Sunday Chgo Trib Mag Article on Patrick Fitzgerald Says About Plame ...... [View All]

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.... Fitzgerald's handling of the case has been sharply criticized by news media fearful that any legal precedents forcing journalists to reveal confidential sources would forever alter the independence and watchdog mission of the Fourth Estate. But even some of the nation's most respected attorneys have suggested that Fitzgerald may be pursuing a lengthy and expensive investigation into something that is not even a crime in the first place. They argue that the 1982 law he is using as a basis for his probe applies only to covert agents who live outside the country now or have done so in the last five years.

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"Since Plame had been living in Washington for some time when the July 2003 column was published, and was working at a desk job in Langley (a no-no for a person with a need for cover), there is a serious legal question as to whether she qualifies as 'covert,' wrote Victoria Toensing, former chief counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee who helped draft the 1982 law, and Bruce Sanford, a First Amendment specialist, in The Washington Post.


I just thought that these comments were interesting with respect to the Plame case. The other interesting and I though funny aspect of this article on Fitzgerald was its title - "Bulldog". (in light of Gannongate)

Said about Fitzgerald in this article - "His 24/7 work ethic and brilliant legal mind have sent terrorists and mob bosses to prison. But critics say Patrick Fitzgerald's tactics sometimes collide with the constitution."

So is the Plame case going down in flames too?