A Fresh Focus on Cheney

[MADem]

Looks like they've found a few SMOKING NOTES....

A Fresh Focus on Cheney
Hand-written notes by the Vice President surface in the Fitzgerald Probe

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Updated: 4:14 p.m. ET May 13, 2006


May 13, 2006 - The role of Vice President Dick Cheney in the criminal case stemming from the outing of White House critic Joseph Wilson's CIA wife is likely to get fresh attention as a result of newly disclosed notes showing that Cheney personally asked whether Wilson had been sent by his wife on a "junket" to Africa.

Cheney's notes, written on the margins of a July 6, 2003 New York Times op-ed column by former ambassador Joseph Wilson, were included as part of a filing Friday night by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the perjury and obstruction case against ex-Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

The notes, Fitzgerald said in his filing, show that Cheney and Libby were "acutely focused" on the Wilson column and on rebutting his criticisms of the White House's handling of pre-Iraq war intelligence. In the column, which created a firestorm after its publication, Wilson wrote that he had been dispatched by the CIA without pay to Niger in February, 2002 to investigate an intelligence report that Iraq was seeking uranium from the African country for a nuclear bomb. Wilson said he was told Cheney had asked about the intelligence,but the White House subsequently ignored his findings debunking the Niger claims.


In the margins of the op-ed, Cheney jotted out a series of questions that seemed to challenge many of Wilson's assertions as well as the legitimacy of his CIA sponsored trip to Africa: "Have they done this sort of thing before? Send an Amb. to answer a question? Do we ordinarily send people out pro bono to work for us? Or did his wife send him on a junket?"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12774274/site/newsweek/

[htuttle]

1. Nixon used to send action memos to his Chief of Staff that way

I just heard John Dean speak on public access this week, and he mentioned that Nixon used to write his action memos in the margins of the New York Times. Then his Chief of Staff would collect it, transcribe the notes into memos, and send them out under his own name. It was supposed to help insulate Nixon from his orders.

Figures Dick would steal a page from Dick. They're both dicks.

[leveymg]

52. And, like the other Dick, Cheney is about to resign.

That last helo ride is just ahead. Smile for the cameras, Dick!

[UpInArms]

2. This statement is rather damning:

Or did his wife send him on a junket?"

It makes the assumption that Heartless Dick KNEW that Valerie Plame was an undercover CIA agent.

[Jane Austin]

7. Good catch!

n/t

[MADem]

10. Ah, but wait, there's even MORE!!!!

According to Fitzgerald's filing, on the day that the Novak column was published, a CIA official was asked in Libby's presence by another Cheney aide whether he had read the column. The CIA official had not. But shortly thereafter, the unidentified CIA official discussed in Libby's presence "the dangers posed by disclosure of the CIA affiliation of one of its employee as had occurred in the Novak column," Fitzgerald wrote.

This evidence, Fitzgerald added, "directly contradicts" the assertion by defense lawyers that Libby "had no motive to lie" to the FBI and to the grand jury because he "thought that neither he nor anyone else had done anything wrong." Instead, Fitzgerald asserts, "the evidence about the conversation concerning the Novak column provides a strong motive for the defendant to provide false information and testimony about his disclosures to reporters."

I'd say he had ENORMOUS "motive to lie!" That "unnamed CIA official" had best watch his back...and we can figure he was pretty high up in the pecking order to be trotting about the WH!

[KeepItReal]

13. That agent *must* have had knowledge on Plame's work to say that

Or knew in some way she was in the clandestine service.

[MADem]

15. Look UP...not an agent, an OFFICIAL....

Probably in the WH to give the Monkey the PDB....!!!!

[UpInArms]

16. and this paragraph:

Libby, questioned by the FBI and by federal prosecutors in two grand jury appearances, denied providing that confirmation to Cooper and insisted he had heard about Wilson's wife a day or two earlier from NBC TV Meet the Press host Tim Russert—an account that Fitzgerald charged in an indictment last October was a lie. Fitzgerald in his court filing indicated he plans to introduce a copy of Cheney's annotated version of the Wilson column to show the vice president's interest in the circumstances surrounding Wilson's trip WAS an important matter to Libby that week and explains many of his actions. Those actions, according to the indictment, include discussing Plame's employment at the CIA—a matter Fitzgerald has said was classified at the time—with New York Times reporter Judy Miller on July 8, 2003.

[teknomanzer]

58. The use of the work junket is interesting...

a Junket is a pleasure cruise of sorts... who the hell takes a pleasure cruise to Niger?

[Tempest]

3. This is very bad for Libby

Libby testified to the grand jury that Cheney wasn't involved in the discussions about Plame's role in Wilson's trip.

[rodeodance]

4. Fitz filed this yesterday!--Hot off the press.

....The notes, Fitzgerald said in his filing, show that Cheney and Libby were "acutely focused" on the Wilson column and on rebutting his criticisms of the White House's handling of pre-Iraq war intelligence.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Glad nothing was going on

yesterday.

:sarcasm:

[KeepItReal]

5. Well Scooter Libby worked *for* Cheney, not for himself

So there should be a trail to Cheney. Cheney was dumb enough to put stuff in writing though?

[DoYouEverWonder]

21. Nixon was dumb enough

to put stuff on tape.

Go figure.

[KeepItReal]

24. Roger that!

Here's to their ignorance

:toast:

[DoYouEverWonder]

25. Actually, it's arrogance

None of them ever think they are going to get caught.

[ninkasi]

29. I agree

They have gotten away with so much, for so long, that they never considered the possibility of being investigated. We have a lot to thank Patrick Fitzgerald for. Look at Bush, he has been a failure all of his life, but Daddy and friends were always there to clean up the mess. Cheney has gotten through a great deal, completely unscathed. They had no reason to believe that some day, their lies would be challenged. I hope they all serve the rest of their lives in prison, for they damage they have done to this country, and the rest of the world.

[formercia]

30. Or the statute of limitations would apply......n/t

I can hear Cheney now..."By the time those piss ants figure this out, we'll be long gone...."

[Eurobabe]

6. A Two-fer from Fitz??

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. Oh let's go for a triple

Bush was also Libby's boss.

[leveymg]

55. I agree about the triple.

In the last round of court filings, in early February, Fitz indicated that Bush, Cheney and Condi were also subjects of the investigation. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/6/12248/27290

[KeepItReal]

8. Libby only realized they f*cked up when the CIA person read Novak's column

"According to Fitzgerald's filing, on the day that the Novak column was published, a CIA official was asked in Libby's presence by another Cheney aide whether he had read the column. The CIA official had not. But shortly thereafter, the unidentified CIA official discussed in Libby's presence "the dangers posed by disclosure of the CIA affiliation of one of its employee as had occurred in the Novak column," Fitzgerald wrote.

This evidence, Fitzgerald added, "directly contradicts" the assertion by defense lawyers that Libby "had no motive to lie" to the FBI and to the grand jury because he "thought that neither he nor anyone else had done anything wrong." Instead, Fitzgerald asserts, "the evidence about the conversation concerning the Novak column provides a strong motive for the defendant to provide false information and testimony about his disclosures to reporters.""


DAMN!!!

[rodeodance]

9. It is extremely rare, -for Cheney's own notes to be made public.````

......It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for Cheney's own notes to be made public. The notes—apparently obtained as a result of a grand jury subpoena—would appear to make Cheney an even more central witness than had been previously thought in the criminal probe. Fitzgerald's prosecution has created continued problems for the White House. Karl Rove, the President Bush's chief political advisor, recently made his fifth grand jury appearance in the case and remains under scrutiny while Fitzgerald weighs whether to file criminal charges against him. For now, Libby is the only figure charged in the case.

Lea Ann McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president, declined to comment on the newly disclosed notes. "We continue to cooperate in the investigation as we have since its inception," she said.

[rodeodance]

14. more. "This evidence, Fitzgerald added, "directly contradicts" .....

..
A Fresh Focus on Cheney
Hand-written notes by the Vice President surface in the Fitzgerald Probe

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Updated: 4:14 p.m. ET May 13, 2006


May 13, 2006 - The role of Vice President Dick Cheney in the criminal case stemming from the outing of White House critic Joseph Wilson's CIA wife is likely to get fresh attention as a result of newly disclosed notes showing that Cheney personally asked whether Wilson had been sent by his wife on a "junket" to Africa.

Cheney's notes, written on the margins of a July 6, 2003 New York Times op-ed column by former ambassador Joseph Wilson, were included as part of a filing Friday night by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the perjury and obstruction case against ex-Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

The notes, Fitzgerald said in his filing, show that Cheney and Libby were "acutely focused" on the Wilson column and on rebutting his criticisms of the White House's handling of pre-Iraq war intelligence. In the column, which created a firestorm after its publication, Wilson wrote that he had been dispatched by the CIA without pay to Niger in February, 2002 to investigate an intelligence report that Iraq was seeking uranium from the African country for a nuclear bomb. Wilson said he was told Cheney had asked about the intelligence,but the White House subsequently ignored his findings debunking the Niger claims.


In the margins of the op-ed, Cheney jotted out a series of questions that seemed to challenge many of Wilson's assertions as well as the legitimacy of his CIA sponsored trip to Africa: "Have they done this sort of thing before? Send an Amb. to answer a question? Do we ordinarily send people out pro bono to work for us? Or did his wife send him on a junket?"

It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for Cheney's own notes to be made public. The notes—apparently obtained as a result of a grand jury subpoena—would appear to make Cheney an even more central witness than had been previously thought in the criminal probe. Fitzgerald's prosecution has created continued problems for the White House. Karl Rove, the President Bush's chief political advisor, recently made his fifth grand jury appearance in the case and remains under scrutiny while Fitzgerald weighs whether to file criminal charges against him. For now, Libby is the only figure charged in the case.

Lea Ann McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president, declined to comment on the newly disclosed notes. "We continue to cooperate in the investigation as we have since its inception," she said.

Fitzgerald first alleged that Cheney had questioned whether Wilson's trip was a "junket" in a court filing last month. In that filing, Fitzgerald also asserted that the vice president, acting with the approval of President Bush, had authorized Libby to disclose portions of the classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq to rebut some of Wilson's claims.

But the notes provide significant new context to that assertion. They show the vice president personally raised questions about Wilson's trip right after the publication of the Wilson column-and five days before Libby confirmed to Time reporter Matt Cooper that he had "heard" that Wilson's wife, former CIA agent Valerie Plame, had played a role in sending him to Africa.

Libby, questioned by the FBI and by federal prosecutors in two grand jury appearances, denied providing that confirmation to Cooper and insisted he had heard about Wilson's wife a day or two earlier from NBC TV Meet the Press host Tim Russert—an account that Fitzgerald charged in an indictment last October was a lie. Fitzgerald in his court filing indicated he plans to introduce a copy of Cheney's annotated version of the Wilson column to show the vice president's interest in the circumstances surrounding Wilson's trip WAS an important matter to Libby that week and explains many of his actions. Those actions, according to the indictment, include discussing Plame's employment at the CIA—a matter Fitzgerald has said was classified at the time—with New York Times reporter Judy Miller on July 8, 2003.

Fitzgerald also said in his court filing that he plans to introduce a copy of Robert Novak's July 14, 2003 newspaper column that first identified Plame as a CIA "operative" who worked issues related to weapons of mass destruction. Fitzgerald said he will do so in order to introduce evidence about a series of conversations that he argued could undercut one of Libby's principal defenses: that he had no reason to believe Plame's employment was a sensitive matter and therefore had no reason to lie to the grand jury about when and with whom he spoke about it.

According to Fitzgerald's filing, on the day that the Novak column was published, a CIA official was asked in Libby's presence by another Cheney aide whether he had read the column. The CIA official had not. But shortly thereafter, the unidentified CIA official discussed in Libby's presence "the dangers posed by disclosure of the CIA affiliation of one of its employee as had occurred in the Novak column," Fitzgerald wrote.

This evidence, Fitzgerald added, "directly contradicts" the assertion by defense lawyers that Libby "had no motive to lie" to the FBI and to the grand jury because he "thought that neither he nor anyone else had done anything wrong." Instead, Fitzgerald asserts, "the evidence about the conversation concerning the Novak column provides a strong motive for the defendant to provide false information and testimony about his disclosures to reporters."

[cally]

11. There's a great post at Kos about this also

I was just reading this and came back to DU before I read the comments to see if the Kos post seem valid. It appears that Cheney may be caught, also. :woohoo:

Kos post

[leveymg]

56. emptywheel is one smart cookie, isn't she?

She has an amazing wealth of details stored up about this case, and is very methodical in the way she lays it out. The case she makes against Cheney is very thorough and convincing. Probably second to Fitz only.

We're lucky to have such brilliant people on our side.

[Rose Siding]

12. Hardin Smith explains that when he wrote that, dick knew the answers

indicating that they could have been instructions for talking points- mud for the water-

snip>
At the time that Cheney is writing these margin notes, he has already been informed of the answers to these questions — so the big question becomes, are these Dick’s talking points — his marching orders to Scooter and others — as to what the Administration’s push-back on Wilson ought to be? And if so, doesn’t it sound awfully familiar in terms of what was said to Judy Miller, Matt Cooper, and Bob Novak, at a minimum?

I don’t need to tell all of you that this is potentially HUGE.

And it comes out in response to Team Libby’s pushback in court on demanding that Fitzgerald reveal what articles he does or does not intend to use at trial. This is another one of those grenades that gets lobbed back in response. And there can’t be any whining about it, because they asked for it themselves. Priceless.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/05/13/the-cirque-du-soleil-defense-part-ii/

[Disturbed]

17. It has been obvious to me that Cheney is behind the

leaks and the outing of V. Plame and Brewster Jennings. Because Libby and Rove repeatedly lied about their parts they obstructed the investigation and made it impossible, at least for now, to prove just how Cheney directed the Operation.

[leveymg]

57. But, by protecting Cheney, they made this case easier to prosecute.

Kinda like an in-field bunt, but the base runner is going to be tagged out before he reaches home.

Cheney and Bush can't run faster than Fitz can throw.

[Qutzupalotl]

51. self-delete

[sellitman]

18. How far is this going?

Is it possible Fitz has anything on Cuckoo Bananas too?

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. He's working on it

but he always goes from the bottom to the top.

[IndianaGreen]

26. Fritz will need to flip someone that worked for Cheney

I think Libby would undergo death by crucifixion before he snitches on his boss.

[MADem]

38. I dunno...he has young kids, and he doesn't want to watch them

graduate on the black and white TV with the camcorder hooked up to it in the visiting room of the federal pen.

He's gonna TRUST these fuckers to let him take the fall and get a pardon LATER?? I sure as hell wouldn't. Chuck Colson, anyone? Haldeman? Erlichmann?? Never mind the jail terms, the fines!!!!

Young kids...and he's gotten to spend time with them, lately...the weakest link!

He could flip, sing, and write one helluva book. Sell the screen rights. He'd be set for life...and he could do the John Dean thing, going on TV for retrospectives and future scandals...it's a lot less stressful than the situation he's in now.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

19. K & R. Glad to see the link to Cheney exposed! :-)

[hiley]

27. "Hand-written notes by the Vice President surface in the Fitzgerald Probe"

A Fresh Focus on Cheney
Hand-written notes by the Vice President surface in the Fitzgerald Probe
Web Exclusive
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Updated: 4:14 p.m. ET May 13, 2006

May 13, 2006 - The role of Vice President Dick Cheney in the criminal case stemming from the outing of White House critic Joseph Wilson's CIA wife is likely to get fresh attention as a result of newly disclosed notes showing that Cheney personally asked whether Wilson had been sent by his wife on a "junket" to Africa.
Cheney's notes, written on the margins of a July 6, 2003 New York Times op-ed column by former ambassador Joseph Wilson, were included as part of a filing Friday night by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in the perjury and obstruction case against ex-Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

The notes, Fitzgerald said in his filing, show that Cheney and Libby were "acutely focused" on the Wilson column and on rebutting his criticisms of the White House's handling of pre-Iraq war intelligence. In the column, which created a firestorm after its publication, Wilson wrote that he had been dispatched by the CIA without pay to Niger in February, 2002 to investigate an intelligence report that Iraq was seeking uranium from the African country for a nuclear bomb. Wilson said he was told Cheney had asked about the intelligence,but the White House subsequently ignored his findings debunking the Niger claims.
In the margins of the op-ed, Cheney jotted out a series of questions that seemed to challenge many of Wilson's assertions as well as the legitimacy of his CIA sponsored trip to Africa: "Have they done this sort of thing before? Send an Amb. to answer a question? Do we ordinarily send people out pro bono to work for us? Or did his wife send him on a junket?"

It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for Cheney's own notes to be made public. The notes—apparently obtained as a result of a grand jury subpoena—would appear to make Cheney an even more central witness than had been previously thought in the criminal probe. Fitzgerald's prosecution has created continued problems for the White House. Karl Rove, the President Bush's chief political advisor, recently made his fifth grand jury appearance in the case and remains under scrutiny while Fitzgerald weighs whether to file criminal charges against him. For now, Libby is the only figure charged in the case.

<clip>

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12774274/site/newsweek/

[MrBenchley]

28. Wonder if Rove will implicate Cheney for a lighter sentence?

[against all enemies]

31. Why bother, Bush will pardon him anyway.

[99Pancakes]

41. I dare Shrubby Boy to do that

The Republican'ts will surely be swept out of office.

[anitar1]

43. If Bush is impeached and then charged with other crimes,

he would not have the power to pardon, Correct? Does someone know the procedure?

[lovuian]

39. Fitzgerald has his sights on the prize Cheney...

Abuse of power!!!

[CANDO]

32. Looks to me Fitz is lining up Dead Eye Dick for Indictment!

Could it possibly be???

[Oak2004]

34. Poor Dick

If he becomes a convicted felon, he'll lose the right to own guns. No more hunting for Texas lawyers anymore.

[creeksneakers2]

33. CIA Leak Court Filing Focuses on Cheney

By PETE YOST
The Associated Press
Saturday, May 13, 2006; 7:30 PM

WASHINGTON -- In a new court filing, the prosecutor in the CIA leak case revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney made handwritten references to CIA officer Valerie Plame _ albeit not by name _ before her identity was publicly exposed.

The new court filing is the second in little more than a month by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald mentioning Cheney as being closely focused with his then-chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, on Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, who is married to Plame.

In the latest court filing late Friday, Fitzgerald said he intends to introduce at Libby's trial in January a copy of Wilson's op-ed article in The New York Times "bearing handwritten notations by the vice president." The article was published on July 6, 2003, eight days before Plame's identity was exposed by conservative columnist Bob Novak.

[eppur_se_muova]

35. And a link for that ... now on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/13/cheney.probe.ap/index.html

[struggle4progress]

36. Cheney Tied More Closely to Plame/CIA Leak Case (E&P)

.. In the latest court filing late Friday, Fitzgerald said he intends to introduce at Libby's trial in January a copy of Wilson's op-ed article in The New York Times "bearing handwritten notations by the vice president." The article was published on July 6, 2003, eight days before Plame's identity was exposed by conservative columnist Bob Novak.

The notations "support the proposition that publication of the Wilson Op Ed acutely focused the attention of the vice president and the defendant _ his chief of staff _ on Mr. Wilson, on the assertions made in the article and on responding to those assertions."

The article containing Cheney's notes "reflects the contemporaneous reaction of the vice president to Mr. Wilson's Op Ed article," the prosecutor said. "This is relevant to establishing some of the facts that were viewed as important by the defendant's immediate superior, including whether Mr. Wilson's wife had 'sent him on a junket,' the filing states ..

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002502418

[MADem]

37. Ah, toast!!! A bit burnt, but TOAST! n/t

[LeahD]

40. Fitz is working his way up the food chain! n/t

[99Pancakes]

42. Errr....

you mean, working his way DOWN the food chain.

[LeahD]

44. Ah, yes. I see what you're saying.....

the higher we go up the chain of command, the bigger criminals we find....the true bottom feeders are at the top!

[Horse with no Name]

45. Yahoo: Cheney the Focus of CIA Leak Court Filing

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060514/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_case

In the latest court filing late Friday, Fitzgerald said he intends to introduce at Libby's trial in January a copy of Wilson's op-ed article in The New York Times "bearing handwritten notations by the vice president." The article was published on July 6, 2003, eight days before Plame's identity was exposed by conservative columnist Bob Novak.

The notations "support the proposition that publication of the Wilson Op Ed acutely focused the attention of the vice president and the defendant — his chief of staff — on Mr. Wilson, on the assertions made in the article and on responding to those assertions."

The article containing Cheney's notes "reflects the contemporaneous reaction of the vice president to Mr. Wilson's Op Ed article," the prosecutor said. "This is relevant to establishing some of the facts that were viewed as important by the defendant's immediate superior, including whether Mr. Wilson's wife had 'sent him on a junket,' the filing states.

The reference is to the fact that the CIA sent Wilson on a trip to Africa in 2002 to check out a report that
Iraq had made attempts to acquire uranium yellowcake from Niger.

[Frustratedlady]

46. Oh, Wow!

"The prosecution's court papers also stated that Cheney told Libby around June 12, 2003, that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA, a month before her identity was outed."

But...but we have to wait until January?

[Qutzupalotl]

48. Libby's trial has to wait,

but I see no reason why a case against Cheney couldn't proceed, assuming he still believes a crime was committed with the outing. It sounds like he does.

Whether the "I double-secret-declassified it first" defense will fly with a grand jury is anybody's guess. With Fitzgerald on the case, I suspect it won't.

Either way, this will shine a brilliant light into a very dark area: who is this "shadow president" Cheney, and what has he been up to?

[dxdem]

47. House of Cards...

Looks like Rove is being indicted (I'll hold the applause until I see it MSM), Fitz is looking at Cheney, NSA programs being unveiled...crazy week it's been...

[99Pancakes]

49. Shrubbing Bubbles is next

:woohoo:

[cliss]

50. My God, it suddenly hit me.

We're finally getting what we've all been waiting for: the Bush administration is coming apart. I mean really apart.

The sharks are circling the waters...

[DoYouEverWonder]

53. Yes they are

Duck and cover

[leveymg]

54. You're right. But, this is a very dangerous time.

If we make it through to November without a war with Iran, I think this one will have a happy ending.