CIA Fights Libby's Request for Information

[UpInArms]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&e=9&u=/ap/20060307/ap_on_go_ot/cia_leak

WASHINGTON - The CIA signaled Tuesday it likely will fight the release of highly classified presidential intelligence briefings that Vice President
Dick Cheney's former top aide wants to use in his defense against perjury charges.

Gathering the materials sought by I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, would take up to nine months, Marilyn Dorn, a CIA information review officer, said in a sworn statement filed in U.S. District Court.

Dorn said the CIA believes disclosure of the information would damage national security and wants a chance to be heard in court before any material is turned over to Libby, who is charged with lying in the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.

"The defense's requests clearly implicate highly classified, compartmentalized information and potential claims of executive privilege for presidential communications and the deliberative process," Dorn wrote.

<snip>

Lawyers for Libby want access to nearly a year of the President's Daily Brief, a summary of intelligence about threats against the United States. Dorn estimated it would take nine months for the small staff responsible for producing the intelligence briefing to assemble the material.

But Dorn estimated it would take about three months to comply with a more streamlined request of about 40 days of the briefings that U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton suggested. That period would cover when Libby allegedly spoke to three reporters, along with two days before and after he was interviewed by FBI agents and testified before the grand jury.

...more...

[Mithras61]

1. We all knew this was coming...

it was implied in the original demand for the PDBs. It's called greymail and is an attempt by the defense to claim that they can't get a fair trial because the classified documentation isn't available.

Personally, I think the prosecution should agree to stipulate that I. Lewis was a very busy man and had a lot on his mind if the defense is willing to stipulate that only an incompetant imbecile would fail to review their notes on something as important as this before speaking with the FBI or testifying before a Grand Jury. :evilgrin:

[TomInTib]

2. 3 months to go thru 40 days of PDBs?

No wonder they can't do anything right.

I hope the judge doesn't grant a delay, we need this trial sooner rather than later.

[Mithras61]

3. I'd like to see the trial getting into full swing about...

September. That should make the run-up to the General Election VERY interesting! :D

[TomInTib]

4. I would, too, but I heard February. n/t

[Mithras61]

5. Yes, for the trial itself...

but there could EASILY be some magnificent headlines in the motions & such (as we're seeing here).

[TomInTib]

6. Yeah, like hot spots in a forest fire...

the bushgang will be playing whack-a-mole (literally) by Fall.

Hey, Mithras61, I saw your profile. I raised my sons in Klein (Spring). I remember well when the Mitchells were planning the Woodlands. Man, they made a fortune on that Gov money. Beautiful place.

[Mithras61]

9. Yeah they did good when they built it like they did

It was beautiful when we first moved here. The Mitchells sold their interest, though, and the group that bought them out has been fixated on "developing" the area. Now we have traffic jams, LOTS less trees, and a whole bunch of "not quite ready for prime time" stuff here.

They built up the back areas out past Kuykendahl in the flood plain and paved over a bunch of it, so now we have larger flood zones. They have nearly 60,000 people here and have streets for about 35,000-40,000. Schools are WAY overcrowded. The "new" high school that they built about four years ago that was supposed to accomodate growth for 10 years is past its capacity.

They built another new one that is supposed to be a 4-year high school (9th through 12th grades) out by Hwy 242 (remember when it was a connector from I-45 to FM1314? Well, not anymore) and it looks like it'll be at capacity by the time my son goes there in three years.

Kuykendahl @ FM2920 has become a real zoo, also. Remember how the intersection under I-45 at FM2920 was? Well, Kuykendahl is about like that now, except it's like that all the way from Beaudreaux Road on south.

I wouldn't still be here, except my mother-in-law lives only about 1/4 mile away and she's having issue sthat make it hard for her to drive very far, and I want her to be around the kids.

[TomInTib]

11. Wow! That is a far cry from what I remember...

I remember punching a hole in the gas tank of my mother's car with an oyster shell thrown by the tire from the surface of FM1960.
It was paved with oyster shell back then.

I can still picture standing with my sons, all teary-eyed as the Blimp took off for the last time.

We left not long after. Seems like good timing, now.

[Mithras61]

12. I suspect it probably was...

Things haven't been quite the same since they opened up I-45 to four lanes wide all the way to FM1488 from Holzworth Rd.

[ninkasi]

13. Do either you or

Tom remember Gunny's Shack? It used to be a fun place to relax and hang out, because Gunny didn't tolerate any bad conduct. Of course, Gunny's dead, and the Shack burned, but still, reading what you two have said brings back memories. I can remember driving down 1960 W. and there was nothing much there until you reached Champions.

[Mithras61]

14. Sorry... that was well before my time here...

I've only been in the Houston area for about 17 years now...

[lyonn]

7. Libby vs CIA, now that is a joke

The only thing that kept Libby busy during that period of time was covering for Cheney. I'd love to see the e-mail, libby via cheney, reporters. Libby is the No. 1 Gofer for cheney & bush. The admin. is full of No. 1 suck ups, of course Libby is high on this list along with Bolton, Negroponte, all those heading the CIA Now, not when bush took over, oh the list is long and they are circling around each other for protection. But, since they are all chicken sh-ts some will break. It's the nature of chickens.

The idea of a years worth of PDB being released is ridiculous, any judge would/should recognize this point. Never happen. How the PDB in Aug. 2001 get out in the public is a wonder.

Edited for goffie stuff I missed.

[Roland99]

8. Chant: "Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!"

Porter Goss sure has "reformed" the CIA, eh?

[SeaBob]

10. 90 days

90 days to go through 40 documents. is that incompetent or what? I dont think I would really want these people playing on my team

[underpants]

15. Sounds like the Ollie North technicality appeal is being set up

Anyone?

[HereSince1628]

16. Yep, everything is going according to plan on this front.

Nothing unexpected here.

I can imagine the CIA being directed by Cheney to throw up a knock down-drag 'em out fight over the documents.

The game is to use Libby's defense to keep Fitzgerald busy so that he doesn't have time to nab Cheney, Addington & Co., or to go after BushRover Inc.