LIBBY TRIAL: updates 1/27

[radfringe]

Saturday - 1/27/07:

-- Lawyers seek data on Ari Fleischer's role
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/16559077.htm
Attorneys for former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby want more information about an unusual immunity-from-prosecution deal that government lawyers gave former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer in the CIA leak case.

-- The president's political guru—and counselor Dan Bartlett—have been subpoenaed by Scooter Libby's lawyers. What it means for the most-watched trial in Washington—and who's next on the witness stand.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16832257/site/newsweek

-- regarding Fleischer's role and Bartlett:

"On its face, Fleischer’s account seems to contradict the repeated public assertions of his immediate successor, Scott McClellan, in October 2003 that nobody at the White House was in any way involved in the leak of Plame’s identity. It also potentially puts Bartlett, one of the president’s senior and most trusted advisers, on the hot seat. If Bartlett backs up Fleischer, it suggests he himself played a role in passing along radioactive information that triggered a criminal investigation that has plagued the White House for more than four years. If he contradicts Fleischer, it raises questions about the credibility of a man who was President Bush’s chief spokesman for the first two and a half years of his presidency. His lawyer declined to comment on what Bartlett will say." -- Newsweek http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16832257/site/newsweek

-- regarding Libby - Rove:

"Rove has said in secret testimony that, during a chat on July 11, 2003, Libby told him he learned about Plame’s employment at the CIA from NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert, a legal source who asked not to be identified talking about grand jury matters told NEWSWEEK. If Rove repeats that story on the witness stand, it could back up Libby’s core assertion that he honestly, if mistakenly, thought he had heard about Wilson’s wife from the “Meet the Press” host—even though Russert denies he knew anything about Plame, and more than a half-dozen officials (including Cheney) have said they passed along the same information to Libby earlier than that.

But the Rove account could cut in other ways. Fitzgerald would likely argue that Libby’s comment to Rove merely shows that the vice president’s top aide “was even lying inside the White House,” according to the legal source. Moreover, Rove is likely not eager to recount the story either. The reason? He would have to acknowledge that shortly after he had the chat with Libby, he went back to his office and had a phone conversation with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper in which he also disclosed the fact that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA. The disclosure was potentially illegal since, at the time, Plame was employed in the Directorate of Operations, the agency’s covert arm. (There is no evidence that Rove or anybody else knew Plame’s status at the time—and Rove has never been charged with any crime—but the possibility that White House officials were leaking classified information in an effort to discredit Wilson is what triggered the probe in the first place.)" -- Newsweek http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16832257/site/newsweek

Previous updates: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x44205

[rodeodance]

1. thank you very much

[rodeodance]

2. and a big REC

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

3. Love this quote from Newsweek about Rove testifying

... it’s not a scenario that anybody at the White House can be looking forward to.

Do you think this qualifies as understated?

[EST]

4. THe one thing no one seems to be mentioning in connection to

Fleischer is that if he gets on the stand and lies or blows smoke, and it can be proven he did so, he could lose his immunity and be whacked pretty hard.
His testimony and its timing may well be part of a plan to force him to perjure himself and thus be prosecuted for his part in this debacle.

[H2O Man]

5. With the immunity,

he doesn't have to lie. Starting Monday afternoon, the trial will turn ugly. And a large part of why, is because Fleischer will tell the truth. He will look bad, and the OVP will look worse -- much, much worse.

[EST]

6. You say that as someone who rarely lies.

Ari F, Tony S, Dopey McC, et al are liars by choice, by professional specialty.
Their stock in trade is coverup, obfuscation, hide the bunny, misdirection-on and on-and I suspect none of them can ever tell the unvarnished truth or even discern the truth.

I know quite a number of people who lie by choice-they cannot help themselves or do otherwise, even when the obvious benefit lies in telling the truth. It's just what they do.

All that aside, even with immunity, there may be overwhelming justifiable reasons to hide something. Not being able to read his mind, there is no way to be sure what his motivations may be and what he may be trying to hide.
Fitzgerald is good but not that good. Should he catch Fleischer in a lie, however, he can then likely provoke all sorts of information fountain from him.

[H2O Man]

8. The central issue

with Fleischer will be, for the prosecution, to tell about; {a} his lunch with Libby, in which reasonable people will conclude that Scooter was encouraging Ari to leak Plame's identity to at least one journalist; and {b} to tell about the trip to Africa.

One of the issues that will come into focus is that Libby (and Cheney) were very much aware that there was a "problem" in exposing Valerie Plame. Hence, they attempted to mamipulate others to do the "dirty work" for them. Fleischer was not considered "one of the boys" by people in the Office of the President, or by those in the Office of the Vice President.

His telling NBC's David Gregory will indeed make him look like a criminal. He is a criminal, of course. He knew it was wrong to tell journalists about Plame.

Fleischer's testimony will also lay a foundation for M. Fitzgerald to get into related and highly incriminating areas should Team Libby should they call Dan Bartlett and/or Karl Rove to testify. Bartlett, of course, will testify about the events on the African trip (see: Newsweek; 7-25-05; pages 30-31 for a review of Dan's problems).

Rove will have a lot of ground to cover. The defense has numerous questions that could damage the Office of the President, and one that might help Scooter. However, Mr. Fitzgerald has a large file of questions that have been prepared in case Rove is called by the defense.

I want to make clear that I agree with you that it is not Mr. Fleischer's nature to be honest. The White House certainly would not have hired him if they suspected he was honest or had ethics. Like McClellan and Snow, Ari showed a willingness to promote any lie for political gain. In this single instance, however, he will be likely to tell the truth as he knows it, simply because it serves his personal interests. I will suggest that there is a fairly significant paper trail that will support his version of the story.

[Eurobabe]

7. Gee, anyone think this might be why they are doing all the sabre rattling?

To distract from what will undoubtedly be damaging information?

[Supersedeas]

9. thank you thank you thank you for the links

[Olney Blue]

10. K and R. I want to see these liars exposed.

[liberalla]

11. Thank you so much for doing these updates!

I can't wait for Monday and when it gets 'ugly', as H2O suggests above. :evilgrin:
Thank you again!

[radfringe]

12. More from CorpGovActivist

Hat Tip to CorpGovActivist for these threads:

Official Libby Case Website: Fitzgerald's Office Posts Court Exhibits and Court Filings

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x55913



ALERT: Valerie Plame Case to Be Investigated by Waxman's Committee

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=47958&mesg_id=47958