Plame to testify before House committee (tomorrow)

[babylonsister]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17632448/

Plame to testify before House committee
CIA classmates gather in support of her Friday Hill appearance


By Joel Seidman
Producer
NBC News
Updated: 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Former CIA officer Valerie Plame, who was exposed after her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, criticized President Bush's pre-war intelligence on Iraq, will testify Friday before a House committee probing how the White House dealt with her identity.

Plame is expected to tell Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, that she was, in fact, a classified undercover agent and that her career at the CIA was destroyed in the summer of 2003 when her name became public in a column written by Robert Novak.

Several of her CIA colleagues from the class of 1985, now retired, are gathering in Washington Thursday night to take her out to dinner.

Fellow former covert agents, Larry Johnson and Jim Marcinkowski, who have both spoken out publicly in support of Plame, are planning to dine with their now famous classmate at an undisclosed location.

Both Johnson and Marcinkowski also plan to attend the 10 a.m. hearing, Friday, in the Rayburn House Office Building. Plame's husband is not expected to be at the hearing.

Johnson tells NBC that Plame, who he says started at the agency as a covert officer with "official cover" meaning a diplomatic passport, became, at one point in her career, "a non-official cover officer." Johnson said that meant she agreed to operate overseas without the protection of a diplomatic passport, which he says is risky.

more...

[BOSSHOG]

1. Even her dining plans are covert - how does limbaugh explain that?

She's just an insignificant desk jockey, why should her dining location be undisclosed? I can feel the conservative outrage rising.

[Monkeyman]

2. Let it rise Boss this should be fun to watch

[Greeby]

3. Good news, C-span1 will be covering it at 10amEDT

:popcorn:

[babylonsister]

5. Thank you for that nugget! nt

[JanusAscending]

7. Alleluia !!!!

Thanks for that news!!:applause: :woohoo:

[LSparkle]

8. You answered my question before I asked it!

[Windy]

4. Is the hearing going to be on CSPAN? n/t

[babylonsister]

11. Yes; see post #3. nt

[tblue]

6. Are there still people who don't believe she was covert? I mean, how dumb can people be, as if

all this 5 years of investigation and prosecution was for exposing someone who wasn't undercover. Don't tell me the righties are still spinning that.

[tanyev]

10. If Rush says it, it must be true.

:patriot:

[chelsea0011]

9. I can't wait to hear the republican'ts questions

Many have smeared her on cable and the supposed amin stream news. Let's see them do that live to her face.