October 28, 2005

Missing From The Indictment

No sense that anyone in the White House, from Cheney on down, knew that Plame's status at the CIA was covert.

Posted at 01:24 PM

Comments

Do you do your own research, Hotline? Or are you just taking the whole GOP talking points down in one gulp?

"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 Division. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA. "

CPD is in the DO -- aka, the place where clandestine ("covert" for dumbasses) people work... Cheney and Libby would know that, since they're knee-deep in the intel world.

wait a minute... | 10.28.05 07:13 PM

Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly runs down some explanations behind Fitzgerald's choices. On the covert question, the identities act is very specific about covert status. Fitzgerald did not bring charges under the identities act and, in his inimitable style, he declined to address the issue saying, "I am not speaking to whether or not Valerie Wilson was covert....I will confirm that her association with the CIA was classified at that time through July 2003. And all I'll say is that, look, we have not made any allegation that Mr. Libby knowingly, intentionally outed a covert agent."

Fitzgerald declined to address issues outside the indictment, that may have to do more with technical limitations of the laws. He did call Libby's actions "reckless". I think it could be safely presumed that Libby and Cheney, both with extensive national security experience know what constitutes a "covert" agent in both spirit and the letter.

Matthew Murphy | 10.30.05 03:23 AM

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