Jun 13 2006
Fitzgerald Quits While He Is Behind
** Updates at end, keep checking back **
Good news for Karl Rove and the Bush administration as special counsel Fitzgerald finally realizes (I assume after numerous failed attempts with the grand jury) that he has nothing on Karl Rove that would not apply to his ‘star witnesses’. That of course is the reality of memory and its inaccuracies.
Top White House aide Karl Rove will not be charged in an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity, his lawyer said Tuesday.
“On June 12, 2006, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove,” said Robert Luskin in a statement.
Luskin said Fitzgerald’s decision should “put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove’s conduct.”
Fitzgerald’s case against Scooter Libby has been falling apart for months as we learned Joe Wilson, Marc Grossman (life long bud of Wilson’s) and Time’s Matt Cooper all now have some form of credibility issues. I would like to see the case go to court, but I get the felling that every witness outside of Plame, Wilson and Grossman will be hostile to Fitzgerald’s intentions and he may fold on that case as well. We know Armitage is the original leaker of the information Fitzgerald was assigned to investigate. It will be devastating when he gets on the stand and everyone is reminded that it was his act Fitzgerald was charged to resolve – not Libby’s.
And of course this is going to crush the liberal’s dreams. For some fun at their expense drop by the DU and KoS to see all the angst. And I bet they tear into Jason Leapold for his fake but accurate news on the pending Rove indictment. Some thoughts at Stop The ACLU on the news.
Addendum: This news is actually good for Llibby, who now has access to a lot of evidence Fitzgerald was holding because of the parallel investigation – unless Karl was not the target of that parallel investigation. If Fitz still claims the evidence must be withheld, then there is someone else in the cross hairs. If there is it must be Armitage.
Addendum: Seems maybe there is something to the idea Fitzgerald may be after Armitage after all:
With Rove’s fate now decided, other unfinished business in Fitzgerald’s probe focuses on the source who provided Washington Post reporter Bob Woodwind [sic] information about Plame.
Woodwind [sic] says his source, who he has not publicly identified, provided the information about Wilson’s wife, several weeks before Novak learned of Plame’s identity. The Post reporter, who never wrote a story, was interviewed by Fitzgerald late last year.
Ok, it is hard to put much stock in a news article that misspells Bob Woodward’s name, but if this is a sourced statement of the future for Fitzgerald then Armitage must be getting nervous (and a bit angry at one Marc Grossman). I actually speculated back on May 19th that Armitage might be indicted and the real target of Fitz.
Update: For those who do not have time to wade through hundreds of wailing posts from lefties moaning the end of Fitzmas, Mark Coffey has collected his top ten favorite whines. And Tom Maguire has his thoughts up on the news.
Update: I should point out another theory from Mac Ranger that there might be an indictment in the works for Matt Cooper. I have my doubts, but it is worth listening to Mac when he speculates. This one came from July 2005,.
Plame Game – Rove Cleared (of course) DU on suicid…
Well it’s official – although your’s truly told you all along – Rove won’t be frog-marched.”WASHINGTON – Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald h ……
Not only that, Bush has popped up in Iraq!!
A lot is happening.
Step Away From the Ledge…
There will be no Fitzmas. There will be no Rove perp walk. Karl Rove will not be indicted, much to the chagrin of the rabid left….
Can you explain what you are driving at in your addendum?
Snapple,
In Libby’s request for evidence in Fitzgerald’s possession he has been barred from receiving evidence that is tied to the ‘other investigation’. We had all assumed this was the investigation into Rove. Now that Rove is cleared either that evidence is now available to Libby, or there was another target in Fitz’s cross-hairs. The only one left is the original source leaker – Armitage.
Actually, I do not think Armitage will be indicted, but if he isn’t it makes Libby’s case only weaker for it turns out it was he who first disclosed Plame’s identity to reporters, and it may well be that he failed to tell Fitz about his earlier disclosure to Woodward when he testified about telling Novak.
Clarice,
I agree that is the most probable outcome. But I am not so sure not to at least entertain the idea.
Here is a pretty full account with the speakers identified.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2070159
BEGIN QUOTE
Fitzgerald met with chief U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan before he notified Rove. Hogan has been overseeing the grand juries in the CIA leak case. Fitzgerald’s spokesman, Randall Samborn, declined to comment.
Asked if the CIA leak investigation is still continuing, Samborn said, “I’m not commenting on that as well as this time.”
…..”In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation,” [Rove’s Lawyer]Luskin said.
See full test at link
It is interesting what Luskin said about not talking about the subject matter of the investigation.
CURSES! (TIN)FOILED AGAIN!…
AJ Strata points out that We know Armitage is the original leaker of the information Fitzgerald was assigned to investigate. It will be devastating when he gets on the stand and everyone is reminded that it was his act Fitzgerald was charged to resol…..
Rove won’t be indicted (UPDATED)…
Via the NYT:
WASHINGTON, June 13 — The prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case on Monday advised Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, that he would not be charged with any wrongdoing, effectively ending the nearly three-year criminal investigation t…
BTW AJ I love your title ..
Karl Rove Cleared, Leopold Weeps…
From CNN:WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House senior adviser Karl Rove has been told by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald that he will not be charged in the CIA leak case, according to Robert Luskin, Rove’s lawyer. In deference to the pending…
Rove Will NOT Be Indicted…
Of course the left is getting a bit upset and engaging in a some wishful thinking judging by some of the comments coming from the DummiesU alumni
……
Gloat! Gloat! Gloat!…
SUBTITLE: ROVE VINDICATED – PRESIDENT IN BAGHDAD I fell asleep last night with the television still on. This morning, eyes still closed, still more asleep than awake, and I hear a female voice say, Rove vindicated! My reaction was, WHAAAAT? But before …
Fitzgerald can’t afford to go after Cooper, Woodward, or Russert. BECAUSE he can’t afford anymore damage to his own reputation; and there’s a rule out there worth repeating: “Don’t touch people who buy ink by the barrel.”
Of course, counterfeiters still get caught. But you don’t need a special prosecutor to arrest ordinary criminals.
How do ordinary counterfeiters get caught? They try to pass the buck.
There’s no “case closed” stamp because our justice system is in dissary. Turns out MOST cases never reach juries. And, for proof, I quote Law Professor Steven Lubet. He says in CIVIL cases ONLY 3% ever get tried.
We’re living with a legal system where the whole ball of wax is to intimidate INNOCENT people to “settle.” OR to accept “lesser charges,” even if there’s no criminal intent involved. That’s why Martha Stewart did NOT get a fair deal! The Appeals Court decided to keep in play the rule that the “Trier of Fact” knows everything. And, it’s never questioned. Errors can come about only if judges go “in-flagrant-del-etto” So that few cookes crumble.
But it is very sad, indeed.
Perhaps, the future pressure will be on newcomers coming up to bat at the Supreme’0’s, who understand the damage done, already. And, bring the lawlessness of our system to heel.
Good points well made, Carol.
For some extensive giggles on the Rove-off-the-hook story, Flopping Aces seemed to be so mesmerized by the weeping and gnashing of teeth from a crushed and devastated leftie site, F.A. kept copy-pasting “just one more” from the C&D-leftie “comments” block.
That they’re serious makes it incredibly funny.
So far the box score on this is
One bunt, no hits, and a bunch of errors.
If it goes to trial it will be accompanied by a lot of strike outs
Fritzy baseball lingo