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http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/01/29/libby-live-ari-fleischer-one/The professional liar is swearing to tell the truth. Ari Flesicher. Not wearing glasses, he looks balder than he used to be. Fl I have Ari Fleischer Communications, Strategic advice on communications. WH PS from 2001 to 2003. Fl My job was to speak for the president, to explain what he was doing and why and to defend the WH if there was a controversy.
P how would you do this
Fl I would go to meetings, send other people to meetings. I'd talk to press a variety of ways every day. some formal and informal.
P what do you mean, formal and informal.
Fl Briefing and gaggle. Briefing, on camera, take questions. A second, less well known. Gaggle, on the record but they didn't allow cameras. I'd brief the press 2X a day.
P what does it mean when you say, "on the record."
Fl Reporters have free game to use it as they see fit. But there're no cameras.
P Did you also meet with the press on an informal fashion.
Fl meetings with reporters, conversations where they'll just call you. Talk to them. Meet with reporters on background. There were regularly scheduled meetings on background. My area of the WH the press can come and go as they please. Every day reporters would pop into my office.
P As Press Secretary did you have your own sources of information.
Fl principal source was president, the only way to be PS, but others, incl VP, Cabinet members, COS, NSA, Deputy NSA, some of them would give me informatoin. You learn that you have to listen to a wife variety of people so what you say is just as accurate as can be.
P have you testified previously.
Fl Yes
Fl January 2004, February 2004, September 2004.
P Did you answer all questions put to you?
Fl No sir. First time, I said I would refuse to cooperate unless I was given immunity as a result of what I had done.
P Did you get grant of immunity from govt.
Govt exhibit.
12:08
Fl reading from Immunity order, cannot be prosecuted for underlying issues in this matter.
P Just so its clear, what your understanding, what can you and can you not be prosecuted for?
Fl, I'm not a lawyer, I cannot be prosecuted for what I did with info I was provided but I can be prosecuted for what I say.
P so if you're not truthful, you can be prosecuted for that.
P I'd like to direct your attention to spring summer 2003. Can you tell about SOTU given by pres in January 2003, what it was, what was the significants.
Fl SOTU a major address, it's typically the address that the most people will ever watch, important for the President to define what he wants to do, January 2003, period leading up to Iraq, very important event to talk to American people, from Bush's point of view about why we might go to war with Iraq.
P in the next couple of months. Did a controversy arise over a particular sentence.
Fl One sentence which as I recall President did not name a country, he said Africa. Part of that was based on forgeries. So I was asked, does the Pres still stand by it.
P response to these questions?
Fl Spring 2003, Yes, there was other evidence, even though part turned out to be wrong.
P late spring, beginning of May, do you recall press accounts which discussed an envoy who went to Africa?
Fl Sometime in spring, something in the air, a couple of things that were written that reexamined these 16 words, and said that info WH had used was wrong in its entirety.
P July 6 2003, an op-ed written by Joseph Wilson, former Ambassador
P can you tell us about that day and article.
Fl came out in op-ed, envoy had previously been raised in the spring, had his name attached, President must have twisted the intelligence, the envoy was challenging honesty and accuracy and now he had put his name on it what was previously in the air.
P July 6, do you remember what day you went to Africa
Fl Monday July 7.
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