Feb 12 2007
Fitz’s Folly X
Addendum: Now we have Glenn Kessler who was on the phone with Libby regarding Wilson and no mention of Plame. Evan Thomas up as well today, no mention of Plame. So, we have Miller as a maybe Libby mentioned Plame, Cooper saying Cooper brought it up, Russert a “no”, as are Woodward, Novak, Walter Pincus, David Sanger, Kessler and Thomas. So the score is now 7 journalists talked to Libby with no Plame discussion, one did but he raised Plame up himself, and only Miller with a strong “maybe” Libby mentioned it first. The grand conspiracy is as we thought, all fantasy. Too bad Fitzgerald drank the Kool Aid and wasted the government’s money chasing that white whale of a tale.
end update
updates below
The ‘grand conspiracy’ theory that underpins the prosecutor’s lame case just took a huge hit this morning when Walter Pincus testified he talked to Libby twice regarding the then unnamed Wilson and not once did he get the word out about Plame.
J[effress] [Reads the paragraph saying “an aide” of Cheney was impetus of trip, continues to read] Did you speak to Libby before writing this article, were these two paragraphs based on info given by Libby. [Hey Jeffress–that means Libby lied to Pincus!!] Do you remember when you spoke to Libby
W[alter]P[Pincus] I spoke to him once and probably twice.
J Had you published an earlier article on June 5 that also talked about VP? Did you talk to Libby and Cathie Martin in prep for that article.
WP I believe I did
J Prior to June 12, correct? Why were you wishing to speak to Libby.
WP [referenced Kristof article] I wanted to talk to VP office to find out what happened. Eventually I talked to Cathie Martin. She told me he was going to call. He called, on telephone.
J Were you asking him about the truth of this unnamed envoy. Do you recall what Libby told you.
WP He did not know how it had come about.
J That the VP did not?
WP He didn’t talk about VP–he talked about himself and the staff.
J Did Libby say anything about Wilson’s wife. He didn’t mention her at all? You’re sure about that.
WP No, he didn’t mention her.
J This conversation was before June 12, let’s put it at June 11.
WP That’s pretty tight, but it might have been that date.
J Did you continue reporting on this. Later did you co-write an article on July 6. You interviewed him at his home?
WP I talked to him on the telephone.
J Were you aware that Wilson’s wife worked at CIA. When did you first learn that fact?
WP July 12.
J By phone or in person?
WP By Phone.
J Where were you?
WP At my desk at WaPo.
J Even though that’s a Saturday.
WP That’s a Saturday. I was writing a story about another aspect of the Niger story, to some degree, about WMD, in the midst of a discussion, in answer to question about the story I was writing, person swerved off and said, in effect, don’t you know his wife works at CIA, is an analyst on WMD, and she arranged the trip, that’s why people weren’t paying attention to it.
J Government official? Who was it.
WP Ari Fleischer. [Damn, I owe Swopa a beer]
As we suspected there will be a marching army of reporters who talked to Libby who did not get any inkling of Plame or her job at CIA or her role in Wilson’s trip. Were’s the conspiracy for retribution Fitz-Magoo? Fitzgerald did hide exculpatory evidence from the courts that there were tons of internal and media discussions regarding Wilson and apparently only a small percentage from the WH or OVP discussed Plame. But the perponderance of discussions show NO CONSPIRACY. We all know the State Department was the primary source to the media, behind Ari Fleischer. But where is Libby’s orders? Where are the media talking points? Where are all the reporters getting these unsolicited tips about Plame? We are the 1x2x6 connections? Fitzmas is not coming this year it seems.
Addendum: Another blow to the conspiracy theorists (who are shocked, shocked I tell you!, that government officials don’t tell the news media every detail) as Bob Woodward testifies he had numerous (seems like once every two weeks) discussions with Libby during this time and no Plame. Nada.
Addendum: Another reporter using Libby as a source during this time, no mention of Plame. If you discount Russert (per his testimony) then Libby only discussed Plame with only Cooper and Miller. And Cooper testified he brought up the topic and Libby simply gave a vague response. So only one reporter [Miller] is claiming Libby MAY HAVE brought up Plame. The other two reporters are clearly saying he did not BRING UP Plame. One reporter? Where is this grand conspiracy of revenge?????
So under this theory of innocence, a bank robber could argue that he had been in lots of bank’s and NOT robbed them, ergo, he was innocent of robbing the one they caught him with the cash from?
We’re not talking about any gradn conspiracies, are we? Did Fitzgerald get Libby indicted on some conspiracy charge the MSM failed to mention?
He’s is charged with specific lies on specific occasions to specific audiences, the last time I looked.
Soothie, you are riot!
No, under this theory you have to have proof Libby was conspiring – as the indictment said. It never said he was a bank robber. And yes, if there is no proof of a robbery then a ‘robber’ can go into a bank without concern. You sound like you prefer the kind of trials they had in the old USSR. Since now we are down to only ONE reporter claiming Libby MAY HAVE brought up Plame ,we do not have a case for conspiracy to obstruct.
I hope you don’t charge anyone for that vaunted legal advise of yours!
LOL!
Accidents at SEE.
The SS FITZ’ FOLLY just broadsided the SS MISHAP. Both ships seem lost. Did crew go under? Or are they on life boats. Weather very stormy. George Tenet just tossed in a LifeSaver Candy. “CENTER OF STORM.”
Saga continues. Predictdions? It’s all wet.
You don’t know what you are talking about, dude. There is no requirement WHATSOEVER that Fitzgerald “prove” any conspiracy. Libby is not charged wtih conspiracy; conspiracy only goes to motive, and motive is not an element of the crimes with which Libby is charged.
Libby was not charged with conspiracy to obstruct – he was charged with obstruction – and the obstruction was manifest in the form of lying to investigators and the grand jury.
See, Paragraph 31, Indictment of I. Lewis Libby:
Soothie,
Go read the indictment. He is not charged with conspiring, but the undertext of the indictment was he was part of a conspiracy to get at Joe Wilson and he lied to cover up that conspiracy. You don’t have to be charged with a crime to make it part of an indictment. For example, since you need some schooling from a layman in law, if a drug addict is charged with manslaughter, because in the attempt to steal something he ended up killing the victim who tried to fight back, the prosecutor can bring up the context of the theft as the ‘motive and opportunity’ for the charge of manslaughter. There is no need for (and some prosecutors may decide to forego) any additional indictments on the theft to make the manslaughter case.
If you are going to claim the indictment NEVER MENTIONS the idea of a WH and OVP conspiracy, directly or inferrentially, which Libby was part of in order to expose Plame as a way to pay back Joe Wilson then I will have no choice but to go check my memory and read the indictment again. You may be right, but I seriously doubt it.
Like I said, I hope you don’t charge people money for your advice!
AJ – you said he had to “prove” conspiracy – now you’ve backed off and said conspriacy was “part of the undertext” – wow, we’re getting pretty metaphysical here!
I never said the indictment did not mention a conspriacy – or a concerted effort to strike back at Joe Wilson – what I said was that Fitzgerald does not have to “prove” conspriracy in any form in order to convict Libby.
By the way – your lame attempt to ‘splain the law:
If this happened, the prosecutor would need neither “motive nor opportunity” – he would charge under the felony murder doctrine allowing a murder charge whenever someone is killed in the course of committing a felony – in this case robbery. So thanks for nothing.
And I hope you don’t charge folks for your engineering, when you can’t convert metric to feet and inches.
Why does everything I read about this from this lefty make Libby look like he was out to get Joe Wilson (who is married to Valerie Plame, a non-covert CIA analyst)?
Libby is charged with obstruction because of his bad memory, and because he is a Republican.
Yes, it’s Timmy’s proven lame memory against Libby’s. Simple as that.
Yes, Timmy, a democrat advisor in the 90’s, against Libby who has served his country above and beyond.
Exactly what has Timmy done to serve his country? And why should we believe him?
“Exactly what has Timmy done to serve his country”
Timmy and the rest of the leftist media along with the other American leftist terrorist supporters are serving some cause. But it’s certainly not America’s best interest.
Soothie –
So Libby, for all his troubles, gets five months in Club Fed. Is that as bad as major segments of the national news media lying to us about a campaign by the White House to “get” Joe Wilson? The Armitage tape is evidence that Wilson was blabbing to everyone about his Niger trip, at least a month before Novak even thought about writing a column. Not one of these “journalists” knew the truth? If they did, didn’t they have an obligation to tell the public? Or was it more important to bring down the Administration at the start of the Iraq war?
” didn’t they have an obligation to tell the public? Or was it more important to bring down the Administration at the start of the Iraq war?”
Beginning of the Iraq War, middle of the Iraq War, the American leftists terrorist supporters don’t seem to care, they just keep trying to bring down this Administration.