NationMaster - Encyclopedia: CIA leak scandal

The Plame Affair began in July 2002 when journalist Robert Novak wrote a column revealing that Valerie Plame, the wife of former United States Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, was an "operative" of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who worked on weapons of mass destruction issues. Ambassador Wilson has suggested that officials in the George W. Bush administration leaked this information about his wife to Novak and other reporters in order to destroy her career as a covert CIA officer. Wilson suggests that this was done as an act of political retribution for a New York Times Op Edit in which he challenged a statement in Bush's 2003 State of the Union address. Specifically Wilson contradicted the president's claim that, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The materials to which Bush was referring have since become known as the Yellowcake forgery. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Ongoing events â€¢ 2005 Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes â€¢ 2005 Gujarat Flood â€¢ Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan â€¢ Fuel prices â€¢ Gomery Comm. ... Robert David Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a U.S. conservative columnist (Inside Report, since 1963; until 1993 co-written with Rowland Evans) who is also a well-known television personality. ... Valerie Plame with her husband Joseph C. Wilson, photographed after her CIA identity became public knowledge. ... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ... Joseph C. Wilson IV (born November 6, 1949) was a United States career foreign service officer and later a diplomat between 1976 and 1998. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical and, increasingly, radiological weapons. ... Order: 43rd President of United States Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 â€“ Present (Current term expected to end on January 20, 2009. ... An editorial is a statement or article by a news organization (generally a newspaper) that expresses an opinion rather than attempting to simply report news. ... Alternative meanings in State of the Union (disambiguation) The State of the Union Address is an annual event in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). ... The Yellowcake forgery refers to a set of documents that were falsified by the Central Intelligence Agency under direction from the George W. Bush administration, to support their claim that Iraq had attempted to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger, and to justify the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

The Plame Affair also involves the subsequent investigation of the Bush White House leak by Independent Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who was appointed by Deputy Attorney General James Comey (then Attorney General John Ashcroft having recused himself from the case) and the possible cover-up by White House staff and officials including Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, Ari Fleischer, and perhaps others. Order: 43rd President Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 – present Preceded by: Bill Clinton Succeeded by: Incumbent Date of birth: July 6, 1946 Place of birth: New Haven, Connecticut First Lady: Laura Welch Bush Political party: Republican George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ... United States Office of the Independent Counsel was an independent prosecutor — distinct from the Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice — that provided reports to the Congress under Title 28 of the United States Code, Section 595. ... Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) was the 79th Attorney General of the United States. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ... Ari Fleischer Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) was the press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. ...

Background

On 29 August 2003, retired ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, a career diplomat who had worked under Democratic and Republican administrations, alleged that Karl Rove leaked the identity of his wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative. Although many speculated that the leak was a potential violation of federal law, no charges have been filed against Rove. August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joseph C. Wilson IV (born November 6, 1949) was a United States career foreign service officer and later a diplomat between 1976 and 1998. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... Valerie Plame with her husband Joseph C. Wilson, photographed after her CIA identity became public knowledge. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

Wilson, who in February 2002 investigated claims of attempted 1990s uranium ore purchases by Iraq from Niger, wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times, published 6 July 2003,[1] suggesting that the Bush administration misrepresented intelligence findings to justify war against Iraq. Wilson said that his African diplomatic experience led to his selection for the mission: He is the former ambassador to Gabon, another uranium-producing African nation, and was once posted in the 1970s to Niamey, Niger's capital.[2] Wilson, who was open about the CIA's sponsorship of his trip (which he called "discreet but not secret"), wrote that he had been "informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney's office had questions about a particular intelligence report" relating to the sale of uranium yellowcake from Niger (see also Yellowcake Forgery). Of his trip to Niger Wilson wrote, "I spent the next eight days drinking sweet mint tea and meeting with dozens of people: current government officials, former government officials, people associated with the country's uranium business. It did not take long to conclude that it was highly doubtful that any such transaction [purchase of uranium ore] had ever taken place." Wilson also noted that U.S. Ambassador to Niger Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick "knew about the allegations of uranium sales to Iraq — and that she felt she had already debunked them in her reports to Washington." The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Niamey, population 665 918* is the capital of Niger and a capital of a department of Tilabery. ... Richard Bruce Cheney (born January 30, 1941), widely known as Dick Cheney, is an American politician and businessman affiliated with the U.S. Republican Party. ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 238. ... Powdered yellowcake in a drum Yellowcake (also known as urania and uranic oxide) is concentrated uranium oxide, obtained through the milling of uranium ore. ... The Yellowcake forgery refers to a set of documents that were falsified by the Central Intelligence Agency under direction from the George W. Bush administration, to support their claim that Iraq had attempted to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger, and to justify the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Niger on September 10, 1999. ...

However, Wilson's assertions have been questioned by some. For instance, a Senate intelligence committee report issued on July 9, 2005 is taken by some to refute Wilson's claims about the extent of his wife's involvement in arranging the trip. As reported by the Washington Post:

Others argue that Wilson has said only that his wife did not authorize the trip and he cannot speak about the details. The Senate intelligence committee report and other sources seem to confirm that Valerie Plame gave her husband a positive recommendation. However, they also confirm that she did not personally authorize the trip as Matt Cooper reports having been told by Karl Rove.

Some also suggest that, rather than debunking the Iraq-uranium-Niger theory, Wilson's report actually supported it. As reported by the Washington Post:

Critics counter that this seems unlikely given that there, in fact, was no truth to the uranium sale claims and the CIA agreed with Wilson's conclusion that the story was false. In addition, the Washington Post ran a correction to the quoted report:

Finally, some argue that Wilson was dishonest or misleading in his reports on his findings. Again, as reported by the Washington Post:

Eight days after publication of Wilson's article, syndicated columnist Robert Novak wrote that the choice to use Wilson "was made routinely at a low level without [CIA] Director George Tenet's knowledge." Novak went on to identify Plame as Wilson's wife: "Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report. The CIA says its counter-proliferation officials selected Wilson and asked his wife to contact him."[5] Although Wilson wrote that he was certain his findings were circulated within the CIA and conveyed (at least orally) to the office of the Vice President, Novak questioned the accuracy of Wilson's report and added that "it is doubtful Tenet ever saw it." Robert David Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a U.S. conservative columnist (Inside Report, since 1963; until 1993 co-written with Rowland Evans) who is also a well-known television personality. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is a former United States Director of Central Intelligence. ...

Defenders of White House officials believe that Wilson, in a partisan way, initiated a smear campaign against the Bush administration. They promote the related view that those White House officials who talked on background about Wilson were, rather than trying to punish him by exposing his wife, trying to prevent reporters from believing Wilson's disinformation. Opponents counter this argument by asserting that such officials would still have a duty to diligently avoid exposing undercover officers or other confidential information.

Time line of Plame affair

See main article at: Plame scandal timeline The Plame affair or the CIA leak scandal refers to the disclosure that Valerie Plame Wilson is a United States Central Intelligence Agency operative in a newspaper column by Robert Novak on July 14, 2003 and subsequent alleged cover up. ...

Central figures and issues

Central issues (alphabetical order) John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) was the 79th Attorney General of the United States. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... For the Babylon 5 episode, see Conflicts of Interest A conflict of interest is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, a politician, or an executive or director of a corporation, has competing professional and/or personal interests. ... Brewster Jennings & Associates was a company set up by the United States CIA as a front for its operations. ... Order: 43rd President of United States Vice President: Dick Cheney Term of office: January 20, 2001 â€“ Present (Current term expected to end on January 20, 2009. ... Richard Bruce Cheney (born January 30, 1941), widely known as Dick Cheney, is an American politician and businessman affiliated with the U.S. Republican Party. ... Matthew Cooper is a reporter with TIME magazine, who, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller was held in contempt of court and threatened with imprisonment for refusing to disclose secret sources in stories connecting the White House with the Valerie Plame exposure scandal. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ... Ari Fleischer Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) was the press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. ... Stephen J. Hadley is the current National Security Advisor for U.S. President George W. Bush. ... Karen Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956 in Paris, France) is a Republican U.S. political professional from the state of Texas. ... I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ... I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ... Robert D. Luskin (born January 21, 1950) is an attorney and partner in the law firm of Patton Boggs LLP, specializing in White-collar crime and federal and state government investigations. ... Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Niger on September 10, 1999. ... Mary Joe Matalin (born September 19, 1953) is an American political strategist and consultant of Croatian origin. ... Scott McClellan Scott McClellan (born 1968) is the current White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. ... Judith Miller (born 1948 in New York City) is a journalist for the New York Times. ... Robert David Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a U.S. conservative columnist (Inside Report, since 1963; until 1993 co-written with Rowland Evans) who is also a well-known television personality. ... Valerie Plame with her husband Joseph C. Wilson, photographed after her CIA identity became public knowledge. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... George Tenet George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) is a former United States Director of Central Intelligence. ... In the United States, the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) serves as the head of both the Intelligence Community and the Central Intelligence Agency. ... Joseph C. Wilson IV (born November 6, 1949) was a United States career foreign service officer and later a diplomat between 1976 and 1998. ...

Contempt of court is the failure to obey a lawful order of a court, disrespect for the judge, disruption of the proceedings through poor behavior, or publication of material deemed likely to jeopardize a fair trial. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Downing Street memo The Downing Street memo (occasionally DSM), sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the smoking gun memo, which contains the minutes of a secret July 23, 2002 meeting among United Kingdom government, defence and intelligence figures, discussing... A grand jury is a type of common law jury; responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments. ... The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (PL97-200, 50 U.S. Code Secs. ... Security measures outside the Houses of Parliament, London, England. ... Nonofficial cover is a term used in espionage (particularly by the CIA) for an agent or operative who assumes a covert role in an organization without ties to the government he or she is working for. ... Obstruction of justice, in a common law state, refers to the crime of offering interference of any sort to the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other (usually government) officials. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... Perjury is lying or making verifiably false statements under oath in a court of law. ... [edit] The war on terrorism or war on terror (in U.S. foreign policy circles, the Global War on Terrorism or GWOT1) is an ongoing campaign by the government of the United States and its principal allies, with the declared aim of destroying individuals and groups deemed to be terrorist... Powdered yellowcake in a drum Yellowcake (also known as urania and uranic oxide) is concentrated uranium oxide, obtained through the milling of uranium ore. ... The Yellowcake forgery refers to a set of documents that were falsified by the Central Intelligence Agency under direction from the George W. Bush administration, to support their claim that Iraq had attempted to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger, and to justify the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq. ...

CIA calls for Special Prosecutor

Background on special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ...

In September 2003, the CIA requested that the Justice Department investigate the matter.[6] Karl Rove was identified by the New York Times in connection to the Plame leak on 2 October 2003, in an article that both highlighted Attorney General John Ashcroft's employment of Rove in three previous political campaigns and which pointed to Ashcroft's potential conflict of interest in investigating Rove. In recusing himself from the case, Ashcroft named Deputy Attorney General James Comey, to be "acting attorney general" for the case; Comey in turn named U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald on 30 December 2003 (Comey names Fitzgerald). Fitzgerald began investigations into the leak working from White House telephone records turned over to the FBI in October 2003. [7] The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... October 2nd is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) was the 79th Attorney General of the United States. ... Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ...

Though Plame's exposure was claimed to be retaliation for Wilson's editorial on issues surrounding the yellowcake forgery, the White House and the GOP have sought discredit Wilson with a public relations campaign that claims Wilson has a partisan political agenda. However, Wilson along with current and former CIA officials have asserted the leak not only damaged Plame's career, but arguably endangered U.S. National Security and endangerd the missions of other CIA agents working abroad under nonofficial cover (as "NOCs"), passing as private citizens without diplomatic passports. Plame, who worked undercover for the CIA for nearly 20 years,[8] was identified as an NOC by New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller (among others) on 5 October 2003.[9] Articles in the The Washington Post,[10] The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications have pointed to Plame's association with Brewster Jennings & Associates, nominally an oil exploration firm, but in fact a CIA front company (now defunct) spying on Saudi and other interests across the Middle East. Under certain circumstances, disclosure of the identity of a covert agent is illegal under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, though the language of the statute raises the issue of whether Karl Rove is within the class of persons to whom the statute applies.[11] However, Title 18, United States Code, Section 641[12] prohibits theft (or conversion for one's own use) of government records and information for non-governmental purposes and was found to apply in the convicion of Jonathan Randel[13]. The Yellowcake forgery refers to a set of documents that were falsified by the Central Intelligence Agency under direction from the George W. Bush administration, to support their claim that Iraq had attempted to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger, and to justify the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Public relations (PR) deals with influencing public opinion, through the presentation of a clients image, message, or product. ... Partisan may refer to: Look up Partisan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A member of a lightly-equipped irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Security measures outside the Houses of Parliament, London, England. ... Nonofficial cover is a term used in espionage (particularly by the CIA) for an agent or operative who assumes a covert role in an organization without ties to the government he or she is working for. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now a state), and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... The title page of European Union passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the languages of all EU countries. ... Nonofficial cover is a term used in espionage (particularly by the CIA) for an agent or operative who assumes a covert role in an organization without ties to the government he or she is working for. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Washington Post masthead The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... The Wall Street Journal is an influential international daily newspaper published in New York City, New York with a worldwide average daily circulation of more than 2. ... Brewster Jennings & Associates was a company set up by the United States CIA as a front for its operations. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (PL97-200, 50 U.S. Code Secs. ...

While it it not known exactlly who testified before the Grand Jury a number of individuals have acknowledged giving testimony including White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, Deputy Press Secretary Claire Buchan, former press secretary Ari Fleischer, former special advisor to the president Karen Hughes, former White House communications aide Adam Levine, former advisor to the Vice President Mary Matalin, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.[14] On 13 May 2005, citing "close followers of the case," The Washington Post reported that the length of the investigation, and the particular importance paid to the testimony of reporters, suggested that the counsel's role had expanded to include investigation of perjury charges against witnesses.[15] Other observers have suggested that the testimony of journalists was needed to show a pattern of intent by the leaker or leakers.[16] A grand jury is a type of common law jury; responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments. ... The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official with a rank one step below Cabinet level. ... Scott McClellan Scott McClellan (born 1968) is the current White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. ... Ari Fleischer Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) was the press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. ... Karen Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956 in Paris, France) is a Republican U.S. political professional from the state of Texas. ... Mary Joe Matalin (born September 19, 1953) is an American political strategist and consultant of Croatian origin. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues and people. ... Intent in law is the planning and desire to perform an act. ...

Legal filings by Independent Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald contain many pages blanked out for security reasons, leading some observers to speculate that Fitzgerald has pursued the extent to which national security was compromised by the actions of Rove and others. On 18 July 2005, The Economist reported that Valerie Plame had been dissuaded by the CIA from publishing her own account of her exposure, suggesting that such an article would itself be a breach of national security. The Economist also reported that "affirmative measures" by the CIA were being taken to protect Plame's identity at the time Karl Rove revealed her CIA affiliation to journalists. [17] Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ... Front cover of UK edition, May 7, 2005 The Economist is a market liberal weekly news and international affairs publication of The Economist Newspaper Limited in London. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ...

List of known Grand Jury witnesses

Matt Cooper is a journalist and presenter in Ireland. ... Ari Fleischer Lawrence Ari Fleischer (born October 13, 1960) was the press secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush from January 2001 to July 2003. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is the current Attorney General of the United States, becoming the first Hispanic to serve in the position. ... Karen Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956 in Paris, France) is a Republican U.S. political professional from the state of Texas. ... I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ... Scott McClellan Scott McClellan (born 1968) is the current White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. ... Mary Joe Matalin (born September 19, 1953) is an American political strategist and consultant of Croatian origin. ... ... Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... Russert. ... The 1986 Peacock logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar. ... Meet The Press (MTP) is a weekly television news show produced by NBC. It started as a radio show in 1945, as American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press, and was later adapted for television. ...

Contempt of Court: Miller, Cooper

New York Times investigative reporter Judith Miller, who (according to a subpoena) met with an unnamed White House official on July 8, 2003, two days after Wilson's editorial was published, never wrote or reported a story on the Plame affair,[18] but nevertheless refused (with Cooper) to answer questions before a grand jury in 2004 pertaining to sources. Both reporters were held in contempt of court. On 27 June 2005, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the reporters' request for appeal, [19] Time magazine said it would surrender to Fitzgerald e-mail records and notes taken by Cooper. Miller and Cooper faced potential jail terms for failure to cooperate with the independent counsel's investigations.[20] Columnist Robert Novak, who later admitted that the CIA attempted to dissuade him from revealing Plame's name in print, "appears to have made some kind of arrangement with the special prosecutor" (according to Newsweek).[21] Judith Miller (born 1948 in New York City) is a journalist for the New York Times. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

Miller was jailed on 7 July 2005, and is expected to remain there until the term of the Grand Jury expires in October 2005 unless she agrees to testify. She is being held in Alexandria, VA in the same facility as Zacarias Moussaoui. July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Moussaoui mugshot Zacarias Moussaoui (born May 30, 1968) is a French terrorist of Moroccan descent involved in the conspiracy that resulted in the September 11, 2001 attacks. ...

Karl Rove

On 1 July 2005 Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, on the McLaughlin Group stated: "And I know I'm going to get pulled into the grand jury for saying this but the source of...for Matt Cooper was Karl Rove, and that will be revealed in this document dump that Time Magazine's going to do with the grand jury." The document dump has since occurred.[22] July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Lawrence ODonnell is a senior MSNBC political analyst who regularly appears on The McLaughlin Group. ... MSNBC logo MSNBC (word origin: grammatical blend of MSN and NBC) is a 24-hour news channel in the United States. ... In mathematics, the Conway groups Co1, Co2, and Co3 are three sporadic groups discovered by John Horton Conway. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

On 2 July 2005, Karl Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said that his client spoke to Time reporter Matt Cooper "three or four days" before Plame's identity was first revealed in print by commentator Robert Novak. (Cooper's article in Time, citing unnamed and anonymous "government officials," confirmed Plame to be a "CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." Cooper's article appeared three days after Novak's column was published.) Rove's lawyer, however, asserted that Rove "never knowingly disclosed classified information" and that "he did not tell any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA." This second statement has since been called into question by an e-mail, written three days before Novak's column, in which Cooper indicated that Rove had told him Wilson's wife worked at the CIA. If Rove were aware that this was classified information at the time then both disclaimers by his lawyer would be untrue. Furthermore, Luskin said that Rove himself had testified before the grand jury "two or three times" (three times, according to the Los Angeles Times of 3 July 2005 [23]) and signed a waiver authorizing reporters to testify about their conversations with him and that Rove "has answered every question that has been put to him about his conversations with Cooper and anybody else." Rove's lawyer declined to share with Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff the nature or contents of his client's conversations with Cooper. [24] [25] [26][27] [28] July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Robert D. Luskin (born January 21, 1950) is an attorney and partner in the law firm of Patton Boggs LLP, specializing in White-collar crime and federal and state government investigations. ... Robert David Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a U.S. conservative columnist (Inside Report, since 1963; until 1993 co-written with Rowland Evans) who is also a well-known television personality. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Michael Isikoff is an investigative journalist for the US-based magazine Newsweek. ...

On 6 July 2005, Cooper agreed to testify, thus avoiding being held in contempt of court and sent to jail. Cooper said "I went to bed ready to accept the sanctions for not testifying," but told the judge that not long before his early afternoon appearance at court he had received "in somewhat dramatic fashion" an indication from his source freeing him from his commitment to keep his source's identity secret. For some observers this called into question the allegations against Rove, who had signed a waiver months before permitting reporters to testify about their conversations with him (see above paragraph). [29] July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Contempt of court is the failure to obey a lawful order of a court, disrespect for the judge, disruption of the proceedings through poor behavior, or publication of material deemed likely to jeopardize a fair trial. ...

Cooper, however, stated in court that he did not previously accept a general waiver to journalists signed by his source (whom he did not identify by name), because he had made a personal pledge of confidentiality to his source. The 'dramatic change' which allowed Cooper to testify was later revealed to be a phone conversation between lawyers for Cooper and his source confirming that the waiver signed two years earlier included conversations with Cooper. Citing a "person who has been officially briefed on the case," The New York Times identified Rove as the individual in question,[30] a fact later confirmed by Rove's own lawyer.[31] According to one of Cooper's lawyers, Cooper has previously testified before the grand jury regarding conversations with Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr., chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, after having received Libby's specific permission to testify.[32] I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ...

Rove's email to Hadley

In an email sent by Karl Rove to top White House security official Stephen Hadley immediately after his discussion with Matt Cooper (obtained by the Associated Press and published on 15 July 2005), Rove claimed that he tried to steer journalist Cooper away from allegations Wilson was making about faulty Iraq intelligence. "Matt Cooper called to give me a heads-up that he's got a welfare reform story coming," Rove wrote to Hadley. "When he finished his brief heads-up he immediately launched into Niger. Isn't this damaging? Hasn't the president been hurt? I didn't take the bait, but I said if I were him I wouldn't get Time far out in front on this." Rove made no mention to Hadley in the e-mail of having leaked Plame's CIA identity.[33] Although Rove wrote to Hadley (and perhaps testified) that the initial subject of his conversation with Cooper was welfare reform and that the conversation then turned to Wilson and the Niger mission, Cooper has disputed this suggestion in his grand jury testimony and subsequent statements: "I can't find any record of talking about [welfare reform] with him on July 11 [2003], and I don't recall doing so," Cooper said. [34][35] Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado) is an American political consultant, and (as of 2005) U.S. President George W. Bushs senior advisor, chief political strategist, and deputy chief of staff in charge of policy. ... Stephen J. Hadley is the current National Security Advisor for U.S. President George W. Bush. ... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Welfare reform is the name for a political movement in countries with a state-administered social welfare system to institute changes in that system, generally in a more conservative direction. ...

Karl Rove revealed as Time leaker

On 10 July 2005, Newsweek posted a story from its forthcoming July 18 print edition which quoted one of the e-mails written by Time reporter Matt Cooper in the days following the publication of Wilson's Op-Ed piece.[36] Writing to Time bureau chief Michael Duffy on 11 July 2003, three days before Novak's column was published, Cooper recounted a two-minute conversation with Karl Rove "on double super secret background" in which Rove said that Wilson's wife was a CIA employee: "it was, KR [Karl Rove] said, Wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd issues who authorized the trip." In a Time article released 17 July 2005, Cooper says Rove ended his conversation by saying "I've already said too much." If true, this could indicate that Rove identified Wilson's wife as a CIA employee prior to Novak's column being published. Some believe that statements by Rove claiming he did not reveal her name would still be strictly accurate if he mentioned her only as 'Wilson's wife', although this distinction would likely have no bearing on the alleged illegality of the disclosure. The White House repeatedly denied that Rove had any involvement in the leaks. Whether Rove's statement to Cooper that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in fact violated any laws has not been resolved. July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

In addition, Rove told Cooper that CIA Director George Tenet did not authorize Wilson's trip to Niger, and that "not only the genesis of the trip [to Niger] is flawed an[d] suspect but so is the report" which Wilson made upon his return from Africa. Rove "implied strongly there's still plenty to implicate Iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro[m] Niger," and in an apparent effort to discourage Cooper from taking the former ambassador's assertions seriously, gave Cooper a "big warning" not to "get too far out on Wilson." Cooper recommended that his bureau chief assign a reporter to contact the CIA for further confirmation, and indicated that the tip should not be sourced to Rove or even to the White House. Rove's reported claim that Wilson's mission to Niger was "authorized" by his wife was not strictly true, as Valerie Plame did not have the authority to authorize such a trip. However, CIA sources still differ on the extent of Valerie Plame's involvement in her husband's selection.[37]

Cooper testified before a grand jury on 13 July 2005, revealing that Rove was the source who told him Wilson's wife was an employee of the CIA.[38] In the 17 July 2005 Time magazine article detailing his grand jury testimony, Cooper wrote that Rove never used Plame's name, nor indicated that she had covert status: "Was it through my conversation with Rove that I learned for the first time that Wilson's wife worked at the C.I.A. and may have been responsible for sending him? Yes. Did Rove say that she worked at the 'agency' on 'W.M.D.'? Yes. Is any of this a crime? Beats me."[39] Cooper also explained to the grand jury that the "double super secret background" under which Rove spoke to him was not an official White House or Time magazine source or security designation, but an allusion to the 1978 film Animal House, in which a college fraternity is placed under "double secret probation."[40] July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Deltas in front of their house Movie poster of Animal House National Lampoons Animal House (also called Animal House) is a 1978 comedy film in which a misfit group of Delta fraternity boys takes on the system at their college. ...

Other journalists with early knowledge

Days after Novak's initial column appeared, several other journalists, notably Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, published Plame's name citing unnamed government officials as sources. In his article, titled "A War on Wilson?", Cooper raised the possibility that the White House had "declared war" on Wilson for speaking out against the Bush Administration.[41] Matthew Cooper is a reporter with TIME magazine, who, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller was held in contempt of court and threatened with imprisonment for refusing to disclose secret sources in stories connecting the White House with the Valerie Plame exposure scandal. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Both NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell and MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews have been mentioned in the press as having early knowledge of the Plame leak, although their conversations with (unnamed) White House officials may have taken place after Novak's article was published.[42] Two Newsday reporters who also confirmed and expanded upon Novak's account, Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce, were also mentioned in October 2003 in connection to an ongoing judicial inquiry.[43] The 1986 Peacock logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar. ... Andrea Mitchell (born October 20, 1946) graduated with a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. ... Chris Matthews Christopher John Matthews (born December 17, 1945) hosts a nightly, hour-long talk show called Hardball with Chris Matthews on the American cable television channel MSNBC. Matthews is a graduate of Holy Cross College, and did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina. ... Newsday is a daily tabloid newspaper which primarily serves Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, although it is sold throughout the greater New York City metropolitan area. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism. ...

Walter Pincus, a Washington Post columnist, has written that he was told in confidence by an (unnamed) Bush administration official on 12 July 2003, two days before Novak's column appeared, that "the White House had not paid attention to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson’s CIA-sponsored February 2002 trip to Niger because it was set up as a boondoggle by his wife, an analyst with the agency working on weapons of mass destruction."[44] Because he did not believe it to be true, Pincus did not report the story. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Boondoggle is a North American term referring to the performance of useless or trivial tasks whilst appearing to be doing something important. ...

White House reactions

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 [the leak], they would no longer be in this administration."[45] Once the source was disclosed, the White House refused to comment 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 indicate say that was what was meant all along.

President George 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."[46][47] 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."[48] 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."[49] 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 – Elliot Abrams, a national security aide, and I. 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. [50] On 10 June 2004, eight months after the formal outside investigation was begun and five months after the appointment of an Independent Counsel, President Bush responded affirmatively when asked by a reporter if he stood by his pledge to fire anyone involved in the leak.[51][52] October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Scott McClellan Scott McClellan (born 1968) is the current White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... I. Lewis Scooter Libby, Jr. ... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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.[53] 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,[54] nor would he state whether Bush would honor his prior promise to fire individuals involved in the leak.[55][56][57] 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. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Neither Rove nor the President offered immediate public comment on the unfolding scandal.[58][59][60][61][62] Although some elected Republicans remained silent on the issue of the Valerie Plame leak and a White House compromise of national security, 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.[63] 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.[64] In an even more extreme example of partisanship, the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal praised Rove on 13 July 2005 for leaking Plame's identity, referring to him as a "whistleblower."[65] July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Kenneth B. Mehlman (born 1967 in Baltimore, Maryland) is the chair of the Republican National Committee. ... David Brooks, conservative commentator for the New York Times and other publications. ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

On 18 July 2005, after having brushed off similar questions about the Rove scandal for nearly a week, President Bush stated that "[i]f someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration."[66] This was widely interpreted as a retraction of multiple earlier promises to fire anyone involved in the leak itself. 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 Independent Counsel grand jury has questioned whether a particular top secret State Department report naming Plame may have been the source of Rove's information.[67]. 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. July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 25 July 2005, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales was notified about the U.S. Justice Department investigation into the Plame memo leak on the evening of 29 September 2003. He promptly informed White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. about the investigation, but waited 12 hours before informing the general White House Staff. The White House Staff is, according to the article, 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. [68] July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Congressional reactions

On July 15, 2005, 91 members of Congress signed a letter calling for Karl Rove to explain his role in the Plame affair, or to resign; 13 Democratic Members of the House Judiciary Committee have called for hearings on the matter. [69] U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, or (more commonly) the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. ...

A Resolution of Inquiry has been offered by Rush Holt (D-NJ) and John Conyers (D-MI), requesting that the Bush Administration release all documents concerning the exposure of Ms. Plame. Two members of the United States Congress have been named Rush Holt, father and son: Rush D. Holt, Sr. ... John Conyers John Conyers, Jr. ...

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. [70] Barney Frank Barney Frank (born March 31, 1940) is an American politician, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. ...

A series of nationwide town hall meetings has been scheduled for July 23 to review the Downing Street memo, the Plame affair, (sometimes called 'Rovegate'), and the sitaution in Iraq. [71]. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Downing Street memo The Downing Street memo (occasionally DSM), sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the smoking gun memo, which contains the minutes of a secret July 23, 2002 meeting among United Kingdom government, defence and intelligence figures, discussing...

As of 22 July 2005, no Republican member of Congress had publically voiced concern about a breach in national security, nor the continuing role of Karl Rove in the Bush Administration. As of 22 July 2005, not a single Republican member of the House of Representatives or Senate had called for Rove to be fired, impeached, disciplined, or even questioned about his reasons for leaking a CIA operative's identity. July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Public opinion

In a scientific poll conducted July 13-17, 2005 by ABC News, a minority (47%) of people surveyed said the White House is not cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation; the remainder either had no opinion (28%) or thought the White House was fully cooperating (25%).[72]. 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." ibid A poll is either an election or a survey of a particular group. ... ABC News is a division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). ...

Legal questions

Proving a violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act involves several elements which may be difficult to establish in this case, however in compromising Valerie Plame's position, Rove may have broken other federal laws, including the Espionage Act, and the non-disclosure agreement people granted security clearance are required to sign. The Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 (PL97-200, 50 U.S. Code Secs. ... The Espionage Act was passed by the 65th United States Congress on June 15, 1917, during World War I. This act made it a crime, punishable by a $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail, for a person to convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere... A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) or confidential disclosure agreement (CDA) is a legal contract between two parties which outlines confidential materials the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict from generalized use. ... Classified information is secret information to which access is restricted by law or corporate rules to a particular hierarchical class of people. ...

There is precedent for prosecuting a leak under the Espionage Act. In United States v. Morison, Morison was convicted of espionage for leaking classified surveillance photos of a Soviet aircraft carrier to Jane's Defence Weekly. The court specifically found that there in no need under this law to show any "evil purpose." Morison unsuccessfully argued that he was trying to help the media avoid incorrect reporting on an alleged Soviet military buildup. [73] Janes Defence Weekly (abbreviated as JDW) is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs. ...

In 2003, Sandy Berger, former Clinton administration National Security Advisor, removed classified documents from a National Archives reading room to prepare for his testimony before the 9/11 Commission. Even though no classified information leaked as a result, he plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act in mishandling the documents and his security clearance was suspended for 3 years. Sandy Berger Samuel R. Sandy Berger (born October 28, 1945) served as United States National Security Advisor to President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. ... Order: 42nd President Term of Office: January 20, 1993–January 20, 2001 Preceded by: George H. W. Bush Succeeded by: George W. Bush Date of birth: August 19, 1946 Place of birth: Hope, Arkansas Date of death: Place of death: First Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton Political party: Democratic Vice President... -1... The United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. ... The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up in late 2002 to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks. ...

According to John W. Dean, a FindLaw columnist and former presidential counsel, Rove is likely to have violated Title 18, Section 641 of the United States Code, which prohibits the theft or conversion of government records for non-governmental use. [74] John Dean, May 7, 1972. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal Law of the United States. ... Theft (also known as stealing) is, in general, the wrongful taking of someone elses property without that persons willful consent. ...

In 2003, this law was successfully used to convict John Randel, a Drug Enforcement Agency analyst, for leaking the name of a DEA agent (Lord Ashcroft) to London media. In a statement to Randel, United States District Court Judge Richard Story wrote, "Anything that would affect the security of officers and of the operations of the agency would be of tremendous concern, I think, to any law-abiding citizen in this country." Due to pleading guilty, Randel's sentence was reduced from 500 years in a federal prison, to a year of imprisonment and three years of probation. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Since 1973, the DEA has enforced the drug laws in the United States. ... Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft KCMG (born March 4, 1946) is a British businessman and politician who has been a member of the House of Lords since 2000. ... St. ... District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations. ... This is a list of U.S. federal prisons. ... Probation is the suspension of a prison or jail sentence - the criminal who is on probation has been convicted of a crime, but instead of serving prison time, has been found by the Court to be amenable to probation and will be returned to the community for a period in...

This may be seen as setting precedent for the prosecution of similar leaks, and Karl Rove is likely to face greater consequences than Randel if indicted for violating Section 641. Whereas Randel leaked sensitive information about a DEA agent, unlikely to affect the national security of the United States, Rove leaked the identity of a CIA agent, an expert on weapons of mass destruction, during a time when the United States was considering war based on a potential threat to its security from such weapons. Precedent is the principle in law of using the past in order to assist in current interpretation and decision-making. ... DEA is an abbreviation of the following, among others: Data Encryption Algorithm Dance Educators of America (USA) Davis Education Association (USA) Drug Enforcement Administration (USA) Diplôme détudes approfondies, a former French graduate degree Deutsche Erdöl-Aktiengesellschaft (Germany) Directorate of Environmental Affairs (Namibia) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational... Security measures outside the Houses of Parliament, London, England. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical and, increasingly, radiological weapons. ...

Supporters of Rove, including many Republicans, assert that he has testified truthfully, and interpret the law to favor Rove's account of ignorance as to Plame's specific CIA status.

Actual damage caused

Legal filings by Independent Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald contain many pages blanked out for security reasons, leading some observers to speculate that Fitzgerald has pursued the extent to which national security was compromised by the actions of Rove and others. On 18 July 2005, The Economist reported that Valerie Plame had been dissuaded by the CIA from publishing her own account of her exposure, suggesting that such an article would itself be a breach of national security. The Economist also reported that "affirmative measures" by the CIA were being taken to protect Plame's identity at the time Rove revealed her CIA affiliation to journalists.[75] Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald (born 1961) is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Valerie Plame with her husband Joseph C. Wilson, photographed after her CIA identity became public knowledge. ...

References

David Corn is a political correspondent for The Nation and author of the book as well as the political novel Deep Background and the biography Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIAs Crusades. ... CNN or Cable News Network is a cable television network that was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner & Reese Schonfeld [1] [2] (although he currently is not recognized in CNNs official history). ... James William Gilliam (October 17, 1928 - October 8, 1978) was an African-American Major League Baseball player. ... Michael Isikoff is an investigative journalist for the US-based magazine Newsweek. ... Newsweek Logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States,Canada, Hong Kong and probably other places too. ... There are two prominent athletes named Larry Johnson: Larry Johnson (musician) Larry Johnson (basketball) Larry Johnson (football) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... David Johnston studied with Buckminster Fuller at Southern Illinois University, graduating with a degree in Environmental Systems Design. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The Boston Globe is the most widely-circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and in the greater New England region. ... Accuracy In Media (AIM) is an American organization which monitors the U.S. media. ... Robert David Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a U.S. conservative columnist (Inside Report, since 1963; until 1993 co-written with Rowland Evans) who is also a well-known television personality. ... Screenshot from Media Matters for America (3/16/05) Media Matters for America is a non-profit organization founded by former conservative journalist David Brock. ... The American Prospect is a monthly magazine which focuses on US politics and public policy. ...

External links

Washington Post masthead The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... The International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), founded in 1992, is a global network of more than 60 Non-governmental organisation that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression. ...

Contents

Background

Time line of Plame affair

Central figures and issues

CIA calls for Special Prosecutor

List of known Grand Jury witnesses

Contempt of Court: Miller, Cooper

Karl Rove

Rove's email to Hadley

Karl Rove revealed as Time leaker

Other journalists with early knowledge

White House reactions

Congressional reactions

Public opinion

Legal questions

Actual damage caused

References

External links

Related SourceWatch articles

Contents

Background GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Time line of Plame affair

Central figures and issues

CIA calls for Special Prosecutor

List of known Grand Jury witnesses

Contempt of Court: Miller, Cooper

Karl Rove

Rove's email to Hadley

Karl Rove revealed as Time leaker

Other journalists with early knowledge

White House reactions

Congressional reactions

Public opinion

Legal questions

Actual damage caused

References

External links

Related SourceWatch articles

Background