Jul 12 2006
More Novak On Plame
Well, the article is finally out and there is not much more than what we knew (and I posted on) last night. Novak attempted to hide his sources, but Fitzgerald and the FBI had already determined his sources from what I would guess were the interviews of key players. Armitage was known to have talked to Novak during that period, so I am sure during his interview by the FBI he fessed up, and it seems he contacted Novak after his interview to ‘explain’ his position in the matter:
In my sworn testimony, I said what I have contended in my columns and on television: Joe Wilson’s wife’s role in instituting her husband’s mission was revealed to me in the middle of a long interview with an official who I have previously said was not a political gunslinger. After the federal investigation was announced, he told me through a third party that the disclosure was inadvertent on his part.
If Rove had called Novak to ‘explain’ his role (so that Novak would give a consistent account) then the press and the Wilsons would be screaming collusion. I find this to be another indication of Fitzgerald’s negligent tunnel vision. The question is how did Armitage know about Plame? Supposedly she was some low level under cover analyst in the bowels of the CIA. Armitage was number 2 at State. There is more here which may come out in the Libby court case. But I find it amazing that Novak’s source called to tell him the comment was inadvertant! Why was he feeling the need to make this statement?
Novak on the Plame Affair…
Bob Novak has finally told his part in Plame Gate. Lots of people will be talking about this today but the payoff line for me comes in the first paragraph:
For nearly the entire time of his investigation, Fitzgerald knew — independent of me ̵…
I’m guessing Armitage knew about Plame due to the INR memo. The INR memo was the gravy train that got all of this started. Well, aside from Joe Wilson lying like… oh… I don’t know… Jason Leopold?
http://americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5664 My take. I agree with Seixon on how Armitage knew. Also it’s clear this was no secret in DoS circles, and finally, his man Marc Grossman was a longtime friend of Wilson’s and may have told him—and then cast suspicion on Rove and Libby as the source.
I wonder if, in his interview with Brit Hume or Hannity and Colmes tonight, Novak will shed light on the discussion he had with “Joe’s friend” … the one who encountered him on the sidewalk July 8, 2003…
Did Joe’s friend try to convince Novak not to publish the info about Wilson’s wife’s involvement in the trip to Niger?
Wonder if Joe’s friend was Marc Grossman…
Great article Clarice. I would think you pretty much summed up this sham
Unfortunately, it will not make much of a splash in the MSM when Libby gets cleared of any wrongdoing, and the Culture of Corruption Meme will continue unabaited.
Great work also by Tom McQuire, AJ, MAC, and the usual cast of thousands on the Right.
Many thanks for the laughs from the Left; DU, Firedog, Truthout, et al.
Thanks, Burbank..Maid Marion, I am certain that “stranger” was a Wilson plant. I am also certain it wasn’t anyone as visible as Grossman.
The “stranger” was a Wilson plant. Joe Wilson admitted that himself.
However, I believe that the actual person was the ubiquitous Larry “Classmate of Val” Johnson. Can’t remember where or when I came across that interesting factoid.
What really ticks me off here is that Lewis Libby probably owes about $250,000 in legal fees because of these lying sacks of excrement.
Kind of tying in to AJ’s DUH post on the GC/Gitmo and the MSM misreporting – Our local news services (SF area – so no wonder) ran with:
“Rove WAS a source for the OUTING of VP”.
I sent them an e-mail to make a correction to:
“Rove WAS a source for Novak’s article about VP arranging Joe Wilsons fake trip to Niger”.
I won’t be holding my breath…………..
Only in today’s world of sloppy journalism where “I heard that, too” is considered confirmation.
Maybe Armitage know of Plame because of mutual social acquaintances. In some ways Washington DC strikes me as a small town where everyone knows everyone.
Clarice:
“If Fitzgerald knew by January 12, 2004 who the leaker was and that it wasn’t Libby or Rove, why did he later call them to testify before the grand jury?”
I believe that was an investigation of allegations that were going around that there had been some order from the office of the VP to leak the information. It seems that more than just Novak claimed to know about Wilson’s wife and since Libby and Rove had both been speaking to reporters on the issue, Fitz wanted to see if there had been some internal program to systematically leak the information widely.
I don’t think he found any evidence of that, but that is what I think he was looking for.
What bothers me most about the whole thing is Joe and Valerie are probably over at Bill and Dana’s house having Sunday beer and BBQ discussing plans for the speaking circuit before all this even comes up. Woodward is probably the only reporter in Washington that had his head screwed on tight about this. I am willing to bet you there are other reporters that had this information and were not served by Fitz to testify and never came forward on their own. Woodward’s tone when discussing the issue gave me a clear impression that it was practically common knowledge among the people in the intel/national security circles. Armitage might have picked up the information in the department cafeteria for all we know and was just passing along idle chit-chat.
The real story about all of this to me is Wilson’s ties to anti-administration groups and individuals that predate Novak’s story. If you look at the people surrounding him … Larry Johnson and CIP, for example, could this all really be just coincidence? Could it just be coincidence that all this scandal broke out and JUST HAPPENED to involve someone so closely associated with other people associated with Veterans for Peace, Win Without War, Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan, Larry Johnson, VIPS? Puhleaaaaase, give me a break. There is more to this story that really needs to come out so that people get the real picture.
Or, as someone else mentioned on another blog, it might have been Alan Greenspan who accidently leaked it. He is the husband of a reporter, she might have known about it. This might also be why Greenspan (not a political gunslinger) stepped down when he did.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more Alan Greenspan makes perfect sense. If Woodward was right that the information that Valerie worked at CIA was “common knowledge” amoung people in those circles, then Greenspan’s wife, Andrea Mitchell, would have known about it and the topic probably came up in social chit-chat. Dang it, that is the problem with Washington DC, everyone is connected to someone else and it is just too small of a community. No wonder leaks can go around in what seems like seconds.
No. I’m certain it was not Greenspan. Woodward and Novak apparently had the same source. Greenspanwouldn’t have been it. Both had stronger ties to DoS and only Armitage’s name fits the redactions.
AS to why Fitz proceeded with the grand jury–the only exculpatory reason is that he believed Grossman’s false 1x2x6 story–Grossman, Wilson’s good friend beginning with their college days and throughout their time at DoS.Pheh..Stupid.
And how do you explain pursuing this when the evidence which was essential to proceed on the referral was nonexistent?
No one with good judgement would have done this.
I still think Fitz was trying to make sure there wasn’t some notion of “broad leakage” going on. But what really puzzles me is the way he spoke at the Libby indictment press conference. It was almost as if he implied that he “knew” more was going on but this is all he could get. Maybe it was just schtick but the way he came across was as if sincerely believing that the administration had done some grave disservice to the members of the intelligence community or something.
Maybe he ‘s not used to high powered defendants and thought this was like pursuing garbage collectors or blind sheikhs..Maybe he thought if he slandered Libby and overcharged him, he’d tattle on others..what a misjudgement.
If Grossman is the one who most directly set up Libby, what are the chances of Fitz turning on him and prosecuting him?
Maybe he thought if he slandered Libby and overcharged him, he’d tattle on others..what a misjudgement.
Clarice, I think you may be very close to the truth here. and I do think that the truth will eventually come out, probably all 6 or 7 versions of it, depending on who’s book you believe, heh.
And, maybe, Plame visited Armitage, near his sink, with a box of pizza?
I hope the kid’s game, CLUE, gets an updated version.
However, this story turns out, the makers of Preparation “H” have so many opportunities, ahead. Including, an old ad I remember, where nine out of ten people walking down the street were identified as Preparation “H” users.
How come this idiotic plame/flame/plan got so much mileage? You’d think it’s on par with that deep dig tunnel in Massachusetts. And, about as expensive.
Will the public, down the road, just toss this off as they did Bubba’s blow jobs? Instead of a “secrets” stamp; in the future, the donks can just stamp everything Deep Thoat. And, load up on the X’s.
Anyone liveblogging Novak’s appearance on Special Report? I am at work and don’t have access to Fox News.