White House Says Three Senior Aides Innocent in Leak

[Nottingham]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=1ce0e314181095d2

White House Says Three Senior Aides Innocent in Leak
Tue October 7, 2003 03:25 PM ET





By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday said it had ruled out three senior aides as possible sources for a leak disclosing the name of a CIA operative and President Bush said the case may never be resolved.

"I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is," Bush told reporters after he met with his Cabinet. "I'd like to. I want to know the truth."

Bush spoke ahead of a 5 p.m. White House deadline on Tuesday for officials to turn over information wanted by Justice Department investigators probing the leak, which has become the latest controversy surrounding Bush's decision to go to war against Iraq.

Spokesman Scott McClellan said senior Bush political aide Karl Rove, vice presidential chief of staff Lewis Libby and National Security Council senior director Elliott Abrams had each denied leaking the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

more...

Bush has ruled them out! See King George Rules :bounce:

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. Sounds like a fair investigation to me.

They asked Rove if he did it, and he said no. Case closed.

[Cush]

2. and this means

"Yeah they did it, but we're not gonna tell you. Nyah nyah nyah!"

[Cha]

3. Fu*k bush! he's a tool ...who listens to him, anyway?

We'll see what happens...if they never find out well the whole maladministration is Tainted BAD!

[BeHereNow]

4. Like NOW, they are telling the truth?

And just what about the history of the cabal should
foster any degree of their credibility NOW?

[sallyseven]

5. That is ok

The American people smell a rat. He can't do that. If he thinks that he can get away with saying they were not to blame he is truly insane. Judge and Jury??? Some of the other reporters said Rove promoted it. "She was fair game." Bush bettr shut up because the most of tghe people will not accept his half a,, statement.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi sallyseven!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[LastDemInIdaho]

19. Too bad they can't be 100% honest like the previous Clinton Whitehouse

The Clintons set the example of being 100% honest and all following admins should follow suit. Why can't this admin be as honest as the previous admin?

[Tuttle]

25. is that supposed to be 'wry'?

Here's a question for you, LastDem: Why wasn't the Clinton administration 100% dishonest, like W's?

Tut-tut

[Mandate My Ass]

27. This is not a matter of honesty vs. dishonesty

It's a matter of illegally exempting three suspects in a criminal investigation.

Get over the blowjob, I'll bet even Bill Clinton has by now.

[roguevalley]

6. Gorsh. I suppose I have to believe them. Would they lie?

I think Bush's press release just told us who talked
to the reporters. I wonder if they can see the significance
of this release, how it points directly to them.

Isn't it funny how no one will ever know. <PLEASE!PLEASE!PLEASE!>

[snippy]

7. Assuming Whistle Ass has the capacity to rule these three out, he need

only continue the process, starting with Andy Card, until he has identified the leakers. Problem solved. The media should point this out to Comrade Squealer at tomorrow's press briefing.

After Whistle Ass has identified the leakers he could use the same process to determine who dropped the dog.

[karlschneider]

9. Laura (The First Frump) dropped Barney. Didn't you read *'s pome?

But whistle-ass has "no idea" (so he said this morning) who leaked, but he's sure it ain't one of the Triple Threats. Uh huh. I wouldn't believe any of the 4 of them if they told me it was Tuesday. :grr:

[snippy]

12. Isn't she the "First Lump?"

[tridim]

8. They should have no objections to lie detector tests then

If they're innocent, why worry? Hook those bastards up..

Tester: Do you hold a grudge against Montgomery Burns?
Moe: No!
-buzz-
Alright maybe I did, but I didn't shoot him.
-ding-
Tester: It checks out. Okay, sir, you're free to go.
Moe: Good, 'cause I got a hot date tonight.
-buzz-
A date.
-buzz-
Dinner with friends.
-buzz-
Dinner alone.
-buzz-
Watching TV alone.
-buzz-
Alright! I'm gonna sit at home and ogle the ladies in the Victoria's Secret catalog.
-buzz-
Sears catalog.
-ding-
Now would you unhook this already please? I don't deserve this kind of shabby treatment.
-buzz-

[lovedems]

10. I think my favorite was, " there's alot of senior administrators"

Yeah well, there's alot of people in Iraq and that didn't stop him from killing thousands of innocent civilians to find out the truth (that there aren't any WMD's)

[spanone]

11. We know the white house lies, so no big whoop!

[xxqqqzme]

13. And on the credibility scale...of 1 to 10, 10

being best...Squatter comes in @ -15.

[Nottingham]

14. Don't ya love the Number 3 WH officials!

Why three I thought two WH official leaked the info???????

[Starpass]

15. Nott, yep, that stuck out like a sore thumb n/t

[Nottingham]

17. Bush has a thing for 3! And Cheney Rove & Any Bets on #3

Rice or Rummsfeld would be my bet! :bounce:

[damnraddem]

16. Hey, we all knew that the scapegoat to be chosen wouldn't be ...

one of them.

Now, let's get a special prosecutor on this, and let the prosecutor go after the leaker(s), no matter who they might be. My bet's on Dubya. ;-)

[Solly Mack]

18. Goodness, must be having trouble finding a willing scapegoat

I'm sure they'll dig deep enough and meet the right price of the one who takes one for the Dumbya

[Zero Gravitas]

20. White House also says

That the invasion of Iraq was both justified and a success. :eyes:

We need an independant counsel to investigate this, the WH is not credible on any issue.

[saskatoon]

24. investigate themselves--fox in henhouse!

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E11676%257E1664441,00.html



Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., called for a congressional investigation into whether the administration leaked the identity of an undercover CIA officer. "There's nothing that says Congress cannot carry out this investigation," he said. "I don't think we can leave this to the administration's own Justice Department."

[salin]

21. Let's see.. Eliot Abrams... lied to Congress (under oath)... says he

didn't leak. Yup. I'd take him at his word... :eyes:

[htuttle]

23. If he can't 'find' the traitor in the White House...

...there's only one sensible thing to do for National Security, and that's get him and his leaky staff out of the WhiteHouse.

If you were Director of the CIA right now, would you trust this Administration with ANY classified information? If you mention an agent's name, are you going to think, "Great. Now their cover will be blown"? Of course.

If the WhiteHouse were a government contractor that had been KNOWN to have outed extremely damaging classified information, and then said, "duh, we can't figure out who it was", would they continue to receive classified information? Probably not.

I have a feeling that this Administration doesn't compartmentalize things at all -- or rather, it's done on political grounds rather than security issues. Otherwise, there were really only 3 people who had any right to know the identity of a NOC, and that's Bush, Cheney, and Tenet (and maybe Rice...maybe not). Receiving a NOC's 'work product' is one thing, knowing who they actually are should be another.

However, I bet they they just sit around in these political bull sessions letting any information they wish come out between each other. Rove certainly had no right under the sun to know the identity of a NOC. None whatsoever.

[Pastiche423]

26. Will one reporter please

ask him to state that UNDER OATH!

[CO Liberal]

28. And We're Supposed to Take Their Word For It???

WE NEED A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR!!!!!!!

[Neecy]

29. oh, okay, never mind then

No problem! I'm sure that most suspects in a criminal investigation just casually get asked if they committed the felony, and of course if they're guilty they admit to it right away, because Federal prisons are such nice places to live.

I'm so glad that Bunnypants cleared this up for us, and that these top three advisors told him, "Nope! Wasn't me," and the whole silly episode can be put to rest.

Who needed Asscroft, when Bush just cleared up the whole case by himself? What a man! They didn't do it, that's that, move on, nothing here to see.

Fuck that.

[Nottingham]

30. Neecy! Baawaahaa! Bunnypants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I fell of my chair laughing at that one! Thanks I needed that!

:bounce:

[Neecy]

31. can't take credit for that

I forget the original DU poster who coined the phrase pResident Bunnypants, but it's a classic. If anyone remembers, please chime in.