Libby Says President Authorized Leak of Classified Info, Contradicting Prior Bush Statements
Libby Says President Authorized Leak of Classified Info, Contradicting Prior Bush Statements
In October, a source told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that President Bush was directly involved in the CIA leak scandal. It looks like Stephanopoulos’ source was right.
According to court documents released in the Scooter Libby case, the former chief of staff to the Vice President received “the specific permission of President Bush” to leak a highly classified intelligence document:
Defendant testified that the Vice President later advised him that the President had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE. Defendant testified that he also spoke to David Addington, then Counsel to the Vice President, whom defendant considered to be an expert in national security law, and Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document.
Although the White House press corps has never pressed Bush on his personal involvement, Bush has repeatedly implied that knew nothing about leaks from the White House:
“There’s just too many leaks, and if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is.” [Bush, 9/30/03]
“I want to know the truth. 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.” [Fox News, 10/8/03]
“I’d like to know if somebody in my White House did leak sensitive information.” [Bush, 10/28/03]
For more on Bush’s role in leaking sensitive information, see Murray Waas’ latest article.
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112 Responses to “Libby Says President Authorized Leak of Classified Info, Contradicting Prior Bush Statements”
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what could happen to bush because of this?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:12 amNothing. Congress will pass a law retroactively making this legal.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:14 amOkay forget wiretapping this should be the impeachable offense.
There is a clear bottomline that resonates with the American people and that is you do not mess with national security issues to seetle political scores.
Bush has to be held accountable.
Impeach this President
April 6th, 2006 at 11:14 amIMPEACH the bastard, already!
How much more crap do we have to put up with from this Administration?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:15 amAhh…the leaking Ship of Sate…so nice to be on board.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:18 amopps, SHIP OF STATE
April 6th, 2006 at 11:19 amRemarks By George Bush, 41st President of the United States,
At the Dedication Ceremony for the George Bush Center for Intelligence, 26 April 1999
Even though I’m a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:22 amAlthough Bush’s repeated denials of knowledge or connection to the Plame case are irritating (and probably lies as well) I do have a couple of questions about this disclosure -
April 6th, 2006 at 11:23 am1) is it actually illegal (doesn’t the president have the authority to declassify information? I believe everyone scoffed at Cheney for making the assertion he could since the POTUS is the one with the power) and
2) if we are referencing the NIE stuff given to Miller and others does it really pertain to Bush’s denials concerning the leak of Plame’s CIA status? Maybe I’m missing something here but aside from connecting Bush to the WMD lies does it really make a connection to the Plame investigation?
George Bush: [T]hose who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors.
Does this mean Pappy will actually spank Boy George?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:25 amClear this up for me: The VP tells Libby that he has authorization from the President.
Could Cheney have lied about this authorization, (i.e) Cheney is responsible?
Or, if the President had actually given the authorization, could Cheney now lie and say the President never gave the authorization, becoming the fall guy for Bush?
Either way, I’d say Cheney is toast.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:26 amWell that explains why Bushbaby hasn’t followed through with his promise to fire those involved…
Will this sink in to the American people yet that the man is a liar who cannot be trusted with their money, futures, and most of all, lives? If not - what will?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:27 amDan Savage, may get his way after all (see 2nd question answered, not the first). Sure, he’s a sex advice columnist for The Village Voice, but he does deal with contemporary societies mores & politics. ITMFA is an idea who’se time has come. How much more evidence do we need?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:28 am“It’s not a leak if the President says to do it. Therefore, no contradiction.”
-Future Winger Talking Point
April 6th, 2006 at 11:28 amIM-PEACH-MENT NOW!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 11:29 am#1, Just like everything else, Bush will just drop a few more points on his approval rating.
So sad…..
April 6th, 2006 at 11:30 amhttp://www.seaspace.cn/img_1/seaspace_060404_2.jpg
April 6th, 2006 at 11:31 amFoolish, foolish people. How will he be impeached?
Bush is the King of America. He has already said that laws don’t necessarily apply to him, and that he will do as he pleases. The governmental body that represents the citizenry has long signalled that it’s comfortable with that. The members of his own Party have no problem with this new arrangement as long as it’s their own man that benefits. He can do no wrong because he’s been divinely chosen for this time, right now, under these circumstances.
Prediction: Something will happen — another terrorist attack, a strike against Iran, etc — and Bush will declare some sort of continuing national emergency. Then when the dust clears, people of good will be looking at each other, wondering how the hell we “suddenly” turned into an authoritarian government. Burt short of revolution, there will be nothing we can do.
You can’t impeach a king.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:33 amI had figured as much.Hope the public catches on.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:35 am1) is it actually illegal (doesn’t the president have the authority to declassify information? I believe everyone scoffed at Cheney for making the assertion he could since the POTUS is the one with the power)
Comment by Eural — April 6, 2006 @ 11:23 am
I’m inclined to believe that if this were the case, there would have been an announcement made to that fact instead of threats to fire those involved and an attempt to hide it for all these many months.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:36 amHaving known this since day 1…
…I’m shocked…
…that it’s “NEWS”…
…the REAL question is…
…how the TRAITOR Bushiva and the TREASONOUS MSM…
…will spin his way out of it?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:36 amElectric Base Player is right. As for his prediction I think we find some reason to attack Iran.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:38 amAlright guys… if Libby gave this info in sworn testimony its SERIOUSLY time to roll on IMPEACHMENT. We need to get this criminal out of office before he does any further damage to the Constitution, or takes anymore innocent American lives, whether it be starting another war, or orchestrating/allowing another terrorist attack to occur on American soil.
Leaking Valerie Plame’s name was TREASON… a high crime if I’ve ever heard one. We can’t wait for the Congress to get around to this when they feel like it. We need to make a serious push, to our leaders, hold back money if they don’t support impeachment, protest in the streets, march on Washignton… all of these things need to be done.
Let’s Roll
April 6th, 2006 at 11:41 amBoth NYSun links are broken, what’s the deal?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:42 amWhy do you liberals hate George so much - he has done so much for this country. OK, now I am making even myself sick.
Get this - one reichwinger in my husbands office actually believes we won in vietnam. There are some people who will never believe this guy is a liar and a crook. They could not live with themselves and the fact that they believed him and voted for him!
April 6th, 2006 at 11:47 amBush is vindictive to those who do not blindly obey him. I have little doubt that he would retaliate against Joe Wilson’s subordination by puerile acts, and then go and bomb another country to distract from the facts. He is King George and I agree with those who say that a Revolution is quickly becoming our only way out.
One of my favorite quotes, which aptly applies to how we got in this mess:
“Faith is a cop-out. If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can’t be taken on its own merits.”
April 6th, 2006 at 11:50 am-Dan Baker “Losing faith in faith”
“I want to know the truth,” the president continued. “Leaks of classified information are bad things.”
He added that he did not know of “anybody in my administration who leaked classified information.”
Feb 11, 2004, CNN
April 6th, 2006 at 11:54 am“Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document”
There must be a paper trail documenting this “authorization”. I doubt the government lawyer, as nervous as they are, would rely on a verbal instruction.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:55 am[…] More at Think Progress […]
April 6th, 2006 at 11:56 ami simply cannot believe our commander-in-chief, the good, god-fearing veteran, would have actually lied!!! well, if he did, it must have been with god’s consent…the man has proven himself imbeccibly ethical, and has never misspoke. this can’t be true, NO NO NO!!!!
oh, tell me it isn’t true, please, please!!!
oh, and fuck bush
April 6th, 2006 at 11:58 amEither the NY Sun is being clogged by visitors, or their site is being shut down for data mining and EC survielance by the Pentagon, because right now it’s totally inaccessible.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:58 am#28 - You addressed the question I had in mind. Georgie can’t possibly just declare something declassified.
Anybody know how to find the rule on this sort of thing?
April 6th, 2006 at 11:59 amThis is more than just a case of declassification - he has repeatedly lied to the American people then he stands in fornt of us and tells us how much he can trust us.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:59 amThis is more than just a case of declassification - he has repeatedly lied to the American people then he stands in fornt of us and tells us how much we can trust him.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:00 pm#8
The president does not have the final authority on classifies information. If you read the below it show the requirements for declassification of information. This is only part of it. I suggest to read the whole Executuive Order. But basically, the person who classifies the information has the say to declassify it. The Prez just can’t go around declassifying material at his whim. Think about it if he could just say hey…all of our nuclear secrets…declassified ’cause I said so. Not gonna happen.
Executive Order 12356–National security information
Sec. 3.1Declassification Authority.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:00 pm(a) Information shall be declassified or downgraded as soon as national security considerations permit. Agencies shall coordinate their review of classified information with other agencies that have a direct interest in the subject matter. Information that continues to meet the classification requirements prescribed by Section 1.3 despite the passage of time will continue to be protected in accordance with this Order.
(b) Information shall be declassified or downgraded by the official who authorized the original classification, if that official is still serving in the same position; the originator’s successor; a supervisory official of either; or officials delegated such authority in writing by the agency head or the senior agency official designated pursuant to Section 5.3(a)(1).2
(c) If the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office determines that information is classified in violation of this Order, the Director may require the information to be declassified by the agency that originated the classification. Any such decision by the Director may be appealed to the National Security Council. The information shall remain classified, pending a prompt decision on the appeal.
(d) The provisions of this Section shall also apply to agencies that, under the terms of this Order, do not have original classification authority, but that had such authority under predecessor orders.
Ignore number 33. He does not trust us….talk about your freudian slips!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:01 pmThis is such a no brainer. Cheney wanted the story in the NYTimes, asks the President to release the NIE Briefing, JUST TO JUDY MILLER, out it goes and wahala Cheney shows up on press the meat and uses it as news. Now whether this is legal is one thing but unethical, hmmm. This will be Bush’s Well that depends on what the meaning of is is. Bush is esentially right , just like Atrny General Gonzales was before Congress, in the sense that he was answering a question in his head not the question he was asked, all along knowing he had a weasle clause to fall back on.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:03 pm#35 = Bush would not be considered a supervisory official or does this mean direct supervisor?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:05 pmsteve clemons has a great piece on iran as well as the wayne madsen report. this will be the next catastrophe of this administration! if you haven’t built your bunker yet, what are you waiting for?!?!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:06 pmMost likely scenerio, if this gets any traction in the MSM, will be Dick Cheney taking the fall for George. Cheney will then resign, maybe be indicted, and convicted. Then George will pardon him right before he leaves the white house.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:06 pm#25 - Jules, I feel for your husband. One of my bosses is a retired Marine Colonel who fought in Viet Nam — he too believes they won. Just imagine all the “perks” I get in my job: Endless war stories, pompous attitude, pontificating on the “death tax” (as if it will have any effect on his estate), and waiting for the military to call him back so he can go to Iraq (the man is almost 70 years old!, although in superb shape), and complaining about the lefties in town, blah, blah, blah. He truly believes the world spins on his axis. Ugh. I keep hoping he’ll retire, but no sign of it yet. Ah well…
April 6th, 2006 at 12:08 pm…..and Mr. Bush in today’s speech,
April 6th, 2006 at 12:09 pmTERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!TERROR!
…..it just never ends.
I am distressed but not shocked. I would have been shocked years ago before Bush when I believed in law and honor, and the obligation a president has to people who risk their lives for their country. But with the current president? he doesn’t think that he owes the people in the CIA protection. He is willing to see them hurt and injured for some stupid political games.
About Bush being king? Well if he wants to play that game, I think we should fall back on the very old primitive ways before Christianity and sacrifice him to end the drought and ensure a good harvest. The traditional role for a king.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:12 pmThis is a very large administration, there are a LOT of senior officials.
It’s runnin’ down hill Junior, right to you.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:13 pmBetter hide behind your mommy.
Finally, I have a new article for my Judith Miller is a Cunt blog! Oh, happy day!!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:14 pmI hope that I am wrong on this, but could this be a BushCo move to cloud the issue of the illegal release of “classified documents”??! I read something this morning that hinted that this might be a defensive ploy…the exact date of Bush’s “declassification” possibly having preceded the spilling of the NIE.
What I am puzzling over, though, is how the outing of V. Plame is connected with the NIE…was it that Wilson’s effort to expose the Niger forgeries was a direct contradiction of the NIE?? How does that mitigate, or have any effect on the outing of a CIA agent under cover, as she was?
I will check back, and I would dig hearing how to work this RSS feed to get responses emailed to me, if that is what its purpose is. Anyone ever use the Craigslist discussion forums, and take advantage of the feature that lets you receive email notices when people post to a thread you want to watch? I wish we had that here…
Styve
Revolution is in the air!!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:14 pmZookeeper I am so sorry. At least she is not his boss.
He became so tired of hearing crap about Bush from her he finally said something the other day. She went into his office to try to “explain” why she did not like Clinton. It was because he lied. He sadi well if that is your criteria then you must not have liked Reagan or Bush 1 (Iran-Contra, etc.) but Bush 2 (NSA wiretaps, WMDs……). She did not know what to say so she just walked out. I wounder how she’s feeling today?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:14 pmAbout Bush being king? Well if he wants to play that game, I think we should fall back on the very old primitive ways before Christianity and sacrifice him to end the drought and ensure a good harvest. The traditional role for a king.
Comment by Skeptic — April 6, 2006 @ 12:12 pm
Funny… But worth keeping in mind should we need to go there :)
April 6th, 2006 at 12:15 pmBeheading was good enough for Marie Antoinette (OK I know I totally screwed up the spelling on that one), I think it should be good enough for Georgie!
Oh great, now I get a free trip to Gittmo!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:19 pmOh great, now I get a free trip to Gittmo!
Comment by Jules — April 6, 2006 @ 12:19 pm
Atleast we’ll all know one another when we get there :)
April 6th, 2006 at 12:20 pmAtleast we’ll all know one another when we get there :)
Comment by unbelievable — April 6, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
OK, I feel much better knowing I will be among friends. Actually, I would meet a lot more progressives there than down here in Texas!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:25 pmAs Louis Wu says, TANJ. There Ain’t No Justice.
Don’t you people understand that the negro woman Cynthia McKinney hit a police officer?? That’s far more important to the security of this fine nation that some pipsqueak CIA officer’s cover being blown.
C’mon, get with the program.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:25 pmFox News have just caught up with this story so expect the smear campaign to begin against Libby.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:26 pmCNN just had a commentator that said, yes the President has the authority to declassify information…
Will this be the talking point? According to #35 above, the president does not have this authority.
But then again, it is Bush we are talking about…
April 6th, 2006 at 12:26 pmSo… What can we do?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:27 pmWhen are we going to start having massive protests against this administration? I wish I knew how to put one together. Although I admire Cindy Sheehan for her courage and tenacity, I cannot afford to spend a month in Crawford.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:32 pm#35 Read this part:
“(b) Information shall be declassified or downgraded by the official who authorized the original classification, if that official is still serving in the same position; the originator’s successor; a supervisory official of either; or officials delegated such authority in writing by the agency head or the senior agency official designated pursuant to Section 5.3(a)(1).2″
Could a lawyer construe “a supervisory official” as being the POTUS? I’m guessing Gonzales would do so. Just like he thinks the Pres has authority to ignor FISA.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:36 pmNow whether this is legal is one thing but unethical, hmmm. This will be Bush’s Well that depends on what the meaning of is is. Bush is esentially right , just like Atrny General Gonzales was before Congress, in the sense that he was answering a question in his head not the question he was asked, all along knowing he had a weasle clause to fall back on.
Comment by the fly-man #37
fly,
Even if that’s true…
…how does this TRAITOR Bushiva explain away the fact that…
…he allowed millions of taxpayer dollars to be spent for an investigation…
…by an independent Counsel, the indictment and ruination of a man’s career…
…all the while he and L’il Dick were denying that they had any knowledge of who leaked what to whom…
…jules #33 has a point…
April 6th, 2006 at 12:40 pmAnd all this time, I thought only Bulldog Cheney was behind this. Somehow I thought Imbecile Bush was kept in the dark about everything. Nothing surprises me anymore with this administration. Now the question is, what can be done about it?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:42 pmSorry Jules, I did not see your post at #38 asking the same question.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:43 pmYes Mikey - King George does as he wishes…
April 6th, 2006 at 12:44 pmIt would only be impeachable if Clinton did it.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:44 pmI think most of the ‘legal/illegal’ discussion misses the point. If Bush is confident that he has the authorization to declassify at will, why did the administration not just stand firm on this when the investigation first became news? Why all the statements from Bush about what he would do to hold the leakers accountable?
Even if he has the authority to declassify at will, he misled the public repeatedly and should be held accountable by the MSM, at least.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:45 pmWhen are we going to start having massive protests against this administration?
Comment by Jules #56
Jules,
Hopefully, the bad news for the criminal TREASONOUS Bushite junta will continue unabated ’til the NOV. midterm elections…
…then I think we’ll REALLY begin to see some fireworks…
…OFF TOPIC but relevant nonetheless…
…did anyone catch a glimpse of the TRAITOR Bushiva’s speech in South (or NC) Carolina today?
…the inbreds behind him didn’t look like the usual goo-goo gaga eyed Bushites he normally gets…
…no nodding heads, or spontaneous applause at his putrid, repetetive propagandist rhetoric about, “protectin’ Amurka after Sept. 11th”…
…From the footage I saw (about 10-15 min worth) there was NO APPLAUSE, nor any smiles even…
…maybe they’re FINALLY beginning to SEE!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:47 pmSo far no one can clear this up. I dislike Bush but to scream impeachment over this when it is unclear if it is illegal and I still don’t see the direct line to the outing of Plame’s CIA status. This claims he authorized a leak to a reporter concerning NIE on Iraq’s WMD situation. This is connected to the Plame affair but it is not the Plame affair. It may not even be illegal. Unethical, devious, revolting, irritating, etc. Yes. Illegal and impeachable. Not so much. Unless someone can provide a lot more clarification and connection. Thanks for any help here!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:47 pmThat’s OK Mikey - no one answered so I am glad you posted it again. I do believe you are right when they try to use this to justify it. But I am wondering how they can claim to be the party of security? How are they going to sell this to the American people that this was not a violation of our security?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:48 pmMore importance should be heavily weighed on the fact that Valerie Plame was specifically working on WMD’s in the MiddleEast.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pm#63, If it’s declassified, technically its not “leaked” is it?
If I was a slimy piece of shit, that would be my stance.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pmEural
Actually, sick thing is; the law pretty much says just that.
Legally speaking, if Bush agreed to outing Plame, tacit authorisation was given to anyone who wanted to hear of it to hear of it. It doesn’t make it moral, but it was strictly speaking, legal.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pmlink sorry about that.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:51 pmThis is much ado about nothing. They had to defend Cheney against Joe Wilson’s lies.
Does it bother you that this will be swept under the rug by the GOP majority? You don’t have the votes…
April 6th, 2006 at 12:53 pmThe point to push, will not be over whether this was legal. but that Bush denied knowing the source of the leak, and said he would dismiss anyone responsible. Now it apears, that Either he was responsible, or Dick Cheney lied and was responsible.
Either way it doesn’t look good.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:53 pmBUT…this does not leave us very secure (not that anything they ever did was for our security)!! Now the only thing they have to run on is a congresswoman slapping a cop!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:53 pm#68 - that’s my point. If Bush legally declassified the info, then there was no leak, so why repeatedly tell the press that the adminstration was cooperating with Fitz to find ‘the leakers’ and hold them accountable?
I don’t see an out for Bush on this… aside from the MSM and public ignoring it.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:54 pmPresident Bush, October 7, 2003:
“I don’t know if we’re going to find out the senior administration official. Now, this is a large administration, and there’s a lot of senior officials. I don’t have any idea. I’d like to. I want to know the truth. That’s why I’ve instructed this staff of mine to cooperate fully with the investigators — full disclosure, everything we know the investigators will find out.”"
For today’s National Journal piece on Libby and all the latest PlameGate news, documents and other key materials, see:
April 6th, 2006 at 12:55 pm“The PlameGate Scandal Resource Center.”
IMPEACH, TRY, CONVICT… the 1,2,3’s to restoring democracy.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:55 pmJules, to answer your question “How are they going to sell this to the American people that this was not a violation of our security?”…
I think there are enough stupid “blind followers in America that will believe anything these clowns come up with. I’ve argued with a girl here at work on several occaisions regarding “respect” for the president. She claims that since he is president, we should respect him and trust him. No amount of truth will cloud her opinion. There were 50 million like her in November 2004. Sad.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:56 pmIMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:56 pmSo what justification can Pat Roberts, and others, use now for NOT investigating this President?
More to the point. I want to see the Democrats jump on this and start making this an issue! The damn thing is being dropped in their lap, and they continue to sit there and want to talk about other issues.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:57 pmNot knowing the details of the declassification process, I am confused. Even if the president has the authority to declassify on a whim, there’s no actual process to doing so? There’s no form to be filled out? No paper trail? No signature? It’s basically, if he says it, it’s declassified? That seems awfully king-like. THE KING HAS SPOKEN!
Somebody please explain this to me.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:05 pmWelcome President Cheney.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:10 pm#35 and #57
oops, i gave you a different link… here is the one i was referring to as, i believe, outlining a declassification procedure that trumps the ‘ball-scratching then phone call’ theory…
peace
April 6th, 2006 at 1:14 pmSo what justification can Pat Roberts, and others, use now for NOT investigating this President?
Comment by Wally O’Brien #79
Wally,
…Perhaps they haven’t heard about it…
…have YOU seen anything about this in the MSM news cycle today
…I sure as heck haven’t…
…Today it’s once again: all Katie Couric and Cynthia McKinney all the time…
April 6th, 2006 at 1:14 pmAs usual nothing will happen. Its business as usual in Bush administration.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:18 pmbig papa - only online. It is on Google news and Yahoo news. I have not checked any others yet.
Whenever I see a story like this on TP I go to the other sites to see if there is any mention. Usually not, in this case…big headlines!
April 6th, 2006 at 1:18 pmRaw Story said there was a report on CNN
April 6th, 2006 at 1:21 pmAs expected, the Corporate News Network is backpedaling furiously on this issue.
Yes, that negro woman in the House of Representatives is a Much Bigger Deal than authorizing the leak of classified info in the runup to an illegal war.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:25 pm42- You forgot- 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, and also, 9/11.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:32 pmWowie wow WOW! Murray Waas’ report is amazing - and very interesting to juxtapose with some relevant Bush quotes on the issue.
But so, like, can we censure Bush now?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:35 pm64- Either that, or the meds had kicked in by that time.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:37 pmTwo updates:
FOX news is reporting this as a breaking news piece (that’s a shock) but they are saying its all Bill Clinton’s fault (just joking…)
Several other posts on other sites are supporting the claim that this may be unethical and deceitful but it is not illegal (as of yet)…just thought you’d like to know…
April 6th, 2006 at 1:44 pmSimple enough, the founding fathers, and generations of lawmakers who followed them, probably just never thought an American president would sell out his own spies. They just couldn’t predict that kind of sleazeball becoming president.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:48 pm[…] LIBBY SAYS PRESIDENT AUTHORIZED LEAK OF CLASSIFIED INFO In October, a source told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that President Bush was directly involved in the CIA leak scandal. It looks like Stephanopoulos’ source was right. According to court documents released in the Scooter Libby case, the former chief of staff to the Vice President received “the specific permission of President Bush” to leak a highly classified intelligence document: For more on this story, read Judd Legum’s post at:Â http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/06/libby-bush-plame/Â […]
April 6th, 2006 at 2:08 pmJust a thought… if Bush has the legal authority to declassify at will, and as such he ‘declassified’ this info when he told Libby to run with it, then his statement that “I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information” is actually not a lie… extremely deceitful and essentially as chickenshit as a person can be, but technically not a lie.
April 6th, 2006 at 2:16 pm#79 “So what justification can Pat Roberts, and others, use now for NOT investigating this President?
Comment by Wally O’Brien”
The main thing is to just ignore it. You’d be surprised at how little of what’s going on politically is covered in the American MSM when compared to European media. Even if there are no overtly conservative news articles in the MSM, the effect is to skew MSM to the right by not covering stories in detail, which hides a lot of embarerassing details.
After that, there’s a veritable smorgasboard of ways the VRWC handle/spin this. Straw man arguments, changing the subject, impugning the integrity of the investigator(s), accusation of emboldening the enemy, impugning patriotism, on and on, and a popular one: The Big Lie. The bigger the better!
April 6th, 2006 at 2:16 pm24 above noted the broken links that actually go to http://www.democracyinaction.org/ dia/ track.jsp?key=104147402&url_num=72&url=http:/ / www.nysun.com/ article/ 30561?page_no=1te
This is pretty vital missing confirmation since Progress Report is saying “But, according to the New York Sun, “Cheney specifically got permission for the release directly from Mr. Bush.” The prosecution filing said, “Defendant testified that the vice president later advised him that the president had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE [National Intelligence Estimate containing Plame’s identity].” Huffingtonpost isn’t saying this about Plame, nor is its source at http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0406nj1.htm. Have the links been disabled due to inaccuracy in the report?
April 6th, 2006 at 2:17 pmOutting Valerie Plame is an impeachable offense.
Failure to protect a nation from 9/11 should be an impeachable offense (given all the warnings from other heads of state.
Illegal wiretapping is an impeachable offense.
Failure to respond to Katrina should be an impeachable offense.
What is it going to take for Republicans to wake up and do the right things for and by this country??? Or are ALL of them to be found under George’s desk doing The Gannon???
April 6th, 2006 at 2:29 pmGiven that the rightwingnews.com they are having a long discussion on just how far left the democrats are, I don’t think the true supporters will even blink at this. The undecideds will shift away from Bush and the republicans, Maybe we can get some sanity back into this country before it’s too late.
April 6th, 2006 at 2:35 pmJust a thought… if Bush has the legal authority to declassify at will, and as such he ‘declassified’ this info when he told Libby to run with it, then his statement that “I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information†is actually not a lie… extremely deceitful and essentially as chickenshit as a person can be, but technically not a lie.
Comment by Buford
v. lied, ly·ing, (lng) lies
v. intr.
To present false information with the intention of deceiving.
To convey a false image or impression: Appearances often lie.
v. tr.
April 6th, 2006 at 2:39 pmTo cause to be in a specific condition or affect in a specific way by telling falsehoods: You have lied yourself into trouble.
Bush gave the okay for classified info to be released (the NIE). He’s allowed to do that. The only thing Bush can be accused of is leaking the info when he decried the fact that there were too many leaks coming out of his administration.
You know how he’ll get out of it. There will be NO testimony that the declassification resulted in Plame’s outing. What a small man he is - to leak anything because his lies were not panning out. We now have the Manning memo from January 2003 in which Bush and Blair were trying to figure out a way to draw Saddam into a war because they knew there were no WMDs. Then we have him disclosing the NIE to try and cover his ass.
This latest example of his abuse of power may be the tipping point.
I guess my only hope is that he lied to Fitzgerald in his deposition, but he wasn’t under oath, remember?
April 6th, 2006 at 2:46 pmGail,
If nothing else, this portion (page 23) of Fitzgerald’s filing, pretty much puts to bed the nonchalant attitude of the wingers on a president’s perogative to declassify:
Libby has been in government service since 1981.
Not only that, but this NIE leak was so important to Cheney, that Libby specifically was instructed to give it (page 20):
April 6th, 2006 at 3:04 pm[…] President Approved CIA Agent Outing […]
April 6th, 2006 at 3:26 pmwell, i think the time has come for a petition to have yours truly join the presidential press corps….
thanks for your consideration.
jr, editor-in-chief FUCK BUSH
April 6th, 2006 at 3:59 pmCNN:
“The president himself had authorized Mr. Libby to leak certain information or give out certain information that came out of this document, this National Intelligence Estimate, on what the intelligence community thought Iraq had in the way of weapons of mass destruction.
So, it had nothing to do with Valerie Plame-Wilson’s name. It was simply about this matter of intelligence in the lead-up to the war.
And in that matter, the president, according to this document, authorized Mr. Libby to give out some information to Judy Miller.
And by the way, he is legally entitled to do so.
If the president decides to declassify information, he has that legal right. So, it’s not about a law being broken here, and it’s not about Valerie Plame-Wilson’s name.
But it does show us the first evidence that the president himself wanted some of this information put out in the media.
April 6th, 2006 at 5:22 pmGail it doesn’t really cover, why he would release the information, and then lie and say it was leak to a point where an investigation was started, and members of his staff we indicted.
April 6th, 2006 at 5:56 pmThe leak authorized by the dolt was part of a conspiracy involving himself, Cheney and Libby to release security information for purposes of revenge against Joe Wilson and the “yellow cake” fraud. The right to declassify does not include the right to enter into a conspiratorial trinity to reveal an agent’s cover for the sole purpose of political revenge. Richard Nixon was facing impeachment because of a conspiracy of which he was a part and an eventual cover-up. If it is proven that Bush and Cheney did conspire to reveal the cover of an agent for their own political purposes, then based upon the evidence forthcoming from an investigation they must face impeachment. Forget the right to declassify. Criminal intent is the point. The intent was to cause embarrasment, end one’s career, and political revenge. We have a case.
April 6th, 2006 at 7:48 pmBush declassified the info, then leaked it, its legal. Thats what is/will being said about it. Next blunder please.
April 6th, 2006 at 8:39 pmThey have too much wiggle room on this, probably will wriggle out of it, like usual.
April 6th, 2006 at 8:41 pm[…] Libby’s sworn testimony conradicts Bush statements […]
April 6th, 2006 at 11:30 pmWhere’s the other shoe? I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like, we’ve known forever that Bubbya lied about trying to find who outed Plume. So what if it was Bush himself? He lied about it. Repeatedly. Now the “Terrorist Surveillance Program” (NSA illegal wiretaps) has data-mined the **entire** U.S. communications system. When is the right guy or gal going to come forward and announce that Bush used the NSA to spy on John Kerry and the Democrats during the 2004 election, just like what Nixon did in 1972 with the “Plumbers”? Where’s our 2006 Deep Throat? Actually the perfect time for a whistleblower to surface will be about July so the bloggers can force the mainstream media to pay attention to the story leading up to November.
April 7th, 2006 at 1:54 pmChopper,
Good post, and again, I like when we try to stay a step ahead of these sick people. You read that an AT & T whistleblower just revealed that the NSA had set up a secret office within AT & T HQ in San Francisco, and that ATT is the subject of a class-action suit, didn’t you?? Let’s hope that all records are forensically retrievable and that BushCo’s mania is exposed for all to see. Nixon was in the little league in comparison!!
What other sources are you monitoring for breaking news of this variety?
Thanks,
Styve
April 8th, 2006 at 12:31 pm[…] This morning on Fox News Sunday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) called on President Bush to come clean about the leak of classified Iraq intelligence to New York Times reporter Judy Miller. Specter said that President Bush “owes a specific explanation to the American peopleâ€: [W]e ought not to have leaks in government. We ought not to have them, and the President is justifiably criticized the Congress for leaking and, of course, the White House has leaked, but we ought to get to the bottom of it so it can be evaluated again by the American people. […]
April 9th, 2006 at 1:02 pm[…] Libby Says President Authorized Leak of Classified Info …Think Progress, DC - Apr 6, 2006Defendant testified that the Vice President later advised him that the President had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE. … […]
April 15th, 2006 at 1:22 pm