letter by Joe Wilson to Senate SC on Intelligence, FWIW

[steve2470]

<snip>
July 15, 2004


The Hon. Pat Roberts, Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

The Hon. Jay Rockefeller, Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Dear Sen. Roberts and Sen. Rockefeller,

I read with great surprise and consternation the Niger portion of Sens. Roberts, Bond and Hatch's additional comments to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee's Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Assessment on Iraq. I am taking this opportunity to clarify some of the issues raised in these comments.

First conclusion: "The plan to send the former ambassador to Niger was suggested by the former ambassador's wife, a CIA employee."

That is not true. The conclusion is apparently based on one anodyne quote from a memo Valerie Plame, my wife, sent to her superiors that says, "My husband has good relations with the PM and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity." There is no suggestion or recommendation in that statement that I be sent on the trip. Indeed it is little more than a recitation of my contacts and bona fides. The conclusion is reinforced by comments in the body of the report that a CPD reports officer stated that "the former ambassador's wife 'offered up his name'" (page 39) and a State Department intelligence and research officer stated that the "meeting was 'apparently convened by wife who had the idea to dispatch him to use his contacts to sort out the Iraq-Niger uranium issue."

In fact, Valerie was not in the meeting at which the subject of my trip was raised. Neither was the CPD reports officer. After having escorted me into the room, she departed the meeting to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest. It was at that meeting where the question of my traveling to Niger was broached with me for the first time and came only after a thorough discussion of what the participants did and did not know about the subject. My bona fides justifying the invitation to the meeting were the trip I had previously taken to Niger to look at other uranium-related questions as well as 20 years living and working in Africa, and personal contacts throughout the Niger government. Neither the CPD reports officer nor the State analyst were in the chain of command to know who, or how, the decision was made. The interpretations attributed to them are not the full story. In fact, it is my understanding that the reports officer has a different conclusion about Valerie's role than the one offered in the "additional comments." I urge the committee to reinterview the officer and publicly publish his statement.

<snip>

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/07/16/wilson_letter/

edited to add the date of the letter

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Well, one would think that would settle that

But Mehlman and his wrecking crew are so busy making noise they'll act like they don't hear it.

[KT2000]

2. Look how difficult it is

to get the truth into the Report from someone who was a participant. At least Wilson is still out there trying to get the truth out there.

[peacetalksforall]

3. So that was in Salon one year ago? And the Toensings and the

Gingrichs didn't read it?

Slime thngs. Pure slime. I feel sorry for them.

It is interesting to watch how low they go as humans and still pretend that they are the epitomy of people who will help bring honor and dignity back to the WH after the Clintons and Gores.

Slime - they've had a year and they knew this was coming - Fitzgerald was appointed two years ago (wasn't it?).

That Salon article is July 15, 2004.

[housewolf]

5. Always remember the Suskind quote...

to paraphrase, "we are history's actors and we create reality, those of you in the reality-based community merely report of what we do. While you are busy reporting on what we just did we'll be off creating something else."


It doesn't matter whether they read it or not. It doesn't serve their purposes today so they'll distort it however they want. This is what makes them so infuriating.

[oasis]

4. Stay on their asses Joe until the Rove/Cheney duo is brought to justice.

:applause: