First Source of C.I.A. Leak Admits Role, Lawyer Says (NYT)

[spindrifter]

By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: August 30, 2006

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — Richard L. Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, has acknowledged that he was the person whose conversation with a columnist in 2003 prompted a long, politically laden criminal investigation in what became known as the C.I.A. leak case, a lawyer involved in the case said on Tuesday.

Mr. Armitage did not return calls for comment. But the lawyer and other associates of Mr. Armitage have said he has confirmed that he was the initial and primary source for the columnist, Robert D. Novak, whose column of July 14, 2003, identified Valerie Wilson as a Central Intelligence Agency officer.

The identification of Mr. Armitage as the original leaker to Mr. Novak ends what has been a tantalizing mystery. In recent months, however, Mr. Armitage’s role had become clear to many, and it was recently reported by Newsweek magazine and The Washington Post.

In the accounts by the lawyer and associates, Mr. Armitage disclosed casually to Mr. Novak that Ms. Wilson worked for the C.I.A. at the end of an interview in his State Department office. Mr. Armitage knew that, the accounts continue, because he had seen a written memorandum by Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman.

<more>

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/washington/30armitage.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[MadMaddie]

1. Soooo...he admitted committing a felony (slip of the tounge)

Why is he not under arrest....? If he were black or outside of the Neocon facist regime he would be in jail....Now America knows the truth...what are we going to do about it?

[OzarkDem]

9. Very good question

and why didn't Fitz pursue him?

[mmonk]

2. Can't let them spin out of things or hide WHIG and

the conspiracy.

[Scout1071]

3. This smells worse than Bush on Bourbon St. nt

[blogslut]

4. Who told Armitage?

??????????????????????

EDIT: Sorry, the third paragraph said who...so...

"In the accounts by the lawyer and associates, Mr. Armitage disclosed casually to Mr. Novak that Ms. Wilson worked for the C.I.A. at the end of an interview in his State Department office. Mr. Armitage knew that, the accounts continue, because he had seen a written memorandum by Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman.

Mr. Grossman had taken up the task of finding out about Ms. Wilson after an inquiry from I. Lewis Libby Jr., chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Libby’s inquiry was prompted by an Op-Ed article on May 6, 2003, in The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof and an article on June 12, 2003, in The Washington Post by Walter Pincus.

The two articles reported on a trip by a former ambassador to Africa sponsored by the C.I.A. to check reports that Iraq was seeking enriched uranium to help with its nuclear arms program..."{/i}

[Rose Siding]

5. 4th paragraph: "he had seen a written memorandum..."

[spindrifter]

6. Per the article, he saw a memo by

Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman. So, here is the question? Wouldn't that memo have been marked for some sort of security clearance? I would guess at least "Secret." So where does Armitage get off revealing info that one needs a security clearance for--and don't bother to tell me that it was all authorized by POTUS or VPOTUS.

[sandnsea]

So Cheney initiated the smear

It doesn't change the basics of what they did, initiated an inquiry in order to smear Wilson because he challenged the yellowcake report.

[texpatriot2004]

7. I am not sure I believe he's the 1st one to leak this...you? nt

[OzarkDem]

8. His story doesn't stand up

Just another pre-election diversion to keep attention away from the WH...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2006508

[Rex]

10. End result? Novak total traitor, should rot in hell.

nt