White House Offers Convenient New Excuse For Not Talking About Plame Leak
White House Offers Convenient New Excuse For Not Talking About Plame Leak
After a jury convicted Scooter Libby in March 2007 for lying and obstructing a leak investigation, Dana Perino explained the White House would not comment it because it was an ongoing criminal proceeding:
I know that there’s going to be a lot of disappointment with this, but there is an ongoing criminal proceeding. … And so our principled stand of not commenting on ongoing legal investigations is going to continue.
In a July 2007 press briefing, then-White House press secretary Tony Snow assured that after Libby’s appeals were exhausted, “we’ll deal with it.” On Monday, after Libby’s legal team formally announced that he was , the White House again avoided commenting on the case:
QUESTION: Okay. Well, now that the appeal — there is no longer any appeal, can you speak to what the President thinks about Scooter Libby disclosing the name of a CIA official?
PERINO: I did not have a chance to talk to — chance to speak to the President after this announcement was made this morning, and so I don’t have his immediate reaction. He gave a lengthy statement in July in regards to the commutation and so I’ll have to refer you to that for now.
Yesterday, reporters asked again if Perino could comment:
QUESTION: Have you had a chance yet to speak with the President about Scooter Libby since he dropped his appeal?
PERINO: Well, you might have missed the gaggle, but I’ll refer you to those comments I made in the gaggle.
What did Perino say in the gaggle? The Washington Post reports Perino found another convenient excuse to punt on answering about the White House’s involvement in the Plame leak. Perino said that she hadn’t spoken to Bush yet, but she cited the Wilson’s ongoing civil case as a reason not to comment:
I did talk to our counsel’s office because I forgot that there is a civil case that is pending on this issue. I did forget. The Wilsons have filed a case in civil court, it was dismissed, and they are on appeal.
The Washington Post’s Al Kamen writes: “Could be years.”
UPDATE: In today’s press briefing, Perino again refused to discuss Libby:
QUESTION: Scooter Libby did not receive a pardon. Is this a sign that he’s not going to receive a pardon?
PERINO: I never comment — as I said the other day, I do not comment or speculate on who will or who will not get pardons from this president. QUESTION: And can you assure us that, once the Wilson civil suit is resolved, the president will speak out about the Libby affair?
PERINO: I would assume that, once everything — once that is settled, yes, I would hope that we could be able to comment further.
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I wonder if Dana ever feels a need to shower after a moment like the one in the picture?
December 12th, 2007 at 10:21 amAnd after the civil case is over, it’ll be “the case is closed, there’s no reason to comment”…
December 12th, 2007 at 10:24 amAlmost every action undertaken by the Bush is now subject to a filed suit. If a “suit is pending on this issue” is the standard reply do they even need Perino or her staff?
December 12th, 2007 at 10:28 amCaption:
December 12th, 2007 at 10:29 am‘Thanks for last night. God, I wish LaLa looked like you.’
Why does Barbie Peroxide look like Bush’s wind-up doll? Oh wait…she is…
December 12th, 2007 at 10:30 amGaggle? How about gargle. As in gargling with B.S. every day before stepping up to that mic.
America’s cute little catapulter of propaganda next door.
Dana Perino is a daily dose of lipstick on a very ugly pig.
It’s still a pig.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:30 amDana is too bust reading up on the Cuban Missile Crisis and other inconsequential events in American history like the Civil War, the American Revolution, and this weird thing called a Constitution.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:32 amI don’t know who is worse: the Bush criminal thugs, or the Americans who continue to support and enable them.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:33 amDana is too bust reading up on the Cuban Missile Crisis and other inconsequential events in American history like the Civil War, the American Revolution, and this weird thing called a Constitution.
Comment by Blue Stater — December 12, 2007 @ 10:32 am
Should be busy, obviously
December 12th, 2007 at 10:33 amShould be busy, obviously
Comment by Blue Stater — December 12, 2007 @ 10:33 am
Do they have a coloring book version?
December 12th, 2007 at 10:34 amNot surprised that any WH Press Conference has any substance. Everything about the WH is under investigation; therefore, what’s left to talk about?
December 12th, 2007 at 10:37 amI’m tired. I’m so very tired of this.
Can we have a new president, PLEASE????????
December 12th, 2007 at 10:38 amThey won’t comment because they will be caught in another lie. It’s that simple. The only way to get comment from that crew would be in court, and that’s not going to happen as long as the words ‘executive’ and ‘privilege’ can be used in the same sentence.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:39 amHey Perino,
You’re mom’s pending an ongoing legal investigation.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:39 amBush would rather be under Perino than investigations.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:39 amSoon the White House will be invoking its 5th Amendment rights so that they won’t have to say anything at all.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:39 am“I’m tired of answering questions about that Cuban Missile Crisis comment I made. Therefore, we have opened an investigation about Bobby Kennedy’s involvement.” -Perino
December 12th, 2007 at 10:42 amas k.o. put it, since its a done deal, they can talk about it….
oh wait, that would incriminate them even more then they already have done.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:44 amTell me again — WHY do we even have White House press conferences?
It used to be that we just had a bubblehead cheerfully reciting Bush’s set script and nothing but. Now we have the same bubblehead saying nothing at all.
Seems like a waste of time.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:49 am-Naaah…she’s been sucking the Demoncock for awhile now….
-Why does Barbie Peroxide look like Bush’s wind-up doll?
-America’s cute little catapulter of propaganda next door.
-Bush would rather be under Perino than investigations.
I never should have followed that link.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:51 amThe whole point of this thread is Plame’s outing.
That was treason.
The only way to avoid talking about it is not talk about it. Period.
Remember all the Righties screaming, ’she wasn’t NOC!?’ She was.
Remember all the Wingnuts saying she sent Wilson over there? Not!
Remember Cheney telling Russert about the ‘revealing’ article in the NYT? You know, the one Cheney or Rove sent to them & then built a strawman, citing an article as proof? Cheney lied, on air, live to America, about every damn thing he cited.
Treason. You can deny, lie, apply, die or flip-flop, but it’s still…
TREASON!
December 12th, 2007 at 10:54 amBlondie kind of reminds me of Ron Ziegler, Nixon’s WHPS during Watergate — only Ziegler was funnier.
Memorable Ziegler quotes:
“If my answers sound confusing, I think they are confusing because the questions are confusing and the situation is confusing.”
“The president is aware of what is going on. That is not to say that there is anything going on.”
“This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative.” (retracting previous statements that turned out to be false)
Nah — Perino isn’t even fun to listen to.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:57 amIt will NOT help you in ‘08!
Comment by John Kerry — December 12, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Go away, twit.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:05 amLike Giuliani in a dress will help the GOOP.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am“about the Plame lie…”
Nice to see a GOOPer finally admitting it was a lie, though! :-D!!!
Keep up the good work, John. Yer comin’ around.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:07 am- Talking incessantly about the Plame lie is a total waste of time and space on any blog! It will NOT help you in ‘08!
Comment by John Kerry — December 12, 2007 @ 11:01 am
This isn’t just about Bush. This is about the rule of law. Something, if left unchecked will fester for years. The damage was to a person’s career, to the men and women who serve our country in the CIA, and to that end to the security of our country.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:08 amJK sycophant troll paraphrase:
“Yes, it was a horrible accident, too bad your daughter’s dead, and yes the driver was drunk when he T-boned your car, but that’s behind us now and let’s move forward.”
How about instead we figure out how this mess all happened, who authorized the outing of a CIA agent and hang the bastard for treason?
You know, so the next guy who thinks about fcking our country for the party, EITHER PARTY, will reconsider.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:13 amHow very sad the present administration has become.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:24 amComment by John Kerry — December 12, 2007 @ 11:01 am
John Kerrys right. He proves were the party of intelligence and logic. Reason and structure.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:24 amJD, anyone in your party who is intelligent jumped ship a long time ago. You never even made it into the dinghy!
December 12th, 2007 at 11:48 amLighten up Lisa, poor JD was being funny. It was an attempt at sarcasm.
I hope. Otherwise he’s one stupid clown.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:02 pmDana Bimbo needs to be showered with rotten tomatos and eggs. Her boss need to be handcuffed! If the USA was a serious country, both the White House and Congress should be surrounded by it people demanding accountability!
December 12th, 2007 at 12:04 pmBut it’s still an “excuse”.
That’s all anyone should expect from these people.
What else does a loser-in-denial have, but excuses?
Real Conservatives I have known, along with the successful and powerful, have all equally loathed excuse-making, of any kind, by anyone.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:04 pmJohn Kerrys right. He proves were the party of intelligence and logic. Reason and structure.
Comment by JD Murphy — December 12, 2007 @ 11:24 am
Yeah, right, Einstein….
LMAO @ the idiot trolls
December 12th, 2007 at 12:07 pmI’d bang dana
Wayne is ‘tarded
December 12th, 2007 at 12:10 pm- Talking incessantly about the Plame lie is a total waste of time and space on any blog! It will NOT help you in ‘08!
Comment by John Kerry — December 12, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Then it shouldn’t be bothering you so much. You sound very afraid. of course, as a righty chickenhawk, it’s your natural state. Righties are born cowards, with yellow stripes where their spines should be.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:21 pmThe Bushies just can’t do truth.
It’s a physical impossibility for them.
I really hope the average joe/jane are listening…
This was a great country. It isn’t now.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:02 pm- George Bush is NOT (I repeat…NOT!) running for President in ‘08!
- Talking incessantly about the Plame lie is a total waste of time and space on any blog! It will NOT help you in ‘08!
So the Watergate investigation, Iran-Contra, and Clinton’s impeachment were also all wastes of time?
Okay, the last one was, I’ll give you that.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:40 pmyes, I would hope that we could be able to comment further.
Do you Dana?? Do you really hope that?? Or is this just another one of your endless stream of lies and deceptions, in your quest to make your every utterance an avoidance of saying anything truthful or factual? Because, so far, near as i can tell, you clearly have no capacity to be honest at all.
December 12th, 2007 at 3:22 pmHow come no one is mentioning the cigar Bush is trying to get her to play with behind his back???
December 12th, 2007 at 3:25 pmI’m not a Blondie fan but I can relate to the expression on her face when being hugged by a malodorous grandfather figure with foul breath and skanky armpits – ugh! I’m sure she’s holding her breath so she doesn’t barf from the odors alone. Sulphur anyone?
December 12th, 2007 at 4:05 pmIS Tony Snow dead yet?
December 13th, 2007 at 12:47 amHey JK you fu(king fool tool, “still this secret agent” WTF are you talking ’bout Willis? The EXISTENCE of the court case ITSELF PROVED she was a CIA operative whom the CIA felt was outed, and the pressing of charges was sought under the law for outing said covert secret agents.
Now do we need to get you a new decoder ring to try and figure out how to get your head out of Rush Plumpbaughs arse or what?
Get on to other things…like how your Precedent is a lying, cheating, scumbag motherfu(king traitor who needs to be killed by anyone with a gun and a set of nuts. Then we have the basis for a discussion.
Otherwise, go back and jerk0ff some more in the koolaid.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:52 ambush hugged Tony Snow the same way, yes?
December 13th, 2007 at 12:53 amAll of the above comments are much ado about nothing!
I propose the following for the 110th Congress:
1. That President Bush, like all former presidents, is now mostly concerned with his own legacy.
2. That the invasion of and current status of the United States as a foreign occupier of a sovereign nation are the sole responsibility of this administration and the 109th Congress.
3. That the Congress demand that the President submit a detailed plan, by January 21, 2008, for disengaging all U.S. military personnel by the time the next president is sworn in on January 20, 2009.
4. That failure to do so will be met by the initiation of Articles of Impeachment. Period.
Time for Congress to shit or get off the pot!
December 14th, 2007 at 2:06 amRE: My post Number 50. As reads, “…military personnel by the time…,” should read: …military personnel in Iraq by the time…
December 14th, 2007 at 2:11 am