THE FITZ LETTER: BUSH & CHENEY NOW PROSECUTION TARGETS?

[leveymg]

In court papers published late last week, Patrick Fitzgerald revealed that his office has obtained at least one Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) that discusses the trip to Niger taken by Ambassador Joseph Wilson, the husband of Valerie Plame.

While it was previously known that Bush and Cheney had been interviewed by Fitzgerald about the outing of Plame, this is the first indication that the prosecution in the case has started to look into documentation that might answer the question of questions: “What did the President know, and when did he know it?”

Lawyers for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby had requested Bush’s PDBs along with other classified documents as a part of discovery. Fitzgerald responded with a letter dated January 9 filed in federal court late last week, http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/02/libby013106.pdf

Fitzgerald wrote: "As you are well aware, the documents referred to as Presidential Daily Briefs ("PDBs") are extraordinarily sensitive documents which are usually highly classified. We have never requested copies of any PDBs. However, we did ask for relevant documents relating to Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife; Valerie Plame Wilson... and the trip undertaken by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger in 2002... from the Executive Branch of the President and the Office of the Vice President.

"We also sought from the Central Intelligence Agency documents relating to the same item.... relating to the same items, with the exception that the CIA was not requested to produce documents in the files regarding Valerie Plame and Wilson that were not related directly or indirectly to Ambassador Wilson's travel to Niger in February 2002."

In response to our requests, we have received a very discrete amount of material relating to PDBs. We have provided to Mr. Libby and his counsel (or are in the process of providing such documents consistent with the process of a declassification review) copies of any pages in our possession reflecting discussions of Joseph Wilson, Valerie Wilson and/or Wilson's trip to Niger contained in (or written on) copies of the President's Daily Brief (PDB) in the redacted form in which we received them.

It is likely that on June 19, 2003, Bush received the PDB discussing the Wilson trip. Murray Waas reported ("Fitzgerald Court Papers: Bush Was Briefed on Joe Wilson", Fri Feb 3, 6:21 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060203/cm_huffpost/0... ):

As my National Journal story first disclosed yesterday, then-CIA director George Tenet received a highly classified memo on June 17, 2003, on the Niger matter from his analysts warning that allegations that Saddam Hussein had attempted to procure uranium from the African nation were to no longer to be believed. In the memo, the CIA analysts wrote: "Since learning that the Iraqi-Niger uranium deal was based on false documents earlier this spring, we no longer believe that there is sufficient other reporting to conclude that Iraq purchased uranium from abroad."

The memo also related that there had been other, earlier claims that Saddam's regime had attempted to purchase uranium from private interests in Somalia and Benin; these claims predated the Niger allegations. It was that past intelligence that had led CIA analysts, in part, to consider the Niger claims as plausible. But the memo said that after a thorough review of those earlier reports, the CIA had concluded that they were no longer credible. Indeed, the previous intelligence reports citing those claims had long since been "recalled" -- meaning that the CIA had formally repudiated them. Within days after Tenet received the memo, the CIA provided the information contained in it to both Cheney and Libby in briefings on the matter. The congressional Senate and House Intelligence Committees received similar briefings on June 18 and June 19, 2003, according to government records.

Two senior government officials suggested that it was likely that Bush would have also been similarly briefed, because Cheney, Libby, Tenet, and the Senate and House Senate committees had been at the time, and also because the issue of Wilson's trip to Niger was being discussed in the media and Capitol Hill. Said one official: "It would have just made sense, that this was have recycled to the President too... There is a lot of similarity as to what the President and Vice President are briefed about." Despite having been briefed on the CIA's findings, Cheney continued to defend the Niger allegations as possibly still credible.

The wording of the January 9 letter makes it clear that the president’s briefing papers related to Wilson’s Niger trip and subsequent White House actions may also contain written notes, comments, or directives. Fitzgerald’s letter states that his office sought and received White House and CIA documents, including one or more PDBs:

. .. reflecting discussions of Joseph Wilson, Valerie Wilson and/or Wilson's trip to Niger contained in (or written on) copies of the President's Daily Brief (PDB) in the redacted form in which we received them. http://rawstory.com/other/pdfs/RawStoryFitzLetter.pdf

While the language in the response may just reflect a careful lawyer covering all possible bases, it may also be Fitzgerald communicating something very significant to the White House: is there a notation on that memo that reflects Bush’s own knowledge and intent with regard to how he wanted the problem with Wilson taken care of?

Even if it doesn’t, the PDB – when it is declassified, as it surely has to be after Fitzgerald “outed it” – will give us documentary evidence of what Bush knew several weeks before Robert Novak outed Wilson’s wife.

It is significant that Fitzgerald has also focused on the role of Condi Rice, who was Bush’s conduit to the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). As I pointed out in my last post at DailyKos, Fitzgerald response to discovery shows that there is interest in the actions of officials who accompanied Bush on that trip to Africa.http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/4/153716/0726

Specifically, questions are being raised about the interaction of Condi Rice and Ari Fleischer with reporters during that trip, and what was revealed to the press about Joseph Wilson’s visit in March to Niger. It turns out that Rice appears to have taken the lead in drawing reporter’s attention to Wilson. Fitzgerald's letter also contains the following item that focuses on a July 11, 2003 conversation between unnamed government officials and Time Magazine reporters:

We also advise you that we also understand that reporter John Dickerson of Time magazine discussed the trip by Mr. Wilson with government officials at some time on July 11 or after, subsequent to Mr. Cooper learning about Mr. Wilson's wife. Any conversations involving Mr. Dickerson likely took place in Africa and occured after July 11. http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2006/02/libby013106.pdf

The Washington Post reported that a version of the classified State Department memo discussing Wilson’s investigation in Niger was read by Colin Powell on AF1 during the Africa trip, and that document may have been read by other White House officials on that flight, and then shared with reporters.

The memo was delivered to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on July 7, 2003, as he headed to Africa for a trip with President Bush aboard Air Force One. Plame was unmasked in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak seven days later.

SNIP

Several other administration officials were on the trip to Africa, including senior adviser Dan Bartlett, then-White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and others. Bartlett's attorney has refused to discuss the case, citing requests by the special counsel. Fleischer could not be reached for comment yesterday.( Walter Pincus and Jim VandeHei, “Plame's Identity Marked As Secret: Memo Central to Probe Of Leak Was Written By State Dept. Analyst”, Thursday, July 21, 2005; Page A01, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/20/AR2005072002517.html )

For some unknown reason, that Post article neglected to mention that Rice was also on that trip. One should be aware that Cheney, Libby and Rove stayed in Washington. Opinions on the actual significance of events during the Africa trip are split. There are those who believe that this is a diversion from the activities of others who did not see the State Dept. memo or discuss Wilson or Plame on that particular occasion. We also now know that Cheney was Libby’s original source, and that Libby then talked to Judy Miller about Plame weeks before this trip. Furthermore, an as yet unnamed high government official was the first to disclose the identity of the CIA officer to Bob Woodward. It is clear, nonetheless, that on July 11 Condi did make an effort to draw the attention of reporters to Wilson. This was discussed at TPM Café last summer:

(DID CONDI PUSH THE "WILSON'S WIFE SENT HIM STORY"?By daxman
From: Top Reader Blogs http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/7/20/16340/8649)

Press gaggle transcripts show that it was Condoleezza Rice, not Ari Fleischer, who was pushing the press to look into the reasons the CIA sent Wilson to Niger.
Jul 20, 2005 -- 04:47:22 PM EST
As it has been discussed, Fitzgerald's office is keenly interested in the State Department memo, distributed in the days leading up to the Novak article, disclosing that Wilson's wife had something to do with sending Wilson to Niger. The LA Times July 18, 2005 story discusses how there is interest in whether Ari Fleischer was pushing the story to reporters before the Novak article appeared.
The LA Times July 18, 2005 articles ends with:

"And Fleischer also seemed attuned to a strategy of discrediting Wilson. Two days before Novak revealed Plame's identity, Fleischer questioned the former envoy's findings in remarks to reporters during a trip with Bush in Africa.

The transcript of that press gaggle (the term for an informal question-and-answer between reporters and the White House spokesman), which took place in the National Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, has been requested by the prosecutors." . . . A key exchange on the Wilson trip did occur in the July 11, 2003 press gaggle aboard Air Force One with both Ari Fleischer and Condoleezza Rice and it wasn't Ari pushing the Wilson story.

The transcript of the July 11, 2003 press gaggle has this interesting exchange:

Q Dr. Rice, when did you all find out that the documents were forged?
DR. RICE: Sometime in March, I believe. Is that right?
MR. FLEISCHER: The IAEA reported it.
DR. RICE: The IAEA reported it I believe in March. But I will tell you that, for instance, on Ambassador Wilson's going out to Niger, I learned of that when I was sitting on whatever TV show it was, because that mission was not known to anybody in the White House. And you should ask the Agency at what level it was known in the Agency.
Q When was that TV show, when you learned about it?
DR. RICE: A month ago, about a month ago.
Q Can I ask you about something else?
DR. RICE: Yes. Are you sure you're through with this?

This brings us to our concluding remarks. Do the contents of his January 9 letter indicate that Fitzgerald is now turning his attention up the ladder to the President, Vice President and the present Secretary of State?

I would argue for the following reason that it does, and that Bush -- as well as Cheney and Rice -- are vulnerable to eventual prosecution. Even if the contents of the letter are merely the prosecutor’s response to Libby's defense request for evidence (and Libby’s lawyers are undoubtedly seeking to pin the responsibility for Plame’s outing on others) it also indicates where this case is going, and shows us some of the key documents the U.S. Attorney is looking at.

Finally, the request for PDBs and other evidence of what Bush and Cheney actually knew about Wilson shows what sort of defense Libby's lawyers may be intending to raise. It appears that the defense will claim Scooter believed his actions were condoned by "his superiors", and thus he didn't have mens rea (criminal intent).

This puts Fitz into the position that he will either have to indict Bush and Cheney or else argue that Libby acted on his own as a loose cannon . Either way, Fitz will have to pin down the facts in order to prosecute. That means that both the President and Vice President are, indeed, under active investigation by Fitzgerald.

COPYRIGHT 2006, Mark G. Levey

[stop the bleeding]

1. Good analysis - Bookmarked - K&R

The transcript of the July 11, 2003 press gaggle has this interesting exchange:

Q Dr. Rice, when did you all find out that the documents were forged?
DR. RICE: Sometime in March, I believe. Is that right?
MR. FLEISCHER: The IAEA reported it.
DR. RICE: The IAEA reported it I believe in March. But I will tell you that, for instance, on Ambassador Wilson's going out to Niger, I learned of that when I was sitting on whatever TV show it was, because that mission was not known to anybody in the White House. And you should ask the Agency at what level it was known in the Agency.
Q When was that TV show, when you learned about it?
DR. RICE: A month ago, about a month ago.
Q Can I ask you about something else?
DR. RICE: Yes. Are you sure you're through with this?


PDB is from 06/19/03 - DR. RICE: A month ago, about a month ago.



Interesting follow up answer from Rice she offered more than she needed to.

Dr. Rice, when did you all find out that the documents were forged?
DR. RICE: Sometime in March, I believe. Is that right?
MR. FLEISCHER: The IAEA reported it.
DR. RICE: The IAEA reported it I believe in March. But I will tell you that, for instance, on Ambassador Wilson's going out to Niger, I learned of that when I was sitting on whatever TV show it was, because that mission was not known to anybody in the White House. And you should ask the Agency at what level it was known in the Agency.


I will check back in a little bit on this - I have been watching you develop this theory in the last few days on H2O' "your move" thread - I am curious to see what the other researchers think.

[robertpaulsen]

8. Not surprising. Rice was a big part of WHIG.

I'm sure Hadley, with his ties to Ledeen & SISMI helped her fill in the blanks. Not in 2003 though, she's obviously LYING:

Richard N. Haass, the former director of policy planning at the State Department told the New York Times of meeting Rice in July 2002 to discuss Iraq policy. "Basically she cut me off and said, `Save your breath -- the president has already decided what he's going to do on this,' " he said. (29) (http://college4.nytimes.com/guests/articles/2004/01/07/2283002.xml)

Beginning in 2002, Rice became one of the Bush administration's most outspoken supporters of the 2003 war in Iraq, arguing that Saddam Hussein posed a nuclear danger to the world. As administration hard-liners worked to build support for war beginning in 2002, Rice often mentioned the fear that Hussein would develop a nuclear weapon.

In September 2002 Rice also insisted that Hussein was pursuing nuclear weapons. "We do know that he is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon," she said on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer on September 8 2002. "The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Condoleezza_Rice

[stop the bleeding]

9. So once again we are back to the usual suspects

Rice/Hadley

Feith/Ledeen/Wolfowitz/Perle/Dumbsfeld

Cheny/Libby

Rove

WHIG/OSP principal players


we need Rice or Rove indicted to get to the next people on the list. We may need Hadley to get to Rice.

I haven't seen an easy indictable person that would lead to Dumbsfeld though

[leveymg]

10. Steve Cambone for his perjury and obstruction of justice in

his dealings with the 9/11 Commission and testimony before Congress. He's a ticket to Rummie.

[stop the bleeding]

15. What is Mr. Cambone's status? in other words we have possible

avenues before us that Fitz can persue to indict Cheney/Rice/Hadley/ and Rover. -which is possibly awesome for us we will have to wait and see. Sorry I am not up to speed at all on Cambone ie: where the case is? who is the prosecution ect...

Is Cambone still a viable avenue for getting to Dumbsfeld?

I think that Perle,Wolfowitz,Wurmser,Ledeen,Feith and others are gonna get off scott free - which I can stomach as long as Dumbsfeld and Cheney go down - we must have both of them out of power for good.

It will not do any good to get rid of one of the dragon heads(Cheney) if the the other head(Dumbsfeld) is able to keep the dragon alive.

You think Fitz has a real chance to kill the Dragon???

[leveymg]

16. Fitz is a long way from taking down anyone at DoD

That job should have been done when McNulty went after Larry Franklin. Could still happen, though.

[robertpaulsen]

18. Remember, Cambone is also in on the WMD PLANT IN IRAQ.

Sources say the Office of Special Plans deployed several extra-legal and unapproved task force missions prior to and after combat operations began. Under the supervision of Doug Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, the OSP ran largely unsupervised and operated in secrecy. According to those familiar with the plans, the off-book missions were approved by Feith -- himself currently under investigation by the FBI for allegations of passing US secrets to Israel and Iran -- Cambone and then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

snip

During the summer of 2003 through the fall of 2003, the team, whose members who were not named by sources, is said to have interviewed many Iraqi intelligence and former intelligence officers. The UN source says that the political problem discussed had more to do with solving the lack of WMD than anything else.

“They come in the summer of 2003, bringing in Iraqis, interviewing them,” the UN source said. “Then they start talking about WMD and they say to that ‘Our President is in trouble. He went to war saying there are WMD and there are no WMD. What can we do? Can you help us?’”

The source said intelligence officers understood quickly what they were being asked to do and that the assumption was they were being asked to provide WMD in order for coalition forces to find them.

more...

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Secretive_military_unit_sought_to_solve_0105.html


If Fitz looks down that avenue, this would snare Cambone & Feith, which would take us right to Rummy's doorstep!

[FreedomAngel82]

33. Why would they pass our secrets to Israel and Iran?

Especially Iran who now days is being talked up about going to war with them. So maybe this is why they're really wanting to go to war now with them. :shrug: I find it all so strange. Israel isn't a surprise but Iran is.

[Emit]

37. Here's an old piece by Juan Cole that mentions Chalabi/Iran/Israel

connection, that shows, I think, what the Raw Story article above is referring to:

AIPAC Spy Case involves Intelligence on Iranian WMD

James Gordon Meek reports that both FBI investigations of leaks from the Pentagon concern in part secret US intelligence on Iranian weapons of mass destruction programs. The FBI suspects that this intelligence was leaked to AIPAC and the Israelis on the one hand, and to Ahmad Chalabi on the other. Chalabi in turn is suspected of passing the information on to Tehran, playing the role of double agent. Although the FBI seems to be keeping the two inquiries separate, there is strong circumstantial evidence that there was a behind-the-scenes connection between Chalabi and the Israelis. That is, the information circuit may have been ingrown among the Neoconservatives, the Israelis and Chalabi's people.

It should be noted that Chalabi, the Neoconservatives, and Israel's Likud Party were allied in wanting to get up a US war against Iraq. But they were divided on the next stage, which was to get Washington to attack Iran, as well. Chalabi hates Saddam, but as an Iraqi Shiite has strong ties to Tehran, so he was not actually on board with Stage Two, and may have helped derail it, for which he is now hated in some Neoconservative circles.

cont'd here:

http://www.juancole.com/2004/09/aipac-spy-case-involves-intelligence.html

Although the Raw Story article states that Feith himself is currently under investigation for leaking to Israel and Iran ("According to those familiar with the plans, the off-book missions were approved by Feith -- himself currently under investigation by the FBI for allegations of passing US secrets to Israel and Iran -- Cambone and then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley."), the WaPo article that it links to does not specifically say that Feith is under investigation for passing info to Iran. So, I am assuming the the passing info to Iran part is via Chalabi, for reasons Cole noted above.

Here's the WaPo article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57595-2004Sep2.html


Just a guess. Anyone else know for sure?

[stop the bleeding]

38. Hard to say but your research on posts# 36 & 37 is great, lets see what

else comes this way.

Here is something from the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/international/middleeast/06chalabi.html?ex=1288933200&en=92114f0c671b7658&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

As his relations with the Bush administration soured, Mr. Chalabi aligned himself with overtly Islamist leaders like Moktada al-Sadr and sometimes struck an anti-American tone.

The nadir in relations between the Bush administration and Mr. Chalabi came in May 2004, when the Americans accused Mr. Chalabi of divulging classified information to the Iranians. Mr. Chalabi denied the charge. The outcome of the investigation is not known.

In an interview after his meeting with Iranian leaders, Mr. Chalabi said he had secured a promise that they would not oppose him if he made a run at becoming Iraq's prime minister.

full article is worth the read.

[Emit]

36. More on Cambone -- he's close to Rumsfeld

Who is Stephen Cambone?
by Peter Ogden
July 20, 2004

... And as the use of intelligence by the Bush administration in the run-up to 9/11 comes under increased scrutiny, we are also learning a great deal about the people behind its collection, interpretation, and dissemination ... A name that we have not frequently heard mentioned, however, is Stephen Cambone. As the nation's first ever undersecretary of defense for intelligence, Cambone wields vast power within the intelligence community; yet, his only qualifications for the post are a fierce loyalty to Donald Rumsfeld and an unshakeable right wing ideology.

The position of undersecretary of defense for intelligence is the newest senior Defense Department position, and its establishment fundamentally alters the structure of the intelligence community as a whole. Devised by Donald Rumsfeld, it places all of the Pentagon's formerly independent intelligence units – the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, each of the armed services' intelligence divisions, and others – under the auspices of a single official.

Though without operational authority per se, the undersecretary – or defense intelligence czar, as the position is known – wields tremendous power though his mandate to set the intelligence-gathering agenda and oversee budget allocation. According to a memo circulated by Paul Wolfowitz in May, 2003, the OUSD - I will "provide oversight and policy guidance for all DoD intelligence activities… (and) provide policy oversight for all the intelligence organizations within DoD."

... the effect of creating this new position is "to shift the intelligence community's center of gravity further into the Pentagon." "Shift," however, surely understates what has transpired. The OUSD-I now coordinates 85 percent of the United States' total intelligence budget; the director of central intelligence (DCI), in contrast, manages only 12 percent.

This shake up in the intelligence community took place quietly in early 2003, beneath the din of the impending invasion of Iraq. ... the New York Times didn't mention Cambone in his new capacity for over a month....Nevertheless, people inside the Pentagon who knew Stephen Cambone immediately saw this nomination for what it was: the culmination of Rumsfeld's efforts to politicize intelligence gathering and analysis. ... Moreover, Cambone is despised by many within the Pentagon for his attempts to steamroll all opposition to Rumsfeld's military transformation projects, and is widely perceived as a pompous ideologue who cannot be trusted to bring the requisite objectivity to intelligence matters...

more: http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=124725

[robertpaulsen]

17. Here's more on Rice from dailykos

Condileeza Rice's role in the WHIG group has not received much press attention. And I honestly do not know how much complicity in this she has. But I she needs to be asked this specifically by all the relevant Congressional oversight committees. Remember folks, she has sat there quitely saying nothing even though now after two years many amazing and stellar contradictory statements and evidence is comming out. For example, did she know that Rove apparently confessed involvement two years ago? Did she know?

If not, is she not personally outrageded that Rove and Bush have been lying to her and abusing her credibility? Does she not have as much integrity as Colin Powel, to resign from this corrupt adminstration to preserve any tattered shreds of her own credibility? Please help me make a list of other questions she needs to answer to redemn herself here.

>Condoleezza Rice National Security Advisor (2001-2005); Secretary of State (2005-Present)

RICE WAS ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: Rice was one of several senior administration officials on a July 2003 flight to Africa, during which it was decided that she would appear on the Sunday shows to “protect Cheney by explaining that he had had nothing to do with sending Wilson to Niger, and dismiss the yellowcake issue.”

RICE RECEIVED TOP SECRET BRIEFING BOOK ON AFRICA TRIP: “To allow her to prepare on the long flight home to D.C., White House officials assembled a briefing book, which they faxed to the Bush entourage in Africa. The book was primarily prepared by her National Security Council staff. It contained classified information — perhaps including all or part of the memo from State. The entire binder was labeled TOP SECRET.”

RICE SAID SHE LEARNED OF WILSON’S TRIP FROM ABC NEWS APPEARANCE: ” n Ambassador Wilson’s going out to Niger, I learned of that when I was sitting on whatever TV show it was, because that mission was not known to anybody in the White House.”

RICE CLAIMED NO KNOWLEDGE OF LEAKS: “I know nothing of any such White House effort to reveal any of this. And it certainly would not be the way the president would expect his White House to operate.”

"COOPERATED" WITH FITZGERALD'S PROBE. When asked if she had been asked to testify before the grand jury, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "I have, like everybody else, cooperated with Prosecutor Fitzgerald and I’m quite certain that he will make his report."

MEMBER OF THE WHITE HOUSE IRAQ GROUP: Rice was a regular participant in the weekly meetings of the Bush Administration’s White House Iraq Group. The main purpose of the group was the systematic coordination of the “marketing” of going to war with Iraq as well as selling the war here at home. One clear example of this fact is that “the escalation of nuclear rhetoric” during the pre-war stage, “including the introduction of the term ‘mushroom cloud’ into the debate, coincided with the formation” of WHIG. The group included the two individual who have been confirmed as leakers, Karl Rove and Lewis Libby.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/15/162727/24



Now, about Dumbsfeld, or Skeletor as I see him. Even though I think American Judas documented a pretty clear cut financial trail from Rummy through the Khan Nuclear Walmart network, I think it might actually be easier to nail him through the AIPAC angle of Plame/AIPACgate. And the easy indictable person tied to him would be Doug Feith.

[MetaTrope]

24. Poor Condi tends to be confused when it comes to marital relationships

Just ask her husb--the president.

[stop the bleeding]

28. Thanks RP and Mark - I have some new/old questions - but worth a look

it is funny how much you learn and refresh yourself with by asking questions.

As in post #9 I put the usual suspects

Rice/Hadley

Feith/Ledeen/Wolfowitz/Perle/Dumbsfeld

Cheney/Libby

Rove

WHIG/OSP principal players


Now that we know that there are avenues and we know from the limited leaks and press what Fitz has on some of these principal players. On the others that we do not know what Fitz has on them we are able to make solid connections. * is gone possibly by impeachment but more likely he will run out his term and maybe/hopefully face some kind of REAL criminal charges. So he is gone.

What other principal players am I missing???

I am thinking along the lines of Porter Goss ie: CIA and the Congress especially the Intel committee's in the House and Senate.


this part of Larisa's article has always bothered me alot.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Backchannels_used_to_bypass_U.S._government_0111.html

Upon learning this information Weldon says that he immediately notified then-CIA director George Tenet.

"Tenet appeared interested, even enthusiastic about evaluating Ali and establishing a working relationship with him," Weldon wrote in his book, Countdown to Terror. "He agreed to send his top spy, Stephen Kappes, the deputy director of operations, along with me to Paris for another debriefing of Ali.

"On the day of our scheduled second meeting with Ali in Paris, Kappes bowed out, claiming that "other commitments" compelled him to cancel," Weldon continued. "Later, the CIA claimed to have met with Ali independently. But I discovered this to be untrue... Incredibly, I learned that the CIA had apparently asked French intelligence to silence Ali."

WTF - "He(Tenet) agreed to send his top spy," - Kappes bowed out, claiming that "other commitments" compelled him to cancel," - what other commitments??? Seems like to me you would have your schedule all clear for something like this???

Also look at how Kappes resigned/ one of the 1st casualties of Goss - http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/041129/29intell.htm

Kappes has always bother me like crazy given his credentials and what he "knows/knew" and of course his sudden departures from Weldon's investigation to him leaving the CIA when he was the "perfect" Director of Operations" - something stinks all around his actions - not saying it is him but definitely what he knows.

Back to the article

~snip~

The neoconservative movement has long expressed an inherent distrust of the CIA. Many neoconservatives note that the agency undercounted Russia's nuclear stockpile in the waning days of the Soviet Union, and believe that it routinely underestimates foreign threats.

Weldon, who had been led to believe the CIA never opened an investigation into the information he provided, took his case directly to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld then pressured the CIA to investigate further.

"CIA reluctantly, after pressure from Rumsfeld, followed up by detaching one of their weapons experts from the team that was hunting WMD in Iraq," one former CIA officer who asked to remain anonymous said.

~snip~

this next part really has me scratching my head -

In his book, Weldon said he met Ghorbanifahr after being approached by a Democratic congressman.

"On March 7, 2003, a former Democratic member of Congress and my good friend Ron Klink called and asked to meet with me. . . . The source was Ali. My contacts with him were at first by telephone. Subsequently, Ali sent faxes to my home on a regular basis from different hotels in Paris, where he lives in exile. Eventually, as the information became more detailed and critical, I decided on a face-to-face meeting." (Countdown to Terror, p. 4).

Why such highly important information would be provided to Klink and then Weldon as opposed to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee remains unclear.

Yeah why would this tip come via this way? Wasn't Goss in charge of the House Intel Committee back then?????


Notice also how the Senate Intel Committee has been stalled - WTF is up with these Congressional people? - and who else is out there that wants to perpetuate the Neocon way of Life?

I know that Larisa had a piece in the Huff Post on stuff similar to this. Here is link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larisa-alexandrovna/incitatus-for-senate_b_14011.html

So even if we do end getting rid of most or all of the people named in the above portion of this post - are we gonna be any better off, because there are many "other drug dealers" that are waiting to take their place it seems like to me.


PS - Tenet's departure(Medal of Whatever) has always bothered me as well since he also recalled Castelli, seemed almost to too neat and clean of way to bury your tracks in Italy. Another thing that has bothered me about Tenet that if I recall and I will have to check later is that from Cooperativeresearch on the Iraq time line it seems like Tenet was all over the place on how he felt on WMD's - I believe early on he was luke warm and then later he was all for it - what happen there - I will have to look it up for further clarification, I can not find it right now.

This whole thing about Tenet and the CIA's dealings overseas STINKS - and remember we are having this discussion because of an outed CIA agent that oversaw/tracked WMD movements. Mind Boggling:crazy:

James Woolsey:crazy:

[FreedomAngel82]

34. I think we know the answer to your question on Rice

Remember she one time called Bush her husband?

[FreedomAngel82]

32. Oh wow!

That's big! Maybe this is why Fitzgerald visited Bush's lawyer in this case.

[stop the bleeding]

2. .

.

[wtbymark]

3. Git'em Fitzy!

[slor]

4. Thanks for posting! n/t

[Wilms]

5. K&R

[NewJeffCT]

6. thanks

replying now so I can find later at home.

[autorank]

7. Excellenet

"This puts Fitz into the position that he will either have to indict Bush and Cheney or else argue that Libby acted on his own as a loose cannon . Either way, Fitz will have to pin down the facts in order to prosecute. That means that both the President and Vice President are, indeed, under active investigation by Fitzgerald."



It's all right here, so simple,
so easy to understand.

RECOMMENDED

[savemefromdumbya]

11. could they have already been indicted but

kept secret? Is that possible?

[Cleita]

12. If they have been indicted, and there's a good possibility that

this has happened, they probably will fight it all the way. We won't know probably until someone leaks it.

[stop the bleeding]

13. Sealed indictments would only be privy information for the judge, jury

and Fitz/staff not even the indicted knows this.

Am I correct on this?

In other words could Fitz already be holding indictments and if he is - then why? Why is he still holding them?

[Cleita]

14. I know this is maddening. There is all kinds of activity I'm sure

going on in secret. It drives us crazy not to know.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

19. All good things come to those who wait....

[savemefromdumbya]

26. I'm surprised no one has speculated this

[xiamiam]

20. im beginning to think that fitz is the only one who can stop this madness.

congress is finding it impossible...independent special council brings down the whole lot of em....lots of responsibility...my prayers are with him...really...

[robertpaulsen]

21. Kick this to the top!

:kick:

[barbtries]

22. it was probably

their idea. bastards. as if there wasn't enough with the lying for the reasons for the war the fraudulent elections the domestic spying good gawd what will it take to get these parasites away from our nation

[AntiFascist]

23. K & R n/t

[Liberty Belle]

25. Kick!

[Tigress DEM]

27. Fitz will have the proof in hand in order to indict.

He doesn't want bozo slipping away on a technicality, and it looks like Condi might be going down too. Ah, the family that plunders America stays together all the way through Impeachent and Prison.

[Octafish]

29. Excellent post! Thanks, leveymg!

Really appears Fitz isn't letting go until Justice and the American People are served.

[stop the bleeding]

30. .

.

[FreedomAngel82]

31. Has Condi been questioned yet?

I think she said she was right? I think Libby and Rove are just keys to the "bigger fish" so to speak which is why he is trying to keep everything going until January 2007. Why else would he??

[stop the bleeding]

35. see RP's post# 17 to answer your question

Referring to RICE -

"COOPERATED" WITH FITZGERALD'S PROBE. When asked if she had been asked to testify before the grand jury, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "I have, like everybody else, cooperated with Prosecutor Fitzgerald and I’m quite certain that he will make his report."