Tony Norman (PGH Post-Gazette): "Why Isn't Bob Novak Going to Jail?"

[blackcatpgh]

in the same vein as the "A Great Letter to the Times about Miller/Cooper" thread:

**********
Friday, February 18, 2005
By Tony Norman

"Will someone please explain in simple, easy-to-understand language, why we never see right-wing pundit Bob Novak's name mentioned in the same breath as reporters facing jail time for contempt in the Valerie Plame affair?

Earlier this week, a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Washington upheld an earlier court ruling that New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper should be jailed for contempt for failing to disclose the source of a story neither had any intention of publishing in the first place.

Meanwhile, Bob Novak, the only columnist in the country who actually published Plame's identity in violation of federal law, sits comfortably ensconced on CNN's "The Capital Gang" bloviating as usual.

Miller and Cooper will probably go to jail for "witnessing" a federal crime and refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA agent's identity. So why is it that only two of the three reporters who allegedly "witnessed" the crime are being threatened?"

more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05049/459428.stm

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. kick

[rox63]

2. I suspect Novak already testified

And he took the 5th against self-incrimination.

[peacebird]

4. if that's the case, why don't the other 2 "testify" and take the 5th?

[blackcatpgh]

5. that's what i was wondering...n/t

[enki23]

8. that part of the fifth has to do with self incrimination

in that respect, novak might be the only one of them entitled to invoke it?

[Sydnie]

6. I don't understand how taking the 5th would help him here

unless he broke into a government office and took the memo himself. You can't take the 5th to protect someone else, just to protect yourself. Now, if he commited a crime to get the memo, that would be a horse of a different color and the 5th would apply.

The question is : How did you get the memo. Who gave you access to the memo. There is no 5th protections within those questions that make sense.

Now, if he testified and named one or both Miller and Cooper, that would let him off the hook for this round of questions wouldn't it?

[skylarmae]

3. I need it explained to me too. It makes the hair on the back of my neck

stand up when I think of Novak. His arrogance about this felony is overboard and nobody has laid a glove on him. I too want to know why...

[napi21]

7. I heard this exp. yestrday, but don't remember where.

I heard the same question posed yesterday. The response was, "I suspect it's because he is a well known strong supporter of the administration, and the prosecuters are proccding VERY carefully with him. I think everyone's waiting to see the final outcome of appeals with Miller/Cooper. If in the final appeal, they are told they either testify or go to jail, the pressure will then switch to Novak." When this guest was asked wwhat he thought the decision of the appeals court was going to be, he said "It's always a difficult decision when two principals are in opposition. Which is most important, the public's right to know, or the security of this CIA op? It could go either way."

Sorry I can't remember where I heard this. I'mm thinking it was a guest on cspan WJ.

[PurityOfEssence]

9. The REAL reason for outing Plame was to threaten others in intel

Why does everyone get this so wrong? Saying this sounds somewhat implausible and petty, even though this is a truly vindictive and petty group. It also sounds like an imprudent drawing of attention to something that's best left to blow over.

Sure, revenge on Wilson was an element of this move, but the most important point--as Wilson himself has repeatedly said--was to put a shot across the bows of everyone in the intelligence community that their personal and professional lives would be ruthlessly dealt with if they did anything of the kind.

I wish more of the spooks had the courage to stand up; surely they can see by now that they'll be systematically purged anyway.

[blue neen]

10. Tony Norman is not afraid to say what he thinks.

I look forward to reading his articles.

He nails it once again.

"The persecution and prosecution of reporters is taking place at a time when the White House has perfected the art of manipulating the Fourth Estate. With recent revelations that three prominent columnists were paid "consultants" for administration policies, it's easy to see why the First Amendment isn't taken particularly seriously these days."

[libodem]

11. first the press police

then the thought police

[indepat]

12. Novak's politics are right?