WizardOfAz

Justice Dept. Looks Into Leak of CIA Name
Mon Sep 29, 2003

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Authorities are looking into allegations that White House officials revealed the identity of a CIA operative, in possible violation of the law.

The naming of the intelligence officer's identity by syndicated columnist Robert Novak came shortly after her husband had undermined President Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa.

Bush national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Sunday she was unaware of any White House involvement in the matter.

"I know nothing of any such White House effort to reveal any of this, and it certainly would not be the way that the president would expect his White House to operate," she told "Fox News Sunday."

Secretary of State Colin Powell also denied knowledge of the matter.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Justice Department has received a letter from CIA Director George Tenet to look into the matter.

The department and the FBI are trying to determine whether there was a violation of the law and, if so, then whether a full-blown criminal investigation is warranted, the official said.

The flap began in January when Bush said in his State of the Union address that British intelligence officials had learned that Iraq had tried to purchase yellowcake uranium in Africa.

In an opinion piece published in July by The New York Times, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson said he told the CIA long before Bush's address that the British reports were suspect and the administration has since said the assertion should not have been in Bush's speech.

A week after Wilson went public with his criticism Novak, quoting anonymous government sources, said Wilson's wife was a CIA operative working on the issue of weapons of mass destruction.

The Washington Post on Sunday quoted an unidentified senior administration official as saying two top White House officials called at least a half-dozen journalists and revealed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife. Disclosing the name of an undercover CIA agent could violate federal law.

"I know nothing about any such calls and I do know that the president of the United States would not expect his White House to behave in that way," Rice said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Powell told ABC's "This Week" that he thought that if the CIA believed the identity of one of its covert employees have been revealed, it had an obligation to ask the Justice Department to look into the matter. But he added: "Other than that, I don't know anything about the matter."

Rice said the matter has been referred to the Justice Department and "I think that's the appropriate place. ... Let's just see what the Justice Department does."

Pressed whether anyone at the White House raised concerns that the Wilson matter posed a problem for the administration, she replied: "I don't remember any such conversation."

NickelBack

Justice Department interested in the goings on at the White House, this sounds somewhat familiar.

SirStefan32

Nice user name. Nickelback fan?

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Dback Jon

THEN:
“I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the names of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors.”
- Remarks By George Bush
41st President of the United States,
At the Dedication Ceremony for the George Bush Center for Intelligence



NOW:
“President George W. Bush has no plans to ask his staff members whether they played a role in revealing the name of an undercover CIA officer.”
Condi Rice, National Security Adviser.

__________________



R.I.P Tim Minnick

The KING of Cards

SirStefan32

She was not an undercover agent. She was not even an agent period! She was a freaking analyst. There is no story in here people. This is a bunch of crap.

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Chris_Sanders

Blah Blah...more waste of the tax dollars.

Dback Jon

Uh, Stefan, she was an undercover agent.

But sources told CNN that Plame works in the CIA's Directorate of Operations -- the part of the agency that spies on others -- and was in the field for many years as an undercover officer. "

Only Robert Novak, the administration shill that committed TREASON by blowing her cover, is still claiming she was not undercover.

__________________



R.I.P Tim Minnick

The KING of Cards

Brian in Mesa

Big deal if she was. More recently she was an ANALYST. If her name was such a big secret, her hubby Joseph Wilson, wouldn't have it on his own website, but he does.

Robert Novak said he had no White House source. This is just more partisan BS.

Years back, Linda Tripp's juvenile shoplifting record was leaked - Dems didn't call for an investigation. Paula Jones income tax records were illegaly made public - no Dem outrage. 1100 files opened on Republicans - it's okee dokee with the Dems. Why? Because they were "in power." It's only a scandal when a Rep is in the House. This is so tired.

BTW: Just once I'd like to hear a plan for the future by one of the 10 Dems running for Pres, instead of speaking negatively about America, the War in Iraq, or Pres Bush. If everything is so messed up - why don't they tell the American people WHAT they plan on doing???

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

WizardOfAz

Such a non-story that the FBI has just announced that it will launch it own investigation:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...st_pe/cia_leak

justAndy

... tens of millions of $'s can be spent on pursuing a president for recieving oral favors from an adult intern, we can investigate allegations of outright treason.

SirStefan32

For God's sake there is no treason, there is no crime, there is nothing. Novak said he did not receive information from the White House. I don't believe we are even bothering looking into this.

__________________
"Don't try to threaten me Mulder! I've watched presidents die."

"If people would know the things I know, we'd all fall apart."

"Once again, tonight, the course of human history will be set by two unknown men standing in the shadows."

Cigarette Smoking Man

Brian in Mesa

Heard on the radio today that Novak allegedly called the CIA's personnel department and asked what job position Plame held with them. He was told that she was an analyst for them and was working on info regarding certain weapons (WOMD). (AS I posted before, Novak could have gone to Joseph Wilson's own website and gotten his wife's name from it...)

All of this attention is coming NOW for an opinion piece which ran in JULY... Where has the outrage been hiding?

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

Brian in Mesa

So?

One quote is from the President's father and one from a member of his cabinet.

What has G W Bush said?

He said he wants a full investigation.

BTW: It's not his job to interrogate his staff. He has advised everyone to cooperate with the investigation and provide any paperwork requested.

__________________
HONEY BADGER DON'T CARE

schutd

Publicly, anyway. Heh.

WizardOfAz

I was wondering that same thing.

Why would the FBI and Justice jump like this for NOW?