Lawyers in CIA Leak Case Tangle Over Sharing of Information (WaPo)

[kpete]

Lawyers in CIA Leak Case Tangle Over Sharing of Information

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 3, 2006; Page A04

Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court affidavit released yesterday that indicted former White House official I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is not entitled to know everything that government investigators learned about other leaks to reporters regarding Valerie Plame's employment as a covert CIA operative.

The affidavit, released by the U.S. District Court in Washington with lengthy redactions on 16 of its 19 pages, asserts that Libby's defense team has already been told what it needs to know about other Bush administration contacts with reporters and that granting its request for more information would compromise "innocent accuseds," breach confidences and delve into irrelevant matters.

The affidavit prepared for the presiding judge in the case is the latest joust by Fitzgerald in a battle with defense lawyers over how much information the prosecution must disclose before the start of Libby's trial on charges of perjury, making false statements and obstructing justice during the government's probe into the improper disclosure of Plame's role. The trial of Libby, 55, who was chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, is now expected to begin next January.

Fitzgerald says he has said more than he has to about his investigation; Libby's lawyers say they cannot prepare an adequate defense without learning everything the prosecution knows about what other Bush administration officials told reporters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/02/AR2006030201743.html

Fitz's pdf & Some info from emptywheel
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2006/03/about_the_journ.html#more
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/files/fitz_response.pdf