The way Fitzgerald is talking about Rove is the same way he talked about corrupt former IL Governor George Ryan, right before he indicted him
americablog.org
by John in DC - 10/28/2005 11:30:00 PM
Fitz even called Ryan "Official A". :-)
It's confirmed: Rove is STILL under investigation
by John in DC - 10/28/2005 10:35:00 PM
I'm finally watching ABC News' World News Tonight and they're describing how Patrick Fitzgerald caught Scooter Libby lying. Scooter said that Tim Russert told him about Plame and that Scooter did not mention Plame to Matt Cooper of Judith Miller.
Then they show a clip of Fitzgerald say the following about Libby:
He was at the beginning of the chain of the phone calls [to the reporters], the first official to disclose this information outside the government to a reporter.
Did you catch that? Libby was the FIRST official to disclose Valerie Plame's identity outside the government to a reporter. So Fitzgerald sounds like he just confirmed that he did in fact find evidence that a second US government official disclosed Plame's identity to a reporter. We assume that the second official, of course, would be Karl Rove.
Whether or not we all just "know" that Karl disclosed her identity to a reporter, especially because the papers say his lawyer told them as much, it's quite another thing for the Republican special prosecutor to confirm that fact.
Then take a look at tomorrow's Washington Post story that just came out minutes ago (I was literally about to publish this point when Joe called to alert me to the Post article):
Karl Rove, the president's top strategist, narrowly escaped indictment after providing new information during eleventh-hour negotiations with Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald but could still be charged in the case, according to three people familiar with the talks. A source close to Rove said the senior strategist's fate will be known soon....
The 22-page indictment leaves open the possibility of more bad news to come: the specter of a public trial featuring top White House officials and the chance of more indictments in the weeks ahead....
If he decides to seek charges against Rove, Fitzgerald would present the evidence to a new grand jury because the one that indicted Libby expired yesterday and its term cannot be extended.
"The Special Counsel has advised Mr. Rove that he has made no decision about whether or not to bring charges," Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, said in a statement....
A source close to Rove added, "There is still the chance that Mr. Rove could face indictment." Lawyers involved in the case said Fitzgerald is likely to put pressure on Libby to provide evidence against Rove or other potential targets.
That melds perfectly with Fitzgerald talking today about the "first" official.
And finally, why were other government officials today referred to as "the vice president, someone from the White House press office, an undersecretary at State," while Karl Rove was refered to in the indictment as "Official A." That sounds like the kind of term you use for a co-conspirator who you don't want to mention yet.
I'm not counting my eggs yet, but this is getting very interesting.
AP's sources say "Official A" is Rove
by Joe in DC - 10/28/2005 07:40:00 PM
Karl Rove has been identified by AP's sources as "Official A" who is a prominent player in the Libby indictment:
Friday's indictment says "Official A" is a "senior official in the White House who advised Libby on July 10 or 11 of 2003" about a chat with Novak about his upcoming column in which Plame would be identified as a CIA employee.
Late Friday, three people close to the investigation, each asking to remain unidentified because of grand jury secrecy, identified Rove as Official A.
Don't Forget: Dick Cheney Lied
by Michael in New York - 10/28/2005 06:47:00 PM
One-time political strategist Dick Morris makes a good point in his NY Post Op-Ed: whatever the outcome of the indictments, Dick Cheney has some explaining to do. If the NYT and the grand jury is right (and there's certainly a preponderance of circumstantial evidence), Scooter's source for the info on Joe Wilson's wife was not the media but officials in the Administration and the Vice President himself. Cheney knew this and kept quiet about it for two years -- misleading the public and possibly the President.
Assuming the Times has its facts right, the burden of proof shifts to Cheney. It is incumbent on him to explain why he let his chief of staff mislead the public — for two years, including the entire 2004 presidential campaign.
There may be an innocent explanation for the veep's silence, or the Times may be wrong. But Dick Cheney owes us all an explanation.
So, Dick, got anything to say? Not to mention Scottie and the President himself. What did they know and when did they know it? |
