Mary Matalin to Scooter Libby:CALL RUSSERT To Complain about Hardball, Russert hates Chris Matthews!

[emulatorloo]

fascinating little bit from the firedoglake Libby trial coverage:

looked to see if this was a dupe, couldn't find it.

Looking forward to a David Schuster report on this little tidbit (if Fitz ends up getting it introduced) LOL

As you may remember Scooter Libby did call Russert to bitch about Matthews coverage the Niger controversy.

It is during this call Libby claimed to FBI and GJ that he learned of Plame's identity from Russert.

Russert says Plame did not come up and that Scooter is lying

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http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/01/31/libby-live-matt-cooper-one/

<snip>

Wells Somewhat easier, more traditional, Govt wants to introduce note that Libby took while conversation with Matalin, who used to be PS at OVP, during the conversation Matalin stated that Wilson's a snake, Mr Libby wrote it down.

Zeidenberg. These are from Libby's notes, dated July 10. He can't be held accountable for what she said. Mr Libby called Matalin for advice. On July 8 he wrote down notes in which Rove said, people are taking Wilson as a credible expert. 2 days go by, he calls Matalin for advice. She tells him, she gives him strategy. We need someone who can sum it up. This is fitting into Democratic story. It has legs. The story's not going away. We need to address Wilson motivation. The President should wave his wand. "Call Tim," Mary Matalin, he hates Chris, he needs to know it all. Underneath, Mr Libby's notes, Wilson's a snake. As a result, he calls Tim Russert. The fact that he would write that down goes to state of mind. Govt was interested in responding on the merits.

Walton a statement Matalin made, not Libby That's extremely prejudicial. That would buy into govt's theory that defendant had motive to harm Wilson, and that one of the things that he could do, It's very prejudicial that someone else's mindset.

Zeidenberg. Libby makes clear that in course of conversation, it is telephone conversation he tells FBI that Matalin has a colorful way of speaking. To the extent that they want to argue that that's what Matalin writes, an ad hominem attack about critic.

<snip>

[LSparkle]

1. Very informative: ROVE says "people are taking Wilson ...

as a credible expert" so they set out ... to discredit him.

I hope they call KKKarl to testify (!).

[blm]

2. It worked, though. Matthews started hot on the story then cooled off considerably

and allowed the RW talking points about Wilson to go unchallenged many times throughout 2003-4.

If Matthews would have stayed consistently fair on this story throughout that timeframe, more people in this country could have grasped that the WH was INDEED to blame for the outing of an undercover agent.

[rodeodance]

3. so many IFs.

[emulatorloo]

4. At least Matthews has consistently covered Plamegate

But, yeah BLM, I know exactly what you mean. There are a number of other cases in 04 where Tweety was hot on a story, got threatened, and then backed off. "frustrated" doesn't come close to how I felt back then.

[blm]

10. Except at some points when he covered it the target was Wilson's credibility,

and when GOP operatives would attack that, Tweety would let them and nod away in that infuriating I agree mode.

[Supersedeas]

5. The President should wave his wand???????????????????

[emulatorloo]

9. LOL -- I missed that EOM

[tinfoilinfor2005]

6. Russert hates Tweety?

Gosh. Maybe I should reconsider my opinion of Mr. Mathews. :applause:

[Jacobin]

7. So, this is why Carville downplayed Plamegate and said it was nothing

His forking wife is in it up to her eyeballs.

:puke:

[blm]

8. For 17 months before the 2004 election. And let Wilson be painted as a liar

the entire time.

Any antiBush mewlings he may have uttered during that time were merely for appearance's sake, not meant to be effective.

And Mandy Grunwald knew, too, and let Wilson get attacked unfairly. She is married to Matt Cooper.