(Jason Leopold) Fitzgerald Knew Identity of Leaker From Start

[sabra]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040306Z.shtml

Fitzgerald Knew Identity of Leaker From Start

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Monday 03 April 2006

The special counsel appointed in late December 2003 to investigate the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson found out the identity of the Bush administration official who disclosed her undercover status to syndicated columnist Robert Novak just two months after the probe began.

But in early February 2004, a month after he started the investigation, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald shifted gears and started to build a perjury and obstruction of justice case against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby according to several attorneys close to the investigation.

That month, Justice Department investigators working on the leak case approached a senior official in the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney who had been identified by witnesses as having played a major role in the Plame Wilson leak.

The Bush administration official was given an ultimatum: either cooperate with the special counsel's probe or face criminal charges for his involvement in the leak, attorneys close to the case said.

...

The official has been identified by attorneys and four current and former White House officials as John Hannah, a senior national security aide on loan to Vice President Dick Cheney from then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John Bolton.

[stop the bleeding]

1. Reading now

K&R!

[myrna minx]

2. Me too. interesting. n/t

[sabra]

6. Looking forward to your analysis... :-)

[stop the bleeding]

15. post #12

short but sweet:popcorn:

[Patsy Stone]

3. K&R

So that one day someone will tell me who it is! :)

[understandinglife]

26. Here's a brief bio from a WaPo article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001487.html#hannah


Peace.

[Patsy Stone]

32. Very sweet, thanks,

but I meant tell me who the damn leaker is! :hi:

[understandinglife]

38. Ah, gotcha!

:hi:

For me, what I'm waiting to learn is did Cheney authorize the outing with or without Bush's explicit authorization.


Peace.

[stop the bleeding]

39. without of course, B*sh answers to Darth Cheney not the other way

around.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Patsy Stone]

41. Such a great question!

Let's add it right to the top of the list!

[understandinglife]

35. And, here's a post from Oct 31, 2005 that contains other relevant info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5224943&mesg_id=5227534

And, check the OP and comment # 18, here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5260617

I'm still not convinced that Cheney, Libby, Hannah, Wurmser, & Bolton did not have direct contact with ValerieP prior to June, 2003.


Peace.

[annabanana]

4. wowie zowie

This is some fun. Looking forward to DU analysis....

[Tiggeroshii]

5. Very nice.

n/t

[Beetwasher]

7. Jason Leopold

Simply rocks.

Fitz's ace all along was that he already KNEW all (or most of) the central facts. That's my theory.

[hippiechick]

19. He would be a less-than-stellar lawyer if he didn't already know ...

... one of the 'unwritten rules' of being a successful lawyer ... never ask a question you don't already know the answer to.

[Catherine Vincent]

8. K&R!

Paging H2O Man!

[stop the bleeding]

14. Ditto, and all other Plame Fitzgerald buffs n/t

[hootinholler]

43. Checkin in n/t

[speedoo]

9. Go Fitz, go!!

K&R, also.

[HereSince1628]

10. The leaker to Novak remains unidentified, but Hannah is nailed

as the bird that sang.

Now, I gotta wonder, if he knew the identity why not charge Novak's leaker over a year ago?

Why after all this time does the world still not know? Justice delayed is undoubtedly a huge opportunity for that person to release much more political mischief into the world.

[Beetwasher]

17. He Started Working W/ Them So Quickly Too!!

2 months in and the little piggy started squealing. My oh my, how loyal. I guess Cheney brings out the best in those that work for him. :rofl:

Can you imagine the enmity between Libby and Hannah? Hannah totally reamed him! :rofl:

[stop the bleeding]

20. Ironic thing is - didn't Hannah end up with one of Libby's old jobs??

I want to say yes, but without confirmation I am just guessing/trying to remember.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[annabanana]

29. I know it began with an "H". . was it Hannah or Hadley?

[stop the bleeding]

31. Rice is Hadley's boss, I think that it is Hannah, bigger heavy guy with

a beard? Yeah I think he replaced Libby, after Libby was indicted based on Hannah's cooperation with Fitz. :spank::spank::spank::spank::spank:

That is classic

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

What irony, talk about stabbing a co-worker in the back.

[bleever]

37. Yes indeed.

From JL's article:

"Hannah was named Cheney's national security adviser the day Libby was indicted."


All the more mystifying...

[The Wielding Truth]

51. It's just like the mob

the more crime they commit the higher their position.

[DoYouEverWonder]

52. Wow, I bet that's worth

a few years off of a guilty plea?

Staying on the inside while you've become a witness for the prosecution. Nice.

[H2O Man]

58. Yes.

Cheney wanted to keep him close.

[BuyingThyme]

95. From the beginning, Bush always said that if anybody in his administration

was involved, he'd promote them.

[myrna minx]

11. This is delicious...

snip
The identity of the individual is still unknown. No one in the White House was aware that Hannah was cooperating with the special counsel, the sources said, adding that information Hannah provided to Fitzgerald was instrumental in securing a perjury indictment against Libby. Hannah's attorney did not return numerous calls for comment.
-snip
Sources said that Fitzgerald is now preparing the paperwork to present to a grand jury outlining the charges against Rove in hopes of securing an indictment.


So no one knew that Hannah was singing? Hm...

[stop the bleeding]

18. You and I have been attracted to the same parts - this is delicious!!

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

[myrna minx]

30. Pass the popcorn indeed.

:hi: I can't wait for the next Fitzgerald press conference.

On edit-Now it has become clearer as to why Bolten went to visit Miller while she was in jail. Interesting...

[Catrina]

54. It's hard to believe the WH didn't know Hannah (and Wurmser) were

cooperating. We knew that months ago, maybe even a year ago. I will have to check on the timing of when that was revealed. But Cheney certainly knew it when he replaced Libby with Hannah ~ unless they are even more stupid than I thought they were.

Those two names, Hannah and Wurmser, plus the information that both were threatened with jail time if they didn't cooperate, is old news.

The only explanation might be that they are all in it together. That when Hannah told Cheney he was being threatened, they told him to go ahead and talk because no on was going to jail. They would all be pardoned! In their minds, it may be that they are just going along with the whole charade, but in the end, like Iran Contra it all will be forgiven.

I keep thinking of Libby's note to Judith Miller telling her to go ahead and talk 'in the Fall, where you vacation, the Aspens will turning, they turn in clusters because they are all connected at their roots'.

That was last September, I think. He probably knew about Wurmser and Hannah and that Judy would have to talk about their meeting also. 'All connected at their roots' could mean, 'don't worry we're going to go through a difficult time, but we'll all be doing it together'. So there was no point in her staying in jail any longer.

And, don't forget that Bolten visited Judy twice in jail ~ was it to tell her about Hannah? I still think that he was the one who asked the State Dept. for info on Valerie Plame. That's why his confirmation hearing was held up. Condoleeza Rice ordered the State Dept. not to release the documents the Senate Committee was asking for. I wondered why she would have done that at the time. The confirmation was delayed by that. The documents supposedly would show who Bolten had been inquiring about.

I hope Fitzgerald can subpoena those documents now.

[H2O Man]

59. You make good points here.

However, there is a significant difference between suspecting, and knowing. It's a difference that a good investigator always exploits to his/her advantage, too.

I'd venture that by August 2004, most of the White House had gone from suspecting, to knowing. At least if they read DU .....

[Catrina]

77. True, they may have suspected or known who the real leaker was, but

I was thinking more of when we all knew that both Hannah and Wurmser were cooperating. I just checked and Raw Story broke that story in October of last hear.

Both Hannah and Wurmser worked for Bolton ~ Bolton visited Judy in jail in early August. Bolton has hardly been noticed in this whole investigation. We don't even know for sure if he has testified before the GJ.

I would guess that after they were told they could be indicted (I'm not sure of their role and why this might have been the case) they went to their bosses, Cheney and Bolton eg, and were told to go ahead and cooperate and make whatever deal was necessary.

So, since it was generally known they were cooperating since last October, that the prosecutor had enough on them to threaten them with jail, why would Cheney hire Hannah to replace Libby? Unless, as I said before, they do not take this whole thing seriously and are 'doing what they have to do' and planning to get Libby vidicated later on. Otherwise it doesn't make sense.

All their actions point to guilt. Bush, for refusing to clear out people, like Rove who is implicated in this crime. Cheney for hiring one nearly indicted individual to replace another actually indicted individual in a case that should truly concern any president who cares one bit about our national security.

They thumb their noses at the American and anyone who calls them on their criminal behavior, over and over again. If the American people were awake, they would notice this pattern of behavior (never firing people who are caught lying, torturing, outing undercover agents etc.) and wonder why??

[H2O Man]

84. Hannah was identified

as cooperating in August of 2004 on DU. Wurmser is interesting, because he is also involved in the neocon?AIPAC spy scandal. Both were mentioned by Wilson on page 445 of his book: "John Hannah and David Wurmser, mid-level political appointees in the vice president's office, have both been suggested as sources of the leaks. I don't know either, though at the time of the leak, Wurmser, a prominent neoconservative, was working as a special assistant to John Bolton at the State Department. Mid-level officials, however, do not leak information without authority from a higher level. They would have been instruments, not the makers, of decisions."

We do know that Bolton definitely testified before the grand jury. The issue was raised when he failed to list this on his papers when nominated to serve at the UN.

I think that you are right to focus attention on Bolton's role.

I may do a couple essays later in the week, to review some interesting things about Hannah and Wurmser. Also, there are a few things from some of Fitzgerald's conversations with Judge Walton a while back that I think DUers will find encouraging.

[stop the bleeding]

85. We will be waiting to see what you produce on Hannah, Wurmser along

with the Walton Fitzgerald exchanges.

Not seeing the end game yet, but we are getting closer.

Things are good!

[H2O Man]

88. Things are very good.

Wurmser is interesting, because he is an obvious connection between the neocon/AIPAC spy and the Plame scandal.

Fitzgerald has a lot of information about July 2003 in the White House that will shock the public. Some might even surprise DUers, though not to the extent it will the people who believe in CNN and Fox.

[Catrina]

96. Yes, thank you, I just read that Hannah was flipped early, in 2004 ~ so

that may be what Jason Leopold means when he says they may not have known. Although as you point out, it was reported although not in a major way.

Thank you regarding Bolton testifying before the GJ also. I wasn't sure ~ although I did watch the nomination hearings, I had not yet connected him to the Plame affair, or the documents he was desperately trying to hide from the Senate, with Condoleeza stepping in to back him up. I did think it was odd, however, at the time.

Interesting observations by Joe Wilson regarding Hannah and Bolton ~ and I tend to agree with him. Neither would have access to such sensitive information would they?

So who did? Bush, Cheney, Rice, Bolton ~ they could have passed it to an aide, legally, without intending for it to go further than that. But I doubt it of course, however that could be their defense.

Another connection to the AIPAC spy case is Larry Franklin although very tenuously. His guilty plea was very close to Libby's strange communication with Judy Miller telling her to 'come home'.

Wurmser's cooperation was reported in October, but Libby may have known when he wrote to Judy that Wurmser too was about to talk and he knew about Larry Franklin who certainly could tell a lot about the WHIG and OSP groups. The Aspens were definitely turning at that point, at least three of them.

I really look forward to your essays H2O Man ~ trying to keep all this in perspective is mind-boggling. Especially since at least four of what seemed to be separate scandals began to converge ie, The Pentagon Spy Case(Larry Franklin), The Plame Affair, The Forged Niger Documents (Larry Franklin) and the Abramoff Affairs (Susan Ralston connection).

Susan Ralston and Karl Rove were before the GJ several times. Susan Ralston used to be Abramoff's and Norquist's assistant, then Rove's. Fitzgerald seemed to be very interested in her testimony. He called her back four times, I think. He called Rove five times. Interesting!

[H2O Man]

102. Now with Susan Ralston,

keep a couple things in mind. First, we know from the 8-3-05 NYTimes that Fitzgerald asked her why Rove's call with Matt Cooper wasn't logged in the call book. Now, of course, that is very important. But it's known that Cooper didn't mention Ralston in his testimony, and that there was something else, which remains unidentified, that Fitzgerald wanted to get from her. That was reported in the LA Times, also on 8-3-05. This is part of a large amount of information that Fitzgerald has that is not being made public until the trials begin.

[radio4progressives]

60. I thought we all believed they were all in it together, that's WHIG

which also included Condi Rice ... Hadley was deputy NSA..
:shrug: The entire white house cabal - both Preznit/NSA and the Veep's office staff. :shrug:

[mmonk]

105. Yep, specifically remember Hannah and Wurmser

as probable canaries as it were.

[stop the bleeding]

12. Interesting parts for me... - Can you say conspiracy charges,

and the 1982 law?


Hannah's cooperation early on in the leak investigation ultimately helped Fitzgerald and his staff discover the identity of the Bush administration official who leaked information about Plame Wilson's work with the CIA to Novak, these sources said.

The identity of the individual is still unknown. No one in the White House was aware that Hannah was cooperating with the special counsel, the sources said, adding that information Hannah provided to Fitzgerald was instrumental in securing a perjury indictment against Libby. Hannah's attorney did not return numerous calls for comment.


~snip~


Rove told FBI investigators on five occasions and testified twice before a grand jury that he distributed damaging information about Plame to the Republican National Committee, outside political consultants and the media after Novak had disclosed her identity, according to the attorneys who are familiar with Rove's testimony.

However, Rove was actually a source for Novak and another reporter who wrote about Plame Wilson but failed to disclose that fact in nearly a dozen times he was questioned about his role in the leak.

Sources said that Fitzgerald is now preparing the paperwork to present to a grand jury outlining the charges against Rove in hopes of securing an indictment.

[Alamom]

25. Pleeeeeze, let it be so...TRUELY & ABSOLUTELY, all of 'em.

ASSHOLE WH STAFF - THEY HAD/HAVE NO IDEA HOW F**KED THEY TRUELY ARE

[in_cog_ni_to]

66. KKKROVE is TOAST!!!!

:woohoo::woohoo: He LIED nearly a dozen times?:rofl::rofl:

He's toast!

[BR_Parkway]

71. You left out part of the conspiracy -

A month or so after obtaining testimony from Hannah and more than a dozen other senior White House officials who may have been involved in the leak,

More than a dozen? No wonder everything started falling apart around the time of Libby's indictment on multiple felonies - for all our dislike (or stronger) of the current WH - no matter how badly they screwed up, it always ran as a well oiled coverup machine, right on message, right on time - no matter what they seemed coated in Teflon.

But all that changed right around the Libby indictments - they haven't been able to spin their way out of anything - because they're all so busy worrying about their own potential prosecutions. KKKarl may have been able to keep them all in line before with "don't worry, they can't prove anything" or something similar - but once Fitz slammed Libby towards the cellblock of justice, the rest of them can't help thinking "it could happen to me" and if they aren't thinking that, then fearing that KKKarl is going to know that they leaked and cut a deal with Fitz.

Anyone know where Susan Ralston is now? KKKarl's former administrative assistant? also Jack Ambrhoff's admin assistant? I'd thought she left to give them more reason to claim they don't know Jack, but maybe not.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

74. WHIG = White House Iraq Group...those are some of the names.

[fearnobush]

106. Make it so # 1.

<>

[speedoo]

13. Rove indictment coming soon.

IMO, not a coincidence that * is throwing staff over the transom as Fitz gets ready to indict Rove.

[annabanana]

21. I thought that might be the case...

Scotty & Snow were just some white noise to cover the resignation of Rove & whoever else's narblies are in the vise..

[HereSince1628]

24. We've had a number of "Rove to be indicted soon" stories

the most recent one suggesting that Fitz is too busy with Conrad Black to get the indictment paperwork done on Rove.

Sorry, but I just do not believe that. I gotta believe that Fitzgerald has a squad if not a platoon to help develop the details into paperwork. Even if it's a 54 page indictment Fitz just has to turn a fraction of his workaholic lifestyle to supervising and editing their work.

I'll be skeptical of these stories until Fitzgerald holds a news conference that claims that.

[speedoo]

34. Your skepticism is appropriate, however...

there is a lot of info that supports the indictment expectation. First, Fitz was ready to indict months ago, until Rove's lawyer threw some mud into the mix. I am not aware of anything that has changed the evidence had at that time to reduce the likelihood of a Rove indictment. And now we have this new info from Leopold.

[HereSince1628]

40. Yeah, and that story from months ago is just another of these

stories whose 'soons' have turned into 'not yets.' And have generated other stories on what's behind those 'not yets.'

No knows from published accounts exactly what Fitzgerald is about to be up to. I'm with everyone else here hoping, dreaming, that one of the WH triade (Cheney, Bush, Rove) gets nailed. But I know at this point I'm very vulnerable to wishful thinking.

[radio4progressives]

61. I've been vulnerable to wishful thinking since this all began..

hopes were so dashed at the end of Fitz's news conference, because later that evening on Mike Malloy's program, the owner of AAR (i forget his name) came on Mike's show to announce that this was it.. it was over.

That the Scooter Libby indictment (for obstruction) was the end of the investigation, and that we (progressives/Dems) needed to really understand it. (read: get it through our thick skulls/wishful thinking that this was a start of something much larger, with more indictments to follow which would at least bring down the Vice President and Karl Rove)...

after a week, then a month passed, i realized the AAR owner was right, he knew something we couldn't know. (apparently AAR owner has close ties to intelligence community and Justice Dept - a DC insider)..

so, pardon me while i remain skeptical.. but part of me is still wishful thinking and fantasize something huge will come down asap, before more wrong doing and atrocities are allowed to transpire, like the proposed bombing of Iran.

Can we stop that?

[Catherine Vincent]

45. Yeah, and Rove's lawyer only bought him some extra time.

[Lochloosa]

16. Can you say Fitzeaster?

Or would that be a war on Easter?:shrug:

[Catherine Vincent]

22. Don't start with that cuz some here don't like the fitzwhatevers.

:-)

[Patsy Stone]

23. I love 'em!

:hi:

[annabanana]

27. Is it the Fitzster Bunny?. . . . .n/t

[Sydnie]

28. Me too! I can't wait for Fitz to "rise again"!

:rofl: Rove is the boiled egg here!

Happy Fitzeaster Patsy! :hug:

[Patsy Stone]

42. Happy Fitzover, Syd!

We miss you in the KO group. Nice to run into you on this thread full of delicious tidbits. :hi:

[Pithy Cherub]

33. Fitz knew the identity but was very strategic

in getting multiple sources of validated evidence. Fitz had his core theory confirmed and went looking for all the strings to tug on the gordian knot. The thought of John Hannah having to testify against Libby & future indictees to be named later is just Fitzabulous. He is being successful in slowly turning them on each other like roast pigs on a BBQ spit. Team Libby is trying hard to figure out who turned. Team Rove was kept in place and may actually cause more damage by not having had his security clearance revoked. It may have been exceedingly to the White House's detriment not to have him leave last November.

Meanwhile, Hannah is connected to Bolton and he would have to be confimed by January to continue to serve as UN ambassador. Just great blog reading cuz the MSM is not covering the threats to the core of our democracy. That would be like their jobs...

Go Fitz and take all the time you need to prove these people are clear and present dangers to the US!
:popcorn:

[stop the bleeding]

36. good post and well reasoned,

yes the MSM will be history if they do not start doing their jobs.

[DoYouEverWonder]

53. Screw the M$M

we're the new free press. The story is all over the internet. TV is so passe.

[Pithy Cherub]

56. Snort! We PULL information.

It's Joe and Jane Sixpack that react to PUSH media. The MSM TV watchers are needed to create critical mass that the corruption on so many levels has got to stop and the cause is the criminal idiots atop the BFEE. ;)

[autorank]

44. Indictments

From the article:

" Sources said that Fitzgerald is now preparing the paperwork to present to a grand jury outlining the charges against Rove in hopes of securing an indictment."

Well this is the entire ball game. If Rove is indicted, they you have the basis for the biggest flip in prosecutorial history. Flip Libby, get Dick Cheney. Flip Rove, get *. Both Libby and Rove are odd characters. They are very intelligent, very clever, and they break all the rules, all the time.

In addition, they're both very odd. Look at Libby's book, what a freak. And you know Rove is stranger than you can imagine.

Combine the oddness of these two with their willingness to break all the rules and you get a real possibility that one or both will flip. I predict that Libby will go first. Rove may have to spend a few days in lock up before that happens.

Exciting times.

[Catherine Vincent]

46. Exciting times indeed!

All on account of the Fitzmeister!

[robertpaulsen]

47. Taking a WILD guess here.

From the OP link:

Hannah's cooperation early on in the leak investigation ultimately helped Fitzgerald and his staff discover the identity of the Bush administration official who leaked information about Plame Wilson's work with the CIA to Novak, these sources said.

The identity of the individual is still unknown. No one in the White House was aware that Hannah was cooperating with the special counsel, the sources said, adding that information Hannah provided to Fitzgerald was instrumental in securing a perjury indictment against Libby. Hannah's attorney did not return numerous calls for comment.



I'm making a big assumption here, but if Fitz gave Hannah an ultimatum to cooperate or face charges and as a result of this Hannah revealed the identity of the leaker, I think it's safe to assume this is someone higher up the * food chain than Hannah. Say, maybe, the guy Hannah works for?

Something tells me Fitz is saving the best indictment for last!

[stop the bleeding]

49. Nothing wild about that guess, there is a short list of names for me

Cheney, Bolton, Bush, Rove and or Rice are about the only ones who would fit into your equation, but Cheney and Bolton are especially attractive from this point of logic.


:popcorn:

[radio4progressives]

63. OMFG I just thought of something in connection to Dems silence on Censure

This investigation may be the reason why the Dems don't want to saber rattle much on Censure or Impeachment.

They need Fitz to make a thorough and strong case of HIGH CRIMES and TREASON (which can't be refuted on "political grounds"), and don't want to jump the gun on impeachment before Fitz is able to conclude his investigations and indictments ... :shrug:

just wondering...

[Catherine Vincent]

72. Good point.

You'll never know.

[radio4progressives]

78. With any luck, we should know soon enough.. (?)

:shrug: i guess that will depend on the pace of Fitz's investigation/indictments/prosectution etc...

oh gosh, it would be most helpful to the world and our nation if he gets this wrapped up SOON!

[fearnobush]

107. Censure was just the appetizer, we've yet to even see the salad so

hang in there.

[myrna minx]

50. Absolutely.

That's why I think the obstruction/perjury charges against Libby was a stroke of genius, even though it didn't have the instant payoff that I was hoping for from Fitzgerald's first news conference. Fitzgerald's sights are much higher than staffers. To think that Hannah has been singing all along makes the plot thicken. I can't wait for his next news conference.

[seemslikeadream]

57. robertpaulsen

:hi:

Look who's back in the news! Mr. BCCI

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/61931.htm

April 3, 2006 -- DA SHUTS $3B ACCT.
WASHINGTON - Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has shut down a massive terror-finance pipeline in which a whopping $3 billion in profits from drug deals and other crimes flowed through a major New York bank to Middle East fanatics, The Post has learned.

Morgenthau told The Post his office is pursuing a settlement involving possible penalties against one of the largest and most prominent banks in New York - which he declined to identify - for maintaining an account where funds that originated in South America's notorious "tri-border region" were rerouted to suspect accounts in the Middle East.

Evidence developed in the course of a three-year probe, which has already resulted in charges against other New York-based financial institutions, revealed that about $3 billion that flowed through the account over a two-year period was going to terror groups Hamas, al Qaeda and Hezbollah, Morgenthau said.

"I can't go out and arrest Osama bin Laden. But I can try to cut off his money," Morgenthau said of his massive probe.

Morgenthau's new case is the latest shocking disclosure of how terrorist groups, rogue states and drug lords are exploiting continuing weaknesses in the American financial system - and how billions of dollars in dirty money continues to flow through unsuspecting banks in New York, the epicenter of the global dollar trade.

John Moscow, a former Assistant District Attorney for financial crimes under Morgenthau, told the House International Relations Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations last week that there are hundreds of thousands of shady banks around the world that "are taking deposits from people they never met and from brass-plate companies with no assets except the bank account, and are inserting the money into the world monetary system."

"Most of this is in dollars, and most of it goes through Manhattan," Moscow testified. Morgenthau would not name the latest New York bank under the gun, but said the case could be concluded - with possible penalties - "any day now."

[KittyWampus]

64. 5 bucks bets it's Citibank. Why are they protecting the bank?

[seemslikeadream]

65. I was kinda hoping it was Jonathan Bush's old bank - Riggs

:hi:

I guess not considered a New York bank though

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Riggs_Bank_N.A.
Riggs Bank N.A., also called Riggs National Bank, "which provides banking services to most of Washington's foreign embassies and to American consulates worldwide," has been "swept up in controversy. Federal law enforcement officials, Congressional investigators and banking regulators are scouring Riggs accounts in a wide-ranging investigation revolving around the netherworlds of terrorist financing, money laundering and the seamier geopolitics of Big Oil," according to Timothy O'Brien's April 11, 2004, New York Times expose (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/11/business/yourmoney/11riggs.html?ex=1085025600&en=1cd00a0f06fad384&ei=5070&ex=1084852800&en=d2142d33570c4f4a&ei=5070).


Jonathan J. Bush, as of May 2000, is "Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of J. Bush & Co., an investment management company he founded in 1970, which Riggs acquired in 1997", according to a Riggs Bank Press Release. At the same time, Mr. Jonathan J. Bush was also elected President & Chief Executive Officer and a Director of "RIMCO, a wholly owned investment management subsidiary".


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Timothy O'Brien, "Regulators Fine Riggs $25 Million," (http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040514/ZNYT01/405140301) New York Times, May 14, 2004:
"Federal regulators fined the Riggs National Corporation (http://custom.marketwatch.com/custom/nyt-com/html-companyprofile.asp?userID=ancientone7&h=O6l4uHDm95mL5aAzt1z69A&symb=RIGS), the parent company of Riggs Bank, $25 million yesterday for failing to report suspicious activity, the largest penalty ever assessed against a domestic bank in connection with money laundering.
"The fine stems from Riggs's failure over at least the last two years to actively monitor suspect financial transfers through Saudi Arabian and Equatorial Guinean accounts held by the bank. The accounts are still being scrutinized as possible conduits for terrorist funds or for the proceeds of graft."
"Bank fined $25 million in terrorism probe," (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/13/riggs.bank.fined.ap/) CNN, May 13, 2004:
"The civil fine against the midsize Washington bank with a near-exclusive franchise on business with the capital's diplomatic community is the largest ever imposed on a financial institution for such violations, experts said. It had been expected.
"The action by the Treasury Department's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency came in an order made public late Thursday. It followed weeks of negotiations between Riggs officials and the banking regulators.
"The order said the bank's internal controls 'were, and continue to be, seriously deficient.'"
"Riggs said last month it is pulling back from its foreign operations and that the head of the family that controls the bank was resigning from the board of its parent company. Investors viewed the moves as steps toward recovery or a possible sale. ... The bank also indicated that family patriarch Joe Allbritton, Riggs's former chief executive, is resigning as vice chairman of the parent company's board of directors. Timothy Coughlin, president of parent Riggs National Corp., also is resigning."
Kathleen Day and Terence O'Hara, "U.S. Ready To Fine Riggs Bank. Saudi Embassy Money Reports Scrutinized," (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20942-2004Apr17_2.html) Washington Post, April 18, 2004:
"Federal bank regulators are preparing to impose fines on Riggs Bank as soon as this week for not reporting millions of dollars in suspicious transactions at its embassy banking division, and have notified bank officers and directors that they may be sanctioned individually, according to people familiar with the investigation."
Margie Burns, in the February 4, 2003, Prince George's Journal (Maryland), reported "Bush-Linked Company Handled Security for the WTC, Dulles and United." (http://www.infowars.com/print/Sept11/bush_security_link.htm)
"Speaking of the Watergate," she wrote, "Riggs National Bank, where Saudi Princess Al-Faisal had her 'Saudi money trail' bank account, has as one of its executives Jonathan J. Bush," an uncle to President George W. Bush. "The public has not learned whether Riggs - which services 95 percent of Washington's foreign embassies - will be turning over records relating to Saudi finance."
"Federal bank regulators are preparing to impose fines on Riggs Bank as soon as this week for not reporting millions of dollars in suspicious transactions at its embassy banking division and have notified bank officers and directors that they may be sanctioned individually, according to people familiar with the investigation. "
"Investigators are looking at the Saudi accounts for evidence of money laundering, which is the use of complex transactions to hide the origin or destination of funds related to illegal activities such as drug smuggling or terrorist acts. The Saudis ended their ties to the bank last month."
Source: Houston Chronicle link no longer active (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2514119). No date.

[robertpaulsen]

68. Hmm...very interesting!

Check out that last paragraph:

The probe of the New York bank grew out of the Manhattan DA's previous 2004 prosecution of the Beacon Hill Services Corp., an Upper East Side money transmitter that moved more than $9 billion in suspect funds through accounts in Chase Manhattan Bank and other institutions.


Isn't Chase Manhattan owned by David Rockefeller?

[H2O Man]

62. It is getting wild,

isn't it, RP?

[robertpaulsen]

69. Oh yes!

I still think we have a few more perjury, lying to federal officials, obstruction of justice and possibly even conspiracy indictments from Fitz before we actually get to indicting the leaker(s). But it sure is going to be a wild ride getting there!

[understandinglife]

75. Jason Leopold and Larissa Alexandrovna placed Hadley front and center ....

.... as Woodward's source.

I suspect he is a rather good candidate for "the leaker," but, I think he would not have outed ValeriP without explicit order from either Cheney or Bush. It's just too serious a matter to be violating the National Security Act of 1947, IIPA and 18 USC 793 and I don't think Hadley, Libby, Rove, any of the other WHIGers, or even wildman Bolton, would do it without Bush or Cheney giving the go:

Here's the Raw Story link to the Hadley-Woodward potential connection:

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/National_Security_Adviser_was_Woodwards_source_1116.html


Peace.

[H2O Man]

91. Right.

Recently Jason L has noted that other sources point towards Armitage who told Woodward. Many people believe it is likely that whoever told Woodward, also told Novak. That is a possibility. RawStory had several sources who are sure Hadley told Woodward. If he is indicted at some point, we'll know it wasn't him, as the judge and Fitzgerald agreed that Woodward's source in question is not being charged in the case. (Likewise, Hadley's not being indicted may support the idea it was he who first told Woodward. From reading RawStory, there are times when it sounds like Woodward had more than one source. Bob is not an honest man, and I trust few things he says.)

[robertpaulsen]

93. Remember what Michael Ledeen said about Hadley.

In Larisa's third part of her interview with Michael Ledeen:


Ledeen also describes National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley as in a state of permanent "deputy" status. Hadley was Deputy National Security Advisor under now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Ledeen provides a rather telling comparison of the Hadley/Rice relationship by using a precursor:

"I think Hadley is to Rice as Scowcroft was to Kissinger; not inclined to think or act independently," said Ledeen.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Conversations_with_Machiavellis_Ghost_Part_3_0320.html


Hopefully, this translates to Rice being toast where Plame's outing is concerned.

[stop the bleeding]

98. instruments/tools act on behalf of their masters to complete the plan/

design.

Rove, Rice, Cheney, and Bolton:freak:

[Ganja Ninja]

48. This is just too much!

Look how much trouble Bush is having trying to fill just one post, FEMA director. Now imagine that something like 6 fold. If it happens I don't see how he could do anything else but resign. No one wants to be the fall-guy for whatever future crimes and cover ups are coming in the final 3 years of his presidency. It's beginning to look like he's is so dishonest and incompetent he won't even be able to maintain a cabinet.

[DoYouEverWonder]

55. Would it be premature to propose a toast?

[Garbo 2004]

67. Feb 2004: UPI says Feds pressuring Hannah: cooperate or else.

From Richard Sale's Feb 2004 article:

Published on Thursday, February 5, 2004 by UPI/Insight
Cheney's Staff Focus of Probe
by Richard Sale

Federal law-enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year. The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said.

According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were the two Cheney employees. "We believe that Hannah was the major player in this," one federal law-enforcement officer said. Calls to the vice president's office were not returned, nor did Hannah and Libby return calls.

The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah "that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time" as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law-enforcement official said.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0205-12.htm

Perhaps "no one in the White House was aware that Hannah was cooperating with the special counsel" as Leopold's sources say, but they didn't suspect he might be a weak link? Or did they figure that the previous leak, apparently from the investigation itself, to Sale may have been just a tactic to apply (more) pressure on VP staff? And when Libby was indicted, Hannah was promoted. Maybe they didn't know for sure if he was cooperating or not and it was a matter of keep your (possible, potential) enemies closer. :shrug:

[lovuian]

70. With Perjury from Libby and Rove on the table without

hannah... I can only think Fitz is going after bush & cheney...and abuse of power...

[understandinglife]

73. Sale definitely brought Hannah to our attention in Feb 2004; one ..

... wonders if other WHIGers, like Rice and Matalin, have been chirping, as well.

I was going to post the link, but noticed you already did. Well done :thumbsup:


Peace.

[Garbo 2004]

80. Rice seems strangely "insulated" from the Niger/Plame matter. I've

wondered why. One sees Hadley's name occasionally mentioned in reports regarding Plame matter, but mostly it's as if his then boss, Rice, didn't exist. Maybe it's just me, but I find that rather strange.

Hadley, who had close ties to Cheney, was her deputy. Wilson had been trying to get Rice, via his contacts within the administration, to take back the Niger claims. She kept on reiterating them, as I recall, even in June after Kristof's May article about the anonymous Ambassador's trip to Niger. When it was clear that Rice would not correct the record, (and furthermore, IIRC, Wilson heard the administration was going to do a PR hit on him) Wilson decided to go public. Within days of Wilson's Op Ed, IIRC, Condi did an about face about the Niger claim and said it shouldn't have been included in the SOU.

Just seems strange that Rice seems, publicly at least, to be so insulated from the Niger/Plame matter. Lots of even corporate press about the VP's office before Libby's indictment, but rarely a peep about Condi's role in the Niger claims or Plamegate even when Hadley is mentioned. I doubt she actively masterminded anything or would be a "hands on" person, but I also doubt she was entirely out of the loop, being NSA and a WHIG member.

[understandinglife]

83. The three people who had to be involved are Rice, Cheney and Bush, imho.

Just a matter of time before the real charges -- abuse of power and violations of national security bubble to the top, again, imho.


Peace.

[H2O Man]

86. Yep.

A lot of people confuse Hannah and Hadley. I think it is important to look very closely at those people who maintain the lowest of profiles -- in a very real sense, Libby was a perfect example of this. While the public reacts to Rove, who is high-profile, his role in Iraq etc was minor compared to Libby.

Likewise, Hannah is a powerful figure, who has operated from relative obscurity. I note that he had told friends last fall that he thought he might be indicted. (Washington Post; 10-20-05) I have wondered if Cheney's promoting Hannah was to put him in the spotlight.

[understandinglife]

76. FYI. Tom Maguire at JustOneMinute is hosting Libby's court docs (.pdfs)

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2006/03/libbys_side_res.html


Peace.

[radio4progressives]

81. thanks.. seems like a right wing blog site?

just a quick skim makes it appear that these people are anti-Fitz..:shrug:

on edit: but it's nice to have a peak into the docs they're archiving and basing their defense and strategy on..

I was once an unintended recipient of motion briefs in the process of being drafted vis a vis back and forth email exchanges - by our opponents in a major david and goliath type of legal battle, and gave us a huge leg up on strategy moving forward which ultimately made this a victory for us.

To this day, i do not think they knew what hit them and how they screwed up. I hope Fitz is able to wrap this up soon, but this is really likely to take years - too bad the state of the world depends on their immediate arrest and imprisonment .. which is not likely to happen anytime in our life times..

[understandinglife]

82. Have no idea. It's just the only place I've found with all the Libby ...

... court documents available for download without having to go to fee-based site like L-N. Have not read any of the other stuff there.


Peace.

[Disturbed]

87. One thing that I am sure of

is that Shrub has a wall of "Plausible Deniability" built around him so thick that it would take a lot of plastique to blow it open, which Fitz doesn't have and never will have..

I strongly feel that the highest up this will go is Rove with strong suspicions of Cheney being the driving force but no charges against Cheney will be forthcoming because he also has a wall around him.

[stop the bleeding]

89. Stay positive that wall is crumbling as we speak, Cheney will go down

mark my words.

[understandinglife]

90. Perhaps. But, something about Libby, Rove and Hadley - you know, ...

... their strength of character and all that - sorta would make me very, very concerned if I were Bush or Cheney. Several years hard time in a federal pen might just be a very powerful motivator.

This has a long way to go and Mr. Fitzgerald is showing no sign of being anything but comprehensive.

The fact that Hannah rolled so early and the WH was unaware ... hmmm .... ka-booommm.


Peace.

[radio4progressives]

79. How Soon we will get to the bottom of this? The Future of Our Democracy

and the Safety of the World may depend it.

[dogday]

92. Oh please can we just have another indictment

soon? Who will be the next to go?????

[robertpaulsen]

94. Kick this to the top!

:kick:

[Scout1071]

97. I have thought for some time now that Ari flipped a long time ago.

No way was he going down for BushCo.

[Dinger]

99. O.K., In A Nutshell, What Does This Mean TO * & Co.?

I read it, but would REALLY appreciate a condensation. Thanks :)

[Catherine Vincent]

100. We must not forget about Colin Powell.

He could be talking to Fitz.

[stop the bleeding]

101. and Ari

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=832770&mesg_id=832987

[Catherine Vincent]

103. Yes, and Ari Fleisher

You know it occurred to me that Fitzgerald and his team has interviewed Resident Bush. I believe it was for a couple of hours. I wonder what our beloved Fitzgerald thought of King Bush after that? I'm guessing he was mumbing to himself "how did this guy get to be president?" :)

[stop the bleeding]

104. Knowing FItz's integrity and emphatic pursuit of Truth,

he was probably doing a little more than mumbling.

You know what they say about the Irish and their tempers.

Fitz hates it when you lie to him, it is insulting and the lowest of the low.

Yes B*sh better keep his counsel close by, this whole Hannah element today is producing twists and possibilities that were somewhat thought of before, but up until now there was never anything as "ace in the hole" as this Hannah element.

I just hope that we are not getting out hopes up, so far JL & Larisa have been good to us in their reporting of this story. :toast::popcorn:

[H2O Man]

108. When he testified

before the grand jury, friends and associates suggested that he should hire an attorney (much like George and Dick have). Powell responded that he didn't need one. So far as I am aware, he only testified the one time, mainly about the AF1 situation. Armitage had faxed the State report to him, by way of Condi Rice.

There is also interest, from the defense, of any records from a September '03 meeting, where Powell reputedly said, "Everyone was aware that she worked at the CIA" and perhaps that she (Valerie) had a role in sending Wilson to Africa. Of course, by July, everyone in the WHIG had spred word of Plame's employment to the neoconservative circles within the White House and outside of it. The defense errs in this focus -- Fitzgerald will nail them on it.

[Catherine Vincent]

109. So that's where the freepers got that "everyone was aware" liner from.

Colin Powell.

[H2O Man]

110. That and the slimey snake Cliff May ....

that "neocon fellow traveler," as Wilson calls him on page 444 of his book, wrote that her employment status was "widely known." What Fitzgerald will show is that it was only recently becoming "widely known," because of the chatter among his diseased crowd.

One of the things I'm looking at now is the misinformation being pushed among the neocon/rabid right wing today. Let's take, for example, the 12-05 edition of "NewsMax," which was provided to me yesterday. There are six (6) articles on the Plame case, filled with lies. They include "Plame's CIA Job No Secret," which quotes Cliff May as "proof" that everyone knew about Plame's status. Then there is "LeakGate: What Will Come Next?," which hints that the heroic VP may be a target of those nasty democrats in congress, who want to investigate Cheney's role. Not to worry, the articles assures its readers, Bill Frist will stop any senate investigation of Dick's involvement in the leak.

Then a Sus scrofa-faced David Limbaugh weighs in with "Libby Indictment: A Political Dud," that suggests the indictment and trial of that little republican Scooter will somehow benefit the right wing. This is followed with two attacks on Fitzgerald: "Cronyism Involved in Fitzgerald's Appointment," which reveals that Comey and Fitzgerald are friends (heavens!), and "Investigator Fitzgerald Favored Prosecuting Martha Stewart," an article that fails in any way to support the headline.

More, the "Upfront" (re: editorial) article, titled "Credibility Gap" states, "As it turns out, Leakgate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said his investigation had been unable to establish that Plame was a 'covert' CIA agent covered under federal protection statutes." This is an outright lie. Just an outright, absolute lie. Fitzgerald has never said that. In fact, as Michael Isikoff noted in his 2-13-06 Newsweek article ("The CIA Leak: Plame Was Still Covert"), court documents that have been released prove, without any question, that Plame's stateus with the CIA was covert at the time the WHIG outed her. The CIA was "making specific efforts to conceal" her identity. She had engaged in the overseas work within the framework of time that defines her status. But the White House blew her cover, andafter Novak's article, the CIA recognized she could never be used again in her role that took 20 years to create. More, the Agency had to do significant work to deal with the harm from the WHIG's reckless actions.