhat different version to the special prosecutor, the person said.

These discrepancies may be important because Fitzgerald is investigating whether Libby, Rove or other administration officials made false statements during the course of the investigation. The Plame case has its genesis in whether anyone violated a 1982 law making it illegal to knowingly reveal the name of a covert intelligence agent. <snip>


To contact the reporter on this story:
Richard Keil in Washington at [e-mail] .

Last Updated: July 22, 2005 09:28 EDT

[tk2kewl]

27. Gee... who ya gonna believe?

:sarcasm:

[LeftHander]

28. Rove Libby are Liars....

We know they lie all then time. Why would they not lie in this instance.

[kikiek]

29. The end justifies the means..Machiavelli 101. I don't think this was the

end he had in mind..hah.

[blm]

30. Houston DUers, please send this article to Chronicle editorial page.

.

[DesEtoiles]

31. [e-mail]

[Jack Rabbit]

32. From David Corn's blog

From DavidCorn.com
Dated Friday July 22

Rove Scandal: A Conspiracy Charge for the White House?
By David Corn

As I write, the news is zapping across the Internet that Bloomberg has reported that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby have given testimony to the Plame/CIA leak grand jury that was contradicted by the accounts of others . . . .

Interesting. And below is what I had written prior to this news. It now may be even more relevant:

I'm no lawyer, though I do--as a talking head--have to play one on TV occasionally. And it seems in recent years (and weeks) that to talk politics you have to know something about law, particularly criminal law. The Rove scandal overflows with legal commentary from folks who aren't lawyers who do their best to understand the relevant laws and folks who are (GOP) lawyers who do their best to ignore and misrepresent the law. In any event, looking for guidance, I called an old friend, who once was a federal prosecutor and now is a well-established lawyer in Washington. He investigated the mob. He's a Democrat, but hardly a partisan. I asked what he thought was up with Plame/CIA leak investigation. He has picked up some rumors within the DC lawyer's community, but he has no direct contact with the investigation. Still, he has a few interesting observation.

"What this really boils down to at the moment," he says, "is this: should Karl Rove have a security clearance? That's the real question. Would he be given a security clearance if what's now known had been known at the time he applied for clearance? In his job, at his level, he sees lots of secrets. People at a lot lower level would lose their security clearance for this immediately." This former prosecutor, of course, is referring to the media revelations--confirmed by Rove's own lawyer--that Rove told at least two journalists (Robert Novak and Matt Cooper) about Valerie Wilson's relationship to the CIA, which was classified information. "This is a national security issue," he continues. "If you were a Tom, Dick or Harry and involved in that, you'd lose your security clearance. Period . . . .

So what's my friend's best guess about what Fitzgerald is trying to do? Obviously, he says, it would be easier for him to make a "false statements case" than to prosecute a case under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. (Regular readers by now know why.) But, he goes on, there's another way he could tackle this; check out Title 18, Section 371, of the US Code, he advises. It's entitled "Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States."

Read more.

Mr. Corn has been on top of this story from the time it broke in July 2003. He is one of the targets of the current right wing smear campaign.

[Imagevision]

33. Bloomberg reporting that Rove, Libby may be facing perjury charges

Bloomberg article which is reporting that Karl Rove, senior adviser to the President and deputy chief of staff, and Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, are being investigated for having lied to a federal grand jury about how they learned the identity of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame.
Rove, Libby Accounts in CIA Case Differ With Those of Reporters.
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/07/21/breaking-bloomberg-reporting-that-rove-libby-may-be-subject-to-perjury-charges

[TrueAmerican]

34. Here's the official link

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=an7SakVWGrTQ&refer=us#

but it's already been broke here.

[BobbyinPortland]

35. Man, this cheers me up

I just hope it's not blown away by some diversion.

GREAT GREAT news!!

What goes around comes around!

[skip fox]

36. Will Rove resign on a hot summer Friday afternoon in DC? Stay tuned.

This story confirms our beliefs of Rove's perjury (and that's why he's had 3 visits from the FBI and 4 to the grand jury. He also orchestrated the KNOWING and DELIBERATE leak of a covert CIA official, one whose identity the agency was actively concealing.

Each new piece of evidence suggests that a number of administrative officials will face multiple indictments in the leak of Plame's identity. Rove will receive probably more than one.

1. The inanity and hysteria of the RNC's (and others') spinning has been noted by reporters across the nation as indicative a party which "off its game." Expecting a terrible outcome, they were stalling for time, hoping the Supreme Court Nominee would bump the story off the front pages. (For a day it did . . . until Walter Pincus's story yesterday about classifications on the State Department memo sent to Air Force One.) Al Franken told us yesterday (7/21) that after some difficulty he was able to demonstrate to the RNC staff that the story on their web-site which states Wilson claimed the Vice President sent him to Niger was simply false, a lie (showing the context for Wilson's quote yet again). What was the RNC's reaction? "We're standing by it." Simple as that. My point it, when they are willing to be so consciously and blatantly dissembling in public (which can be used against them), that they are very distressed about the future.

2. We know there were at least 6 initial reporters contacted (including Novak, Miller, Cooper, and Pincus) and that 3 of those contacted called at least one secondary source the confirm the story (Cooper implies he had more than single confirming source named as Scooter Libby). We know that Cooper's initial source (Rove) specifically released him, but that Miller's would not do so for her. Since we already know Novak's initial source is Libby, there would be no reason him not to release Miller if he were her source (unless the crime was more obvious). Therefore we know that there were two (Libby and Rove) initial sources and probably at least another. Already we are deeply into the terrain of collaboration. But when we realize that to have 3 confirming sources available, since the "conspiracy" (it becomes the unavoidable word) could not insure who the reporters would call to confirm their stories, they had to have several primed (ready and willing to confirm) (Of course a confirming source for one reporter could be a primary course for another.)
Impossible to accomplish these 9 (or 9+) calls by at least 2, probably 3 or more initial caller, with others ready to confirm, without coordination. It wouldn't be rocket science for the Rove's Machiavellian machine he calls a mind, and it would be Rove of all people in the group of officials (probably largely composed of the White House Iraq Group) would direct (mastermind) the entire, making sure no two officials attempted to act as an initial source for a single reporter (that would appear too eager), that the story be believable (pitched nonchalantly, briefly), that the story is given in slightly different forms, and that the confirming sources were in place and with the story somewhat different in non-substantive matters (so it doesn't sound like story leaked by rote.) Therefore it was deliberately leaked.

3. We know Rove has had multiple visits by the FBI and to the grand jury. The implication is as loud as it gets.


4. The State Department memo, said to be at least one origin of the information concerning the Plame-Wilson-Niger connection and reputedly of high interest to the grand jury, was reported by Wlater Pincus yesterday to me clearly marked "S" for "Secret." Today's reports in fact indicate it was marked "TS," "Top Secret." Therefore the official who disseminated the identity from this source was highly aware that the CIA was actively trying to conceal Plame's identity. Therefore it was knowingly leaked.

Therefore, RNC's spin, the numbers of callers, the deliberate and repetitive acts, Rove's visits with FBI and grand jury, and the knowing intent behind the leak = Rove will go down in Plames. Likely he is guilty of leaking (with knowledge), leading a conspiracy to leak, and perjury.

There's no way out of this for Rove. The best he can hope for is the softest landing t5hat does the least damage for other officials and the Republican Party. (On a hot summer afternoon?)