Plame affair timeline

Note: This subject is also referred to as: "CIA leak case timeline", "Plamegate scandal timeline", and "Plame affair timeline".

The CIA leak scandal timeline (also known as the CIA leak case timeline, the Plamegate scandal timeline, and the Plame affair timeline) pertains to the controversy leading to the CIA leak grand jury investigation and ensuing criminal trial United States v. Libby, following Robert Novak's public disclosure of the then-still classified covert identity of United States Central Intelligence Agency officer Valerie Plame Wilson (known as the "CIA leak scandal" and also known as "Plamegate" and the "Plame affair").[1]

Valerie Plame Wilson is the wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, author of a controversial op-ed entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa" published in The New York Times on July 3, 2003, questioning the accuracy of the George W. Bush administration's rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Responding to that op-ed, Robert Novak publicly revealed Wilson's wife to be a CIA "operative" named "Valerie Plame" in his Washington Post column on July 14, 2003.[2][3]

Between 2003 and 2007, the United States Department of Justice directed the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel, headed by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, to conduct a special investigation into the original source for the leak of Plame's then-still classified CIA covert identity and any possible violations of criminal statutes requiring government officials to use classified information responsibly and to testify truthfully in such federal investigations. The CIA leak grand jury investigation resulted in the indictment and conviction of Lewis Libby in United States v. Libby and the later commutation of his prison sentence by United States President George W. Bush.

In late August 2006, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage revealed publicly that Novak had based his disclosure of Mrs. Wilson's CIA identity on then still-classified information that Armitage initially gave him while Armitage was still serving in the State Department.[4]

The "Timeline/Links" section of The Joe and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust provides links to "several timelines assembled by various national publications, which should help to shed some light on the events as they transpired," including this timeline, while observing: "Understanding the series of events that occurred around the exposure of Valerie Wilson's covert CIA status is somewhat difficult due to the misleading and contradictory statements given by various [administration] officials regarding the leak."[5]

Contents

Key background events

1980s

1981

1988

1991

1993

1999

2000

DIA agent William Bultemeier killed in Niamey, Niger. Bultemeier had acted as a liaison between Nigerien and US defense intelligence agencies in an effort to curtail illicit uranium mining in Niger.

2001

Late 2001 – Early 2002

February 2002

Joe Wilson indicates that in his conversation with former Niger Prime Minister, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the PM indicated that he was not aware of any sales contract with Iraq but that in June 1999 he was approached by a businessman, asking that he meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss expanding commercial relations. (Note: Niger's two largest exports are uranium and livestock [29]). Wilson indicated he thought the meeting took place but that Mayaki, who was aware of the illegality of such activities, let the matter drop due to the sanctions on Iraq.[16]

March 2002

Wilson says he reported to the CIA that Iraqi attempts to purchase uranium from Niger are unlikely. Any deal about uranium could not possibly have taken place. Nobody at the State Department African Bureau had ever believed in the Niger story. Two other reports supported his views. Some CIA officials told the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that Wilson's information was neutral, others said Wilson's information lent support to the contention Iraqi sought uranium from Niger.

September 2002

October 2002

December 2002

January 2003

February 2003

March 2003

June 2003

July 2003

Cooper et al. trace the controversy surrounding President Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech and the African uranium controversy. Anonymous sources of information are attributed to "two senior Administration officials", "another official", and "an intelligence official". Named sources include Vice President Dick Cheney's assistant Scooter Libby, Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame's superior Alan Foley, and former State Department proliferation expert Greg Thielmann.

October 2003

He [Armitage] says he was reading Novak's newspaper column again, on October 1, 2003, and "he [Novak] said he was told by a non-partisan gun slinger."
"I almost immediately called Secretary Powell and said, 'I'm sure that was me,'" Armitage says. Armitage immediately met with FBI agents investigating the leak."
"I told them that I was the inadvertent leak", Armitage says. He didn't get a lawyer, however....Armitage says he didn't come forward because "the special counsel, once he was appointed, asked me not to discuss this and I honored his request."[51]

May 2004

The Times noted that Saddam Hussein's nearly 2 tons of partially enriched uranium was not sufficient for a weapon.
However, Ivan Oelrich, a physicist at the Federation of American Scientists, in response to an A.P. query stated that the issue was whether the uranium's enrichment level was at the 3–5% common in commercial power reactors and if so, then a mere 1.8 tons would be more than sufficient.[53]

July 2004

At least three European intelligence were aware of potential illegal trade in Nigerien uranium between 1999 and 2001.[54]

The second "outing" occurred when the C.I.A. sent confidential documents to the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Havana. The documents were supposed to be sealed from the Cuban government but apparently not and their contents gleaned by Cuban agents.[56]

March 2005

As evidence that it is likely that no crime had been committed, the news agencies voluntarily filed a friend of the court brief in which they state on page 5:

B. There is Ample Evidence On The Public Record To Cast Considerable Doubt That a Crime Has Been Committed. [Supporting facts and rationale are offered in subsequent pages.]

According to the news agencies, there was no need to compel these reporters to divulge their sources because it was unlikely that a crime had been committed.

July 2005

November 2005

The three separate Bush administration officials communicated their desire that Woodward feel free to discuss their individual conversations with him regarding any topic related to and only related to Fitzgerald's investigation.[62] This revelation from an official, who was not Libby, would make someone else and not Libby the first person to "out" Valerie Plame.[63]

Disclosure and scandal

July 2003

August 2003

JOSEPH WILSON, FORMER U.S. ACTING AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Oh, absolutely, and I've had confidence in — that we would find weapons of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction programs from the very beginning of the run-up to the war in Iraq. 687, the initial U.N. resolution dealing with weapons of mass destruction, demanded compliance, and it had as its objective disarmament. We had not yet achieved disarmament, so it was perfectly appropriate to continue to try and gather together the international consensus to disarm Saddam and his programs.

I think we'll find chemical weapons. I think we'll find biological precursors that may or may not have been weaponized. And I think we will find a continuing interest of — on nuclear weapons. The question really is whether it met the threshold test of imminent threat to our own national security or even the test of grave and gathering danger.[69]

Wilson's comments are similar to others connected to the intelligence community but who opposed the Iraq war — Iraqi weapons of mass destruction did indeed exist, but did not constitute an imminent threat to the United States itself. The overstated threat assessment of Iraqi WMD capability and stockpiles was the result of poor intelligence shared between the CIA and the international intelligence community.

September 2003

October 2003

November 2003

December 2003

January 2004

February 2004

March 2004

June 2004

July 2004

During the Republican National Convention, Rove told CNN:

"I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name. This is at the Justice Department. I'm confident that the U.S. Attorney, the prosecutor who's involved in looking at this is going to do a very thorough job of doing a very substantial and conclusive investigation."[94]

September 2004

October 2004

November 2004

February 2005

June 2005

July 2005

September 2005

October 2005

November 2005

February 2006

April 2006

June 2006

July 2006

August 2006

March 2007

Public statements

Statements by the Bush administration

Bush and his White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan have made several statements about the administration's response if anyone was found to have been involved in the leak:

September 2003

October 2003

June 2004

July 2005

Further White House reactions; possible involvement of Bush and Cheney

In the beginning the White House called the allegation that Rove disclosed classified information "totally ridiculous" and "simply not true", and stated that "if anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."[75][122][123][124]

The White House continued to publicly assert that no Bush administration officials were involved in the leak until after the Supreme Court decision of 2005, the subsequent release of internal TIME magazine email, and TIME reporter Matt Cooper's decision to testify to the grand jury. Once Karl Rove's involvement was disclosed, the White House refused to comment on the ongoing investigation and stated that they would fire anyone convicted of criminal activity. Critics find an intent to protect Mr. Rove in the new specificity, while supporters say this is indicative of was what was meant all along.

September 2003

On September 29, 2003, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan stated that "[i]f anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration", adding that Karl Rove had specifically assured McClellan that he was not involved, and that "the President expects his administration to adhere to the highest standards of conduct and the highest ethics".[125]

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, regarding any suggested involvement of Karl Rove with the leak, that "The President knows" that it was not true, adding: "And I said it is simply not true. So, I mean, it's public knowledge. I've said that it's not true. And I have spoken with Karl Rove ... He [President Bush]'s aware of what I've said, that there is simply no truth to that suggestion. And I have spoken with Karl about it."[75]

On September 30, 2003, Mr. Bush said: "And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of." He added: "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action."[119]

President George W. Bush, who has repeatedly denied knowing the identity of the leaker, called the leak a "criminal action" for the first time on 6 October 2003, stating "[i]f anybody has got any information inside our government or outside our government who leaked, you ought to take it to the Justice Department so we can find the leaker."[126] Speaking to a crowd of journalists the following day, Bush said "I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is — partially because, in all due respect to your profession, you do a very good job of protecting the leakers."[127]

October 2003

On 8 October 2003, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that "no one has more of an interest in getting to the bottom of this than the White House does, than the President does."[128]

On 10 October 2003, after the Justice Department began its formal investigation into the leak, McClellan specifically said that neither Rove nor two other officials whom he had personally questioned — Elliott Abrams, a national security aide, and Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff — were involved and that anyone who was involved in leaking classified information would be fired.[129]

June 2004

On 10 June 2004, eight months after the formal outside investigation was begun and five months after the appointment of a Special Counsel, President Bush was asked by a reporter, "Given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, suggesting that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name? ... And do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?" The President responded, "Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the facts."[90]

July 2005

On 11 July 2005, White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who had since become a grand jury witness himself, refused at a press conference to answer dozens of questions, repeatedly stating that the Bush Administration had made a decision not to comment on an "ongoing criminal investigation" involving White House staff.[104] McClellan declined to answer whether Rove had committed a crime. McClellan also declined to repeat prior categorical denials of Rove's involvement in the leak,[130] nor would he state whether Bush would honor his prior promise to fire individuals involved in the leak.[75][90][131] Although Democratic critics called for Rove's dismissal, or at the very least immediate suspension of Rove's security clearances and access to meetings in which classified material was under discussion, Rove remained working in the White House.

Neither Rove nor the President offered immediate public comment on the unfolding scandal.[130][132][133][134] Congressional Republicans remained silent on the issue of the Valerie Plame leak and a White House compromise of national security, and as of 18 July 2005, not a single elected Republican member of Congress had called for Rove to be disciplined or impeached. Rove was vociferously defended by Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman and by many conservative news outlets and commentators, some of whom followed cues laid out in a "talking points" memo, circulated among Republicans on Capitol Hill, which questioned Joseph Wilson's credibility.[135] Among others, David Brooks, conservative New York Times editorialist and NPR commentator, attacked Wilson on 14 July 2005 by falsely alleging that he had claimed Cheney sent him on the Niger mission, and that in speaking to Cooper and others, Rove was merely correcting a reporter's misconception.[136] The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal praised Rove on 13 July 2005 for supposedly leaking Plame's identity, referring to him as a "whistleblower."[137] Fox News's John Gibson said that even if Rove is not being truthful, he deserves a medal for leaking Plame's CIA identity because Joseph Wilson opposed the war and "Valerie Plame should have been outed by somebody."[138][139]

On 18 July 2005, President Bush stated that "[i]f someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."[140][141] This was widely interpreted as a retraction of multiple earlier promises to fire anyone involved in the leak itself. Others counter this view by relying on the one previous mention of illegality, the September 30, 2003 remarks, to suggest that criminality was a prerequisite all along. Many news outlets speculated that Rove's (future) legal defense might be built upon testimony that he was ignorant of Plame's protected status at the time he outed her as a CIA employee; if it could be proven that he had heard of her CIA covert status before speaking to journalists, however, Rove could face far more serious charges. A New York Times story of 16 July 2005 suggested that the Special Counsel grand jury has questioned whether a particular top secret State Department report naming Plame may have been the source of Rove's information.[142] Colin Powell was photographed carrying the report in Africa in the company of the President in the days following the 6 July 2003 publication of Wilson's op-ed piece. Powell is reported to have testified before the grand jury.

White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card was informed by then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales around 8:00 p.m. on September 29, 2003, that the Department of Justice was beginning an investigation of the Plame affair, and that the next morning, Gonzalez would order the White House staff to preserve all documents that may be related to the case. Gonzalez has stated that he did not send the order to the staff because of the lateness of the hour, but speculation has suggested that he notified Card in order to give him a twelve hour head start before destruction of any incriminating documents would be prohibited.[143] This was unusual, according to the Washington Post, since the White House Staff is usually quickly notified of any investigations so as to safeguard the integrity of any documents, emails or memoranda that might be required for the investigation.[144]

Congressional reactions

July 2005

On July 15, 2005, ninety one Democratic members of Congress sign a petition calling for Karl Rove to explain his role in the Plame affair, or to resign.[145][146] Thirteen Democratic Members of the House Judiciary Committee call for hearings on the matter.[147]

A Resolution of Inquiry has been offered by Rush D. Holt, Jr. (D-NJ) and John Conyers (D-MI), requesting that the Bush Administration release all documents concerning the exposure of Ms. Plame.

Barney Frank (D-MA) and John Conyers (D-MI) have authorized the Library of Congress to research legal precedent for the impeachment of White House staffers.[148]

A series of nationwide town hall meetings was scheduled for July 23, 2005 to review the Downing Street memo, the Plame affair, and the situation in Iraq.[149]

Twenty-six Democratic Senators, including seven members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, have issued a public statement authored by Senator John Kerry, calling for Congressional hearings to investigate the Plame leak.[150]

November 2005

On November 1, 2005, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a closed session, for only the 54th time since 1929, to discuss the Plame affair and the Bush Administration's role in pre-Iraq War intelligence.

On November 5, 2005, Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) wrote a column describing his view of the Plame affair as a "sting operation" by the Wilsons designed to pull down a sitting president. Miller claims that Joseph Wilson played a key role by "misrepresenting" the intelligence he gathered on his trip to Niger, publishing his findings in an op-ed piece.

After an MSNBC report that asserted Plame was working on tracking Iranian nuclear proliferation, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) wrote Director of Central Intelligence Porter Goss requesting a "national security damage assessment briefing to U.S. Senators regarding the public disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA officer."[151]

Reactions of former CIA officers

July 2005

On 18 July 2005, eleven former CIA officers backed Valerie Plame in a three page statement presented to a Congressional hearing[152] and characterized the leak of her identity as damaging "national security and threaten[ing] the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering":

"Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs", the eleven said. "In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor."[153] as reported by Fox News.[154] The former CIA officers charge specifically that comments by members of Congress

reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who “work at a desk” in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation’s security. We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation’s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government’s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.

Former DCI George Tenet told a Senator that he was "furious" with the Bush Administration about the leak in 2003.[155]

Larry C. Johnson, a former CIA colleague of Plame's in the late 1980s, heavily criticized the Bush Administration's handling of the leak: "This is wrong and this is shameful. Instead of a president concerned first and foremost with protecting this country and the intelligence officers who serve it, we are confronted with a president who is willing to sit by while political operatives savage the reputations of good Americans like Valerie and Joe Wilson."[156]

On 22 July 2005, Johnson,[157] along with former CIA case officers David MacMichael and James Marcinkowski,[158] former senior CIA analyst and senior fellow of the Center for International Policy Melvin A. Goodman,[159] and retired Army colonel and DIA officer W. Patrick Lang,[160] testified at a Senate Hearing on the consequences of the leak.

Lang emphasized his view that the Bush Administration's action in leaking Plame's identity had threatened vital national security interests over the long term, by sending the message to potential assets around the world that their identity will not be protected if they work with the CIA. "This says to them that if you decide to cooperate, someone will give you up, so you don't do it", he said. "They are not going to trust you in any way."[161]

Fred W. Rustmann, "a covert CIA agent from 1966 to 1990", was briefly a supervisor of Valerie Plame Wilson during her early career at the CIA, although he left the agency before she went undercover: "'She made no bones about the fact that she was an agency employee and her husband was a diplomat,' he told The Washington Times. 'Her neighbors knew this, her friends knew this, his friends knew this. A lot of blame could be put on to central cover staff and the agency because they weren't minding the store here... The agency never changed her cover status.'"[162] It is not clear how Mr. Rustmann, who left the Agency in 1990, would know this, since Plame is said to have gone undercover after 1990. And investigations by the FBI and by journalists revealed Rustmann's comments to be "baseless"; friends and neighbors of the Wilsons had no idea that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA before reading about it in Novak's column.[163][164][165]

Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former CIA case officer and Middle East specialist who became the director of the Project for the New American Century's Middle East Initiative, and a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, dismissed the damage caused by outing Valerie Plame: "The revealing of Valerie Plame's true employer", he writes, "has in all probability hurt no one overseas. You can rest assured that if her (most recent) outing had actually hurt an agent from her past, we would've heard about it through a CIA leak. Langley's systemic sloppiness — the flimsiness of cover is but the tip of the iceberg of incompetence — has repeatedly destroyed agent networks and provoked 'flaps' with some of our closest allies. A serious CIA would never have allowed Mr. Wilson to go on such an odd, short 'fact finding' mission. It never would have allowed Ms. Plame potentially to expose herself by recommending such an overt mission for her mate, not known for his subtlety and discretion. With a CIA where cover really mattered, Mr. Libby would not now be indicted. But that's not what we have in the real world."[166]

However, Larry C. Johnson noted that Plame's outing probably did compromise national security through revealing her cover company: "every time that someone like this is outed, it's not just the person. In this case, it's the front company. It's other NOCs who may have been exposed.... But what I do know for certain is, we're not just talking about Valerie Plame. We're talking about an intelligence resource, a United States national security resource that was destroyed by these White House officials that went out and started talking to the press about this. Reckless. And they have — they have harmed the security of this country."[167]

Public opinion

July 2005

In a poll conducted July 13, 2005 – July 17, 2005 by ABC News, a plurality (47%) of people surveyed said the White House was not cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation; the remainder either had no opinion (28%) or thought the White House was fully cooperating (25%).[168] According to the poll, "75 percent say Rove should lose his job if the investigation finds he leaked classified information. That includes sizable majorities of Republicans, independents and Democrats alike — 71, 74 and 83 percent, respectively."[169]

A CNN poll dated 22 July — 24 July found that 49% of respondents say Rove should resign, 31% said he should not, and 20% had no opinion. USAToday

August 2005

In a poll commissioned by Newsweek and published 8 August 2005, 45% believed Rove "guilty of a serious offence", 15% "not guilty of a serious offence", and 37% responded "don't know."[170]

Initial reactions posted online

September 2003

  • September 2003: Whereas David Corn had predicted that the investigation would die in the CIA — that George J. Tenet would protect the Bush White House through his purported loyalty to it,[171] the anonymous political blog Just One Minute (JOM) writes: "Evidently not. One guess — Mr. Tenet, pondering Bush's declining poll numbers and faced with in-house annoyance, decided to do the right thing. One presumes that, with Congress back in town, Mr. Tenet checked with his supporters on both sides of the aisle before proceeding."[172]
  • 30 September 2003: "White House Counsel's Memo on Leak Probe", New York Times: "Text of an e-mail to White House staff Tuesday from counsel Alberto R. Gonzales about the Justice Department's investigation about the leak of a CIA officer's identity."
  • 30 September 2003: "Remarks by President Bush to the Travel Pool After Meeting with Business People" in Chicago, IL:
"I know of nobody — I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing.
"And again I repeat, you know, Washington is a town where there's all kinds of allegations. You've heard much of the allegations. And if people have got solid information, please come forward with it. And that would be people inside the information who are the so-called anonymous sources, or people outside the information — outside the administration. And we can clarify this thing very quickly if people who have got solid evidence would come forward and speak out. And I would hope they would.
"And then we'll get to the bottom of this and move on. But I want to tell you something — leaks of classified information are a bad thing. And we've had them — there's too much leaking in Washington. That's just the way it is. And we've had leaks out of the administrative branch, had leaks out of the legislative branch, and out of the executive branch and the legislative branch, and I've spoken out consistently against them and I want to know who the leakers are."[173]
MATTHEWS: Don't you think it's more serious than Watergate, when you think about it?
GILLESPIE: I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative — it's abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime.
MATTHEWS: It'd be worse than Watergate, wouldn't it?
GILLESPIE: It's — Yeah, I suppose in terms of the real world implications of it. It's not just politics.
  • 30 September 2003: "Heads-Up-Gate" by Wyethwire bloggers: "The first rule of scandal is that the cover-up is worse than the crime. With that in mind, we ought to be looking to see if any effort was made to prevent the CIA from requesting a Justice Department investigation. And we ought to find out who warned the White House Counsel that something was up, so that Alberto Gonzalez could warn the White House staff in his now-famous e-mail."[174]

Later developments and public reactions to them

October 2003

  • 1 October 2003: "The CIA Leak", by Robert Novak, in Townhall.com.[175]
  • 1 October 2003: "Probe Targets White House: Bush Ordered His Staff to Cooperate As the Justice Dept. Announced a Full-Scale Inquiry into the CIA leak. Justice Left Open the Possibility of a Special Counsel", by Ron Hutcheson and Shannon McCaffrey, in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "The developments raised the prospect of a full-blown White House scandal while Bush is sinking in job-approval polls, struggling to win international help in Iraq, and grappling with Congress over his request for $87 billion more in war-related spending."[176]
  • 1 October 2003: "Iraq Puts Cheney in Harsh Spotlight: Role: His broad Influence on White House Policy Makes the Low-Profile Vice President a High-Profile Target for Democrats", by Susan Baer, in SunSpot.net: "CIA Director George J. Tenet says Dick Cheney was not briefed on Wilson's conclusions. Nor has Cheney been tied to accusations that the White House punished Wilson for his role in forcing the retraction by blowing his wife's cover as a CIA operative."[177]
  • 1 October 2003: "Leak Inquiry Is a Chink in Bush's Moral Armor", by Warren P. Strobel, in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "revelation of a Justice Department criminal investigation into whether administration officials — believed to be at the White House — leaked the name of a CIA officer to get at a Bush opponent."[178]
  • 2 October 2003: "Investigating Leaks", an op-ed The New York Times: "Attorney General John Ashcroft has put himself and the president in a very dangerous position with his handling of the Justice Department's investigation into how Robert Novak got the name of a C.I.A. operative for publication in his syndicated column. After career lawyers conducted a preliminary investigation into the leaking of the officer's name, Mr. Ashcroft chose to proceed with a full investigation within the Justice Department. He did so despite department guidelines that would have permitted him to appoint an outsider, who would serve at Mr. Ashcroft's discretion but could make independent decisions. Instead, Mr. Ashcroft has decided to leave the investigation under the authority of the department's counterespionage office. That office employs career lawyers who routinely investigate this sort of leak and have the security clearances to do so with dispatch."[179]
  • 2 October 2003: "Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures", by Elisabeth Bumiller and Eric Lichtblau, in The New York Times: "Deep political ties between top White House aides and Attorney General John Ashcroft have put him into a delicate position as the Justice Department begins a full investigation into whether administration officials illegally disclosed the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer." Names of inquiry figures associated with Ashcroft are: Karl Rove and Jack Oliver.[180]
  • 2 October 2003: "FBI Narrowing List of CIA Leak Suspects", by Curt Anderson (AP).[181]
  • 2 October 2003: "FBI Creates Team to Investigate CIA Leaks" (AP): "Overseeing the investigation is John Dion, a 30-year career prosecutor who has headed the counterespionage section at the Justice Department since 2002."[181]
  • 2 October 2003: "Outside Probe of Leaks Is Favored", by Dana Milbank and Mike Allen, in The Washington Post: "Confronted with little public support for the White House view that the investigation should be handled by the Justice Department, Bush aides began yesterday to adjust their response to the expanding probe. They reined in earlier, broad portrayals of innocence in favor of more technical arguments that it is possible the disclosure was made without knowledge that a covert operative was being exposed and therefore might not have been a crime.... At the same time, administration allies outside the White House stepped up a counteroffensive that seeks to discredit the administration's main accuser, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, whose wife was named as a CIA operative. Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie gave a string of television interviews with the three-part message that the Justice Department is investigating, that the White House is fully cooperating and that Wilson has a political agenda and has made 'rash statements'."[182]
  • 3 October 2003: "More vicious than Tricky Dick", by John Dean: "I thought I had seen political dirty tricks as foul as they could get, but I was wrong. In blowing the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame to take political revenge on her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, for telling the truth, Bush's people have out-Nixoned Nixon's people. And my former colleagues were not amateurs by any means."[183] Dean also writes: "Regardless of whether or not a special prosecutor is selected, I believe that Ambassador Wilson and his wife — like the DNC official once did — should file a civil lawsuit, both to address the harm inflicted on them, and, equally important, to obtain the necessary tools (subpoena power and sworn testimony) to get to the bottom of this matter. This will not only enable them to make sure they don't merely become yesterday's news; it will give them some control over the situation."[184]
  • 10 October 2003: "Why the Federal Conspiracy and Fraud Statutes May Apply Here", by John Dean.[185]

June 2004

  • 4 June 2004: "The Serious Implications Of President Bush's Hiring A Personal Outside Counsel For The Valerie Plame Investigation" by John Dean.[186]

July 2005

  • 22 July Two former C.I.A. officers Larry C. Johnson[157] and James Marcinkowski[187] present their testimony to a joint session of Congressional Democrats:
    • "I wouldn't be here this morning if President Bush had done the one thing required of him as commander in chief — protect and defend the Constitution", Johnson said. "The minute that Valerie Plame's identity was outed, he should have delivered a strict and strong message to his employees". "This says to them that if you decide to cooperate, someone will give you up, so you don't do it", Larry [Johnson] said. "They are not going to trust you in any way." Johnson, who said he is a registered Republican, said he wished a GOP lawmaker would have the courage to stand up and "call the ugly dog the ugly dog." He asked, "Where are these men and women with any integrity to speak out against this?" "I expect better behavior out of Republicans."
    • Marcinkowski, a former CIA case officer and a former prosecutor testified that "the exposure of Valerie Plame's cover by the White House is the same as the local chief of police announcing to the media the identity of its undercover drug officers. In both cases, the ability of the officer to operate is destroyed, but there is also an added dimension. An informant in a major sophisticated crime network, or a CIA asset working in a foreign government, if exposed, has a rather good chance of losing more than just their ability to operate..."[188]

April 2006

On 6 April 2006, it was widely reported that George W. Bush authorized Libby to disclose the prior-to-then classified October 2002 NIE on Iraq's weapons program to Judith Miller to rebut charges by Joe Wilson, according to documents filed in federal court detailing Libby's grand jury testimony.[189][190] White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan confirmed that the president authorized the declassification to rebut charges by war critics, but declined to specifically address Libby's testimony.

In a court filing on May 12, 2006, Fitzgerald included a copy of Wilson's op-ed article in The New York Times "bearing handwritten notations by the vice president."[191] (See photo.)

Fitzgerald's filing declares that Libby ascertained Plame's name from Cheney through conferences by the vice president's office about "how to respond to a June 2003 inquiry from Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus about Wilson's trip to Niger". In the filing, Fitzgerald states:

It was during a conversation concerning Mr. Pincus’ inquiries that the Vice President advised the defendant that Mr. Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA. (To be clear, the government does not contend that the defendant disclosed the employment of Ms. Plame to Mr. Pincus, and Mr. Pincus’s article contains no reference to her or her employment.) The article by Mr. Pincus thus explains the context in which the defendant discussed Mr. Wilson’s wife’s employment with the Vice President. The article also served to increase media attention concerning the then-unnamed ambassador’s trip and further motivated the defendant to counter Mr. Wilson’s assertions, making it more likely that the defendant’s disclosures to the press concerning Mr. Wilson’s wife were not casual disclosures that he had forgotten by the time he was asked about them by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and before the grand jury.[192]

May 2006

In a May 24, 2006 court filing, Fitzgerald asserted that "To the best of government’s counsel’s recollection, the government has not commented on whether it intends to call the Vice President as a witness, and the representations it has made regarding the identity of potential government witnesses have been limited to responses to the defense assertions in defendant’s Third Motion to Compel."[193]

August 2006

At the end of August in 2006, Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, acknowledged that he initially disclosed Plame's employment with the CIA to Robert Novak.[4][194][195] According to the report by Fox News Armitage's disclosure "suggests" that the Bush administration was not involved in leaking Valerie Plame's identity to the press to discredit Joseph C. Wilson, as the Wilsons and their supporters still claim.[196]

September 2006

August 2009

On August 18, 2009 journalist Robert Novak died.

Notes

  1. ^ Robert D. Novak, "Mission to Niger," The Washington Post July 14, 2003: A21.
  2. ^ Cf. CBS Evening News September 7, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Neil A. Lewis (2006-08-30). "Source of C.I.A. Leak Said to Admit Role". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/washington/30armitage.html. 
  4. ^ IAEA report "The components of Iraq's clandestine nuclear programme"
  5. ^ Iraq Survey Group "Iraq’s Known Uranium Holdings"
  6. ^ a b http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins200310010838.asp
  7. ^ "Iraq 'sought African uranium'". BBC News. 24 September 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2278019.stm. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  8. ^ "Plame's Input Is Cited on Niger Mission". The Washington Post. 10 July 2004. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39834-2004Jul9.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  9. ^ Joseph C. Wilson, The Politics of Truth 12, 424.
  10. ^ [1] [2] [3]
  11. ^ "What CIA Director George Tenet had to say". USA Today. 11 July 2003. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-07-11-tenet-text_x.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  12. ^ Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community'S Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq
  13. ^ a b c Gary Leupp: the Niger Uranium Deception and Plame Affair, a Chronology
  14. ^ Clifford D. May on Joe Wilson on National Review Online
  15. ^ PREVIEW: The White House, the CIA, and the Wilsons
  16. ^ Repubblica.it » esteri » "Pollari andò alla Casa Bianca per offrire la sua verità sull'Iraq"
  17. ^ Press Briefing with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley
  18. ^ http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200510291505-1085-RT1-CRO-0-NF82&page=0&id=agionline-eng.italyonline
  19. ^ Yellowcake to 'Plamegate' | csmonitor.com
  20. ^ a b Pincus, Walter; Allen, Mike (13 July 2003). "CIA Got Uranium Reference Cut in Oct". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A48847-2003Jul12. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  21. ^ President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h Yellowcake to 'Plamegate' | csmonitor.com
  23. ^ Gellman, Barton; Linzer, Dafna (9 April 2006). "A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800916_2.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  24. ^ Barton Gellman and Dafna Linzer, "A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic: Prosecutor Describes Cheney, Libby as Key Voices Pitching Iraq-Niger Story", The Washington Post, April 9, 2006: A1, accessed January 12, 2008. (Page 2 of 2 pages.)
  25. ^ "Bush's State of the Union speech". CNN. 27 January 2003. http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/28/sotu.transcript/. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  26. ^ 2003 invasion of Iraq
  27. ^ "What I Didn't Find in Africa", The New York Times July 6, 2003
  28. ^ Pincus, Walter; VandeHei, Jim (21 July 2005). "Plame's Identity Marked As Secret". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/20/AR2005072002517.html. 
  29. ^ [4]
  30. ^ http://www.dss.mil/isec/nispom.htm
  31. ^ RealClearPolitics - Articles - Plame and the 'Bush Lied' Meme
  32. ^ Johnston, David; Stevenson, Richard W. (15 July 2005). "Rove Reportedly Held Phone Talk on C.I.A. Officer". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/politics/15rove.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  33. ^ Gellman, Barton; Linzer, Dafna (9 April 2006). "A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800916.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  34. ^ Judith Miller, "My Four Hours Testifying in the Federal Grand Jury Room", New York Times, October 16, 2005, rpt. in judithmiller.com. Retrieved January 2, 2008.
  35. ^ [5]
  36. ^ Pincus, Walter; VandeHei, Jim. "Prosecutor In CIA Leak Case Casting A Wide Net". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/26/AR2005072602069_pf.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  37. ^ [6]
  38. ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13258-2004Nov25?language=printer. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  39. ^ Cooper, Matthew (17 July 2005). "What I Told the Grand Jury". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083899,00.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  40. ^ Liptak, Adam (11 July 2005). "For Time Inc. Reporter, a Frenzied Decision to Testify". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/11time.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  41. ^ CIA Site Redirect — Central Intelligence Agency
  42. ^ Johnston, David (22 July 2005). "For Two Aides in Leak Case, 2nd Issue Rises". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/22/politics/22leak.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  43. ^ Press Gaggle with Ari Fleischer
  44. ^ Pincus, Walter; Allen, Mike (12 October 2003). "Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A13696-2003Oct11&notFound=true. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  45. ^ Cooper, Matthew; Calabresi, Massimo; Dickerson, John F. (17 July 2003). "A War on Wilson?". Time. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,465270,00.html?internalid=ACA. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  46. ^ [7]. See Time Collection: CIA Leak Investigation. Cf. entry for July 17, 2005 (two years later) in NPR's Timeline: The CIA Case: "In Time magazine, Matt Cooper discusses his testimony before the grand jury investigating the leak. He says Rove never referred to Valerie Plame by name, but that Cooper did learn from that conversation with Rove that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA and was involved in WMD issues."
  47. ^ Clifford May, "Spy Games," in National Review, September 29, 2003.
  48. ^ "The CIA leak"
  49. ^ "Armitage On CIA Leak — 'I Screwed Up'", September 7, 2006, by CBS News, in an interview conducted by David Martin
  50. ^ [8] (report must be purchased).
  51. ^ Saddam's 500-ton Uranium Stockpile
  52. ^ Huband, Mark (2004). "European Intelligence Suggests Iraq Sought Uranium in Niger". Human Events. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200407/ai_n9429836. 
  53. ^ For a number of versions (both full and concise) and downloadable in Adobe PDF format, see [9]; for report conclusions, see [10].
  54. ^ Washington Times - CIA officer named prior to column
  55. ^ FactCheck.org: Bush's "16 Words" on Iraq & Uranium: He May Have Been Wrong But He Wasn't Lying
  56. ^ [11] [outdated link].
  57. ^ The link cited above is outdated; for a related Amicus Curiae brief, see [12].
  58. ^ Source of Forged Niger-Iraq Uranium Documents Identified
  59. ^ Italy denies faking Niger uranium documents | csmonitor.com
  60. ^ "Testifying in the CIA Leak Case". The Washington Post. 16 November 2005. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501829.html?sub=AR. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  61. ^ VandeHei, Jim; Leonnig, Carol D. (16 November 2005). "Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501857.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  62. ^ [13] [outdated link]
  63. ^ A White House Smear
  64. ^ Freedom of Information Center at the Missouri School of Journalism
  65. ^ "Robert Novak Breaks His Silence". Fox News. 13 July 2006. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203423,00.html. 
  66. ^ http://www.hillnews.com/marshall/073003.aspx
  67. ^ Mark A. R. Kleiman: Joseph Wilson On Wolf Blitzer
  68. ^ Jehl, Douglas (8 August 2003). "Iraq Arms Critic Reacts to Report on Wife". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/08/national/08WEAP.html?ex=1065240000&en=ebdb9bc720f8d4c2&ei=5070. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  69. ^ Pacific Views: Iraq Intelligence - Public Forum
  70. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  71. ^ a b The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A11208-2003Sep27?language=printer. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  72. ^ Editor and Publisher. (Restricted to subscribers)
  73. ^ a b c d e Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  74. ^ CNN. http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/29/wilson.cia/. 
  75. ^ Reuters
  76. ^ ABC News.
  77. ^ ABC News
  78. ^ Plame name blame game
  79. ^ White House News Release 10 October 2003 (item 4).
  80. ^ CBS News.
  81. ^ White House News Release 10 October 2003 (item 6).
  82. ^ The Blue Site cached at Restore Honesty.
  83. ^ allAfrica.com: Africa: Kansteiner To Leave Top Africa Post, Key Embassies in Transition
  84. ^ Vanity Fair's profile on Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame
  85. ^ Plamegate: Air Force One Phone Records Subpoenaed
  86. ^ "Bush welcomes probe of CIA leak". CNN. 29 September 2003. http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/09/30/wilson.cia/. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  87. ^ The New York Times > National > A Top Lawyer Who Kept Out of the Limelight, Until Now
  88. ^ a b c President Bush Holds Press Conference Following the G8 Summit
  89. ^ "Bush Interviewed About CIA Leak". The Washington Post. 25 June 2004. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3668-2004Jun24.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  90. ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/senateiraqreport.pdf. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  91. ^ The Raw Story
  92. ^ CNN Transcript July 5, 2005.
  93. ^ Schmidt, Susan (16 September 2004). "Post Source Reveals Identity to Leak Probers". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24536-2004Sep15.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  94. ^ The New York Times > National > Jailing of Reporters in C.I.A. Leak Case Is Upheld by Judges
  95. ^ [14]
  96. ^ Manly, Lorne; Kirkpatrick, David D. (1 July 2005). "Top Editor at Time Inc. Made a Difficult Decision His Own". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/politics/01comply.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  97. ^ Karl Rove and the CIA Leak Case - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com
  98. ^ (Editor & Publisher) (Time Magazine). (Restricted to subscribers.)
  99. ^ "Newsweek: Rove spoke to reporter before leak". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/03/cooper.rove/. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  100. ^ White, Josh (11 July 2005). "Rove Told Reporter of Plame's Role But Didn't Name Her, Attorney Says". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/10/AR2005071001000.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  101. ^ Liptak, Adam (11 July 2005). "For Time Inc. Reporter, a Frenzied Decision to Testify". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/11time.html?adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1121092780-crGj7rtRx590WDs3NA+PXg. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  102. ^ a b Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  103. ^ Washington Times - Rove fight escalates
  104. ^ a b Political News | Bush: CIA leaker would be fired if crime committed
  105. ^ "CNN.com - Cheney's top aide indicted; CIA leak probe continues - Oct 28, 2005". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/28/leak.probe/. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  106. ^ Joseph Farah and Art Moore, "The Plame Game: Joe Wilson Fumes Over Vallely Charges in WND: Demands Retraction of Statements Alleging He 'Outed' Wife in Fox Studio", WorldNetDaily (partisan blog), November 5, 2005, accessed September 19, 2006. Cf. "Two years into Leak Investigation, Gen. Vallely Suddenly Claims, in Contradictory Statements, That Wilson Revealed Plame's Identity to Him", Media Matters for America November 9, 2005, accessed September 23, 2006 (incl. QuickTime video with audio voiceovers).
  107. ^ Red State (partisan blog).
  108. ^ "More Allegations of Libby Lies Revealed", The Washington Post.
  109. ^ [15] [Outdated link].
  110. ^ Libby: Bush Authorized Plamegate Leak | The Smoking Gun
  111. ^ ABC News: ABC News
  112. ^ [16]
  113. ^ "Plame sues Cheney, Rove, Libby". USA Today. 14 July 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-07-13-plame-sues_x.htm. 
  114. ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/plamecheney_071306.pdf. 
  115. ^ [17], The New York Times (Times Select subscription required for archived articles).
  116. ^ "Plame Wilson: Leak severely hurt U.S. intelligence". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/16/cia.leak/index.html?eref=rss_topstories. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  117. ^ a b President Discusses Job Creation With Business Leaders
  118. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  119. ^ http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/rm/33463.htm
  120. ^ Did Rove blow a spook's cover? - By Timothy Noah - Slate Magazine
  121. ^ Allen, Mike; Priest, Dana (28 September 2003). "Bush Administration Is Focus of Inquiry". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A11208-2003Sep27&notFound=true. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  122. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  123. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  124. ^ President Bush, Kenyan President Kibaki Discuss State Visit
  125. ^ President Meets with Cabinet, Discusses National and Economic Security
  126. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  127. ^ Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
  128. ^ a b Stout, David (11 July 2005). "Rove Comes Under New Scrutiny in C.I.A. Disclosure Case". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/11/politics/11cnd-rove.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  129. ^ Allen, Mike; Balz, Dan (12 July 2005). "Bush Aide Deflects Questions On Rove". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071101568.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  130. ^ Rich, Frank (10 July 2005). "We're Not in Watergate Anymore". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/opinion/10rich.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  131. ^ The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-CIA-Leak-Investigation.html. 
  132. ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html. 
  133. ^ The Raw Story | Exclusive: GOP talking points on Rove seek to discredit Wilson
  134. ^ Media Matters - David Brooks repeated false GOP spin that Wilson claimed Cheney sent him to Niger
  135. ^ The Wall Street Journal Online - Featured Article
  136. ^ Oliver Willis
  137. ^ Media Matters - Fox's Gibson: Rove deserves "a medal ... Because Valerie Plame should have been outed by somebody"
  138. ^ Sanger, David E.; Stevenson, Richard W. (19 July 2005). "Bush Responds to Questioning Over Leak Case". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/politics/19rove.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  139. ^ Hamburger, Tom; Wallsten, Peter (18 July 2005). "Top Aides Reportedly Set Sights on Wilson". The Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-leak18jul18,0,4779848.story?page=2&coll=la-home-headlines. 
  140. ^ Stevenson, Richard (16 July 2005). "State Dept. Memo Gets Scrutiny in Leak Inquiry on C.I.A. Officer". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/16/politics/16memo.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  141. ^ CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_72405.pdf. 
  142. ^ Linzer, Dafna (25 July 2005). "Bush Aide Learned Early of Leaks Probe". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/24/AR2005072401058.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  143. ^ [18].
  144. ^ letter
  145. ^ U.S. House Judiciary Committee
  146. ^ Daily Kos: 91 Members Tell Karl Rove: Explain Your Role or Resign
  147. ^ U.S. House Judiciary Committee
  148. ^ The Democratic Daily » Blog Archive » Kerry, Senators Urge Congressional Investigation Into Leak of CIA Agent Valerie Plame’s Name
  149. ^ Issue Experts. Unique Connections. Maximum Impact
  150. ^ Microsoft Word - cialetter.doc
  151. ^ [19]
  152. ^ "Ex-Intel Officers Back Valerie Plame". Fox News. 20 July 2005. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163162,00.html. 
  153. ^ http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050723/1063162.asp
  154. ^ Bloomberg.com: U.S
  155. ^ a b http://talkleft.com/johnson722.pdf
  156. ^ http://talkleft.com/marcinkowski722.pdf
  157. ^ bailey83221: Righting the CIA (About Team B) The Balti
  158. ^ Senate Democratic Policy Committee
  159. ^ The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/22/AR2005072201261.html. 
  160. ^ Washington Times - Rove fight escalates
  161. ^ Media Matters - NY Times omitted Plame neighbors' statements that they didn't know she worked for CIA; Drudge regurgitated baseless report that they did
  162. ^ VandeHei, Jim; Leonnig, Carol D.. "Bush Aides Brace for Charges". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102502037_pf.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  163. ^ Shane, Scott (5 July 2005). "Private Spy and Public Spouse Live at Center of Leak Case". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/politics/05wilson.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  164. ^ The Wall Street Journal Online - Extra
  165. ^ Informed Comment
  166. ^ ABC News: Poll: Many Doubt White House Cooperation in CIA Leak Probe
  167. ^ Ibid.
  168. ^ Some Americans Say Rove Behind CIA Leak: Angus Reid Global Monitor
  169. ^ Will the CIA Protect the White House?
  170. ^ JOM:Both Mark Kleiman and Josh Marshall have made recent comments on the matter, according to JOM, which links to MSNBC.com [outdated link] and Talking Points Memo (blog). [outdated link, not archived at URL]
  171. ^ [20]
  172. ^ [21] cited in [22].
  173. ^ [23].
  174. ^ [24].
  175. ^ [25].
  176. ^ http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/6901402.htm
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  178. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth; Lichtblau, Eric (2 October 2003). "Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/politics/02ASHC.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  179. ^ a b [26].
  180. ^ [27].
  181. ^ More vicious than Tricky Dick - Salon.com
  182. ^ [28].
  183. ^ FindLaw.com.
  184. ^ FindLaw.com.
  185. ^ Statement of James Marcinkowski: Former Intelligence Officials Testify About Damage Caused by Outing of Covert CIA Agent
  186. ^ US Senate Hearings press packet.
  187. ^ Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide
  188. ^ http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/pdf/libbyplame.pdf
  189. ^ The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/cheney15.pdf. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  190. ^ http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/files/news_article_response.pdf
  191. ^ http://talkleft.com/fitzmay24.pdf
  192. ^ "Armitage on CIA Leak — 'I Screwed Up'", in an interview with David Martin of CBS News, September 7, 2006.
  193. ^ Cf. "The End of an Affair" in The Washington Post 31 August 2006.
  194. ^ "CIA Leak: Armitage", Fox News, 8 September 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  195. ^ Robert Novak, "Armitage's Leak", The Washington Post 13 September 2006.
  196. ^ "Armitage Added to Plame Law Suit, CBS News September 13, 2006, accessed September 25, 2006; includes PDF. Cf. Amended complaint at FindLaw.com.

See also

External links