Newsday: Columnist Names CIA Iraq Operative | (Wilson & wife)

[deneb]

A new follow-up
(Newsday links change/expire sometimes)

By Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce
Washington Bureau

July 21, 2003, 9:48 PM EDT

Washington -- The identity of an undercover CIA officer whose husband started the Iraq uranium intelligence controversy has been publicly revealed by a conservative Washington columnist citing "two senior administration officials."

Intelligence officials confirmed to Newsday Monday that Valerie Plame, wife of retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, works at the agency on weapons of mass destruction issues in an undercover capacity -- at least she was undercover until last week when she was named by columnist Robert Novak.

Wilson, while refusing to confirm his wife's employment, said the release to the press of her relationship to him and even her maiden name was an attempt to intimidate others like him from talking about Bush administration intelligence failures.

"It's a shot across the bow to these people, that if you talk we'll take your family and drag them through the mud as well," he said in an interview.

emphasis mine
edit: more emphasis

[Bozita]

1. Wilson will be on the NBC "Today Show" in a few hours.

He's gonna be really pissed.

[deneb]

3. please post a summary on LBN or here if you can?

Read the article - he's clearly more pissed-off than the WP/NYT articles last week. And now it's also clear someone in the WH (Novak's source) involved his wife. That's major stuff for "Today Show" audience, I reckon.

[monarch]

8. today show

I turned it on specifically to see Wilson and there was no mention of him.

[PretzelWarrior]

2. wow. In Anglo American empire, WMD scandal got a guy killed

outed an undercover agent, is leading to WH national security scape goats...it is really ugly.

Just as British govmt was demanding that BBC reveal its source, I believe CONGRESS SHOULD DEMAND that piss ant NOvak reveal his senior white house sources. THIS IS BULLSHIT.

[w4rma]

4. If you only read the top part of the article you think that Novak did

something bad.

You have to read the second half to get Novak's defense.

Novak, in an interview, said his sources had come to him with the information. "I didn't dig it out, it was given to me," he said. "They thought it was significant, they gave me the name and I used it."

Wilson and others said such a disclosure would be a violation of the law by the officials, not the columnist.

Novak reported that his "two senior administration officials" told him that it was Plame who suggested sending her husband, Wilson, to Niger.

A senior intelligence official confirmed that Plame was a Directorate of Operations undercover officer who worked "alongside" the operations officers who asked her husband to travel to Niger.

IMHO, that defense should have been prominant and in the top part of the article.

[whatelseisnew]

5. I did not think that, but looking back I see what you mean

Emphasis should have been added to "two admin. officials" to add even more

clarity.

[whatelseisnew]

6. Newsday Title should be: Bush Admin. Names CIA Iraq Operative

[RainDog]

7. this is also in Krugman's column today

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/opinion/22KRUG.html?ex=1059844815&ei=1&en=01ee7eb4490d449f

...and was originally mentioned in David Corn's Nation article...I'll go look for the link, but it was posted here a few days ago.

Corn says that the people who outed Wilson's wife would face a 50k fine and/or? 10 years in prison.

I'd simply like to know who Rove used to attack Wilson and his wife...they surely lead to him.

[RainDog]

9. here's the link to Corn's Capital Games

http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/

[Kolesar]

10. this story seems to be dying

[Virginian]

11. It might come back - naming the senior WH officials

Who divulged classified info while hiding 9/11 info.