Libby Indicted on 5 Counts

[livius drusus]

Including obstruction of justice, false statement and perjury. I have no further info right now, just the breaking news headlines at Salon and Drudge.

[ms_ann_thrope]

This should be interesting.

[D. Scarlatti]

I like the second sentence of the lead currently on the NYT's webpage:

"Karl Rove was not indicted today."

[Which they just this minute changed to: "Karl Rove apparently was not indicted today."]

[ms_ann_thrope]

Originally Posted by D. Scarlatti

I like the second sentence of the lead currently on the NYT's webpage:

"Karl Rove was not indicted today."

[Which they just this minute changed to: "Karl Rove apparently was not indicted today."]

Gonna be another long weekend for Karl...

[livius drusus]

From Salon's War Room:

the short version

Scooter Libby, the chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, has been indicted on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements for allegedly lying about how and when he learned and disclosed then-classified information about Valerie Plame, the office of special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has just announced.

The indictment against Libby alleges that he learned of Plame's identity from Cheney. It alleges that Libby discussed Plame's identity with Time's Matthew Cooper, NBC's Tim Russert and the New York Times' Judy Miller -- and that revealing Plame's identity had the potential of putting CIA agents at risk and damaging national security.

[livius drusus]

Here's a decent timeline of the Plame affair, for anyone's information.

[wei yau]

So far, these indictments are related to Libbey's statements before the investigation and testimony during the investigation. The investigation has not yet determined if the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity was an actual crime.

[alphamale]

This stuff is all chickenshit.

[wei yau]

Originally Posted by alphamale

This stuff is all chickenshit.

I am interested in why you make this statement, care to elaborate?

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by eldar

So far, these indictments are related to Libbey's statements before the investigation and testimony during the investigation. The investigation has not yet determined if the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity was an actual crime.

Indeed, and Karl Rove is still under investigation for his role in the leak. Special prosecutor Fitzgerald's investigators were recently spotted questioning Plame's neighbors about what they knew of her job, which seems to indicate they still have a fair amount of investigating to do.

More breaking news: Libby has resigned.

[ms_ann_thrope]

Originally Posted by eldar

So far, these indictments are related to Libbey's statements before the investigation and testimony during the investigation. The investigation has not yet determined if the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity was an actual crime.

Sometimes it's the coverup that'll get ya, not the original action below. I believe that Nixon said as much...

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by eldar

I am interested in why you make this statement, care to elaborate?

I think he means that putting CIA agents at risk and damaging national security is nowhere near as potentially damaging to America as Clinton getting his knob polished in the Oval Office, but that's just a charitable guess. It's plausible that he meant something even dumber.

[livius drusus]

Another snippet of news: Novak's original source is still a mystery. The indictment refers to this source only as "Mr. A."

[livius drusus]

Here's (warning: pdf file) the indictment, should anyone feel the urge to examine the horse's mouth.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Including obstruction of justice, false statement and perjury. I have no further info right now, just the breaking news headlines at Salon and Drudge.

To paraphrase Cool Hand:

livius drusus, why do you hate our country so much? You seem to miss few opportunities to bash it.

[wei yau]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

To paraphrase Cool Hand:

livius drusus, why do you hate our country so much? You seem to miss few opportunities to bash it.

Let's not do this, please.

I'd like to think that we actually are capable of civil discourse about politics without dragging that whole nonsense into every political thread.

[godfry n. glad]

..

[livius drusus]

Well said, eldar.

On topic, Fitzgerald's press release features a timeline of Libby's involvement.

the War Room break down

May 6, 2003: The New York Times publishes a Nicholas Kristof column that raises questions about the Iraq-Niger connection set forth in George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address and says that an unnamed former ambassador who had been sent to investigate the claims had reported back that they were wrong.

On or about May 29, 2003: Libby asks an undersecretary of state for information concerning the unnamed ambassador's trip to Niger. The undersecretary investigates and provides Libby periodic oral reports, eventually advising him that Wilson was the former ambassador in question.

On or about June 9, 2003: Libby and "another person in the vice president's office" receives classified documents from the CIA that discuss Wilson's trip but don't identify him by name. Libby writes "Wilson" and "Joe Wilson" on the documents.

On or about June 11 or 12, 2003: Libby is advised by an undersecretary of state that Wilson's wife works for the CIA and that State Department personnel said that Wilson's wife was involved in the organization of his trip to Niger.

On or about June 11, 2003: Libby gets similar information about Wilson's wife from a CIA official.

Prior to June 12, 2003: Libby participates in discussion within the vice president's office about how to respond to an inquiry about Wilson's trip from Walter Pincus of the Washington Post.

On or about June 12, 2003: Dick Cheney tells Libby that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in its Counterproliferation Division.

On or about June 14, 2003: Libby meets with a CIA briefer, complains that CIA officials are making comments critical of the vice president, and discusses both Joe Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame, by name.

On or about June 19, 2003: After the New Republic publishes an article titled "The First Casualty: The Selling of the Iraq War," Libby speaks with his principal deputy, who asks whether criticism of Cheney's office could be rebutted by sharing information about Wilson's trip with the press. Libby says there would be trouble with the CIA if the information were leaked -- and that he couldn't discuss the matter further on a nonsecure telephone.

On or about June 23, 2003: Libby tells the New York Times' Judy Miller that Wilson's wife might work at the CIA.

On or about July 7, 2003: A day after Wilson's Op-Ed appears in the New York Times, Libby tells Ari Fleischer that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA -- but that the information isn't widely known.

On or about July 8, 2003: Libby talks with Miller again about Wilson and his wife, this time asking that he be identified in print not as a White House official but as a "former Hill staffer." The same day, Libby asks Cheney's counsel about documents that might exist about Wilson's trip to Niger.

Between June 2003 and July 8, 2003: The assistant to the vice president for public affairs tells Libby that he has learned that Wilson's wife works at the CIA.

On July 10 or July 11, 2003: Libby talks with a senior White House official, identified by Fitzgerald only as "Official A," who tells him that he has discussed Wilson's wife with Robert Novak.

On or about July 12, 2003: Libby confirms for Matthew Cooper that Wilson's wife works for the CIA.

On or about July 12, 2003: Libby talks about Wilson and his wife with Miller once again.

[Veritas]

While scanning the BBC website, I saw "Cheney...resigns"

After rejoicing muchly, I noticed the missing word...aide.

Oh well. Better luck next time.

[alphamale]

Originally Posted by eldar

I am interested in why you make this statement, care to elaborate?

I read somewhere that it was common knowlege on the DC cocktail party circuit that Plame worked at the CIA. Also, she wasn't a "covert agent" like the liberal media keeps saying - she had a classification status. "Outing" her didn't threaten the continued existence of the republic.

[alphamale]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

I think he means that putting CIA agents at risk and damaging national security.

BLAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAAAAAA HEEEEEE HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell me - exactly what "damage" has been done to national security?

[wei yau]

Originally Posted by alphamale

I read somewhere that it was common knowlege on the DC cocktail party circuit that Plame worked at the CIA. Also, she wasn't a "covert agent" like the liberal media keeps saying - she had a classification status. "Outing" her didn't threaten the continued existence of the republic.

I've no idea if what you've posted above is true, however it is irrelevant.

As per the indictment charges, none of them are related to whether or not outing Plame was an actual crime. Instead, the charges deal only with Libby's statements made before the investigation and perjury during the investigation.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by alphamale

Also, she wasn't a "covert agent" like the liberal media keeps saying - she had a classification status.

What is a "classification status"?

Originally Posted by alphamale

Tell me - exactly what "damage" has been done to national security?

She was an undercover operative and analyst who oversaw a network of overseas agents. Any one of those agents is at risk of being recognized as someone who has been seen with/worked with Plame.

[alphamale]

Originally Posted by eldar

I've no idea if what you've posted above is true, however it is irrelevant.

As per the indictment charges, none of them are related to whether or not outing Plame was an actual crime. Instead, the charges deal only with Libby's statements made before the investigation and perjury during the investigation.

No, they include that he "outed" her. The prosecutor at his news conference made a big deal stating that it wasn't widely known, that her family and friends didn't know. If Libby did lie to the GJ, then he's a fool - he'll go to jail for lying about something that didn't matter. People who lie to the GJ are committing a crime, but making a spectacular issue out of sending people to jail about something that doesn't matter is chickenshit. Isn't that what liberals told us about Clinton? And yet HE never went to jail ...

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Including obstruction of justice, false statement and perjury. I have no further info right now, just the breaking news headlines at Salon and Drudge.

It ultimately means nothing however. Don't you think Bush will pardon him during his last days in office?