ThinkProgress.org: 21 Bush Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.thinkprogress.org/leak-scandal

21 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak

The cast of administration characters with known connections to the outing of an undercover CIA agent:

Karl Rove
I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby
Condoleezza Rice
Stephen Hadley
Andrew Card
Alberto Gonzales
Mary Matalin
Ari Fleischer
Susan Ralston
Israel Hernandez
John Hannah
Scott McClellan
Dan Bartlett
Claire Buchan
Catherine Martin
Colin Powell
Karen Hughes
Adam Levine
Bob Joseph
Vice President Dick Cheney
President George W. Bush

Karl Rove
Senior Advisor to President Bush (2001-2005); Deputy White House Chief of Staff (2005-Present)

ADMINISTRATION, ROVE ORIGINALLY DENIED ANY INVOLVMENT IN THE LEAK: Asked on 9/29/03 whether he had “any knowledge” of the leak or whether he leaked the name of the CIA agent, Rove answered “no.” That same day, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, after having “spoken to Karl,” asserted that “it is a ridiculous suggestion” to say Rove was involved in the leak. In August 2004, Rove maintained, “I didn’t know her name and didn’t leak her name.” (ABC News, 9/29/03; White House Press Briefing, 9/29/03; RawStory; Newsweek, 7/11/05)

ROVE SPOKE WITH TIME REPORTER MATT COOPER: In a conversation with Time reporter Matt Cooper — a conversation that Rove insisted be kept on “deep background” — Rove instructed Cooper, “Don’t get too far out on Wilson.” Rove then identified Valerie Plame as “Wilson’s wife” who “works at the agency on wmd (weapons of mass destruction).” According to Cooper, his conversation with Karl Rove was the first time he had heard anything about Wilson’s wife. Additionally, Rove told Cooper that further information discrediting Wilson and his findings would soon be declassified and ended the phone conversation by saying “I’ve already said too much.” (Time, 7/25/05)

ROVE SPOKE WITH COLUMNIST ROBERT NOVAK: A week prior to publishing his column which outed undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame, Robert Novak spoke with Karl Rove. In the 7/8/03 conversation with Rove, Novak brought up Plame’s role at the CIA, and Rove confirmed for the reporter that Plame worked at the CIA: “I heard that too,” said Rove. (NYT, 7/15/05)

TESTIFIED “TWO TO THREE TIMES” BEFORE THE GRAND JURY: In his testimony to the grand jury, Karl Rove reportedly admitted “that he circulated and discussed damaging information regarding (Plame) with others in the White House, outside political consultants, and journalists” and “is said to have named at least six other administration officials” who were involved. From Rove’s description of the administration’s efforts, sources characterized the actions as “an aggressive campaign to discredit Wilson through the leaking and disseminating of derogatory information regarding him and his wife to the press, utilizing proxies such as conservative interest groups and the Republican National Committee to achieve those ends, and distributing talking points to allies of the administration on Capitol Hill and elsewhere.” (American Prospect, 3/8/04; Newsweek, 7/11/05)

[jojo54]

1. Throw 'em all to the lions.

Even prison would be too good for them.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. I second.

[kestrel91316]

3. I'm thinking public guillotining ................

[Talismom]

5. I'l start making the popcorn! n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

8. Damn. Public guillotining?

I'll have to learn how to knit.

[nookiemonster]

13. With a really, really DULL blade.

Bring the kids.

:silly:

[grytpype]

4. Recomended and bookmarked.

This is a really good resource for understanding who the players are in the Plame Affair... now if they only had a really good chronological outline, that would be sweet!

[AuntPatsy]

6. As long as Fitzgerald still breathes, this is far from history only.

[understandinglife]

11. Actually, as long as that Grand Jury exists, these dudes have much ...

... to fear:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4319705&mesg_id=4321335


Peace.

[tk2kewl]

7. This would seem to make plausible-beniability a bit tough to argue

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Only the "plausible" part.

This crew seems to fly by on totally implausible denials.

[MintOreoCookie]

10. The similarities between this administration and the

Nixon administration are really uncanny. I would love to see this president suffer the consequences that Nixon did. Unfortuntely, the house and the senate are run by immoral republicans.

[Skidmore]

12. Some of them have been recyled from the Nixon

WH and others cut their baby teeth working for retired Nixon administration people.

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. He's not OFFICIALLY a Bush Administration employee, but Gannon/Guckert

is also intimately (probably in more ways than one) involved in this scandal as well:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4172151
Thread title: Waxman Puts Spotlight on Guckert/Gannon - Rove/Plame Connection

[lala_rawraw]

15. He sang, ha... awww, did not like the pressure did he?

[Peace Patriot]

16. Here's a time-line of interest:

May 22, 2003: David Kelly, Brits chief WMD expert, begins whistleblowing, anonymously, to the BBC, about the Brits' "sexed up" Iraq intel.

July 7, 2003: After Kelly was identified and interrogated, Tony Blair is informed that Kelly "could say some uncomfortable things"--"COULD say," not "HAD said." (Hutton report.)

July 14, 2003: Plame outed. (Novak.)

July 18, 2003: Kelly found dead, under extremely suspicious circumstances; his office and computers searched.

July 22, 2003: Bigger Plame outing, of the entire CIA weapons monitoring capability, disabling all WMD projects and putting all covert agents at great risk. (Novak.)

What do I think happened? Kelly had uncovered a plot to plant nukes or other WMDs in Iraq. A "find" of WMDs in Iraq would have been enormous political gain to Bush/Blair. They feared Plame/CIA would find out, and outed her on 7/14, then possibly found out that Plame/CIA's Brewster Jennings network had helped foil their plot, and thus outed Brewster Jennings on 7/22.

This would explain why, between July 7 and July 14, they involved at least SIX reporters and 21 top members of the regime just to get Plame outed and Wilson "punished"--putting them all at great risk of treason charges. (Panic. Haste. Get this done NOW!)

And why they THEN outed Brewster Jennings as well (a bit excessive.)

I think it's a pretty good working hypothesis. That coincidence of Plame/Kelly dates is just too...well, coincidency.

[Eloriel]

20. Another timeline

*** Plame Timeline
http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/Plame_Leak_timeline

[dxstone]

17. I know how they can get to the bottom of this...

EVERYBODY GOES TO GITMO!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4329643

GREAT post, BEB! Kicked/nominated!
d

[donkeyotay]

18. Darn! If only it were 22 it would be a conspiracy

Great work there on Rove. What a bunch of lying, arrogant rat-bastards. I so hope they go down.

[AtomicKitten]

19. With 23

you get egg roll.

[AuntiBush]

21. Kicked! Come-On-Fitz!!!!!!!!!!! The Country & World is Depending on You!