White House won't comment on Rove, leak

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - For two years, the White House has insisted that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a CIA officer's identity. And President Bush said the leaker would be fired.

But Bush's spokesman wouldn't repeat any of those assertions Monday in the face of Rove's own lawyer saying his client spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before she was identified in a newspaper column.

Rove described the woman to a reporter as someone who "apparently works" at the CIA, according to an e-mail obtained by Newsweek magazine.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan refused to discuss the matter at two news briefings Monday. He said he would not comment because the leak is the focus of a federal criminal investigation.



more: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050711/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_investigation_1

better headline:
White House spokesman peppered with questions about C-I-A leak

WHITE HOUSE White House spokesman Scott McClellan is being tight-lipped about the probe into the leak of a C-I-A officer's identity -- and whether the leaker could have been one of the people closest to President Bush.

Reporters blistered McClellan today with questions about presidential adviser Karl Rove. Rove's lawyer admits that Rove spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's (playmz) role at the C-I-A before she was identified in a newspaper column.

McClellan refused comment, saying that's at the request of prosecutors who are investigating the leak.

more:http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=3579989

[wryter2000]

1. Wow, that was fast!

Franken was just this minute reading something from rawstory to the same effect.

[Pirate Smile]

2. Here is the Yahoo link to vote it up.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=1&u=/ap/20050711/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_investigation

[maddezmom]

3. thanks just edited to include it

:hi:

[Pirate Smile]

16. You're welcome.

:)

[maddezmom]

36. E&P has the transcript

~snip~
Q: So you're now saying that after you cleared Rove and the others from that podium, then the prosecutors asked you not to speak anymore and since then you haven't.

MCCLELLAN: Again, you're continuing to ask questions relating to an ongoing criminal investigation and I'm just not going to respond to them.

Q: When did they ask you to stop commenting on it, Scott? Can you pin down a date?

MCCLELLAN: Back in that time period.

Q: Well, then the president commented on it nine months later. So was he not following the White House plan?

MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your questions. You can keep asking them, but you have my response.

Q: Well, we are going to keep asking them. When did the president learn that Karl Rove had had a conversation with a news reporter about the involvement of Joseph Wilson's wife in the decision to send him to Africa?

more:http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000977098

[Bhaisahab]

65. hallelujah! is america's press finally doing its work? check out -

from the same link:

Q: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?

MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation...

Q: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?

MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.

Q: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything. You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn't he?

MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.

Q: Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?

MCCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.

QUESTION: You're in a bad spot here, Scott... because after the investigation began -- after the criminal investigation was under way -- you said, October 10th, 2003, "I spoke with those individuals, Rove, Abrams and Libby. As I pointed out, those individuals assured me they were not involved in this," from that podium. That's after the criminal investigation began.

Now that Rove has essentially been caught red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect for the sanctity of the criminal investigation?

MCCLELLAN: No, that's not a correct characterization. And I think you are well aware of that.....

And we want to be helpful so that they can get to the bottom of this. Because no one wants to get to the bottom of it more than the president of the United States.

I am well aware of what was said previously. I remember well what was said previously. And at some point I look forward to talking about it. But until the investigation is complete, I'm just not going to do that.

Q: So you're now saying that after you cleared Rove and the others from that podium, then the prosecutors asked you not to speak anymore and since then you haven't.

MCCLELLAN: Again, you're continuing to ask questions relating to an ongoing criminal investigation and I'm just not going to respond to them.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000977098

mcclellan sounds like he's got a pole shoved up his big asshole.

[Barrett808]

7. Done. Current rating: 5 stars with 65 votes n/t

[distantearlywarning]

62. Still 4.5 stars after more than 2K votes! n/t

[warrens]

4. I think Rove is going to skate, indictment-wise

He didn't provide her name. Somebody did, and hopefully the grand jury will figure out who that somebody was or those somebodies were. Rove appears to be technically innocent, because he didn't reveal her name. But, the two years of lying about it and the distinct possibility that he lied to the grand jury are what will do him in.

I want to see this whole gang of punks doing Supermax time. After a good horse-whipping.

[KittyWampus]

18. obviously coordinated leaks & contacts and thus conspiracy.

[hamsterjill]

34. I agree that Rove will probably skate

But I'd love to see him take the fall for this!! Even if he didn't technically mention her "name", I'm sure he made it known who he was talking about INTENTIONALLY.

So, if he's Cooper's source, who was Judith Miller's source?

[MadisonProgressive]

35. Bull

He identified her as Wilson's wife. It would be very simple to find out her name given that information. He outed a CIA agent, plain and simple!

[Eloriel]

39. I just realized something IMPORTANT -- it was said at the time that

many people in D.C. knew Joe Wilson's wife. Remember, she had a cover working for an "energy company" (and I can almost remember the name of that CIA front company, too -- almost).

ROVE DIDN'T HAVE TO MENTION HER NAME. People knew her, already knew her name. The part HE divulged was that she was a CIA agent.

[shantipriya]

42. Rove is going to be O.K.

With Rightwing press and the GOP controlling all branches of Govt.and stupid populace,I don't think anything is going to happen to golden boy Rove.

[lancdem]

44. They don't control the prosecutor, however

That's what really matters.

[shantipriya]

45. Rove

I think yhey do (indirectly). Remember we don't live in a true democracy.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

53. You seem to be missing the fact that the revolution has begun...

...and it began the day that the CIA requested that the Department of Justice begin a criminal investigation of the leak that exposed Valerie Plame.

And the revolution continues with each new revelation published by the BBC such as the DSM and supporting documents.

And the revolution continues with each additional death in the Middle East, be it American, Iraqi, British, Kurd or anyone else.

The NeoCons are now facing a formidable opponent consisting of the CIA, the judges/prosecutor of the Plame Grand Jury, the major corporate owners of the US mainstream media who appear to be off their leashes, and a growing number of GOP congresspeople who are joining the Democrats in opposing a number of NeoCon actions/policies.

[Cogito ergo doleo]

67. Interesting point from a lawyer on Huffington Post:

"As a lawyer, I remain stunned at the legal knowledge of some of our most prominent reporters.

Rove's lawyer has not claimed that Rove didn't intend to leak information as Crawford suggests, but rather he claims that Rove didn't knowingly identify Plame as a covert agent when Rove leaked her identity. There is a big difference between the two. Crawford didn't get this right and he should have. But on either issue, the proof should be easy, rather than hard, as has been suggested.

It is clear that Rove intended to leak, and Rove's lawyer knows that he will get nowhere with that argument; so, he has tried to argue that Rove had did not know that Plame was covert. This defense will not work either. Under the law, actual knowledge of her covert status is not necessary; knowledge of her covert status can be imputed to Rove.

The court will find, and will instruct the jury, that Rove had an affirmative duty to check out the status of Plame before he leaked her identity. If he failed to perform this duty, he is guilty of knowingly leaking the identity of a covert agent. This is not something where Rove can look the other way and pretend he didn't see."

More>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/craig-crawford/dirty-plot-or-accidental-_3946.html#comments

[MasonJar]

5. You cannotmean that some brave reporter finally asked Scottie

about it!

[mom cat]

13. If reporters are finally being let off their leashes, does that mean that

the overlords are getting tired of Bush? If so, he better be very careful on his tricycle from now on!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

54. That is exactly what it means. :-)

[mom cat]

58. I thought so!

[Blue Belle]

14. Not only did they ask... they pounded Scotty for answers.

He of course gave none... but here's a transcript:
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/TRANSCRIPT_WHITE_HOUSE_GRILLED_0711.html

[NeoConsSuck]

47. Thanks for posting this..

It's sounds like they were ripping Rove a new one! It's about time the media are doing their jobs.

[Blue Belle]

51. I know... The media has found it's spine!!

Crooks and Liars have a video of the Press Conference:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

[City Lights]

6. Rated and emailed. nt

[NWHarkness]

8. Feed the frenzy!

Rate it up!

[mom cat]

9. The fact that it a criminal investigation did not stop Scotty from

defending Rove in the past!

[gratuitous]

11. Yeah, when there was no evidence

Snottie was more than forthcoming about how honest and how much integrity Karl had, but when the noose is starting to draw closer around his pasty-white neck, suddenly Snottie is all "Karl who?"

Apparently, Rove's attorney has a rather colorful past, and once accepted his fees in a case of money laundering in the form of trunks full of money and gold bars -- then denied to an investigation that there was any way he would know that the fees he was being paid might be from tainted money. I'd like to see someone ask Snottie if he knows whether Rove is paying Mr. Luskin's fees in gold bars. Just for the humor value.

[mom cat]

57. You got it!

[TahitiNut]

10. They're pulling up the drawbridge, folks.

Their diarrhea of the mouth has been treated with a little Kaopectate of Truth.

Indict the whole WHIG ... and move on to the entire criminal cabal!

[Lochloosa]

12. 4 1/2 174 votes

kick it to 5 stars

[paula777]

15. Still 4 1/2 stars - 213 votes

[mbperrin]

19. Now 4-1/2 with 270 votes!

Up up and away!

[ecdab]

17. The paid liar seemed happy to talk before

Q All right. Let me just follow up. You said this morning, "The President knows" that Karl Rove wasn't involved. How does he know that?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I've made it very clear that it was a ridiculous suggestion in the first place. I saw some comments this morning from the person who made that suggestion, backing away from that. And I said it is simply not true. So, I mean, it's public knowledge. I've said that it's not true. And I have spoken with Karl Rove --
Q But how does --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not going to get into conversations that the President has with advisors or staff or anything of that nature; that's not my practice.
Q But the President has a factual basis for knowing that Karl Rove --
MR. McCLELLAN: I said it publicly. I said that --
Q But I'm not asking what you said, I'm asking if the President has a factual basis for saying -- for your statement that he knows Karl Rove --
MR. McCLELLAN: He's aware of what I've said, that there is simply no truth to that suggestion. And I have spoken with Karl about it.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030929-7.html

I was reading through a number of his press briefings - talk about turning ones stomach.

[OrwellwasRight]

21. Welcome to DU!

I keep hoping that each outrage by this Administration is the straw that breaks the Camel's back. It's hard to keep being an optimist, but perhpas the reporters are tired of being jerked around and will follow this to its conclusion.

:hi:

[ecdab]

22. We can only hope that they do,

but I'm not overly optimistic either that Rove will get what's coming his way. It was nice to see the paid liar getting beat up some by the press corp in the last press briefing though.

Thanks for the welcome.

[OrwellwasRight]

63. I know, faith in the press corps is like faith in your alcoholic brother

who has not been to AA yet.

You feel like you have to do it to be a good human being and family member, but you know you'll be disappointed in the end.

[TankLV]

20. But they sure have time to waste on Hillary's justified joke, right?!

Whatta country!

[donkeyotay]

23. Mr. President, define "taken care of."

"If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is," Bush told reporters at an impromptu news conference during a fund-raising stop in Chicago, Illinois. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of."

...

"I want to know the truth," the president continued. "Leaks of classified information are bad things."

He added that he did not know of "anybody in my administration who leaked classified information."

Bush said he has told his administration to cooperate fully with the investigation and asked anyone with knowledge of the case to come forward.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/30/wilson.cia/

So once again Mr. President, are you just out of the loop or do you not command your troops? Do you not know what's going on in your administration, or are you just not able to make your people comply with your orders?

[WinkyDink]

25. He meant it!

Rove WILL " be taken care of", in the sense of coddled, pampered, praised, and set financially for life!

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

52. ... that person will be taken care of." You know, swimming pools, pardons

..nice bank account and beach home offshore...you know, "Taken Care Of"

[Hepburn]

24. Hey, do you blame them?

They have already lied about it....why add to the problems? If they say something and Fitzgerald calls then in the GJ or in the trial on the matter, no one wants a prior inconsistent statement to come to the surface. They learned from Nixon ~ better to keep one's mouth shut and avoid an obstruction charge or being sucked further into the mess. Cover ups are deadly to one's career.

[jenmito]

50. Hey, Hepburn!

The other forum had posters wondering where you were and if you're ok. Anyway, I was listening to Lawrence O'Donnell today on Air America, and he said HE believes Rove is in for more than "just" a perjury charge, and that he believes Rove got the leak from Cheney or someone just as high up, in which they'd both be in trouble. He sounded really up-beat about the "goings on." He said there's no way Rove would've been called to testify three times if he was merely a witness, and even though Rove's lawyer claims Rove isn't a focus of the investigation, that doesn't mean he's not just playing word games, and he's actually much MORE than a focus of the investigation!

[RSchewe]

26. CNN Inside Politics covering Rove story now

Let's see how they spin it...

[Bumblebee]

43. Isikoff was on Inside Politics just now

and he mentioned a State Department document with Wilson's report conclusions in it that Colin Powell took to Africa with him when Bush and his WH cohorts were in there. The Report was top secret. Isikoff's speculation was that it was there that Rove and others might have obtained the information about Plame (even though they would not have been cleared to see it).

[skip fox]

27. Resignation by Friday afternoon . . .

W. has to distance himself from Rove who may receive more than one indictment and probably masterminded the series of 6 leaks and 3 officials' confirmations.

Full anylysis here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1919571

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Rove: "I didn't mention her by name"

I only played charades with Bob Novak. Let's see, I tugged on my ear and pointed at an airplane going overhead, after which I lit a cigarette lighter and pointed at the flame.

Novak: "Sounds like? Plane? Sounds like Plane? Her name is Plane? Pane? Is it Pane? Flame. Flame? Sounds like Flame? Flame? Plame. Is it Plame? Her name is Plame?"

[Eloriel]

40. He didn't have to mention her name -- see my post #39 upthread

People KNEW her name, knew that she was married to Wilson. He didn't out her NAME, he outed her true employment.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

41. The statute doesn't mention "naming", just "identifying"

The statute would probably be liberally construed by Judges to afford the greatest possible protection to the identity of covert agents.

[Iowa]

29. Done! Now at 4.5 stars - 549 votes n/t

[Kadie]

30. another story... White House Grilled About Rove-CIA Leak Connection

POSTED: 11:59 am PDT July 11, 2005

WASHINGTON -- For two years, the White House has insisted that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a CIA officer's identity. And President George W. Bush said the leaker would be fired.

But Bush's spokesman wouldn't repeat any of those assertions Monday in the face of Rove's own lawyer saying his client spoke with at least one reporter about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before she was identified in a newspaper column.

Rove described the woman to a reporter as someone who "apparently works" at the CIA, according to an e-mail obtained by Newsweek magazine.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan refused to discuss the matter at two news briefings Monday. He said he would not comment because the leak is the focus of a federal criminal investigation.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/news/4709316/detail.html

[maddezmom]

31. the press is actually pushing the story

:wow:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

32. Howard Kurtz On CNN: "This story may develop into Hurricane Dennis

proportions". I couldn't believe my ears when I heard him say that about this investigation into Rove a few moments ago on CNN.

[NYdemocrat089]

33. I was watching a press conference on CNN today

(not sure if it was this one) that was about the Plame Case and Rove. I was pretty excited that the MSM was finally talking about this. So they switch over to the conference and some guy starts asking about the London bombings (no offence to Londoners - the 7/7 attacks were very tragic). So after about 2 minutes CNN decided that they wern't talking about Rove and they move on.

Gave the article 5 stars.

[DFWJock]

37. Nuttin' to see here folks

...now back to the evils of gay marriage.

[rocktivity]

38. Awww, poor widdle Puffy McMoonface!

Are all those mean ol' reporters picking on you even after your told them you can't comment on a case in ligitation. They're so mean! You ought to tell George Bush's daddy on them!

:headbang:
rocknation

[maddezmom]

46. updated link: Reid comments...about national security

"The White House promised if anyone was involved in the Valerie Plame affair, they would no longer be in this administration," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "I trust they will follow through on this pledge. If these allegations are true, this rises above politics and is about our national security."


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050711/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_investigation_2

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

48. MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your questions..

Yeah, I'm sure he does.

Dan Froomkin does a really nice job REPORTING on this over here at the WaPo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html

Snip:

"On MSNBC, Bob Kur reported out of this morning's off-camera gaggle with McClellan: "Well, they're being pummeled with questions here this morning. Very interesting turn of events. The White House spokesman just a few minutes ago was asked about the latest developments about Karl Rove and he says he can't comment because it's an ongoing criminal investigation -- and yet reporters went after him with questions saying that during this ongoing investigation at earlier stages, he was willing to stand at the podium and say flat out that Karl Rove was not involved in the leak of the C.I.A. operative's identity."

"Well, so those are some tough questions to be answered here at the White House today."

Looks like Scotty has a little problem too.

[maddezmom]

49. AP has pulled together some of Scotty's inconsistencies

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050711/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_quotes_1

[boddhi]

55. TWO YEARS!!!!

It took two years of the prosecutor's time, court time up to SCOTUS, threats and jailing of publishers and reporters, and a threat to all reporters' ability to keep confidential sources anonymous, for someone near Rove to say "maybe he did say something".

C'mon - I'd like to see the man in irons as much as the next DU'er, but jeesh. How can ANYONE of whatever political stripe not say that Rove could have made everybody's life easier by coming clean two years ago when Scott McClellan, by McClellan's own admission, asked him if he knew anything about it.

If nothing else, conspiracies and legal hair splitting aside ("I never had naming with that woman"), and if no one else knew about it, Rove is at least guilty of egregious malfeasance of office to protect himself and should be fired immediately for that alone.

[boddhi]

56. the press shouldn't let the repug house and senate off the hook...

... on this either. The Senate majority leader should be looking into this very serious allegation and have something to say by now, doncha think?

[Patty Diana]

59. AOL Conservative Poll____71% say Rove outed Plame on purpose

What's your take on what Karl Rove said to Time about the agent?
He deliberately said too much 71%
It's unclear 13%
He didn't say too much at all 10%
He mistakenly said too much 6%
Total Votes: 168,352
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050710183509990003&ncid=NWS00010000000001

[maddezmom]

61. wow...that's something

:D

[deadparrot]

60. Slimy pice of shit...

may he go down in flames. :grr:

[lovuian]

64. The New York Post had some new information!!!

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=f1cb71042b17e660&cat=c08dd24cec417021

Rove's lawyer says his client has done nothing wrong.

"In the conversation, Karl is warning Cooper not to get too far out in front of the story," Luskin said. "There were false allegations out there that Vice President Cheney sent Wilson to Niger and that Wilson had reported back to Cheney about his trip to Niger. Neither was true.

"A fair-minded reading of Cooper's e-mail is that Rove was trying to discourage Time magazine from circulating false allegations about Cheney, not trying to encourage them by saying anything about Wilson or his wife."

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said it is "disturbing that this high ranking Bush adviser is not only still working in the White House, but now has a significant role in setting our national security policy."

Dean's counterpart, Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman, responded: "It's disappointing that once again, so many Democrat leaders are taking their political cues from the far left. ... The bottom line is the Democrats are engaged in blatant partisan political attacks."

more...

Was the reason Rove called Cooper to protect Cheney???

I'm getting the feeling that if Rove goes down he is taking Cheney with him!!! Hee Hee Hee!!!

[goforit]

66. Far Left he says??.....YEEEEEEEEEEHAWWWW to the south paws!!!

"It's disappointing that once again, so many Democrat leaders are taking their political cues from the far left. .

Gooooooooooooo DEAN!!!!!!!!! :bounce:

LOL!!!