Raw Story: Joe Wilson says senior Bush aides had larger role in CIA leak

[wicket]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Interview_Ambassador_Wilson_husband_of_outed_CIA_agent_sees_larger_Administration_ro_0713.html

Raw Story: Let’s start with what your theory is on how the highly classified status of your wife as a NOC (a person of Non-Official Cover and a high level CIA asset) was leaked to others outside of the CIA. What is your theory and how have you come to it?

Wilson: Well, my view of this is based on what people have told me. It is not so much my theory but what others have told me about this.

Shortly after Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei (Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency) announced to the UN Security Council in March, 2003 that the documents that the State Department provided him were forgeries, I went on CNN and said that I thought the government new more about this than it was letting on.

My understanding is that shortly thereafter, a meeting was held - sometime in March of 2003 - in the offices of the Vice President at which it was decided to do a “work up” on me. A work up means to run an intel op to glean all the information you can about “me.” My understanding is that at a minimum, Scooter Libby was at this meeting.

But in retrospect looking at this, the natural group who would meet to discuss something like this would be the White House Iraq Group (WHIG).

Raw Story: Right, and the group includes Karl Rove as part of that main group of six.

Wilson: Yes, that would include Rove. I believe it is Rove, Karen Hughes, Libby, and others.

Much more at link

***edited to add more info

[lvx35]

1. Sweet news.

I couldn't help but to notice: Also on the front page:

Hillary takes on 'hot' video game
Sen. Clinton wants to know who made raunchy 'coffee' patch for Grand Theft Auto

This is why I love Dean! ;)

[wicket]

4. oy!

Much much more important things to worry about than video games Hillary!

[kansasblue]

2. I LOVE Rawstory!

luv 'em

[wicket]

3. They rock!!!

:kick:

[wicket]

5. kick

:kick:

[leftchick]

6. WHIG: "White House marketing arm for the war "

Excellent Rawstory!!!

here is a little more on the WHIG...

http://www.pacificviews.org/weblog/archives/001267.html

~snip~

White House Iraq Group
Both Billmon and Digby noted that E & P had posted a story from last year about the Plame investigation which has this interesting tie back to the Niger yellowcake forgery. The piece mentioned the Iraq Group -- the White House marketing arm for the war on Iraq. As Digby said, it then brings into play the work by Ret. Lt. Colonel Sam Gardiner: Truth From These Podia (pdf). Digby posted this intro of this study from the Edge:

According to Gardiner, "It was not bad intelligence" that lead to the quagmire in Iraq, "It was an orchestrated effort began before the war" that was designed to mislead the public and the world. Gardiner's research lead him to conclude that the US and Britain had conspired at the highest levels to plant "stories of strategic influence" that were known to be false.

The Times of London described the $200-million-plus US operation as a "meticulously planned strategy to persuade the public, the Congress, and the allies of the need to confront the threat from Saddam Hussein."


Rereading Gardiner's piece last night was definitely worth the time. In there, he lists out the members of the Iraq Group:


Karl Rove (will he finally be frog-marched out of the WH in handcuffs?)
Karen Hughes
Mary Matalin
Jim Wilkinson
Nicholas Callo (Leg. Liaison)
Condi Rice
Stephen Hadley
Scooter Libby

What an interesting cast of characters, huh? And they were responsible for ginning up propaganda to support Bush's war. As Gardiner shows, this group provided direction to the Global Office of Communication and coordinated their message with the British through the Coalition Information Center. So much for the canard that the CIA was responsible for providing bad intelligence.<**>

[Stephanie]

7. Rove, Hughes, Matalin, Wilkinson, Callo, Rice, Hadley, Libby

Oh goody!

Does this explain Hughes' sudden departure? And Matalin's? Is this how Rice got the big job? How is Callo? Where are Wilkinson and Hadley? Libby is Cheney's right hand man, so there can be no doubt he reported back to the old fart, right?

[leftchick]

12. Andrew Card formed this group to "Educate the public"......

remember his "introducing new products" quote?


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A39500-2003Aug9?language=printer

~snip~

'Educating the Public'

Systematic coordination began in August, when Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. formed the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG, to set strategy for each stage of the confrontation with Baghdad. A senior official who participated in its work called it "an internal working group, like many formed for priority issues, to make sure each part of the White House was fulfilling its responsibilities."

In an interview with the New York Times published Sept. 6, Card did not mention the WHIG but hinted at its mission. "From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August," he said.

The group met weekly in the Situation Room. Among the regular participants were Karl Rove, the president's senior political adviser; communications strategists Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin and James R. Wilkinson; legislative liaison Nicholas E. Calio; and policy advisers led by Rice and her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, along with I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's chief of staff.

The first days of September would bring some of the most important decisions of the prewar period: what to demand of the United Nations in the president's Sept. 12 address to the General Assembly, when to take the issue to Congress, and how to frame the conflict with Iraq in the midterm election campaign that began in earnest after Labor Day.

A "strategic communications" task force under the WHIG began to plan speeches and white papers. There were many themes in the coming weeks, but Iraq's nuclear menace was among the most prominent.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Mary Matalin! Holy Shita! Poor Carville.

Can Carville be trusted now, since he now has a personal reason to water-down any Democratic counter-punch?

And why would Matalin allow herself to be part of what any normal human being would view as an abuse of power and "dirty tricks?"

[fooj]

23. Matalin is a shill...

She's shameless and honestly, I hope she gets what she deserves if she has any involvement in this.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Exactly.. and has there been pillow talk he's keeping to himself?

[FreedomAngel82]

19. Wow

This is very big. I remember hearing about this group. They knew what they needed to do since they've been planning this since 1996/1997. I wonder if Fitzegerald knows about this.

[Old and In the Way]

28. And you just know Bush/Cheney were "in the loop" on these meetings.

I can hear Bush in those meetings now, "OK, but, when do we invade? Why can't we just do it now? Goddam it, I want to go sooner not later."

[writes2000]

8. Wow, Novak is an ASS!

And whoever gave him that info is probably in serious trouble. He revealed the company which the CIA used as cover????

How many people in the CIA were jeopardized by that? Idiot!

[wicket]

9. Unfortunately

How many people in the CIA were jeopardized by that?

Unfortunately, probably a lot more than we'll ever know.

[Garbo 2004]

16. I think the "story" is that Novak's staff looked up campaign donations

by Wilson's wife and she had donated money to Gore's campaign and listed her employer as Brewster Jennings. (Which in itself should have been a clue that the Fed gov't wasn't listed as her employer.)

Novak mentioned this "find" on CNN months after his column had appeared to show that the Wilsons were "partisan" because she gave a few bucks to Gore's campaign. ooh. But not apparently considering why a career CIA employee would list not a Fed agency (which one would expect) but a private firm as her employer? Oh, that just (to Novak) showed that Valerie Wilson was a bad CIA employee, listing what he was "convinced" was a "fictitious firm" as her employer!!! Can he really be that stupid and lazy??? Or he got the info he could skew to attack the Wilsons' credibility and that was all that mattered, the smear?

But reports are about that Novak had talked to people asking if Plame was covert. (I can't recall where I read this or if he was asking this before or right after his column ran.) Which means her covert status was an issue that he looked into. And yet still blabbed months later about Brewster Jennings. (Although as Wilson noted, right after Plame was outed anyone seriously interested could have looked about and linked her to Brewster Jennings.)

Lookie here from the WaPo in October 2003:

...The name of the CIA front company was broadcast yesterday by Novak, the syndicated journalist who originally identified Plame. Novak, highlighting Wilson's ties to Democrats, said on CNN that Wilson's "wife, the CIA employee, gave $1,000 to Gore and she listed herself as an employee of Brewster-Jennings & Associates."

"There is no such firm, I'm convinced," he continued. "CIA people are not supposed to list themselves with fictitious firms if they're under a deep cover -- they're supposed to be real firms, or so I'm told. Sort of adds to the little mystery."

In fact, it appears the firm did exist, at least on paper. The Dun & Bradstreet database of company names lists a firm that is called both Brewster Jennings & Associates and Jennings Brewster & Associates...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A40012-2003Oct3?language=printer

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Yikes!

When it rains, it pours!

[Norquist Nemesis]

13. Oh, goody! Bush's sweetheart Karen!!

She's been working overtime lately on those talking points.

[Fly by night]

24. I thought that was Jeff Gannon.

[Norquist Nemesis]

27. Nah! JeffGannon's his

Pillowtalkin' Buddy :evilgrin:

[ncteechur]

33. And then there's Maude!

[donkeyotay]

14. They must have known it was bull from the beginning

The administration had put the claim about Niger into a factsheet in December, 2002. The UN immediately asked to see the documents, but didn't receive them until February, 2003. They were able to determine the documents were forgeries "in just a matter of hours," and Neil MacKay's Sunday Herald article (Niger and Iraq: the war's biggest lie?, 13 July, 2003)cites 4 examples that show why one intelligence source called the papers, 'total bullshit.'

So, if our CIA is as good as the UN's IAEA, then we also knew perfectly well the papers were forgeries. The whole thing was a sham. The president lied, Cheney lied... the American people and the Congress were warned that not going along with their war plans might result in a mushroom cloud over an American city. Now what politician wants to be on the wrong side of that?

The article also quotes Joe Wilson: "It really comes down to the administration misrepresenting the facts on an issue that was a fundamental justification for going to war. It begs the question: What else are they lying about?" No wonder they went after him.

[leftchick]

15. excellent interview...

I like this part, but I hope it is not a long ride..

Raw Story: Do you think the American experiment is over and/or do you think America will survive the events of the last several years? I asked this same question of Scott Ritter, who believes that America is far too resilient not to survive, but that the process would be lengthy and painful. What do you think?

Wilson: The good thing about our system is that we are a nation of laws and it is hard to subvert those laws for an extended period of time. The difference between us and say, fascism in either Italy or Spain, is that we have a settled Constitution and a settled history and there have been challenges that have been beaten back. We also have institutions which have withstood the buffeting of the political winds. We have demonstrated that during the Civil War, during the McCarthy era, during Vietnam, and so forth. There is every reason to expect the pendulum to swing back, but it will not swing back on its own. Which is why it is so important for the citizens, the press, and the Congress to begin to speak up more loudly and begin to push the pendulum back.

Those who believe that the pendulum will swing back naturally have forgotten the lessons of the communists in Russia and the lessons of the fascists in Spain. In Russia, it took from 1917 to 1990 (circa) to drive the Communists out of power and in Spain it took from 1936-39 to 1975-76 and Franco's death to drive the fascists out of power. So we may be in for a long ride.

[Peace Patriot]

26. Well, he says we have a Constitution, and laws, and a democratic history,

and Russia and Spain didn't. But then he says, given how long it took to overthrow Stalinism and Francoism, we're in for a long ride. I don't think the situations are parallel.

It may be true that we're in for a long ride anyway. Who knows? But I don't think he's factoring in some new developments, for instance...the Democratic Underground!

Us. Here. On the internet.

Until they drag us kicking and screaming away from our computers and our investigations, and information sharing, and connectivity, and FREEDOM OF SPEECH--off to Guantanamo Bay--we are the light of democracy, we are its hope and we have seen it, right here, being reborn.

I also don't think he quite grasps, or believes, that the American people are actually quite progressive and quite onto the Bush Cartel, that the majority voted to oust them, that the election was stolen, and that all polls show overwhelming disapproval of every major Bush policy, foreign and domestic--way up in the 60% to 70% range. (My favorite one is this: 63% of Americans disapprove of torture UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. That's the America I know and love!). Not to mention Bush approval ratings (bad for over a year, now down to 40%-ish). It's just very, very clear, and has been for some time, that Bush DOES NOT represent the majority of Americans, and that this junta DOES NOT have the "consent of the governed."

The discontent is huge--like a great rumble beneath the surface--threatening to break out at any moment.

Hang in there, Joe! I know it's been a rough ride for you. But I think we're going to get our country back sooner rather than later.

---------------

The answer to the stink in Washington DC is restoring our right to vote, by throwing Bushite electronic voting machine companies--Diebold, ES&S and brethren--out of the election business NOW--or, at the least, achieving some measure of election transparency with paper ballot backups, no secret programming code and strict auditing. The only place where we can get that done is in state/local jurisdictions, where the authority over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some say. See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

[Peace Patriot]

29. Just reviewed the whole interview with Wilson, and, no, he doesn't

seem to realize that the election was stolen. Someone needs to brief this man on Diebold and ES&S.

It is a riveting interview! The conclusion is just devastating.

[annabanana]

37. We must "defend the pendulum"...

and make sure the machines are honest

(voter verified paper ballots)

[understandinglife]

17. Recommended. Excellent interview. Can you imagine how many ...

.... lawyers these clowns have probably already hired!!


Time to convene the "White House Treason Tribunal"......

WATCH IT; SPREAD IT http://www.bushflash.com/right.html

Peace.

www.missionnotaccomplished.us - How ever long it takes, the day must come when tens of millions of caring individuals peacefully but persistently defy the dictator, deny the corporatists their cash flow, and halt the evil being done in Iraq and in all the other places the Bu$h neoconster regime is destroying civilization and the environment in the name of "America."

[txindy]

18. Definitely recommended

:kick:

[gordianot]

20. I love to see Chalbi's name in this, Fox had some interesting observations

Chalabi was "in the WMD crowd". Could it be Chalabi is a double agent?

see Faux link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122301,00.html

If they are playing with a foreign agent isn't that treason? Guess they are now denying that also.

[qanda]

21. In that third paragraph

"new" should be "knew"

[ronnykmarshall]

22. Who's gonna squeal?

Who's gonna save their own ass to land a bigger fish?

We know damn good and well Snear and Smirk knew about this. So which one of the little fish will make a deal to nail the biggies?

I think Mary Matlin would do it.

[annabanana]

38. Yoo Hoo.... Mr. Carville....

a little pillow talk could make you a hero....

[flyarm]

25. great interview lalaraw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

terrific..is all i can say!!

[IChing]

30. CONSPIRACY in the LEGAL definition, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT.

CONSPIRACY - 18 U.S.C. 371 makes it a separate Federal crime or offense for anyone to conspire or agree with someone else to do something which, if actually carried out, would amount to another Federal crime or offense. So, under this law, a 'conspiracy' is an agreement or a kind of 'partnership' in criminal purposes in which each member becomes the agent or partner of every other member.

In order to establish a conspiracy offense it is not necessary for the Government to prove that all of the people named in the indictment were members of the scheme; or that those who were members had entered into any formal type of agreement; or that the members had planned together all of the details of the scheme or the 'overt acts' that the indictment charges would be carried out in an effort to commit the intended crime.

Also, because the essence of a conspiracy offense is the making of the agreement itself (followed by the commission of any overt act), it is not necessary for the Government to prove that the conspirators actually succeeded in accomplishing their unlawful plan.

What the evidence in the case must show beyond a reasonable doubt is:

First: That two or more persons, in some way or manner, came to a mutual understanding to try to accomplish a common and unlawful plan, as charged in the indictment;

Second: That the person willfully became a member of such conspiracy;

Third: That one of the conspirators during the existence of the conspiracy knowingly committed at least one of the methods (or 'overt acts') described in the indictment; and

Fourth: That such 'overt act' was knowingly committed at or about the time alleged in an effort to carry out or accomplish some object of the conspiracy.

An 'overt act' is any transaction or event, even one which may be entirely innocent when considered alone, but which is knowingly committed by a conspirator in an effort to accomplish some object of the conspiracy.

A person may become a member of a conspiracy without knowing all of the details of the unlawful scheme, and without knowing who all of the other members are. So, if a person has an understanding of the unlawful nature of a plan and knowingly and willfully joins in that plan on one occasion, that is sufficient to convict him for conspiracy even though he did not participate before, and even though he played only a minor part.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c103.htm

[IChing]

31. FORGOT TO NOMINATE N/T

[robertpaulsen]

32. Hey! Didn't Joe Wilson say in his book that Newt Gingrich was involved?

I seem to recall a passage in his book saying that Gingrich was involved somehow in WHIG or that "work up" he refers to in the interview. I'm at work so I can't access the info, but does anyone here have the book lying around who can look it up and verify?

[robertpaulsen]

34. I just answered my own question: YES!

It took a while digging through the Plame Threads, but I found this post from the magnificent H2O Man on thread 6:

H2O Man (1000+ posts) Sun Jul-11-04 11:16 PM
Response to Original message
20. Sixteen Words: a brief history of the Wilson/Plame conflict
(based on information provided by Joseph Wilson's fantastic book!)
1-Jan 2002: First reports on Niger-Iraq uranium link surface in bush administration.

2- Feb 2002: Wilson is asked by CI headquarters to investigate possible Niger connection. He travels to Niger, and completes a thorough investigation. Wilson is one of the most talented men in US government at the level needed to do this type of job, and he did a very good job.

3-March 2002: Wilson debriefs CIA.

4-Sept 2002: First public mention of Niger-Iraq & yellow cake in British white paper.

5- Jan 28, '03: State of the Onion address by bush includes 16 words: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Niger."

6- March 7, '03: IAEA announces US documents on Niger link are forgeries.

7-March 8, '03: {A}State Dept spokesperson states "We fell for it" in reference to forged document.
{B} Wilson tells CNN that administration has far more info than State Dept acknowledged.
{C} After seeing CNN per Wilson, meeting held in VP's office: cheney, Libby, Gingrich & others begin "work-up" on Wilson to discredit him if necessary in future. emphasis added by robertpaulsen

8-June 8, '03: Condi Rice denies knowledge of forged uranium document; "Maybe somebody down in the bowels of the Agency knew about this, but nobody in my circles." (Meet the Press)

9-July 6, '03: Wilson's op-ed "What I Didn't Find in Africa" in NYT; also, he appears on Meet the Press and details the case.

10- July 10, '03: Robert Novak tells a Wilson friend who Novak DOESN'T KNOW that Wilson's "a fuck" and that Plame is CI operative on WMD issues.

11- July 14, '03: Novak's column exposes Plame.

12- July 16, '03: David Corn, in "A White House Smear," (The Nation) explains the leak violates the IIP Act.

13-July 20, '03: NBC's Andrea Mitchell informs Wilson that "senior WH officials" called her to say the 16 words aren't real story, Plame's identity is.

14- July 21, '03: MSNBC's Chris Matthews tells Wilson he "just got off the phone with Rove ... He says, and I quote, 'Wilson's wife is fair game.' I will confirm that if asked."

15- Sept 28, '03: MSNBC reports Justice Dept begins investigation.

16- Sept 29, '03: Wash Post article by Mike Allen & Dana Priest quote senior admin official: "Clearly it was meant purely and simply for revenge." Details of two senior officials lobbying six journalists are given.

17- Dec 30, '03: Att Gen Ashcroft recuses himself.

18- Jan 21, '04: Time reports a federal grand jury has begun investigation, and is hearing testimony.

19- Feb 5, '04: UPI's Richard Sale reports: "Federal law-enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of VP Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity ... The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments..."

20- March 5, '04: Newsday's Tom Brune reports the grand jury has issued subpoenas for phone logs, including of Air Force One from July 7-12, from July 12 "press gaggle," and White House Iraq Group from July 6-30th.

Kind of interesting.

[wicket]

35. kick

:kick:

[Bluebear]

36. Oooo Karen Hughes would look great in black & white stripes

[wicket]

40. kick

:kick:

[QuettaKid]

41. KICK.nt

.