Top White House officials revealed the identity of an undercover CIA agent, but they're not taking responsibility for their actions. Get the latest news on the scandal engulfing the Bush administration below.
C-SPAN's ratings are about to jump up again real soon. Think Progress: Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) invited former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan to testify before the Committee at a June 20th hearing about reported...
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Los Angeles, Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, wants the FBI transcripts from the interviews conducted with President Bush and Vice President Cheney about the CIA leak case, and is going to Attorney General Michael Mukasey to get them.
John McCain's principles took another hit this weekend. While McCain has tried to convince voters that he stood up to the Republican culture of corruption in Washington, McCain showed his true colors by trying to advance his political career by cozying up to Karl Rove.
Something as important as the Bush administration commuting the sentence of convicted felon Scooter Libby -- a former top White House aide who obstructed justice to cover-up the circumstances around an outed covert CIA agent -- deserves some follow-up questions. Here's what they haven't answered.
From today's White House briefing:
Despite assuring the American people that anyone within his Administration involved in the leaking of classified information would be "taken care of," President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence. Here's the web video we just put out:
Tony Snow tried to minimize the importance of Scooter Libby's crimes during a press hearing. His response to the comment that this is a "serious" case was: "In Washington, things get leaked all the time."
President Bush's move to commute the sentence of convicted felon and former top White House aide Scooter Libby goes beyond the usual display of contempt for our system of justice we see from this administration.
Which of these people do you think is least deserving of a pardon:
"I think that you can make a case that he was singled out unfairly. I think that the appeals process goes forward," McCain said. "I happen to be one who admires Scooter Libby. I think he was a dedicated servant."
Shouldn't Fred Thompson -- or Fox News, for that matter -- have disclosed that he is on the advisory committee for Libby's Legal Defense Trust?
With convicted felon Scooter Libby sentenced today for 2 1/2 years in prison, it's worth taking a look at the part of the first Republican debate, where the candidates were asked whether Scooter Libby should be pardoned.
Paris claimed she didn't know that she wasn't allowed to drive. Scooter Libby claimed he didn't know Plame's real name or covert status.
Valerie Plame, the former covert CIA agent exposed by the Bush administration, is testifying right now in front of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Chairman Henry Waxman announced that Valerie Plame, the former covert CIA agent exposed by the Bush administration, will testify in front of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The conviction of former Cheney chief-of-staff Scooter Libby in regard to the leaking of a covert CIA agent's identity and the smearing of Bush Administration opponents has led to outrage across the country.
With the multiple guilty verdicts in the case of Scooter Libby and the outing of a covert CIA agent, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:
Scooter Libby has been found guilty of obstruction, perjury, and lying to the FBI.
The perjury trial of Lewis "Scooter" Libby "has shone a spotlight on White House attempts to sell a gone-wrong war in Iraq to the nation and Vice President Dick Cheney's aggressive role in the effort."
As NBC's Tim Russert is scheduled to testify in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial today, questions continue to mount about just how far President Bush and his White House Iraq Group (WHIG) were willing to go to discredit critics who questioned the intelligence used to sell the Iraq War to the American people.
As new details continue to emerge from the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trail, it's now known that Vice President Cheney "personally orchestrated his office's 2003 efforts to rebut allegations that the administration used flawed intelligence to justify the war in Iraq and discredit a critic who Cheney believed was making him look foolish," according to the Washington Post.
During the first day of the trial of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff and confidant, I. Lewis Libby, the Bush Administration's stonewalling on the CIA leak investigation finally began to unravel. In his opening remarks, the prosecutor said that Libby, on trial for five felony charges including perjury and obstruction of justice, was part of an "effort to beat back early criticism of the Iraq war" and accused Libby "of covering up his role in the probe of the leak of a CIA operative's identity."
Today marks the third anniversary of Bob Novak's column that disclosed the identity of a covert CIA agent during a time of war based on leaked classified information from the Bush White House. Despite President Bush's assertions that anyone involved in the leak would be fired, Karl Rove remains on the job despite having confirmed the classified information for Novak's story. No wonder the American people by a 3-to-1 margin want to see Democrats take control of Congress and put an end to the Republican rubberstamp Congress and the Republican culture of corruption in Washington. [AP, 7/14/06]
In his column today, Robert Novak finally admitted that Karl Rove was a confirming source for his story that revealed the identity of a covert CIA operative during a time of war. This new development contradicts previous White House assertions that Bush's staff was not involved in the leaking of the classified information.
New handwritten notes by the Vice President on a copy of Joe Wilson’s July 6 op-ed show that Cheney personally raised questions about Wilson's trip right after the publication of the Wilson column, asking whether "Wilson had been sent by his wife on a 'junket' to Africa." As the Fitzgerald investigation continues, the American people are finding out the true lengths that the Bush Administration went to in order to squash criticism as they planned their campaign for war.
Today we debut "The Timeline of a Leak": As the Fitzgerald investigation continues, the American people are finding out the true lengths that the Bush Administration went to in order to squash criticism as they planned their campaign for war....
The Bush Administration tried to re-engineer its image this past week, but the American people are unlikely to see any real change from the failed policies of the last five years.
Fitzgerald has him in front of the federal grand jury. Guess he's going to have to miss the welcome lunch for Tony Snow...
Former high-ranking intellgience official: "The policy was set. The war in Iraq was coming and they were looking for intelligence to fit into the policy. ... people will look back on this and see this is going to be one of the great, I think, policy mistakes of all time."
Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan dusted off the Bush Administration's most trusted stonewalling strategies. When confronted with uncomfortable facts and legitimate questions they attack the messenger and deflect attention away from the issues and refuse to answer questions.
Today, during a speech in Washington, DC, President Bush confirmed that he declassified important intelligence to bolster his case for the war in Iraq amidst growing criticism.
Yesterday, it was revealed in court documents that President Bush authorized Vice President Cheney's former top aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, "through Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003 to leak sensitive undisclosed information to support the public case for going to war in Iraq."
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on reports that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, told prosecutors President Bush authorized him to leak classified information for political gain.
Today, Associated Press political reporter Ron Fournier writes that while the Vice President's shooting accident has dominated the headlines the past few days, the real scandal that has Republicans ducking for cover is the Vice President's involvement in disclosing classified national security information for political gain in a time of war.
Disturbing news from the National Journal via Murray Waas: Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in...
Just released (.mp3). Democrats are serious about fighting terrorists, and the American people deserve a President and Vice President who understand that we can protect our liberty and our freedom AND keep America safe. President Bush’s secret program to spy...
During a rare press conference today, President Bush repeatedly condemned the leaking of classified information regarding a legally questionable domestic spying program, calling the disclosure “shameful” on two separate occasions. At the same time, he never used that language to denounce the illegal outing of a covert CIA agent by senior members of his Administration.
Bob Novak: Bush Knows Who Leaked the Identity of a Covert CIA Officer.
A Time magazine reporter testified in the CIA leak case that she alerted Karl Rove's lawyer in early 2004 that the top Bush adviser had leaked information to her colleague about Valerie Plame, according to a first-person account published yesterday in Time."
The CIA leak investigation returned to a more active stage yesterday as a special prosecutor presented information to a grand jury for the first time in six weeks.
Time Reporter Viveca Novak Told Rove’s Lawyer That Rove Spoke With Her Colleague, Matthew Copper.
Colin Powell's Former Chief of Staff: Cheney and Rumsfeld Argued that the President was "All-Powerful" When Formulating Iraq Policy.
Second Time Magazine Reporter, Viveca Novak [no relation to previously implicated columnist Bob Novak], To Testify About Rove Role in CIA Leak Scandal.
You know the drill -- every Thanksgiving the president pardons a turkey. But this year George Bush may try to use the holiday season to slip in another pardon -- of his friend and former senior aide I. Lewis "Scooter"...
Every Administration Official Asked If They Were Woodward’s Source Denied - Except Cheney.
Libby Tried to Protect Cheney By Concocting Story About CIA Leak.
Cheney Trumpeted Iraq Nuclear Threat In August of 2002. Cheney raised the alarm about Iran’s nuclear menace three times in August. He was far ahead of the president’s public line.
It's the president's fault. So said New Jersey Republican candidate for Governor, Doug Forrester, in a candid interview with reporters yesterday.
Washington, DC – In the face of plummeting public confidence in his leadership, President Bush refused yet again to comment on the investigation into the White House leak scandal during a news conference this morning at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. President Bush’s refusal to answer key questions comes amid new poll numbers showing that his credibility with the American people is being undermined by his continued silence on the investigation into who in the White House conspired to manipulate intelligence to build support for the war in Iraq, smear opponents of that war, and cover up their smear campaign.
Lewis “Scooter” Libby is being arraigned today, but media reports indicated that Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove may be forced to resign or apologize for his role in the scandal that led to Libby’s indictment. Rove’s continued presence in the White House is a stark reminder of the numerous unanswered questions about the conspiracy to manipulate intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, smear opponents of the war, and cover up that smear campaign.
Governor Howard Dean emailed Democrats across the country asking them to support Sen. Reid's bold move on the Senate floor to demand answers on the manipulated intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq.
The Democratic Senate leader forced the U.S. Senate into closed session to finally address the manipulated intelligence on Iraq and subsequent coverup. Reid: "a cloud ... hangs over this Republican-controlled Congress for its unwillingness to hold this Republican Administration accountable for its misdeeds."
In the wake of last Friday's indictment of I. Lewis Libby on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements, the Democratic National Committee unveiled a new web video to remind President Bush of the standard that he himself set for conduct in his administration.
Recently, Republicans have been implying that an indictment for perjury is simply a "technicality." But they didn't always feel that way. Here's a collection of things they had to say then.
The crack team over at Think Progress has the scoop on Libby's replacement in the White House:Scooter Libby’s replacement as chief of staff to the Vice President is reportedly a man named David Addington. He was formerly Cheney’s counsel, a...
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald today indicted Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on two counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice.
When President Bush came into office, he promised that his staff would "not just do what is legal, but what is right." But now, public confidence in the direction of our country is crumbling, and nine out of 10 Americans believe that the Bush Administration did something illegal or unethical in connection with the CIA leak scandal. After the indictment of Scooter Libby on two counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements to the FBI, and one count of obstruction of justice, and with questions still lingering about Karl Rove's role, the White House can no longer deny its efforts to manipulate the intelligence to win support for the war in Iraq, orchestrating efforts to smear opponents of that war, and then conspiring to cover it up.
Full text of the five-count indictment of I. Lewis Libby, Assistant to the President and Cheif of Staff to the Vice President, for perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.
A five-count indictment against I. Lewis Libby: one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements in the investigation into manipulating intelligence on Iraq, orchestrating efforts to smear opponents of the war and conspiring to cover it up.
Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.
The
Washington Post reported that, three months earlier, on June 12, 2003, Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr. met with Cheney and "recorded in his notes that Cheney relayed to him that Wilson's wife may have had a role in Wilson taking the CIA-sponsored mission to Niger."
The New York Times today reported that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, first learned that Joe Wilson's wife was a CIA operative from Cheney himself, weeks before Robert Novak revealed her identity.
Serious, serious allegations this evening as the inquiry into the CIA leak that jeopardized national security in an attempt to cover-up lies about Iraq reaches the heart of the Bush White House.
The AP just put out a great overview of the issues around the White House putting politics over national security in the CIA leak case.
A daily service of the DNC, "Mr. Bush, Tear Down That Stone Wall!" will highlight a specific fact that has been revealed and what Americans deserve to know about the White House's involvement in the improper and possibly illegal disclosure of an undercover CIA agent's identity for political gain.
Two Federal Employees Stripped of Clearance Two Weeks After Leaking New York City Subway Intelligence. If two lower-level federal officials can have their security clearance stripped two weeks after it was revealed that they shared confidential information, why do Libby and Rove still have their security clearance 96 days after it was clear they leaked Plame’s identity?
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a member of the White House Iraq Group. Today, Rice appears before the Senate Foreign Relations committee to talk about Iraq and U.S. foreign policy. While she's there, she should answer a few questions about her involvement in the use of intelligence in the events leading to the war in Iraq and her role in the White House Iraq Group.
Wilkinson was asked about "about the vice president's knowledge of the anti-Wilson campaign and his dealings on it with Libby, his chief of staff, the people said." No word on what he said, but, as the Bloomberg article points out, Cheney may be entangled in the CIA leak investigation.
For the second time in three days, Karl Rove has bailed out on a Republican fundraiser. Rove scrapped plans to attend a Republican National Committee fundraiser in Greenwich tonight, and RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman filled in at the last minute for Rove, who was a no-show, at a Virginia GOP fundraiser last Saturday.
"A special counsel is focusing on whether Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in leaking a covert CIA agent's name, according to people familiar with the probe that already threatens top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby."
But remember, the CIA leak scandal came about
because of the very narrative Rice and others insist on pushing today. While she'll freely repeat the Administration's storyline on Iraq, she refuses to comment on the mess it caused after someone was attacked for rightfully calling it what it was - false.
This morning, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice returned to the Bush Administration's tried and true strategy of linking the tragic attacks of 9-11 with the President's war in Iraq. However, the President himself was forced to disavow this link in September of 2003, after Secretary Rice and Secretary Rumsfeld stated there was no connection.
According to news reports, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is considering bringing criminal conspiracy charges against a group of senior Bush Administration officials involved in the Plame case – once again bringing the White House Iraq Group to the forefront of the investigation.
Today White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove will testify for the fourth time before Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury. Here's a list of unanswered questions about Rove, the White House Iraq Group, and the larger conspiracy to attack Administration critics of the Iraq War.
Fitzpatrick Investigating Wider Effort Within White House to Intimidate Wilson.
Tom Tomorrow has a nice summary of the stress Republicans are facing trying to explain away all the scandals that are piling up these days.
Bush Refuses To Fire White House Staffers Indicted by Special Prosecutor.
What remains a central mystery in the case is whether special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has accumulated evidence during his two-year investigation that any crime was committed.
Day 67: Rove Didn't Know Why Judy Miller Was In Jail.
Rove Personally Called Texas Official About Unfavorable Article, While He Was Supposed to Be Leading Reconstruction Effort.
Did Karl Rove, as the official in charge of reconstruction efforts, sign off on assigning no-bid contracts worth at least $100 million to companies such as Bechtel Inc., Fluor Corp. and Kellogg Brown and Root? If not, who did?
House Intelligence Committee Held Closed Session On Request For President To Release Documents Related to Leaking Of Plame's Identity.
House Judiciary Committee Republicans Voted Against Resolution That Would Have Required Gonzales to Release All Of Their CIA Leak Case Records.
Lawyers close to the investigation say there are signs that the 20-month-long inquiry could be wrapped up within weeks in a final flurry of negotiations and legal maneuvering.
Elizabeth Reyes, 30, said she was dismissed last week for violating the agency's [Texas Secretary of State] media policy after she was quoted in a Sept. 3 story by The Washington Post about tax deductions on Rove's homes in Washington and Texas.
Rove Is Directing New White House Smear Campaign To Direct Blame Away From the White House.
Stonewall Day 47: Rove and His Pals on the Intel Committee.
Did members of WHIG discuss Valerie Plame's identity during their meetings? Did WHIG develop a plan to intimidate Plame by disclosing her identity to the media? Did members of WHIG discuss the plan with President Bush during their regular briefings with him? Have all the WHIG members testified and fully cooperated with Fitzgerald's grand jury investigation?
Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, said on the CNN program "Late Edition" that the Senate Intelligence Committee was "going to go into quite a series of hearings in regard to cover."
When the disclosure of Wilson's CIA mission to Niger put the White House on the defensive, one administration official said it reminded a tight knit group of Bush neoconservatives of their longtime battles with the agency and underlined their determination to fight.
DAY 41: Powell Admitted to Circulated State Department Memo That Identified Plame To White House Officials on Air Force One.
DAY 40: Bush Administration Aggressively Investigated Leaking by Critics of Their Handling of 9/11 Intelligence.
The recent controversy swirling around Karl Rove hasn't slowed him a bit. That's according to White House insiders who say Bush's political boy genius is as engaged as ever in high-level decision making despite all the attacks by angry Democrats alleging he improperly--and possibly illegally--outed a covert CIA operative.
DAY 38: Former Texas GOP Chairman and Reagan White House Official Questioned Motive For The Leaking of Plame’s Identity.
In July 2005, Bush repeated his call for his staff to cooperate fully in the Fitzgerald's investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity.
Card Formed White House Iraq Group To Formulate Strategy To Sell Iraq War to American People
In today’s
New York Times, former Senator Bob Dole said he was "perplexed" by the probe around the leaking of the identity of a CIA operative by a White House staff person. He went on to wildly misrepresent the evidence in the public domain and make assumptions about the case that are simple wrong.
Day 32: With Fitzgerald's history of pursuing perjury in his investigations, and with Rove and Libby's contradictory testimonies it is becoming increasingly clear that perjury charges are being prepared.
Day 31: Rove Used Novak Column to Attack Texas Political Enemy in 1992, eight years before he would use it to attack Valerie Plame.
In an article that ran in the Village Voice on Saturday, Murray Waas points out that Ashcroft and his staff were forced to remove themselves from the CIA leak investigation because Rove's story was so clearly questionable.
