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Conspiracy Indictment Next?! - Josh Marshall TPM Agrees ¶ DoJ Press Release

by Oui Fri Nov 18th, 2005 at 05:51:02 AM EST

To follow
Cheney - Rove - Bolton - Miller :: Case to be made.

I will present the case soon, I wanted to publish the Press Release of Patrick Fitzgerald in this diary, as most references I need are presented in quite some detail.

Update by Oui:

An Eye Opener – thanks CT Man!

Do you want to see how PFitz will nail Cheney?

Go check out this link over at TPM
TalkingPointsMemo by Josh Marshall

You will like what you read there!
Good morning to you!
(And goodnight for me... lol)

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by Connecticut Man1 on Sat Oct 29th, 2005 at 11:32:15 PM PST

Questions to be asked from the additional information provided by the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Indictment that was not known before yesterday.

  • Who is "Official A" - Karl Rove?
    CNN: Official A is Karl Rove ◊ by catnip
    Fri Oct 28th, 2005 at 05:45:25 PM PST

  • Rove was apparently the "second source" for Robert Novak's July 14, 2003 Op-Ed in Townhall.

  • Who is Under Secretary of State? - John Bolton -
    who makes a State Dep't report on Ambassador Wilson and Valerie Plame to be shared with Libby.

  • Who is former Assistant to VP Dick Cheney?

  • Who is senior officer of the CIA?

    Crucial information needed by DoJ Patrick Fitzgerald was the testimony of Judith Miller. After reading through the Indictment and concentrating on the timeline May-July 2003, some specifics come in focus and surrounds Aspen Leaf Judith Miller.

    More to follow below the fold ...


  • Scooter Libby is the central figure in the Office of the Vice-President to start attack on the Wilsons for two reasons:

    1. selective leaking by the CIA - true reason for dismissal of George Tenet in July 2004? - and
    2. the attack in several media articles on the Niger case and WMD claims made by VP Cheney before and after the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq in March 2003.

    I will focus on the aspect that Libby sets up several reporters for the gossip circuit in Washington: Tim Russert and Matthew Cooper and perjures himself in protecting Aspen Leaf Judith Miller. Meanwhile on three prior dates Libby had discussed Ambassador Wilson, Niger forgery and CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson - see the press release - with NYT reporter Miller, who did not publish an article herself. Was she the source for Novak and other reporters in the Bubble gossip circuit?

    Patrick Fitzgerald didn't have enough time after Miller's last testimony to close the case for further indictments. This does explain the flurry of FBI agents checking the neighbors and friends of the Wilsons in recent days. This wasn't necessary to gain evidence for the Libby Indictment of perjury and false statements.

  • A Grave Indictment, but Grave Questions Remain
          THE NATION by David Corn

    Update by Oui:
    [minor edits, bold face and links added]

    They knew
    By Steve Gilliard BlogSpot — Friday, October 28, 2005

    «« click on pic for resignation statements by POTUS and VP Cheney »»
     
    Yeah, Scooter, lie to the FBI, your ass gets indicted

    Overlooked in the current discussion.

      Go to page 5 of the indictment. Top of the page, item #9.

      On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Divison. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA.

    This is a crucial piece of information. the Counterproliferation Division (CPD) is part of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, i.e., not Directorate of Intelligence, the branch of the CIA where 'analysts' come from, but where the spies come from.

    Libby's a long time national security hand. He knows exactly what CPD is and where it is. So does Cheney. They both knew. It's right there in the indictment.

    Role of Rove, Libby in CIA Leak Case Clearer Bush and Cheney Aides' Testimony Contradicts Earlier White House Statement
    By Jim VandeHei and Walter Pincus
    Washington Post Staff Writers - October 2, 2005

    But a new theory about Fitzgerald's aim has emerged in recent weeks from two lawyers who have had extensive conversations with the prosecutor while representing witnesses in the case. They surmise that Fitzgerald is considering whether he can bring charges of a criminal conspiracy perpetrated by a group of senior Bush administration officials. Under this legal tactic, Fitzgerald would attempt to establish that at least two or more officials agreed to take affirmative steps to discredit and retaliate against Wilson and leak sensitive government information about his wife. To prove a criminal conspiracy, the actions need not have been criminal, but conspirators must have had a criminal purpose.

    Lawyers involved in the case interviewed for this report agreed to talk only if their names were not used, citing Fitzgerald's request for secrecy.

    One source briefed on Miller's account of conversations with Libby said it is doubtful her testimony would on its own lead to charges against any government officials. But, the source said, her account could establish a piece of a web of actions taken by officials that had an underlying criminal purpose.

    Disgraced and White House Crippled


    Rove, Libby and Miers at the White House earlier this year  Khue Bui for Newsweek

    Update by Oui:
    [minor edits, bold face and links added]

    TIMELINE EXCERPT FROM PRESS RELEASE ::

    Subsequently, Libby allegedly lied about information he discussed about the CIA employment of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, in conversations Libby had in June and July 2003 with three news reporters - Tim Russert of NBC News, Matt Cooper of Time magazine, and Judith Miller of The New York Times.

    - page 2 -

    On May 6, 2003, The New York Timespublished a column by Nicholas Kristof which disputed the accuracy of the "sixteen words"in the State of the Union address.

    On or about May 29, 2003, in the White House, Libby asked an Undersecretary of State for information concerning the unnamed ambassador's travel to Niger. The Undersecretary thereafter directed the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to prepare a report concerning the ambassador and his trip.

    On or about June 9, 2003, a number of classified documents from the CIA were faxed to the Office of the Vice President to the personal attention of Libby and another person in the Vice President's office.

    - page 5 -

    • on or about June 11, 2003, Libby spoke with a senior officer of the CIA to ask about the origin and circumstances of Wilson’s trip, and was advised by the CIA officer that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA and was believed to be responsible for sending Wilson on the trip; [Indictment page 4 #7 – Oui]

    • on or about June 12, 2003, Libby was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in the Counterproliferation Division. Libby understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA;

    • on or about June 14, 2003, Libby met with a CIA briefer and expressed displeasure that CIA officials were making comments to reporters critical of the Vice President's office, and discussed with the briefer, among other things, "Joe Wilson" and his wife "Valerie Wilson," in the context of Wilson's trip to Niger;

    • shortly after publication on or about June 19, 2003, of an article in The New Republic magazine online entitled "The First Casualty: The Selling of the Iraq War," Libbyspoke by telephone with his then Principal Deputy and discussed the article. That official asked Libby whether information about Wilson's trip could be shared with the press to rebut the allegations that the Vice President had sent Wilson. Libby responded that there would be complications at the CIA in disclosing that information publicly, and that he could not discuss the matter on a non-secure telephone line; and

    • on or about June 23, 2003, Libby met with Judith Miller [JM#1] of The New York Times. Libby was critical of the CIA and disparaged what he termed "selective leaking" by the CIA concerning intelligence matters. In discussing the CIA's handling of Wilson's trip to Niger, Libby informed Miller Wilson's wife might work at a bureau of the CIA.

    On July 6, 2003, The New York Timespublished an opinion article by Joseph Wilson entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa". On the same day, the Washington Post published an article about Wilson's 2002 trip to Niger, which was based partially on an interview of Wilson, and he was a guest on the television program "Meet the Press".

    - page 6 -

    [Timeline July 2003 – President Bush Press Briefings – added Oui]

    Following Wilson's July 6, 2003 statements, according to the indictment, Libby engaged in the following actions:

    • on or about July 7, 2003, Libby had lunch with the then White House Press Secretary [Ari Fleischer – Ed] and advised that individual that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA, noting that such information was not widely known;

    • on or about the morning of July 8, 2003, Libby met with Miller [JM#2] of The New York Times. When the conversation turned to the subject of Joseph Wilson, Libby asked that the information he provided on the topic of Wilson be attributed to a "former Hill staffer" ratherthan to a "senior administration official," as had been the understanding regarding other information that Libby provided to Miller during this meeting. Libby then discussed with Miller Wilson's trip and criticized the CIA reporting concerning Wilson's trip. During this discussion, Libby advised Miller of his belief that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA;

    • on or about July 10, 2003, Libby spoke to NBC's Russert to complain about press coverage of Libby by an MSNBC reporter. Libby did not discuss Wilson's wife with Russert;

    • on or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, Libby spoke to a senior White House official ("Official A") [Karl Rove – ed] who advised Libby of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson's wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson's trip. Libby was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson's wife;

    • on or about July 12, 2003, Libby flew with the Vice President and others to and from Norfolk, Va., on Air Force Two. On his return trip, Libby discussed with other officials aboard the plane what Libby should say in response to certain pending media inquiries, including questions from Time’s Cooper;

      - page 7 -

    • on or about July 12, 2003, in the afternoon, Libby spoke by telephone to Cooper, who asked whether Libby had heard that Wilson's wife was involved in sending Wilson on the trip to Niger. Libby confirmed to Cooper, without elaboration or qualification, that he had heard this information too; and

    • on or about July 12, 2003, in the late afternoon, Libby spoke by telephone with Miller [JM#3] and discussed Wilson's wife, and that she worked at the CIA.

    - page 8 -

    [July 24, 2003 — Vice President's Remarks on War on Terror at AEI – added by Oui]

    Office of Special Counsel

    Patrick J. Fitzgerald
    Special Counsel Chicago


    Office: Dirksen Federal Building              Washington Office Bond Federal Building
    219 South Dearborn Street,Fifth Floor         1400 New York Avenue NW, Ninth Floor
    Chicago, Illinois 60604                       Washington, DC 20530

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         PRESS CONTACT: Randall Samborn
    FRIDAY OCTOBER 28, 2005                       (312) 613-6700 (312) 353-5318

    http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc

    WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL I. LEWIS LIBBY INDICTED ON
    OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, FALSE STATEMENT AND PERJURY CHARGES
    RELATING TO LEAK OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
    REVEALING CIA OFFICER'S IDENTITY

    WASHINGTON - Senior White House official I. Lewis Libby was indicted today on obstruction of justice, false statement and perjury charges for allegedly lying about how and when in 2003 he learned and subsequently disclosed to reporters then-classified information concerning the employment of Valerie Wilson by the Central Intelligence Agency. Libby was charged with one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements in a five-count indictment returned today by a federal grand jury as its term expired, announced Justice Department Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

    The defendant, also known as "Scooter" Libby, has served since January 20, 2001, as Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, and Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs. Libby, 55, will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

    The charges allege that Libby lied to FBI agents who interviewed him on October 14 and November 26, 2003; committed perjury while testifying under oath before the grand jury on March 5 and March 24, 2004; and engaged in obstruction of justice by impeding the grand jury's investigation

    - page 1 -

    into the unauthorized disclosure - or "leaking" - of Valerie Wilson's affiliation with the CIA to various reporters in the spring of 2003.

    Beginning in late May 2003, Libby allegedly began acquiring information about a 2002 trip to the African country of Niger by Joseph Wilson, a former United States Ambassador and career State Department official, to investigate allegations concerning efforts by the former government of Iraq to acquire uranium yellowcake, a processed form of uranium ore. The CIA decided on its own initiative to send Wilson to Niger after an inquiry to the CIA by the Vice President concerning certain intelligence reporting. Wilson orally reported his findings to the CIA upon his return. Subsequently, Libby allegedly lied about information he discussed about the CIA employment of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, in conversations Libbyhad in June and July 2003 with threenews reporters - Tim Russert of NBC News, Matt Cooper of Time magazine, and Judith Miller of The New York Times.

    Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson's employment status was classified. Prior to that date, her affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community. Disclosure of classified information about an individual's employment by the CIA has the potential to damage the national security in ways that range from preventing that individual's future use in a covert capacity, to compromising intelligence-gathering methods and operations, and endangering the safety of CIA employees and those who deal with them, the indictment states.

    "When citizens testify before grand juries they are required to tell the truth," Mr. Fitzgerald said. "Without the truth, our criminal justice system cannot serve our nation or its citizens. The requirement to tell the truth applies equally to all citizens, including persons who hold high positions in government. In an investigation concerning the compromise of a CIA officer's identity, it is especially important that grand jurors learn what really happened. The indictment returned today alleges that the efforts of the

    - page 2 -

    grand jury to investigate such a leak were obstructed when Mr. Libby lied about how and when he learned and subsequently disclosed classified information about Valerie Wilson," he added.

    Mr. Fitzgerald announced the charges with John C. Eckenrode, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Field Office of the FBI and the lead agent in the investigation. The Washington Field Office and the Inspection Division of the FBI assisted in the investigation.

    The indictment alleges that Libby had frequent access to classified information and frequently spoke with officials of the U.S. intelligence community and other government officials regarding sensitive national security matters. With his responsibilities for national security matters, Libby held security clearances giving him access to classified information. Libby was obligated by federal criminal statute, regulations, executive orders, and a written non-disclosure agreement not to disclose classified information to unauthorized persons, and to properly safeguard classified information against unauthorized disclosure.

    According to the indictment, on September 26, 2003, the Department of Justice and the FBI began a criminal investigation into the possible unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Valerie Wilson's CIA affiliation to various reporters in the spring of 2003. In January 2004, the grand jury investigation began examining possible violations of criminal laws prohibiting disclosing the identity of covert intelligence personnel (The Intelligence Identities Protection Act), improperly disclosing national defense information, making false statements to government agents, and perjury. A major focus of the grand jury investigation was to determine which government officials had disclosed to the media prior to July 14, 2003, information concerning Valerie Wilson's CIA affiliation, and the nature, timing, extent, and purpose of such disclosures, as well as whether any official made such a disclosure knowing that Valerie Wilson's employment by the CIA was classified information.

    - page 3 -

    The over-arching obstruction of justice count alleges that while testifying under oath before the grand jury on March 5 and March 24 2004, Libby knowingly and corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct and impede the grand jury's investigation by misleading and deceiving the grand jury as to when, and the manner and means by which, he acquired, and subsequently disclosed to the media, information concerning the employment of Valerie Wilson by the CIA. The obstruction count alleges that Libby made the following materially false and intentionally misleading statements:

    • When Libby spoke with Tim Russert of NBC on or about July 10, 2003, Russert asked Libby if Libby knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, and told Libby that all the reporters knew it; and Libby was surprised to hear that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA; when, in fact, Libby knew Russert did not ask Libby if Libby knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, nor did Russert tell Libby that all the reporters knew it. And, at the time of this conversation, Libby was well aware that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and Libby had participated in multiple prior conversations concerning this topic;

    • Libby advised Matt Cooper of Time magazine on or about July 12, 2003, that he had heard that other reporters were saying that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, and further advised him that Libby did not know whether this assertion was true; when, in fact, Libby did not advise Cooper during that conversation that Libby had heard other reporters were saying that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, nor did Libby advise him that Libby did not know whether this assertion was true. Rather, Libby confirmed to Cooper, without qualification, that Libby had heard that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA; and

    • Libby advised Judith Miller of The New York Times on or about July 12, 2003, that he had heard that other reporters were saying that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA but Libby did not know whether that assertion was true; when, in fact, Libby did not advise Miller during that conversation that Libby had heard other reporters were saying that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, nor did Libby advise her that Libby did not know whether this assertion was true.

    Among the events leading up to these conversations, on January 28, 2003, President Bush delivered his State of the Union address which included sixteen words asserting that "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
    - page 4 -

    On May 6, 2003, The New York Times published a column by Nicholas Kristof which disputed the accuracy of the "sixteen words" in the State of the Union address. The column reported that, following a request from the Vice President's office for an investigation of allegations that Iraq sought to buy uranium from Niger, an unnamed former ambassador was sent to Niger in 2002 to investigate the allegations. According to the column, the ambassador reported back to the CIA and State Department in early 2002 that the allegations were unequivocally wrong and based on forged documents.

    According to the indictment, beginning in late May and throughout June, Libby participated in multiple conversations concerning Valerie Wilson's employment by the CIA, including on the following occasions:

    • on or about May 29, 2003, in the White House, Libby asked an Undersecretary of State for information concerning the unnamed ambassador's travel to Niger. The Undersecretary thereafter directed the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to prepare a report concerning the ambassador and his trip. The Undersecretary provided Libby with interim oral reports in late May and early June 2003, and advised Libby that Wilson was the former ambassador who took the trip;

    • on or about June 9, 2003, a number of classified documents from the CIA were faxed to the Office of the Vice President to the personal attention of Libby and another person in the Vice President's office. The documents, which bore classification markings, discussed, among other things, Wilson and his trip to Niger, but did not mention Wilson by name. After receiving these documents, Libby and one or more other persons in the Vice President's office handwrote the names "Wilson" and "Joe Wilson" on the documents;

    • on or about June 11 or 12, 2003, Libby was orally advised by the Undersecretary of State that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA and that State Department personnel were saying that Wilson's wife was involved in the organization of his trip;

    • on or about June 11, 2003, Libby was informed by a senior officer of the CIA that Wilson's wife was employed by the CIA and was believed to be responsible for sending Wilson on the trip;
      - page 5 -

    • prior to June 12, 2003, Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus contacted the Office of the Vice President about a story he was writing about Wilson's trip. Libby participated in discussions in the Vice President's office concerning how to respond to Pincus;

    • on or about June 12, 2003, Libby was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in the Counterproliferation Division. Libby understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA;

    • on or about June 14, 2003, Libby met with a CIA briefer and expressed displeasure that CIA officials were making comments to reporters critical of the Vice President's office, and discussed with the briefer, among other things, "Joe Wilson" and his wife "Valerie Wilson," in the context of Wilson's trip to Niger;

    • shortly after publication on or about June 19, 2003, of an article in The New Republic magazine online entitled "The First Casualty: The Selling of the Iraq War," Libbyspoke by telephone with his then Principal Deputy and discussed the article. That official asked Libby whether information about Wilson's trip could be shared with the press to rebut the allegations that the Vice President had sent Wilson. Libby responded that there would be complications at the CIA in disclosing that information publicly, and that he could not discuss the matter on a non-secure telephone line; and

    • on or about June 23, 2003, Libby met with Judith Miller [JM#1]  of The New York Times. Libby was critical of the CIA and disparaged what he termed "selective leaking" by the CIA concerning intelligence matters. In discussing the CIA's handling of Wilson's trip to Niger, Libby informed Miller Wilson's wife might work at a bureau of the CIA.

    On July 6, 2003, The New York Times published an opinion article by Joseph Wilson entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa". On the same day, the Washington Post published an article about Wilson's 2002 trip to Niger, which was based partially on an interview of Wilson, and he was a guest on the television program "Meet the Press". In the article he wrote, as well as in the print and broadcast interviews of him, Wilson asserted, among other things, that he had taken a trip to Niger at the request of the CIA in February 2002 to investigate allegations that Iraq has sought or obtained uranium yellowcake from Niger, and that he doubted Iraq had obtained uranium from Niger recently, for a
    - page 6 -

    number of reasons. Wilson said that he believed, based on his understanding of government procedures, that the Vice President's office was advised of the results of his trip.

    Following Wilson's July 6, 2003 statements, according to the indictment, Libby engaged in the
    following actions:

    • on or about July 7, 2003, Libby had lunch with the then White House Press Secretary and advised that individual that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA, noting that such information was not widely known;

    • on or about the morning of July 8, 2003, Libby met with Miller [JM#2] of The New York Times. When the conversation turned to the subject of Joseph Wilson, Libby asked that the information he provided on the topic of Wilson be attributed to a "former Hill staffer" ratherthan to a "senior administration official," as had been the understanding regarding other information that Libby provided to Miller during this meeting. Libby then discussed with Miller Wilson's trip and criticized the CIA reporting concerning Wilson's trip. During this discussion, Libby advised Miller of his belief that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA;

     * also on or about July 8, 2003, Libby met with the Counsel to the Vice President in an anteroom outside the Vice President's office. During their brief conversation, Libby asked the individual what paperwork there would be at the CIA if an employee's spouse undertook an overseas trip;

    • no earlier than June 2003 but on or before July 8, 2003, the Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs learned from another government official that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and advised Libby of this information;

    • on or about July 10, 2003, Libby spoke to NBC's Russert to complain about press coverage of Libby by an MSNBC reporter. Libby did not discuss Wilson's wife with Russert;

    • on or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, Libby spoke to a senior White House official ("Official A") who advised Libby of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson's wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson's trip. Libby was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson's wife;

    • on or about July 12, 2003, Libby flew with the Vice President and others to and from Norfolk, Va., on Air Force Two. On his return trip, Libby discussed with other officials aboard the plane what Libby should say in response to certain pending media inquiries, including questions from Time's Cooper;
      - page 7 -

    • on or about July 12, 2003, in the afternoon, Libby spoke by telephone to Cooper, who asked whether Libby had heard that Wilson's wife was involved in sending Wilson on the trip to Niger. Libby confirmed to Cooper, without elaboration or qualification, that he had heard this information too; and

    • on or about July 12, 2003, in the late afternoon, Libby spoke by telephone with Miller [JM#3]  and discussed Wilson's wife, and that she worked at the CIA.

    The false statement charge in Count Two of the indictment alleges that Libby lied to FBI agents on October14 and November 26, 2003, regarding the conversation with Russert on July 10, 2003. Count Three charges Libby with making false statements to FBI agents during the same FBI interviews in October and November 2003 relating to his July 12, 2003 conversation with Cooper.

    The perjury charge in Count Four alleges that Libby lied while testifying under oath before the grand jury on March 5, 2004, about his conversation with Russert on July 10, 2003, because, in fact, Russert did not ask Libby if Libby knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, nor did Russert tell Libby that all the reporters knew it, and at the time of their conversation, Libby was well aware that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.

    Count Five charges Libby with perjury before the grand jury for allegedly lying when he said that he told reporters that he was telling them what other reporters were saying - first, on March 5, 2004, about his conversation with Cooper on or about July 12, 2003, and second, on March 24, 2004, regarding conversations with reporters. In fact, Libby well knew that he did not advise Cooper or other reporters that he had heard other reporters were saying that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, nor did Libby advise Cooper or other reporters that he did not know whether this assertion was true.

    If convicted, the crimes charged in the indictment carry the following maximum penalties on each count: obstruction of justice - 10 years in prison, and making false statements and perjury -5 years in prison, and each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000, making the maximum penalty for

    - page 8 -

    conviction on all counts 30 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. Note, however, that the Court would determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed.

    The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    # # # #

    - page 9 -

    My Reply to Yesterday’s Diary

    Right wing talking points – just to appreciate source of this bs. Just some snips from a typical neocon cabal advocate ...

      Max Boot via Los Angeles Times – Nov. 2

      Plamegate's real liar

      But with his investigation all but over, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has found no criminal conspiracy ...

      The problem here is that the one undisputed liar in this whole sordid affair doesn't work for the administration. In his attempts to turn his wife into an antiwar martyr, Joseph C. Wilson IV has retailed more whoppers than Burger King.

      By leaking this fact to the news media, Libby and other White House officials were merely setting the record straight — not, as Wilson would have it, punishing his Mata Hari wife.

      Wilson had hardly exposed as fraudulent the "16 words" included in the 2003 State of the Union address: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." In fact, the British government, in its own post-invasion review of intelligence, found that this claim was "well founded."

      This is not an isolated example. Pretty much all of the claims that the administration doctored evidence about Iraq have been euthanized, not only by the Senate committee but also by the equally bipartisan Robb-Silberman commission. The latest proof that intelligence was not "politicized" comes from an unlikely source — Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff, who has been denouncing the hawkish "cabal" supposedly leading us toward "disaster." Yet, in between bouts of trashing the administration, Wilkerson said on Oct. 19 that "the consensus of the intelligence community was overwhelming" that Hussein was building illicit weapons. This view was endorsed by "the French, the Germans, the Brits." The French, of all people, even offered "proof positive" that Hussein was buying aluminum tubes "for centrifuges." Wilkerson also recalled seeing satellite photos "that would lead me to believe that Saddam Hussein, at least on occasion, was … giving us disinformation."

      So much for the lies that led to war. What we're left with is the lies that led to the antiwar movement. Good thing for Wilson and his pals that deceiving the press and the public isn't a crime.


    As I am quite busy in the Iraq anti-war movement, I’ll leave this diary to all right-wing conservatives to gloat about their achievement so far in Iraq ::

    Melting the Skin Off of Children [GRAPHIC] ◊ by Hunter @dKos
    Wed Nov 09, 2005 at 06:03:24 PM PDT

    Or the excellent daily series of Iraq suffering by Iraq War Grief Daily Witness (photo) Day 174 ◊ by RubDMC
    Wed Nov 16th, 2005 at 08:22:55 AM PST

    Just let DoJ Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald do his job ::

    Debunking the Joe Wilson Smears

    "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
    For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

    ▼ ▼ ▼ MY COMMENT TO DIARY

    ... Poor Sportmanship for a Troll Rating By Diarist A Day Later!

    ###

    Fun …

    I like that statement: Ad hominem attack on diary, great!

    I believe many persons have been involved in the excellent series of investigative journalism at dKos :: CIA leak case of Valerie Plame and attempt to smear Joe Wilson by the WHIG team of Bush-Cheney neocon cabal.

    Oui aka creve coeur and new creve coeur @dKos.

  • Display:
    .
      «« click on pic for info Joe Wilson

     
    DoJ Patrick Fitzgerald Indicts I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
    Felony Charges 30 Years and $1.25m

    .
    Extended coverage ::

    Clifford May vs. Patrick Fitzgerald ◊ by BooMan
    Fri Oct 28th, 2005 at 03:30:38 PM PST

    FitzMan -- My New Hero ◊ by BostonJoe
    Fri Oct 28th, 2005 at 11:46:16 AM PST

    Special Day PropaGannon Team ¶ √ Victory ... ◊ by Oui
    Fri Oct 28th, 2005 at 04:14:14 AM PST

      «« click on pic for article

    "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
    For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

    ▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Nov 18th, 2005 at 10:40:21 AM EST
    .
    To use the words of NyBri, I could elaborate to give you my answer on Patrick Fitzgerald, however on kid-oakland just read the perfect comment ::

    first thoughts and an open thread

    I am neither someone with a background in journalism, nor am I savvy or privy to beltway politics, nor am I a lawyer, nor do I know the ins and out of intelligence matters...(those links are all worthwhile)

    but these things strike me from today's events, take 'em worth a grain of salt:

    Patrick Fitzgerald made a no-nonsense, straightforward case for one thing today: Lewis Libby lied to the FBI and the grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA employee's identity, and his perjury and false statements noted in the indictment amount to an obstruction of justice.

    Read on »»

    Fitzgerald Leads Legion of Lawyers to Libby Indictment

      ««  click on pic for bio Fitzgerald
    Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent
    in Charge John Eckenrode are shown on a video screen during
    a news conference about the indictments brought against U.S.
    VP Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis 'Scooter' Libby.
    Jim Young/Reuters

    Patrick J. Fitzgerald
    Fitzgerald's To Do List
    TIME Online Edition (Nov. 18) ::
       Bob Woodward Interviewed by Special Counsel Fitzgerald

    "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
    For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

    ▼▼▼ READ MY DIARY

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Nov 19th, 2005 at 04:39:23 AM EST
    This is quite a summary...obviously took some time...thank you, oui!

    "Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia
    by whataboutbob on Sat Nov 19th, 2005 at 06:10:24 AM EST
    I have been compiling links in the plamegate diary if you want some stuff to look over.

    You might even be able to find some links that you have missed in the news OR that you can add to our plamegate project.

    We have so much material linked off over there it would take a few days to read it all. (Longer for me... I am a slow reader! lol)

    I see your diary is growing. You may have to start looking for "Stephen Hadley" info to add to it, since that seems to be the direction PFitz may be moving in for now.

    I just wish he could get to the bigger fish sooner! (Rove, Cheney, etc.) lol

    Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet Drinking Liberally in New Milford

    by Connecticut Man1 (connecticutman1 AT gmail dot com) on Sun Nov 20th, 2005 at 02:56:57 AM EST
    .
    I have plenty of tid bits collected on Stephen Hadley - John Bolton -
    David Wormser - Douglas Feith - Larry Franklin & AIPAC - Likud etcetera ...

    As reference to the WHIG group, in diaries @BooMan by SusanHu and the ThinkProgress blog.
    More Cheney Aides Targeted in CIA Leak Inquiry

    Have to priortize some comments and diaries, I'll try to write some specifics on Stephen Hadley soon.

    Thanks for support, motivation, criticism and your excellent contributions.

     
    Bombshell: Stephen Hadley and the Niger Forgeries ◊ by catnip
    Tue Oct 25th, 2005 at 10:14:53 AM PST

    Bush, Hadley, and Miers Worked on Infamous SOTU ◊ by Cedwyn
    Wed Oct 26th, 2005 at 01:36:06 AM PST

    I actually found a wonderful piece over at Worldnet Daily, believe it or not.
    It's an older article, but tremendously relevant at the moment.

    WASHINGTON July 18, 2003 -- A photo essay on the White House website shows President Bush had a hands-on role in "revising" January's State of the Union speech that included a now-disputed allegation about Iraq's alleged nuclear-weapons program. It also indicates he scribbled notes beside various passages of text in the margins of the speech drafts ...

    "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
    For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."
     

    ▼▼▼ READ MY DIARY

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Nov 20th, 2005 at 08:29:28 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Thanks for support, motivation, criticism and your excellent contributions.

    Dropping pieces of info in others diaries is what I do best. I am not a writer, but I am a good digger when it comes to finding useful info! lol

    This "plamegate" story is on the verge of breaking with a lot more pieces of the puzzle coming together each time there is an indictment.  

    I am pretty certain that this will end up in Cheney's lap in the end. Most of the evidence seems to already be there. But there is still a lot of guessing going on everywhere.

    If Rove gets added to that indictment list it will be near impossible for the right-wing-nuts to argue that bush was totally ignorant of this leak. Again, the evidence is already there to indict Rove.

    Unfortunately most of these characters will, likely, end up with pardons. It should be made illegal for presidents to pardon members of their own administration. (IMHO) It would mean that they would not be able to squash investigations into their own conduct.

    Guaranteed to be plastered all over the Internet Drinking Liberally in New Milford

    by Connecticut Man1 (connecticutman1 AT gmail dot com) on Sun Nov 20th, 2005 at 01:20:23 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    .
    Did anti-Semitism inspire Joseph Wilson?
    by Jack Cashill
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Posted: November 10, 2005
    © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

    "The three most important groups who have
    been pressing this country toward war are the
    British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration."

      ««  click on pic info Charles A. Lindbergh

    On June 14, 2003, when former ambassador Joseph Wilson spoke at the Education for Peace in Iraq Center, he too laid the blame for an allegedly misbegotten war at the foot of an endangered class of Jews ...

    Cross-posted from diary by spiderleaf ::
    Why did Pincus agree to Woodward's request?

    "Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
    For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."
     

    ▼▼▼ READ MY DIARY

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Nov 20th, 2005 at 07:01:39 AM EST


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