Sunday Chgo Trib Mag Article on Patrick Fitzgerald Says About Plame ......

[global1]

<snip>

.... Fitzgerald's handling of the case has been sharply criticized by news media fearful that any legal precedents forcing journalists to reveal confidential sources would forever alter the independence and watchdog mission of the Fourth Estate. But even some of the nation's most respected attorneys have suggested that Fitzgerald may be pursuing a lengthy and expensive investigation into something that is not even a crime in the first place. They argue that the 1982 law he is using as a basis for his probe applies only to covert agents who live outside the country now or have done so in the last five years.

<snip>

"Since Plame had been living in Washington for some time when the July 2003 column was published, and was working at a desk job in Langley (a no-no for a person with a need for cover), there is a serious legal question as to whether she qualifies as 'covert,' wrote Victoria Toensing, former chief counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee who helped draft the 1982 law, and Bruce Sanford, a First Amendment specialist, in The Washington Post.


I just thought that these comments were interesting with respect to the Plame case. The other interesting and I though funny aspect of this article on Fitzgerald was its title - "Bulldog". (in light of Gannongate)

Said about Fitzgerald in this article - "His 24/7 work ethic and brilliant legal mind have sent terrorists and mob bosses to prison. But critics say Patrick Fitzgerald's tactics sometimes collide with the constitution."

So is the Plame case going down in flames too?

[KoKo]

1. Do you have a link to the whole article? n/t

[global1]

3. Sorry - Don't Have A Link - But Perhaps ....

you could find it online. It was in the Feb 27, 05 - Section 10 - Chicago Tribune Magazine - cover has his picture with the following tease - America's Best Prosecutor? That's what many said when hard-charging U.S.Atty.Patrick Fitzgerald came to town. Three years later the jury is still out.

Do you think we might be getting close to a breakthough on this case and Rove and gang is starting to mount a - discredit Fitzgerarld campaign?

[never cry wolf]

14. Here's a linky

Free registration required for the Trib. Quite a long article, I didn't have time to finish it yet.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/jobs/news/chi-0502270415feb27,1,870334.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

[punpirate]

2. Since none of the general public knew of her...

... prior to the outing, it's hard to say. But, the original story was that she worked for a CIA front company, and traveled often overseas. The front company went away when she was exposed, so I would guess that the Chicago Trib may be blowing smoke.

[Kber]

7. From what I understand

in the situation you describe, she would need a "cover". She was probably a case handler, working with both agents (Amereican CIA employees) and assets (foreign nationals) overseas from a US front organization. Her basic job responsibilities would likely have been to receinve raw human intellegence from both American and foreign contacts, direct them in possible lines of investigation, and take a first pass at collecting and analyizing the results for higher level review. Her overseas travel would have been under her cover, and when blown, put her, her family, her US agents and her foreign born assets in danger. The fact that she's in Washington is not necessarily any protection. Afterall, if we have overseas agents and assets, so do others, right?

Desk job or not, blowing her cover probably put people's lives at risk and ruined long established investigations into WMD.

[punpirate]

8. The article makes an "if" seem...

... plausible. The "if" they're suggesting is that she was actually working at Langley. Just heading in the gate there on a regular basis indicates for whom she works. That's the case the article is trying to imply.

There's a huge difference between working for a CIA front company in the DC area and working at Langley. My understanding from all the early reports is that she was doing the former.

Cheers.

[elehhhhna]

10. There were reports that over 70 "assets" (PEOPLE) were murdered

after she was outed...

Where's th efollow-up on that? How many investigations, etc. were compromised?

[displacedtexan]

4. "the independence and watchdog mission of the Fourth Estate" ???

All Together Now:

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. I could be wrong, but aren't these arguments suppose to count only

when they're presented before a judge? I hope the media isn't trying to play dirty pool here. Though, it's not like it would be the first time.

[Padraig18]

6. As an Illinoisan, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt

He's basically put a huge part of the Republican power structure in this state in jail, and it took him more than 4 years to do it; he's not done yet, because our former governor goes on trial next year. So far, not a single person has escaped conviction on the primary major offense Fitzgerald charged in his indictment.

As our friend, the local State's Attorney says, "He's not a master of the 'quick draw', but when he shoots you, you're dead".

[madrchsod]

9. if miller hadn`t tipped off the saudi`s in chicago

he would have nailed these guys for funding the terrorists that struck the towers and funded terrorists in the balkan wars. miller is either a cia plant or is working for the bush/saudi whitehouse. she escaped because he couldn`t use the phone records he found investigating the plame affair. that is why the judged ruled against him on the phone records..they were not about novak it was about the saudi`s. if i remember correctly miller worked for the saudi`s before she worked at the times.

[Padraig18]

13. Exactly.

He's tenacious and meticulous, and that was just an unlucky break. I have full confidence in HIS abilities, but what happens once he files in court is beyond his control, just like it was in the Miller case.

[flpoljunkie]

11. Victoria Toensing has been trying to peddle this crap for some time now.

It is the way out of this crime for the Bush administration.

Journalists do not have an absolute right to protect the identity of their sources--particularly those who may have committed treason by outing Valerie Plame.

[lancdem]

12. She's a Republican hack

Her husband is Joe DiGenova, another well-known Repuke attorney.