I still don't get it. Armitage admitted to have leaked Plame's name

[question everything]

to Novak.

So what kind of "pleas" do they expect Libby do have? At least, earlier in the news someone speculated that Libby could provide additional info in exchange for leniency.

Yes, I know, the trial was supposed to have been a general commentary on the war in general, but Armitage is the only one who broke the law about revealing names.

Another question - Plame has not said anything. Is she prohibited from commenting on any of this? Is she still on the CIA payroll?

[Stephanie]

1. What makes you think Armitage was the only one?

Plame is writing a book and is struggling with CIA over clearance, as per her husband on Olberman tonight.

[Erika]

2. We'll see if Lobby spills

Right now he's taking the fall for his bosses.

[napi21]

3. They want Libby to say Cheney had a vendeta against Wilson

and was willing to out his wife to punish him. Armitage had to hear the info from SOMEONE! My guess was Rove or Cheney.

Valerie is not saying anything because she and Joe have a civil case filed. And NO she is no longer on the CIA payroll.

[Garbo 2004]

6. Armitage was Deputy Secty of State and had a copy of the State Dept INR memo

that was source material for Grossman when he briefed Libby. The memo was the source of Armitage's info.

[Pryderi]

4. Rove leaked it to Time's Matt Cooper in June. Armitage leaked to Novak in July.

[Garbo 2004]

8. Rove leaked to Matt Cooper in July. Libby first leaked to Judy Miller on June 23. n/t

Armitage leaked to Woodward on June 13 and then Novak on July 8.

Unlike Libby and Rove who sought to discredit Wilson's assertions, when Armitage spoke to Woodward in June he basically confirmed that Joe Wilson had been correct about the Niger claims. The State Dept also had been saying the Niger claims were bunk even before Wilson went to Niger.

[pk_du]

5. Consider these questions...

IF , as appears to be the case , Cheney put multiple ( ie Rove, Fleisher and Libby etc ) trains in motion , who is to say that one of them didnt leak before Armitage , even if it was only by a day or two?

AND If - that is true , what did Dicky say to Fitz in response to questions about what he asked Scooter to do , Rove to do etc.


I dont think he'd do it but I'll bet Old Scoot could plea bargain quite a bit if he wanted.

[Missy Vixen]

7. Mr. Armitage evidently approached the FBI with his info

three months before Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed.

The reason why Libby was charged in the first place? He has the evidence that Cheney (at the least) ordered the divulging of Valerie Plame's identity and status. He obstructed the investigation and lied to cover for Cheney.

We'll see if he's still willing to be quiet when he finds out that no, there's no pardon coming.

Julie

[Garbo 2004]

9. Armitage was the "only one" who committed wrongdoing? How do you figure that?

Valerie Wilson's identity was still classified when Libby and Rove were chatting up journalists. They're not less culpable because Armitage leaked to Woodward on June 13. Woodward didn't publish the info. It wasn't public knowledge when Libby was chatting up Judy Miller in June and July. Or when Rove chatted with Novak and Cooper in July.

That Armitage is the only one who is "guilty" of being a leaker is a RW talking point and assertion, but it's simply not true.

[question everything]

25. Did not say the "only one" this is your phrase

only that the whole thing started with the Novak column and the source for this one was Armitage.

At least, I don't know if a special prosecutor would have been appointed were it not for Novak.

[Garbo 2004]

26. Actually, "only one" is your phrase, to quote your OP:

"Armitage is the only one who broke the law about revealing names."

Clearly, Armitage wasn't the "only one."

[On the Road]

10. If You Remember Right Aftre the Leak,

before most of the identities were made pubic, it was known that there were two senior administration officials who had approached six journalists with this information.

It's not clear whether Armitage was even one of the original leakers. It was a nice try on his part, but it did not fit the facts as known.

[GreenZoneLT]

11. Bush could do that.

As the president, Bush pretty much has carte blanche to decide what's classified and what isn't. He has apparently delegated similar privileges to Cheney. If Cheney told Armitage to leak it, that's slimy but not necessarily illegal. That's why they haven't charged anyone but Libby, and didn't charge Libby with anything but obstruction, because there's no underlying prosecutable criminal offense in the whole conspiracy.

[Duer 157099]

13. Not so when it comes to CIA covert status

Bush/Cheney can declassify only certain things, and from all I can tell, CIA asset identity was definitely NOT amongst the list.

[Richard Steele]

14. Do you have any sort of evidence to back up that assertation? I'd really like to see it. nm

[GreenZoneLT]

15. Link

It's sort of common sense; security classifications are an executive-branch directive, not something covered under legislation.

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:GP35q2HkF8oJ:www.fas.org/sgp/crs/97-771.pdf+presidential+authority+security+classification&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

[Richard Steele]

17. I don't see anything in there that says a Veep can "out" a worldwide CIA operation by surprise.

It's sort of common sense.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. You've Posted The Wrong Reference

There is a specific clause in legislation from the 1950's that requires declassification of covert operatives be done with the consultation of the Senate and with a time period from declass to release.

The site you have here is not apropos the covert operatives. It's a separate set of rules. Look it up on Thomas, LoC.
The Professor

[PhilipShore]

12. Once CIA, always CIA

Another question - Plame has not said anything. Is she prohibited from commenting on any of this? Is she still on the CIA payroll?

Don't believe anything you read/watch in the MSM, it is all propaganda.

[blogslut]

16. Armitage knew of Plame independantly

That's my guess.

He saw the INR memo and I don't know, actually read it and remembered stuff. Armitage is reported to have a big mouth. He likes to dish. I don't think he had any idea that Cheney would use classified information to try and discredit Joe Wilson. It was evident that Armitage told Woodward about Plame confidentially. Woodward sat on that bombshell until after charges were filed against Libby. Armitage was reinforcing Wilson's debunk of the Niger story. He wasn't using his knowledge in planned revenge like Cheney.

I bet you ten to one that Cheney and company had no idea Armitage spilled the beans to Woodward in June.

Two men had access to that INR memo. One of them blabbed to Bob Woodward. The other used his employees, and agents of this government, to enact a campaign of revenge against a critic. Part of that campaign involved deliberately informing members of the press about the classified identity of a CIA agent. Richard Armitage went straight to the Justice Dept. when he realized that he messed up. The other man let one of his employees take the fall and wouldn't even testify at his trial.

[dkofos]

18. Armitage and novak should have been charged with treason.

I still don't understand why they weren't.

[Shrek]

20. Treason is a very specific crime

According to the constitution:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

Neither Armitage nor Novak ever levied war against the U.S. or gave "aid and comfort" to the enemy.

[Richard Steele]

22. Destroying a worldwide, covert CIA WMD-tracking operation most certainly qualifies.

How does such a thing -NOT- "aid and comfort" our enemies?

The USA has EXECUTED spies who did far less damage to our 'National Security'.

[dkofos]

23. They gave them Brewster Jennings. In my eyes, that is enough!

[Garbo 2004]

24. Do you also think Dana Priest should be charged with treason for outing the secret CIA prisons? Or

Risen for publishing about the illegal NSA surveillance? We don't have an Official Secrets Act.

Of course, the Bush Administration prevailed upon the NYT to not run the Risen article and the NYT only published it a year later when they were going to be "scooped" by their own reporter's book coming out.

Although elements in the Bush Administration knew Novak was going to publish, they took no steps to dissuade him from publishing.

And the focus on Armitage only indicates the success of the pro Libby propaganda. Libby also spoke to Novak as did Rove. We have only their word about what did or didn't transpire during those conversations.

[mmonk]

21. The target was Cheney. By going after his chief of staff with

these charges, Fitz built a case for inquiry for the congress to act on of which, that duty will be shirked.