Bush Authorized NIE Leak
This could be the beginning of the end of the Bush administration: Scooter Libby told Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury that Bush authorized him to leak the top-secret National Intelligence Estimate to NY Times reporter Judy Miller on 7/8/03 as part of the Bush administration's character assassination campaign against Joe Wilson.
The Corporate Media is trying to minimize the explosiveness of this revelation by claiming that Bush did not specifically authorize the leak of Valerie Plame's identity, which is the crime everyone is waiting to see solved.
But the story is still explosive in many ways:
- Bush may have authorized the outing of Plame - we just don't know yet! Until today, we didn't know that Bush authorized the leak of the NIE.
- Bush has now been tied directly to Scooter Libby's character assassination campaign against Joe Wilson. Until now, we only knew that Karl Rove and Dick Cheney were involved. If there was a criminal conspiracy to expose Valerie Plame, then a prosecutor could easily establish probable cause that Bush was involved with it - even if he did not specifically authorize her outing.
- Bush's repeated on-camera denunciations of leaks are being played over and over on TV, making him look like a hypocrite and a liar.
- Bush certainly has the power to declassify secrets, but he has to go through formal procedures or he is breaking the law. Bush did not formally declassify the NIE until 7/18/03, but he authorized Libby to leak it to Judy Miller 10 days earlier - which would be a crime.
- In fact, Judy Miller received crucial information from the NIE in early September 2002 - a month before Congress received it - which she included in her front-page NY Times story on 9/8/02. (See Booman's point-by-point comparison of Miller's article and the NIE.) Immediately after Miller's story was published, Dick Cheney went on Meet the Press to hype it - perhaps the most important "war drum" he banged at the start of the fall "marketing campaign" led by Andy Card and the infamous White House Iraq Group (WHIG).
- After the NY Times exposed the NSA wiretapping scandal, Alberto Gonzales launched a very public investigation of the leak to the Times, with the clear threat of subpoenas for the Times reporters who received the leak. Gonzales can forget about issuing those subpoenas now because lawyers for the Times will immediately scream "selective prosecution"!
Update 1: Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is furious at the "Leaker-in-Chief" (courtesy of Raw Story):
If the disclosure is true, it's breathtaking. The President is revealed as the Leaker-in-Chief.
Leaking classified information to the press when you want to get your side out or silence your critics is not appropriate.
The reason we classify things is to protect our sources - those who risk their lives to give us secrets. Who knows how many sources were burned by giving Libby this 'license to leak'?
If I had leaked the information, I'd be in jail. Why should the President be above the law?
The President has the legal authority to declassify information, but there are normal channels for doing so. Telling an aide to leak classified information to the New York Times is not a normal channel. A normal declassification procedure would involve going back to the originating agency, such as the CIA, and then putting out a public, declassified version of the document.
I am stunned that the President won't tell the full the Intelligence Committee about the NSA program because he's allegedly concerned about leaks, when it turns out that he is the Leaker-in-Chief.
- Bob Fertik's blog
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More Lawbreaking?
EXECUTIVE ORDER 13292
- - - - - - -
FURTHER AMENDMENT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 12958, AS AMENDED,
CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
(4) Each delegation of original classification authority shall be in writing and the authority shall not be redelegated except as provided in this order. Each delegation shall identify the official by name or position title.
... Sec. 6.3. Effective Date. This order is effective immediately, except for section 1.6, which shall become effective 180 days from the date of this order.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 25, 2003.
Reid: Bush Must Disclose His Role in the Leak of Classified Info
Reid: President Bush Must Disclose His Role in the Leak of Classified Information
WASHINGTON, April 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement after the revelation that President Bush may have personally authorized the selective leaking of classified information to sell the war in Iraq, directly contradicting his previous statements to the American people that he knew nothing of the leak.
A fact check of President Bush is attached below.
"In light of today's shocking revelation, President Bush must fully disclose his participation in the selective leaking of classified information. The American people must know the truth."
---
WHITE HOUSE LEAK CASE: NOW & THEN
Today the White House's credibility suffered yet another blow. After repeatedly denying any involvement in the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA officer, new court filings assert that the President was involved with authorizing the now indicted Scooter Libby to disclose classified information to reporters as part of a politically motivated effort to tarnish its critics. It's time for the President to come clean about his involvement in the leak case.
NOW: Americans Learn That the President Authorized Libby's Disclosure of Classified Information to Judith Miller. According to the Government's filing in the Libby Case, "Defendant's participation in a critical conversation with Judith Miller on July 8 (discussed further below) occurred only after the Vice President advised defendant that the President specifically had authorized defendant to disclose certain information in the NIE. Defendant testified that the circumstances of his conversation with reporter Miller -- getting approval from the President through the Vice President to discuss material that would be classified but for that approval -- were unique in his recollection. . . . During the conversations that followed on July 12, defendant discussed Ms. Wilson's employment with both Matthew Cooper (for the first time) and Judith Miller (for the third time)." (Government's Response to Defendant's Third Motion to Compel Discovery, United States v. I. Lewis Libby, 04/05/06)
THEN: The President Denied All Knowledge of the Leak
President Bush: "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." (Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03)
President Bush: "Yes. Let me just say something about leaks in Washington. There are too many leaks of classified information in Washington. There's leaks at the executive branch; there's leaks in the legislative branch. There's just too many leaks. And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of. . . . I have told our administration, people in my administration to be fully cooperative. I want to know the truth. If anybody has got any information inside our administration or outside our administration, it would be helpful if they came forward with the information so we can find out whether or not these allegations are true and get on about the business." (Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03)
President Bush: "I'd like to know if somebody in my White House did leak sensitive information." (10/28/03)
President Bush: Responding to media question referring to "anybody who leaked the agent's (Valerie Plame's) name," and the question, "Do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?" the President responded: "Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the facts." (Press Conference, Savannah, Georgia, 6/10/04)
President Bush: "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)
President Bush: "If someone committed crime, they will no longer work in my administration." (USA Today, 7/18/05)
Scott McClellan: "The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." (White House Press Briefing, 9/29/03)
Scott McClellan: "Let me answer what the President has said. I speak for the President and I'll talk to you about what he wants . . .If someone leaked classified information, the President wants to know. If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business." (White House Press Briefing, 10/7/03)
What happens now? Fitzgerald hopefully is in a safe location
with trustworthy detail protecting him. Things are getting dicey for Bush, and he can no longer lie his way out of his troubles. News must be 100% propaganda!!!
I no longer watch network news, and could care less if Katie Couric was chosen to replace the main anchor on CBS, I'll never watch again.
There is obviously more explosive information detailing this leak, as well as the run up to the war. Fitzgerald just may be the hero of the US after all. Hopefully things will keep moving so fast that the media will finally own up to the information they have refused to report.
Memories of Nixon, very similiar
After reading the articles it reminds so much of Nixon when he declared he was not a crook. He did not lie.
Bush is in a real quagmire to say the least.
But, the Democrats will not pounce on this, they will let him get away with this.
It is just like Kerry and his interview with Hardball. Why in the hell do these politicians act so afraid of this turn coat Chris Matthews. It is okay to expose the president on Hardball. If we, the Democrats don't get on these shows and scream the truth, the people will never know. If I had been Kerry, the first thing I would have done when Matthews eluded he had said something different in the pass would have been to clear the air right then and there on national television. I would have put Matthews in his place in a heart beat. The word flip flopper would never be said again. They needed to have a come to Jesus meeting right then and there.
We, the Democrats need a backbone, now is our chance to wake up the remainder of the people who are still in comas and take 2006 elections, get control and clean up that filthy White House and Congress.
The party is over "Mr. Republican". This president and the cronies he was forced to put into office have raped this country, killed our children all in the name of oil and money. Now we have pedofiles working in the State Department being arrested. I would like to ask the "pseudo religious right nuts" if they approve of a lying president, a porn addict working in our government, a reported gay man who is now the Chairman of the Republican Party, payoffs, bribes, exhortion, war crimes, is what their God would approve of? I know my God would not approve.
If Clinton were in office and he had done this, he would be impeached ASAP. If anyone thinks that what Clinton did is worse than starting a war by lying to the people and killing our young men adn women every hour on the hour, ousting of a CIA agent through leaks, wire tapped the homes of Americans, and my personal favorite of the worst things this president has done, when Andy Card whispered in his ear that America was under attack, this moron Bush sat in that classroom for 7 minutes before he stood up to leave. This man is dangerous and what he is doing to America is dangerous. Once and for all we need to expose the Bush Dynasty for who they really are and get them out of public service all together. Impeach the SOB.
Bush needs to be taken to the wooodshed, censure is just not enough. I know he thinks he is above the law, but he is not and neither is Cheney, impeach them both. Bring our troops home and get them out of the civil war that Bush is still lying about and stop the tax cuts for Bush's fat cat donors and give this country back to the people. We need change. We have a runaway Congress, Republican controlled and a Republican White House spending every dollar this country has. They have bankrupted this country. When our young men and women come home they cannot get the health caree they need. They didn't even get the proper armor when Georgie decided PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 2001 to invade Iraq.
This should be the final straw to all Americans. Get rid of the DIEBOLD voting machines, make darn sure that all plans are in place to stop the GOP from stealing another election. GET RID OF KARL ROVE! Remember the story on "Bush's Brain", well that brain is Karl Rove, so get rid of him too. Karen Hughes, Condi, they all need to go. We need men and women who know what the hell their doing. Because this administration is so fool of lies and deceit it would take Houdini to sort out who said what.
Psuedo Christians who call themselves "evangelicals" usually will crawl back under the rocks they were under when their "guy" in office got caught with his pants down. Falwell and the other politicol's hiding behind the cloth of God need to tell us why it is okay to have a gay as the Chairman of the Republican Party. Why is that okay with them. Also, in May of 2001, Why did Bush give the Taliban 41 million dollars? How can any of these people who say they work in the name of God explain these terrible acts. I really don't think that these evangelicals can be too critical of homosexuals if the Republican Party hires one to run their party on a national level.
I strongly urge the Democrats to stop being so passive, spend the money to run a huge television and radio and print media campaign letting the world know that Bush was the leak. Every PAC out there needs to run ads and do the same. Saturate the press with every thing Bush has lied about. Now is the time to do battle, we, the people want our country back.
We need to build our own country back. Bush wants to repair and rebuild a country who hates us. WE have Americans who need help, not just from Katrina, but from all of the policy cuts that Bush has done to fund his war. AND I DO EMPHASIZE HIS WAR, IT IS NOT OUR WAR"