Fitz:"concerted action by multiple people in White House to seek revenge"

[dajoki]

WP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800916.html?nav=rss_politics

A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic
Prosecutor Describes Cheney, Libby as Key Voices Pitching Iraq-Niger Story

By Barton Gellman and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, April 9, 2006

As he drew back the curtain this week on the evidence against Vice President Cheney's former top aide, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald for the first time described a "concerted action" by "multiple people in the White House" -- using classified information -- to "discredit, punish or seek revenge against" a critic of President Bush's war in Iraq.

Bluntly and repeatedly, Fitzgerald placed Cheney at the center of that campaign. Citing grand jury testimony from the vice president's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Fitzgerald fingered Cheney as the first to voice a line of attack that at least three White House officials would soon deploy against former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.

Cheney, in a conversation with Libby in early July 2003, was said to describe Wilson's CIA-sponsored trip to Niger the previous year -- in which the envoy found no support for charges that Iraq tried to buy uranium there -- as "a junket set up by Mr. Wilson's wife," CIA case officer Valerie Plame.

Libby is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for denying under oath that he disclosed Plame's CIA employment to journalists. There is no public evidence to suggest Libby made any such disclosure with Cheney's knowledge. But according to Libby's grand jury testimony, described for the first time in legal papers filed this week, Cheney "specifically directed" Libby in late June or early July 2003 to pass information to reporters from two classified CIA documents: an October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate and a March 2002 summary of Wilson's visit to Niger.

One striking feature of that decision -- unremarked until now, in part because Fitzgerald did not mention it -- is that the evidence Cheney and Libby selected to share with reporters had been disproved months before.

[lovuian]

1. Revenge against the truth

but Truth prevailed eventually...

[joemurphy]

3. Yeah, Truth prevailed, one needless war later.

[dajoki]

8. Not quite yet n/t

[redirish28]

2. indictments for Cheney and Bush?

[dajoki]

9. one can only hope n/t

[poverlay]

4. Sweet, dear, wonderful Fitzy... This is gonna get goood! n.t.

[caledesi]

11. I love this guy. He is way ahead of all of them.

[dajoki]

13. It better n/t

[pinkpops]

5. cheney resigns, bush appoints Rice, and Democrats ...

ummm?

[dajoki]

14. Good...

She is a big part of the whole thing!!

[0007]

28. Looks like that's the road map. Like Spiro Agnew, Cheney

will go down first. Then junior.....and then the fun indeed begins.

C'mon baby light my fire!

[madrchsod]

6. rico act---

it`s a criminal conspiracy

[dajoki]

10. Yes, that it is n/t

[caledesi]

12. Condi will go down too. See below

<snip>

Aboard Air Force One, en route to Entebbe, Uganda, then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice gave a background briefing for reporters. A reporter pointed out that when Secretary Powell had addressed the United Nations on February 5, 2003, he -- unlike others in the Bush administration -- had noted that some in the U.S. government did not believe that Iraq's procurement of high-strength aluminum tubes was for nuclear weapons.

Responding, Rice said: "I'm saying that when we put together ... the secretary decided that he would caveat the aluminum tubes, which he did.... The secretary also has an intelligence arm that happened to hold that view." Rice added, "Now, if there were any doubts about the underlying intelligence to that NIE, those doubts were not communicated to the president, to the vice president, or me."

In fact, contrary to Rice's statement, the president was indeed informed of such doubts when he received the October 2002 President's Summary of the NIE. Both Cheney and Rice also got copies of the summary, as well as a number of other intelligence reports about the State and Energy departments' doubts that the tubes were meant for a nuclear weapons program.


<snip>


Link: http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0330nj1.htm

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. Here's the traitors in Africa

It is time to wave bye-bye to all of them.

[Supersedeas]

39. Why won't the US press corp start asking directly their reaction to this?

[dajoki]

40. know they won't get straight answer? or WIMPS!!

[Canuckistanian]

15. RICO is the way to go

An obvious conspiracy, an obvious criminal enterprise.

In fact, the largest criminal conspiracy with the greatest amount of victims.

The Iraqis should join with the military families and start an indictment with the Hague court.

[WHAT]

21. RICO, that's what I'm hoping for...

it's my understanding that a RICO conviction gives a mechanism for recovering the treasury plundered. I'm keeping my eyes open for any information relating to that...

follow the money...in order to recover it?

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. Fitzgerald has successfully convicted members of the mob

This investigation isn't that much different. I'm sure he see that even better then the rest of us.

[marions ghost]

29. rico is not often used

good concept, but not very effective in the current system as I understand it. Any lawyers here who would disagree?

[elcondor]

7. God, with every

new quote or brief from Fitz, I feel like running up and down my dorm hall shrieking with joy.

[Clarkie1]

16. This part is the most damning.

Fitzgerald said the grand jury has collected so much testimony and so many documents that "it is hard to conceive of what evidence there could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to 'punish' Wilson."

[leveymg]

17. Here's a link to a non-PDF version (Chicago Sun Times) of Fitz filing

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/04/post_7.html

[dajoki]

22. thanks!!

[alfredo]

18. Taking revenge against a man's family is a cowardly act.

bush and his junta are cowards. they didn't attack Joe Wilson directly, they went after his wife. This should be as big an issue as the legality of what bush Inc did.

[dajoki]

23. cowardice is expected from that bunch...

i would like to see their children enlist and go to iraq.

[alfredo]

24. I want to see them in leg irons

[dajoki]

34. "Frog Marched"

[alfredo]

35. With "Funeral March of a Marionette " Played in the

background.

If you don' t know what it is, listen to it on this page: http://tinyurl.com/g79k8
Scroll down and play the #4 selection. It will take a minute for the them to get rolling, but once it does, you will recognize it.

[dajoki]

36. Perfect n/t

[alfredo]

37. Mmmm the theme played for the Imperial Cruiser

in Star wars.

[struggle4progress]

19. "Impeach Tricky Dick" seems to be a recyclable slogan. eom

[DoYouEverWonder]

32. That's certainly a good place to start

It will make for an easier transition of government.

[dajoki]

38. and go right on down the line n/t

[FrenchieCat]

20. They need to be impeached.......after Nov. 2006...cause

Censure by principle is nothing more than a slap on the hand for these murderous thugs!

[Supersedeas]

25. will this get much play on the Networks tonite -- who is the Pervert of

the Day they'll use as a destraction

[McCamy Taylor]

26. Watch Countdown with Keith. He will have it as Number 1 story.

[yellowcanine]

27. "concerted action by multiple people"?? Sounds kind of like a conspiracy.

[dajoki]

33. Sure does!!