Court filings shed more light on CIA leak investigation (3rd reporter)

[sabra]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Court_filings_shed_more_light_on_0202.html

Court filings shed more light on CIA leak investigation
Third Time reporter, named in filings, says he has not testified in case

A series of striking revelations have emerged after the release of dozens of pages of court files in the CIA leak investigation that have gone unnoticed by the mainstream media, RAW STORY has found.

Some of them have been uncovered by astute bloggers – including the fact that the outed agent’s husband will not testify at a trial, and that a third Time reporter has been fingered as having information potentially relevant to some aspects of the case.

...

In the letter, Fitzgerald notes that a third Time Magazine reporter – who now serves as Slate’s chief political correspondent – had conversations with Administration officials about a trip conducted by Plame’s husband to investigate claims that Iraq had sought to purchase uranium from Niger.

"We also advise you that we understand that reporter John Dickerson of Time magazine discussed the trip by Mr. Wilson with government officials at some time on July 11 or after, subsequent to Mr. Cooper learning about Mr. Wilson’s wife," Fitzgerald writes. "Any conversations involving Mr. Dickerson likely took place in Africa and occurred after July 11."

[hang a left]

1. this is HOT HOT HOT

I just duped you. I was reading this over at Rawstory while DU was down. OMG!!!!! K and R

[rocktivity]

2. Al Franken talks with Dickerson on AirAm almost weekly, doens't he?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Uncle Joe]

3. Amazing, at this late date and there has been no

damage assessment!? I thought the Republicans were supposed to be concerned about national security! What gives?

"Moreover, the documents reveal that no formal damage assessment has been done with regard to how the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame affected the agency’s operations worldwide. They also hint that Vice President Cheney’s former Chief of Staff I. Lewis Libby may have outed Plame on the orders of his “superiors.”

Kicked and recommended.


:kick:

[Punkingal]

9. No damage assessment, but Bob Woodward,

On Larry King Live said there had been an assessment, and there it was not serious. Someone fed him a big fat lie, and he passed it on. OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

[WhiteTara]

10. or he agreed to spout that

big fat lie.

[wishlist]

4. Of course White House does not want a CIA damage assessment

Amazing but predictable for these criminials to have denied, downplayed, and not want any further exposure of possible damage. If there really had been no damage you can be sure they would have allowed CIA to write up a report saying minimal or no damage was caused.

"Also of note is the fact that Fitzgerald asserts that the CIA has conducted no formal damage assessment with regard to Plame’s outing.

“A formal assessment has not been done of the damage caused by the disclosure of Valerie Wilson’s status as a CIA employee, and thus we possess no such document,” Fitzgerald writes. “In any event, we would not view an assessment of the damage caused by the disclosure as relevant to the issue of whether or not Mr. Libby intentionally lied when he made the statements and gave the grand jury testimony which the grand jury alleged was false.”.

[babylonsister]

5. I wonder why Dickerson has remained so close mouthed about

this little nugget?

[samhsarah]

6. holy shit. K&R nt

[calimary]

7. Kicked and recommended!

Interestinger and interestinger...

[spinbaby]

8. K&R

[phoebe]

11. Dickerson bio

http://www.time.com/time/columnist/dickerson/article/0,9565,492189,00.html

snip

He reported and wrote the cover story naming George W. Bush TIME's "Person of the Year" last December after spending time with him at his Texas ranch.

Before covering Capitol Hill for TIME, Dickerson wrote about economics, where he provided analysis on entitlements, the budget process and taxes. During the 1996 national election he covered the campaigns of Bob Dole, Lamar Alexander and Steve Forbes.

As a correspondent in TIME's New York bureau from 1992 to 1995, Dickerson reported on a variety of topics, including terrorism, Wall Street and politics.

Before joining the magazine, Dickerson covered public affairs and the BCCI banking scandal as an associate producer for Time Inc. Television.

[phoebe]

12. article by Dickerson on Rove and Plame case

http://www.slate.com/id/2132350/fr/rss

snip

Rove first testified before the grand jury in February 2004. In that first visit, he said nothing about talking to Time's Matt Cooper. He also didn't mention Cooper in an earlier interview with the FBI. Then, eight months later, in October 2004, Rove returned to the grand jury to alter his earlier account and volunteered that he had talked to Cooper.

According to several witnesses who have been interviewed by Fitzgerald and who have talked to me about their testimony, he appears to be suspicious about that change in Rove's narrative. The special counsel seems to think Rove remembered his conversation with Cooper all along but only testified about it when it became clear that Cooper was going to be forced to give up Rove as his source. If Fitzgerald thinks Rove willfully held back on him, it could be the basis for a perjury or obstruction of justice charge.

Rove's lawyer says there's an innocent explanation. He says it was Viveca Novak's suggestion that Rove might have been her colleague Cooper's source that sent Rove and his lawyer to re-examine Rove's records. In their search, they found an e-mail Rove had sent, shortly after speaking with Cooper, to Stephen Hadley, then deputy national security adviser, telling Hadley about the conversation. After finding the e-mail, Rove revised his account to the grand jury.

But this doesn't add up. For months before Luskin and Novak talked, the subject of whether Rove had spoken to reporters about Plame was the center of intense national fuss and grand jury scrutiny. Through all of that, Rove failed to remember his conversation with Cooper. Why would his lawyer's conversation with Viveca Novak kick the recollection free?

[Independent_Liberal]

13. Kick!