Was Ari the Other Leaker?
Was Ari the Other Leaker?
Bloomberg News raised eyebrows today with this vague mention of former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer:
People familiar with the inquiry say Fitzgerald also is reviewing testimony by former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, though it is not clear whether the prosecutor is focusing on him or seeking information about higher-ups. Fleischer last night refused to comment.
This actually isn’t the first time Fleischer has been mentioned in connection to Plamegate — a Los Angeles Times report from last October noted that Fleischer has denied he was one of the leakers.
But we know he has been interviewed by the FBI in relation to the leak. And it’s worth noting that Fleischer was among the very first Bush officials to go on the record criticizing Wilson. From March ‘04 :
In the subpoenaed July 12 [2003] transcript of a briefing in Nigeria, then-press secretary Ari Fleischer called Wilson a “lower-level official” and said Wilson had made flawed and incomplete statements. Fleischer did not return calls Friday.
So what about Fleischer piqued the Special Prosecutor’s interest? Details are still uncertain, but news reports suggest one theory for what might have occurred. In the days after Wilson’s NYT column was published but before Novak’s article appeared, Ari Fleischer was among the White House officials aboard Air Force One on a presidential trip to Africa, where he might have had access to the classified State Department document brought aboard by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell that likely tipped administration officials off to Plame’s true identity.
Full details below.
Classified State Department Report Taken Onto Air Force One Thought to Be Source of Plame’s Identity
What we do know is there was a classified State Department report that said this, that was taken by Secretary of State Powell with him on the trip to Africa that President Bush was then on, and many senior White House aides were on.
That classified State Department report appears to have been — or may well have been the source for the information that Rove and others were then dishing out to reporters. And if that’s the case, there still may be — we don’t know yet, but there still may be an instance where classified information was provided to reporters. [Michael Isikoff, 7/11/05]
In February ‘04, Fitzgerald Focused His Attention on the White House Communications Staff
A federal grand jury investigating the leak of an undercover CIA officer’s identity has heard testimony from at least four current and former White House communications aides, people familiar with the probe said Tuesday.
Press secretary Scott McClellan and Adam Levine, who formerly worked in the press office, testified before the panel last Friday. A deputy in McClellan’s office, Claire Buchan, said she appeared before the panel on Jan. 30.
One person close to the investigation said that Levine was questioned mainly about White House press office procedures. Investigators may have decided to talk to Levine, this person said, because Fleischer and Bartlett were with Bush on a July 7-12 trip to Africa just prior to publication of Novak’s column, and McClellan, then Fleischer’s deputy, was on vacation. [Associated Press, 2/11/04
One month later, Fitzgerald Subpoenaed Fleischer Transcript and Air Force One Phone Records
A transcript subpoenaed in the CIA leak probe reveals the White House press operation began efforts to personally discredit former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV days before a columnist blew the cover of his CIA-officer wife.
As Newsday reported Friday, a federal grand jury served three subpoenas on the White House in January for Air Force One telephone records and a transcript of a press briefing during the presidential trip to Africa the week before Robert Novak's July 14 column identifying CIA officer Valerie Plame .
In the subpoenaed July 12 transcript of a briefing in Nigeria, then-press secretary Ari Fleischer called Wilson a "lower-level official" and said Wilson had made flawed and incomplete statements. Fleischer did not return calls Friday. [Newsday, 3/6/04]
Fitzgeral Suspected Air Force One Phones Were Used to Leak Plame’s Identity
The White House will comply with federal grand jury subpoenas seeking phone records from Air Force One to determine whether presidential aides used the aircraft’s phones to leak the name of a CIA employee to reporters, a White House spokesman said Friday. [Knight-Ridder, 3/6/04]
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I want it to be Cheney.
July 13th, 2005 at 6:39 pmThe second source may well indeed be Cheney.
July 13th, 2005 at 6:48 pmMotive, opportunity, means:
John Bolton had the most the lose from the yellowcake debacle, since he promoted it most vigorously and was probably deeply involved in the SOTU address ‘16 words’
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050511/boltons_yellowcake.php
John Bolton had access to State’s Wilson file
John Bolton spent a lot of 2002-2003 snooping around CIA-NSA communications
John Bolton could easily tip off Rove
Does outing a CIA agent fall into the category of ‘fixing the facts to fit the policy’?
July 13th, 2005 at 7:10 pmI will give the same odds I gave Bush, Jr. a couple of days ago. My $20 to a glass of warm pee that Cheney is involved!
July 13th, 2005 at 8:44 pmI’d be willing to bet that it was Cheney, but I’d doubledown on the fact that Bush, Cheney and Rove planned and executed this entire fiasco carefully, deliberately and with typical ruthlessness. Let’s be honest, these are some rotten human beings and this is just a mosquito bite when compared to the rest of their crimes.
July 13th, 2005 at 9:21 pmyou better watch what you say.
July 13th, 2005 at 9:30 pmHow come Brian?
July 13th, 2005 at 9:38 pmTerrapin Terry, are you from Maryland?
The Republicans have lied ever since the Lincoln Administration carpetbagged The South.
They’re not going to quit any time soon.
July 13th, 2005 at 9:47 pmWatch KR get hauled off…
July 13th, 2005 at 9:53 pmhttp://www.toostupidtobepresident.com/
“Watch what you say” -Ari Fleischer
July 13th, 2005 at 10:27 pmWork with me, I was drawing a commonality…
Although many of you probably want more blood in this case, it’s important to understand that a reporter’s right to keep anonymous sources is more important that the latest political dogfight in D.C. Rove is guilty of what everyone knows he’s guilty of: being a scumbag. He is innocent until proven guilty on the treason allegations.
July 13th, 2005 at 11:20 pmNot sure what it means, but the timing of Ari’s resignation is certainly curious.
July 13th, 2005 at 11:27 pmConjecture can be fun, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves positing on “theories” and losing track of the things we know for a fact. This is how the right stockpiles ammunition to use against anybody that doesn’t bend to their will, and gets away with a lot of their unscrupulous actions.
We don’t know if Rove committed treason. We don’t know if Ari Fleischer or Dick Cheney was the other source. Bur we do know that Rove leaked information to Matt Cooper, and we do know that the White House lied about it. We do know that Bush promised to fire anyone involved in the Plame leak, and we do know that he has not kept his word.
What we know is more important right now than what we don’t know.
July 13th, 2005 at 11:36 pmJack,
Karl Rove is guilty, by his own admission, of leaking the identity of a CIA operative to the press. That goes way beyond the definition of a scumbag.
And a reporter’s right to keep anonymous sources from a grand jury during a criminal investigation, when that reporter has received information which is not in the public interest and which contributes to the destruction of a covert operation relevant to national security, is also in question.
July 13th, 2005 at 11:54 pmBrooklyn Girl,
Your point is well taken.
If your or my Brother-in-law robbed a 7/11 store that we knew about and refused to tell the authorities we would be charged with conspiracy before, during, and/or after the fact as well as obstruction of justice and be beside them for the 10 to 15 less good behaviour. Unfortunately my Daddy doesn’t own an oil company,he wasn’t a Republican, nor did he own a President
July 14th, 2005 at 12:05 am[...] Think Progress » Was Ari the Other Leaker? Comments (0) [...]
July 14th, 2005 at 12:30 amSeems kinda strange that Cheney has not been in the spotlight.
Is he in the hospital again? Or is he one of the culprits in question?
I have no doubt that the outing was part of the intelligence fixing and the entire Bushie Administration was in on it.
But, it is peculiar that Cheney is nowhere to be found at this time.
We are in a very wonderful place right now.
Patrick Fitzgerald will take down Rove and Ramsey Clark will take down the rest.
Life is good.
July 14th, 2005 at 12:35 amCheney just got out of the hospital.
Other than that, invisible as usual.
July 14th, 2005 at 12:53 amCheney? I don’t think he was the caller.
Cheney has CEO mentality. CEOs only dial other CEOs. They have staff to do the rest.
The question is, did he pick a staff person that would be willing to give up Cheney for a lesser sentence?
Truth is, I doubt Cheney called or asked somebody to call. What I could believe is a situation where his desires are understood and all he knows is that a staffer was “working on the Niger situation”.
July 14th, 2005 at 1:29 amDated 3-18-05
The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq’s oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC’s Newsnight has revealed.
Two years ago today – when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad – protesters claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq’s oil once Saddam had been conquered. In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of “Big Oil” executives and US State Department “pragmatists”.
“Big Oil” appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants. Insiders told Newsnight that planning began “within weeks” of Bush’s first taking office in 2001, long before the September 11th attack on the US.
An Iraqi-born oil industry consultant, Falah Aljibury, says he took part in the secret meetings in California, Washington and the Middle East. He described a State Department plan for a forced coup d’etat. Mr Aljibury himself told Newsnight that he interviewed potential successors to Saddam Hussein on behalf of the Bush administration.
Add the letter to Clinton in 99.
Add the DSM
Add the outing of Plame
votetoimpeach.org
July 14th, 2005 at 2:05 amAlthough many of you probably want more blood in this case, it’s important to understand that a reporter’s right to keep anonymous sources is more important that the latest political dogfight in D.C. Rove is guilty of what everyone knows he’s guilty of: being a scumbag. He is innocent until proven guilty on the treason allegations.
He’s guilty. They all are. You better watch what you say.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:33 amHave you noticed that all of them are watching what they say? Life is good.
July 14th, 2005 at 7:34 am[...] Was Ari the other leaker? [...]
July 14th, 2005 at 10:13 amUnfortunately, while some of you smell blood in the water, I just watched CNN for 45 minutes and there was not one mention of Plamegate. I think this story is going to fade and the MSM is going to let it die, just as they did the DSM and the WMD stories.
July 14th, 2005 at 10:26 amEven if it is Cheney, some Ollie North type would step up and take the fall for him. That’s how the Republicans deal with major scandals when all else fails.
July 14th, 2005 at 10:36 amI know Lisa, but the braindead MSM now have occasional reviews of “blogosphere”… (not spotting the irony that the success of the blogosphere is due to their own failure to approach subjects that people care about).
So WE have to keep it up. The truth will out.
Regarding the DSM, what are you all doing on Saturday the 23rd? Find a DSM 3rd anniversary event near you and ATTEND!
July 14th, 2005 at 10:48 amThis thing does not begin with Rove and it sure as hell doesn’t end with Rove.
Because there was no “leaker”! There was no “other leaker”!
GODDAMN IT!
The outing of Plame is being framed incorrectly. There wasn’t “a leaker” or “two leakers”, there was a whole damn group of leakers.
The outing of Plame was the result of groupleak.
Every person in the Bush administration who had a hand in the events that lead from the time that Valerie Wilson was diligently working on protecting the US from the threat of WMD to the time when she was not should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law because they are all traitors to our nation.
Now, I know that it sometimes takes time for the media to present things in the clearest manner in which they should be presented so I don’t blame them too much yet for not emphasizing (or hell, even mentioning) the fact that this thing goes much deeper than Rove, but we here in the blogosphere should not be doing only what they are doing.
Let’s emphasize at every turn that this thing is about just one man, it’s about a whole slew of traitorous men and women.
July 14th, 2005 at 12:49 pmRe “Let’s emphasize at every turn that this thing is about just one man”:
Let’s emphasize at every turn that this thing is NOT about just one man.
GODDAMN IT!
July 14th, 2005 at 12:50 pmThe SCLM/MSM will only dog this as long as Rove is a target. I suspect they hate Rove and blame him for their collective emasculation over the last 5 years. This is not a long-awaited awakening from sleep we are seeing here on the part fo the WHPC, just revenge.
July 14th, 2005 at 1:15 pmRe Shrub and the Dick: “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome [ambassador]?” King ? re Thomas Becket.
July 14th, 2005 at 2:48 pmeveryone’s ignoring the obvious here. rove is just bush’s haldeman, mcclellan is ziegler and the stonewalling is identical and thoroughly revealing. what they’re hiding is BUSH’S complicity in this. rove was no free agent in leaking plame’s identity to get back at wilson, a scheme that would bring big plaudits and vindictive laughs from bush. the whole crime ring circled theie wagons when wilson’s column emerged as a threat to their lying sales pitch, and they’re all in on this one: card, cheney, bush, rove, libby, fleischer, mcclellan and probably rice, tenet, hadley, wolfowitz and rumsfeld. they all know what each other is up to. the question that must be asked of bush, to the exclusion of all other questions, is when did he first learn that rove had communicated information about wilson’s wife to a member of the press?
July 14th, 2005 at 5:18 pmGeoff, you might be missing one:
John ‘I always wear a brownshirt’ Bolton. He was deeply involved in the yellowcake story http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050511/boltons_yellowcake.php and both he and Cheney had the most egg on their faces (besides Chimpy) when the ‘nukular weapons’ caper collapsed in the wake of Wilson’s op-ed.
Back to you, pinko librul George H. W. Bush. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_07_10.php#006091
Treason in a time of war and now the president refusing to root it out? Does that get over the blowjob bar?
July 14th, 2005 at 6:22 pmThe rumor I heard was that Cheney is the person that is the other ‘confidential’ source. That when Rove dropped his accusations, that some of the reporters went directly to Cheney to see if he had authorized Wilson’s trip, at which point he also dropped the Ms. Wilson did it rant.
If this is true, it would explain why they are holding to the confidentiality points on the reporters who haven’t been released… It would not only be devastating to the whitehouse, but it could take down BOTH of the real powers in the whitehouse – rove & cheney, and leave his incompetence to lead by himself (maybe an even scarier situation for the world than the current one?). Sad all of the way around if you ask me.
July 15th, 2005 at 2:40 am[...] Was Ari The Other Leaker? [...]
July 15th, 2005 at 7:44 amRyan, that’s plausible to me at one level, but my problem with Cheney is that as someone said “he only speaks to other CEOs” and get’s his Men (and Women) Friday’s to do the leg work. But then we also have the “reconstituted nuclear weapons” and the “f*** off Leahy” incidents which prove he gets excited, dicky ticker notwithstanding, every now and again.
July 15th, 2005 at 11:17 amRemember Republicans of the Rove Co., Inc play chess. They have now conveniently leaked the fact that Ari was seen reading the memo on Air Force One. He is the number on patsy for several reasons. 1) He is no longer a part of the administration. 2) Blaming Ari fits with Rove’s story that he was just repeating what he had heard from the press. 3) If Ari is indicted they think that ends that and since poor old Ari is no longer working at the White House GWB doesn’t have to fire anyone.
But according to John Dean just because Rove isn’t guilty of violating the Identities Protection Act doesn’t mean he didn’t commit a crime. Check out this article http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/dean/20050715.html
July 19th, 2005 at 5:40 pmI think John Dean should know a thing or two about White House scandals and obstructing justice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dean