WH blocking Fitzgerald cooperation in Plame probe.
WH blocking Fitzgerald cooperation in Plame probe.
House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) today wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and urged him to allow Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to cooperate with the committee’s investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame’s CIA identity. From his letter:
As the recent disclosure from former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan underscores, there remain many unanswered questions surrounding this incident and the involvement of the President, the Vice President, and other senior White House officials in the security breach and the White House response.
The Special Counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, has been cooperating with the Committee’s investigation. Over the summer, Mr. Fitzgerald agreed to provide relevant documents to the Committee, including records of interviews with senior White House officials. Unfortunately, the White House has been blocking Mr. Fitzgerald from providing key documents to the Committee. […]
I ask that you personally look into this matter and authorize the production of the documents to the Committee without any further delay.
Emptywheel has more.
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63 Responses to “WH blocking Fitzgerald cooperation in Plame probe.”
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I assume that Mukasey has read through his White House orientation package and understands his marching orders. Therefore, if Waxman gets any response at all, it will be his letter returned, soaked with spittle.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 pmFat chance that is going to happen. Mulkasey is just another Bush poodle and he isn’t going to do anything that may expose Bush to prosecution. As someone else here said earlier, thanks alot Feinstein.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:01 pmLOL, missmolly.
Is Mukasey a spitter like Wolfie, too?
I realize that this is just ‘another letter’ from Waxman, but something has to ‘give’ here soon. Inherent contempt comes to mind, Nancy.
I think the question has to be asked…
If Bush had nothing to do with the Plame outing, executive privilege DOES NOT APPLY.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:03 pmUnfortunately, the White House has been blocking Mr. Fitzgerald from providing key documents to the Committee. […]
Good luck with this, but there’s no statute of limitations on treason…
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:05 pmTrolls really struggle with facts. They can take their National Journal and stick it right in their big AEI piehole.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 pmNational Journal? Wasn’t it the National Enquirer?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:08 pmI love partisan witch hunt committees, don’t you?
Comment by DreamCrusher
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:11 pmWell, I’m sure you loved Kenny Starr, republican priss, complete with the double chin, the cheap undie waddle and the limp wrist.
I guess little things like treason during a time of war is a non-issue to trolls like “DreamCrusher”. Unfortunately, when the issue is high crimes and treason, the Administration may have a hard time hiding behind “Executive Privilege”. That is IF Mukasey is the “man of law” that Chuck Schumer would have us believe.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:12 pmPlame was a covert agent. The Bush administration blew her cover. Rove was involved. Could be an act of treason. Investigate, uncover, prosecute.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:14 pmImpeachment…it’s not just for blow-jobs anymore!
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:14 pmLooking for cooperation from Mukasey? Uh, yeah, good luck with that.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 pmComment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
I don’t see how any of this has anything to do with Waxman’s request for documents from Fitzgerald. Do you have anything to say to defend the White House blocking these documents? Or does your best effort merely consist of distraction with shiny objects with no substance?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 pmThat is IF Mukasey is the “man of law 
Comment by A Patriot Acting
***laughter***
∞
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:16 pmSpeaking of Pigeon holes, CreamPusher, you’re saying Rove lied to the President.
Your President went on to say something like, ‘if anyone in my administration lied about this or is guilty of exposing an NOC CIA agent, they will be dismissed’.
Yeah, right. Another frigg’n lie by your Presidunce.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:18 pmMost who viewed the Libby case didn’t bother to go to the court files, as usual Americans relied on the press to tell them what was happening. There are three seal vs seal indictments in the Libby investigation on court record. One is for Karl Rove and others apply to those who intervene illegally in the proceedings. The Attorney Generals office objected to the indictment of Karl Rove and Karl’s lawyer ( the one with the ear ring) also has a charge. Fitz publicly told Rove he had 48 hours to get his affairs in order, that means he plead guilty. The DOJ crime team pulled a statute to try and get it dismissed but couldn’t so it was allowed to be sealed. Karl Rove admitted to lying to the grand jury. If the Media wanted to tell the truth all they have to do is look up the court records as they are public records. Mikie can’t give the Committee anything as the White House would fire him on the spot and put their loyal snake Mark Filip in the job.
Fitz will be able to clear up who and how the DOJ leadership came in to save Karl once the Bush Administration is out of office. People should look at how many people involved in the corrupt Administration are either missing or dead. Fitz knows if he tells the truth about what really took place he could be swimming with the fishes. Bush/Cheney aren’t above murdering someone who knows of their crimes, they’ve done it before and will do it again.
Don’t look for David Gregory to tell the truth as he knew alot about the fake information spread around about Iraq and covered for the White House. David’s a true loyal friend to the Bush/Cheney crime Family.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:18 pmaccording to legal sources with firsthand knowledge of the accounts that both Rove and Bush independently provided to federal prosecutors.
What sources would those be, Cheney henchmen?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:20 pm“White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove personally assured President Bush in the early fall of 2003 that he had not disclosed to anyone in the press that Valerie Plame, the wife of an administration critic, was a CIA employee, according to legal sources with firsthand knowledge of the accounts that both Rove and Bush independently provided to federal prosecutors.”
After how many months of stonewalling? Plenty of time to get their stories straight, before Rove or Bush’s first testimony. Given the amount of time the two spent together on a daily basis, it would be beyond belief that they didn’t discuss the situation.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:22 pmlove partisan witch hunt committees, don’t you?
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
You love treason, that’s clear. You love Senators lying to the public and congress about their homosexual trysts, you’ve proven that. You love your party over your country, that’s obvious. You love looking like an idiotic rovot, and we love giving you the opportunity.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:23 pmove partisan witch hunt committees, don’t you?
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
Isn’t free speech wonderfull?
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:26 pmYou can prove you are an idiot with impunity.
December finds a new Troll schedule here at TP.
CreamPusher now has the a.m. shift. (Cold, hardly left is drawing unemployment.)
Word is TCDon is retired or retarded. Jake is just too senile.
TP now has an evening toll shift available. Must put Party over People, lack communication skills and willing to work for a penny per post. Please send inquiries about this exciting employment opportunity to Larry Craig. Mr. Craig will arrange a ‘private spot’ to do interviews.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:28 pmIsn’t it amazing how you can justify anything by merely screaming ‘partisan politics!’ at the top of your lungs.
It’s like a little kid when confronted with the truth kicking and screaming ‘But everyone else does it!’
Not too attractive when a 4 year old does it… really not attractive when supposedly educated adults resort to the same tactic…
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:30 pmLOL…Just another Monday morning punch the clock troll…Blessings to everyone else….Good job BTW.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:34 pmIt has been established that Rove lies with impunity and gall beyond belief. (recent TV statement re who was behind the urgency of the Iraq War…as in not the executive branch) hilarious statement but a lie…a complete rerendering of historical fact on record. Since it has been shown factually that he lied, who, in theri right mind, would believe anything else he ever said or will say in the future?
White is Black, Peace is War and I have a bridge to sell again.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:36 pm“Yes, Rove lied to the president, which aides to the president often do when they get into trouble, in order to isolate the president from any wrongdoing. That’s standard practice for White House staff. It’s what kept Reagan out of the Iran-Contra scandal. Protect the president at all costs.
Bush said he would fire anyone who had committed a crime. Libby quit his post before eventually being found guilty of a crime. Rove committed no crime. Thus, Bush did not lie.”
And this is your justification? This shows that you have no morals, and that you are the ultimate partisan hack. the president depends on his aides being truthful in order to do his job. this is why bush has been such a failure; because his aides lie to him, and his supporters condone it. Nice of you to present another Republican failure (Reagan) as another condoner of lying in the White House. Bill Clinton is an angel copared to your crew of approved liars. You are disgusting, and nothing you present is anything but antiAmerican lies.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:37 pm“really not attractive when supposedly educated adults resort to the same tactic…”
Yeah, but since when has seemliness, attractiveness or courtesy (let alone maturity) ever been a part of the neocon “agenda”? Listening to Bill-O or Rush for 20 seconds will disabuse anyone of that.
The whole thing is screaming and tantrum throwing and finger pointing and fear mongering, because that is what the lowest common denominator best (or most reliably) responds to. Thinking is for p*ssies and Commies.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 pmComment by DreamCrusher: “Karl Rove lied to Bush about his involvement, Bush told McClellan that Rove said he wasn’t involved, McClellan told the press corps that Rove wasn’t involved. That’s the extent of Bush’s “involvement†in McClellan giving out false information.
“The National Journal reported this two years ago. Stop grasping for straws already, it’s getting really, really, really pathetic.”
And of course, when this came to light in 2005, Bush fired Rove on the spot, just like he promised. We all remember that wonderful day just like it was yesterday!
So, who was the National Urinal’s source for this? There are only two people who could reliably speak to it. One would be Rove, confessing to misleading Bush, and the other would be Bush himself, disclosing that he had discovered that Rove had lied to him.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 pmPlame never perjured herself before Congress, or this witch-huntiong Republican Congress would have happily clapped her behind bars. More of your useless fabrications. Go solicit Larry Craig, he’ll bend over for you.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 pmOK, I’ll take that one back. Waas is a respected journalist.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:40 pmBut to assume that neither Bush nor Cheney had anything to do with Plame’s outing is spurious.
Remember why Fitzy tagged Libby with Obstruction?
Because he wouldn’t come clean about who and what knew what and when…
OK, Chuck and Diane–you’re about to find out what your boy Mukasey is made of. Remember–the two of you are responsible in our eyes for anything that he does–better hope he comes through!
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:40 pmDreamCrusher has to acknowledge that Rove lied to make the case that Bush wasn’t involved. Talk about backpeddling. Is that how bad things have gotten, DC? The wagons can’t get circled much closer than that.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:46 pmAnd now a long cut and paste post about Berger and Cisneros?!?!? ROTFL!!!!! Running scared, eh, DC?
#10 hit the nail on the head: there is no statute of limitations for treason.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:49 pmBy the way, quit knocking National Journal, people. Murray Waas has done great investigative reporting about this administration’s crimes, including on fixing the intelligence to drum up support for the war. If the cowardly corrupt MSM had followed up on his work Bush and the entire Iraq Working Group would be in the slammer now.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:53 pmYour guys are going down, DC. It’s only a matter of time. I can smell the fear in your comments.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:54 pmThe only thing you’ve proved, Pusher, is that you’re defending a known liar and treasonist, KKKarl Rove.
Get off your soapbox, come down to earth and take a look at what the Bush Cabal has done to our country.
Have you supported lying thieves in politics all your life, or are you just getting paid to do it?
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:02 pmAvoid the trolls. They don’t add anything to the discussion except distraction. DC is hanging on to a small thread of relevance, but doesn’t realize it is a mirage. Your whole party is starting to be seen and be known for what it is: small minded bigots and racists, scared of anything and anyone who doesn’t fall in line with their warped view of the world.
You support a pathetic bunch DC. Way to go!
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:03 pmEverything is a state secret or everything involves priveldged communications with this adminsitration.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:07 pmWho’s “you guys� Fear of what? I can smell the fear of realizing that Plame perjured herself before Congress, from the shrill attacks, denials, and circumvention of facts going on here. Now I’ve got you poor fools smearing Murray Waas in your zealous pursuit of trying to prove me wrong. Haha.
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Yeah, like the Bushies wouldn’t have put her in jail already if she’d perjured herself!!!! BAHAHA, you’re so dumb you make me laugh!!! ROTLF!!
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:07 pm“Plame never perjured herself before Congress, or this witch-huntiong Republican Congress would have happily clapped her behind bars.â€
Which is why Plame waited until the Democrats took control of Congress before telling her new fabulous stories that she for some reason hadn’t remembered the previous few times she had testified before the Senate. Odd that. Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
Wow you’re stupid…
RUCerious,
“But to assume that neither Bush nor Cheney had anything to do with Plame’s outing is spurious.â€
Why? Why assume anything? There’s no evidence tying Cheney or Bush to Armitage, Libby, Rove, and the many others leaking the information about Plame.
Sure there is, but it’s insufficient to determine who the root cause is.
“Remember why Fitzy tagged Libby with Obstruction?
Because he wouldn’t come clean about who and what knew what and when…â€
Nope. He got slapped with that because the grand jury didn’t believe him on his version of events when talking with reporters, and his explanations for when and why he knew what he knew. There was nothing about him not coming clean about who and what knew what and when. He admitted from the beginning that Cheney had told him about Plame on June 10, which Cheney also told the grand jury.
Go back and read some more.
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
ROTFL, BAHAHA, you’re so dumb! You should do yourself a favor and read trial details!
Wow you republicans are chronic compulsive liars!
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:10 pmWhat is the justification for the WH to block anything? The official charge against Libby was obstruction of justice. That means there was a wall that prevented further investigation. What does the WH have to hide?
Surely DreamCrusher wants our govt. to abide by the laws of the land. The Constitution is greater than either party and we will be best served when it’s adhered to.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:10 pmHuh. Good luck with that.
The White House is claiming secrecy on grounds of national security - just on the number of times that Jack Abramoff visited…
What makes Waxman think that they’re going to cough up anything on Valerie Plame?
What makes him think that Mukasey is anything but another buttkissing Bushtoady?
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:11 pmPlame was a covert agent. The Bush administration blew her cover. Rove was involved. Could be an act of treason. Investigate, uncover, prosecute.
Comment by hellinabucket — December 3, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
Agents in the field died as a result of Rove’s disclosure of Plame. That takes it from just treason in a time of war to treason and murder.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:19 pmWhite House are certainly afraid of allowing Fitzgerald to turn over nay document in the Plame case. It just rehashes of what the case was really about: a White House conspiracy to oust a covert officer to punish Joe Wilson. Of course, Bush and Cheney were not under oath when interviewed by Fitzgerald. Bush did a 70 minute interview with Fitzgerald on June 24, 2004. Both Bush and Cheney had attorneys with them when they were interviewed. Since neither one was under oath, their testimonies can raised questions to Waxman to request an investigation and more questions to Bush and Cheney. And that is not what the White House wants. Also, what will damage the White House, more importantly, is Rove’s testimony to the grand jury which he was under oath. He testified to the grand jury 5 five times with conflicting testimonies. Surely, the White House don’t want Rove’s testimonies handed over to Waxman.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:21 pmNot so DreamCrusher. Below is a snippet from factcheck.
““Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson ’s wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report. The CIA says its counter-proliferation officials selected Wilson and asked his wife to contact him.†The column does not describe her as a covert agent, then, but it does name her as “Valerie Plame†– her maiden and cover name. “
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:36 pmThat, in itself, proves that all of you are hilariously wrong.
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 3, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Quit getting you facts from the neocon crackerjack box, Plame was covert, she was outed. The Fitz investigation was started because the CIA filed that a crime occured when Plame was outed.
Back up your inane statements with some proof, you lying piece of sh!t.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:37 pm#52, wait a minute…they were the first to expose her covert status two days AFTER she was exposed by Novak? Wow!
Also if the argument all along has been that she was not covert why would you even bring up the notion that her husband exposed her covert status? That in it’s self is an admission that she was covert as the CIA has said all along.
So let me recap where you are wrong…1) her husband could not be the first to expose her when you cite an article written after her exposure. 2) if your argument is that she was not covert (in direct opposition to the CIA and the courts) thenn you have no cause to say anyone exposed her.
The reality of this is that regardless of what she did, as a covert agent it is essential that her identity as an agent be safeguarded forever. This needs to be done to keep her sources secure, to alleviate suspicion and investigation from foreign governments, to ensure that whatever work she has done in the past remains knowledge in our hands that our foes shoudl not know we have and lastly who on earth would ever work covert for the CIA knowing that at any time they might be exposed by the administration purely for politcal reasons.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:38 pmSo I guess those guys at the CIA were just playing with themselves when they asked for an investigation.
Yeah. Ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght. Whatever you say, sparky.
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:58 pmDreamCrusher thinks it’s all partisan politics and that everyone is out to get Bush and company. I’m not going to waste energy trying to enlighten DreamCrusher that upholding the law is the most important issue. I’m not going to try and get him to see that the constitution stands above any party or administration.
I’m grateful that Waxman and others (on both sides of the aisle) don’t hold DreamCrusher’s myopic view.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:07 pmSO mentioning who his wife is and who she works for and what she does is nto exposing her status because in the parallel universe that republican thinking inhabits, the only way she could have been exposed is for someone to say that she was a covert agent, and I am exposing her…interesting.
So you must have major problems with the CIA investigating the leak and then asking for a criminal investigation? You must have major problems with the president appointing a special prosecutor. You must have issues with the president saying he would fire anyone invloved in the leak of her name? Afterall why go through all the effort when she was a well known desk jockey who flauted her status on the Washingotn cocktail circuit and among all her neighbors etc…
Back in this world you and your kind are dead wrong…again.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:08 pmhellinabucket
Dreamcrusher and Bigfoot, despite their statements, are here to champion torture, fascism, historic revisionism, and the end of everything America stands for.
They stand for treason, a dictator in the whitehouse, propaganda replacing your media, and true hatred in general.
They are evil, they are the rightwing.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:13 pmOh, and Dreamcrusher, pointing to an article (Without even bothering to link to it I might add) which was penned after the Rove article as evidence? And you are calling us morons?
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:17 pmIf the Bushies have NOTHING TO HIDE, why not let Fitzgerald provide the requested documents?
Oh, right.
Because they are TRAITORS to the USA who SABOTAGED NATIONAL SECURITY by exposing our WMD spy and her contacts.
So they have their TREASON to hide…
Bush sure is a COXUCKER punk TRAITOR to the USA—yup!!
Sincerely,
NRA Gun Nutes
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:17 pmOne of these days they are going to pay for Plame. And it’s gonna hurt deep in their asses.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:23 pmIf, as DreamCrusher suggests, Wilson exposed Plame’s covert status, then why didn’t HE get charged for doing so?
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:25 pmI find it interesting indeed that DC is so forthright that Rove lied. Trolls at this site NEVER admit that a high Bush official has lied. Never. Haven’t seen it once in three years at this site. Since it is obvious that DC is a political operative, this represents a defensive posture by the Bush gang that is unprecedented.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:38 pmIf, as DreamCrusher suggests, Wilson exposed Plame’s covert status, then why didn’t HE get charged for doing so?
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian — December 3, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
DC is repeating a rightwing talking point, the maiden name semantic thing, that is deader than a doorstop. Sheer desperation.
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:40 pmGW666 has his investigation stopper in charge now, Mukasey will never, ever expose GW666, and will do everything possible to direct attention else where and to no where. The GW666 mafia makes sure it’s members tow the line.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Buck Fush
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:45 pmWe are being led by traitorous criminals and the Congress which refuses to consider impeachment must be viewed as facilitators.
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:24 pmit’s all what your definition of “covert” is and your intent, i ’spose.
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:19 pmHeh. My partner in thought-crime was a couple of weeks ahead of the curve.
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:54 pmWH blocking Fitzgerald cooperation in Plame probe
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:17 pmCome on Faux… spin this one.
Doc Rock @ number 68 has it right.
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:03 pmThe CIA asked for the investigation, because they said their COVERT spy had been exposed, along with company Brewster Jennings.
Fitzgerald said “covert”.
Plame/Wilson said “covert” UNDER OATH before Congress.
Bush refused to go UNDER OATH to the 9/11 Commission.
Bush refuses to let Rove and Miers testify UNDER OATH even though they were subpoenaed by Congress.
The Bushes are TRAITORS to the USA, who need to be waterboarded in Gitmo until they DROP DEAD.
They can then go to meet their new MASTER Satan.
Sincerely,
NRA Gun Nutes
December 4th, 2007 at 12:57 pmValerie Plame handled herself quite well. Her story did not deviate BUT this is not about her. It’s about BUSH silencing her husband. You see, her husband, like her, was also a CIA agent and he was sent overseas to find out about the “Bush and Cheney” story about Iraq trying to buy Uranium ore from Africa. Well, Valerie’s husband had PROOF that it was a LIE and he was going to testify before Congress about this FABRICATED LIE but when VALERIE”S NAME was released, USING DICK CHENEY’S PHONE, that automatically put her and her husband UNDER CIA INVESTIGATION and this STOPPED HER AND HER HUSBAND FROM TESTIFYING BEFORE THE SENATE or anyone else. Valerie and her husband could not talk to ANYONE about this case as long as it was pending and THAT IS THE LAW!
December 6th, 2007 at 3:46 pm