WP: Time Reporter Called a Key to Rove's Defense

[Halliburton]

<snip>
The reporter for Time magazine who recently agreed to testify in the CIA leak case is central to White House senior adviser Karl Rove's effort to fend off an indictment in the two-year-old investigation, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Viveca Novak, who has written intermittently about the leak case for Time, has been asked to provide sworn testimony to Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in the next few weeks after Rove attorney Robert Luskin told Fitzgerald about a conversation he had with her, the two sources said.

It's not clear why Luskin believes Novak's deposition could help Rove, President Bush's deputy chief of staff, who remains under investigation into whether he provided false statements in the case. But a person familiar with the matter said Luskin cited his conversations with Novak in persuading Fitzgerald not to indict Rove in late October, when the prosecutor brought perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges against Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

"This is what caused to hold off on charging" Rove, the source said. But another person familiar with the conversations said they did not appear to significantly alter the case.
<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801683.html

This doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Luskin strikes again.

[Rose Siding]

1. Spin

Akin to calling Woodward's testimony a "bombshell" that favored Libby.

[dave29]

2. most important paragraph

"It could not be learned what Luskin and Novak, who are friends, discussed that could help prove Rove did nothing illegal in the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to reporters and the subsequent investigation of it."

How conveeenient.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. This link seems to suggest that Vivica Novak is not related to Robert....

...Novak, and doesn't like Novak at all. It stands to reason that she probably doesn't like Rove very much, either.

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5461895#5462203>

Whether or not she and Luskin are friends is, IMHO, immaterial to the process. Including that comment in the article is a red herring.

[Beetwasher]

4. Nothing She Could Say Will Change The FACT That He Lied To The GJ & Feds

That's obstruction and perjury and nothing will change that. No bullshit story they concocted will change Rove's past lies and omissions to the Feds and the GJ. They are grasping at straws.

By this headline and in fact pretty much the entire article, I see the WP is still not beneath carrying Rove's water and pushing his spin and propoganda. Thankfully, Fitz cares little about bullshit spin meant for public consumption; and the law cares about it even less.

[hang a left]

Time Reporter Called a Key to Rove's Defense In Leak Probe(hold your nose)

Time Reporter Called a Key to Rove's Defense In Leak Probe

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2005; Page A01

The reporter for Time magazine who recently agreed to testify in the CIA leak case is central to White House senior adviser Karl Rove's effort to fend off an indictment in the two-year-old investigation, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Viveca Novak, who has written intermittently about the leak case for Time, has been asked to provide sworn testimony to Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in the next few weeks after Rove attorney Robert Luskin told Fitzgerald about a conversation he had with her, the two sources said.

It's not clear why Luskin believes Novak's deposition could help Rove, President Bush's deputy chief of staff, who remains under investigation into whether he provided false statements in the case. But a person familiar with the matter said Luskin cited his conversations with Novak in persuading Fitzgerald not to indict Rove in late October, when the prosecutor brought perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges against Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

"This is what caused to hold off on charging" Rove, the source said. But another person familiar with the conversations said they did not appear to significantly alter the case.

snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/28/AR2005112801683.html?sub=AR

[napi21]

5. I can't believe Liskin would say anything that would hurt Rove!

Luskin is a very good lawyer and Rove is his client. Why would you ever think he would harm his client?

I think we're all just grasping at any possibility that someone might snag Rove, but I doubt this is the one!

[chalky]

6. Check out this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5469018

[Voltaire99]

7. Nothing unusual for a Time "reporter."

Defending the status quo is always their first duty.