Valerie Plame Supplemental

The new Senate Intel Committee report on pre-war intel has a bit more on Valerie Plame's role in the selection of her hubby for the mission to Niger.  Byron York provides his thoughts and a key excerpt:

In that [recent House] testimony, Mrs. Wilson flatly denied playing a role in choosing her husband, Joseph Wilson, for a fact-finding trip to Niger.  "I did not recommend him.  I did not suggest him," she testified.  She said that an earlier Senate Intelligence Committee report, which concluded that she had indeed suggested her husband for the trip, was simply wrong. In particular, what she called a "quick e-mail" describing her husband's qualifications for the trip was "taken out of context" by the committee to "make it seem as though I had suggested or recommended him."

Now, Senator Bond has released the entire text of Mrs. Wilson's February 12, 2002 memo.  In the memo, which was headlined "Iraq-related Nuclear Report Makes a Splash," she referenced a February 5, 2002 CIA intelligence report about Niger, Iraq, and uranium that had been circulating in the previous week:

The report forwarded below has prompted me to send this on to you and request your comments and opinion.  Briefly, it seems that Niger has signed a contract with Iraq to sell them uranium.  The IC [Intelligence Community] is getting spun up about this for obvious reasons.  The embassy in Niamey has taken the position that this report can't be true — they have such cozy relations with the GON [Government of Niger] that they would know if something like this transpired.

So where do I fit in?  As you may recall, [redacted] of CP/[office 2] recently approached my husband to possibly use his contacts in Niger to investigate [a separate Niger matter].  After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison.  My husband is willing to help, if it makes sense, but no problem if not.  End of story.

Now, with this report, it is clear that the IC is still wondering what is going on… my husband has good relations with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.  To be frank with you, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy work last go-round, and I am hesitant to suggest anything again.  However, [my husband] may be in a position to assist.  Therefore, request your thoughts on what, if anything, to pursue here.  Thank you for your time on this.

Hmmph - that certainly sounds a lot more like she was putting his name forward than her story had suggested.  IIRC (and I apologize for the no-links), her version was that her boss, or someone, suggested her husband for the trip and asked her to draw up a memo explaining the suggestion.  If that is true, she certainly did a good job in this memo of disguising her role to make it appear that it was her very own idea.

More eventually, I'll wager.

MORE:  Let's have some links - WaPo coverage of her testimony; initial questions about her story of non-involvement; her "Walking-By Guy" story; the transcript of her testimony; Bob Novak reports that the CIA Counsel have yet to opine in Ms. Plame's covertiness under the IIPA (as opposed to her undercover status per in-house CIA practice).

And WHY WE CARE:  Waxman is investigating Republicans on a number of fronts.  If he does not follow up on this apparently misleading testimony from a friendly witness it is evidence that he is staging partisan show trials rather than probing for the truth.

BONUS ROUND:  Jeralyn Merrit tips us to three new sentencing documents:

1 - (18 p .pdf) the government sentencing memo;

2 - (29 page .pdf) calculations in suport thereof;

3 - (30 page .pdf) a discussion of Ms. Plame's covert status.

From Jeralyn:

[The government] spends a lot of time explaining (and submits 30 pages of exhibits in a separate document, which I will upload if there's interest expressed in the comments) why Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert agent and why, because the investigation pertained to whether there was a violation of the IIPA and Espionage Acts, Libby should be sentenced as an Accessory After the Fact to those offenses.

According to the Government, the Probation Department did not believe those guidelines should apply because there was no evidence in the proceedings that Valerie Plame Wilson was covert. The Judge expressly said that wasn't an issue at the trial. The Government says, nonetheless, that's what its investigation was about and Libby lied and obstructed it.

She is a skeptic, as am I, but check the filings.

AT A GLANCE:  From the first document, p. 12:

First, it was clear from very early in the investigation that Ms. Wilson qualified under the relevant statute (Title 50, United States Code, Section 421) as a covert agent whose identity had

Comments

[windansea]

Jeff could explain this I am sure :)

[ordi]

TM

Like I mentioned in the thread below, Byron posted 4 posts on Sen Bonds supplemental. Here are the links to the other 3.

Fact-Checking Valerie Plame Wilson, Pt. 2

Fact-Checking Valerie Plame Wilson, Pt. 3

Fact-Checking Valerie Plame Wilson, Pt. 4

[cathyf]

From Pt 4:

Mrs. Wilson told the CIA Inspector General that she suggested her husband for the trip, she told our committee staff that she could not remember whether she did or her boss did, and told the House committee, emphatically, that she did not suggest him.

Well, duh! Didn't we learn from the Libby trial that people's memories get better with passage of time?

(Sheesh, do we have to explain everything to these people?!?)

[Roger]

Plame is in trouble if they check the files back to 93.'

Some Spam:

Fitzgerald's job was to prosecute Plame. He is a criminal conspiracy investigator, how bad CIA agents are prosecuted. Fitz passed while he was prosecuting there was criminal conspiracy to commit murder of other operations officer after Plame confirmed who she was in 'Vanity Fair.' Plame's answer to the appointment was to file civil law suits because Fitz was appointed.

Fitz passed on traditionally AG work and now the AGs are all in trouble. They are in trouble because they didn't follow new legislation regarding intelligence activities that gave the AG and AGs more latitude in prosecution. The legislation was directly related to Plame and was done at the time the criminal conspiracy to commit murder happened. Specter and others were covering her for what happened and what she did and the AGs apparently were unaware.

Comey appointing his close friend to prosecute Plame was a mistake to dems and CIA, so although they will allow him to be AG, it is because he lost in his appointment of a close friend who should not do his job because he is not for persecuting government employees. Fitz went to Harvard like allot of others and how he views intelligence identities legislation and operations from the intelligence committee and funding can be found in his pal, Sarah Chayes. She was financed heavily through Mercy Corps and other NGOs created with Karzai, who she later denounced after paying Taliban. USAID funding (CIA) was directly from the intelligence committee and Shays. They were all PCs. Fitz just passes because he sees it as political and okay. Reality is that all this needed to be investigated and wasn't, probably because Fitz passed on criminal conspiracy charges. Harvard, Chayes, Fitz, Plame, Shays, and politics. Fitz views intelligence as this and not to be prosecuted because of all the deals made by politicians, CIA, universities and DIA informants. Once he passed on criminal conspiracy charges, the intelligence community had lost it's abililty to prosecute bad CIA agents. CIA's answer, using retired Air Force personnel who became Directors at CIA, was to move all the CIA analysts to DoD, NSA and Tenet's excuse for doubling the size of CIA with CIA linguist, analysts. So, like most retired CIA gents like Plame, Larry johnson, Jim Marcowski, etc. the US government has to take care of CIA and its legacy. Plame's dad was Air Force (NSA). Joe's dad was a diplomat in Spain(CIA). It's a giant legacy that everyone in DoD must take care of because they have served, but the real answer is Plame was a bad agent and that's what DoD had to buy form Congress.

New Congressional agencies are being created - Geospacial Intelligence Agency and Department of Energy. Congress probably plans to sell these off to DoD when they are done and use the employees and financing to get more control of DoD.

The CIA was already selling the covert CIA WMD training program for all operations officers at SU universities as the inspectors began. From here, they had already decided to write off the program before the war and use these type of reports to avoid the conflict. This was pressure on the President not to attack and the reports after the leak of the covert CIA WMD program where doen to affect policy, not invade.
Plame, a CIA WMD specialist and operations officer in Iraq, shows up after the war to protest. Her husband joined in. Plame was a team effor, as can be told from Larry Johnson who verified her training back to the ‘farm’ and Jim Marcowski. Plame and CIA are just pay back for going against CIA advice after the covert CIA WMD program was leaked during the inspections. since this happened CIA analysts have moved to DoD NSA as liguists that Tenet hired at CIA. The real answer is Bush wouldn’t listen to CIA after their covert CIA WMD training program was leaked, something they blame Rice and her degree for, and CIA is getting pay back through Plame and Joe.
The lab run by Dr.WMD in Iraq was closed and the the doctor in charge freed the day Plame posed for ‘Vanity Fair.’ Confused?

[megapotamus]

Yet Plame/Wilson are STILL the structural foundation for the entire "BUSH LIED!" crap that fuels half this nation in drooling, savage hatred of anyone to the right of Walter Mondale (and Fritz probably ain't too safe). Well, as a pretty okay cat once said, facts are stubborn things. In this age of electrons the repeated and repeatedly identified lies of this pair of affluent lunatics are also facts, as are the high-piled mountains of repudiation to their assertions. Lies, lies and lies upon lies. I have to believe that even the pukes we encounter screaming in the streets and drumming on buckets are not QUITE impervious to reality or not permantently so. Some of 'em, anyhow. Jeez.

[cathyf]

Hey, off topic, but our incomparable H&R got the last word on today's Best of the Web, one of his brilliant riffs on Silky Pony. Congrats, Jeff!

[SMGalbraith]

But who typed the memo? Was it Plame? Or someone else?

Who? When? Was English his or her first language? Did Plame sign off on the memo? Or was it forwarded without her knowledge?

How about any followup memos? Where are they? I'm sure there were. And who received the memo? What did they think?

Petiffog Jeff

[Sara]

The final solution: FROGMARCH the b!tch.

[Jane]

I predict that Plame will immediately be prosecuted for perjury.

(On a more realistic note, it will make for fun cross exam in the civil case.)

[Dale in Atlanta]

Ordi: you DID beat me to it; I was so eager to post the link; didn't even see your post until AFTER!

Tom, how about a h/t for Ordi?

[boris]

H&R beat y'all.

I predict that Plame will immediately be prosecuted for perjury.

Her stories might not be foolishly consistent, but they covered the possible things each group wanted to hear. In dimoratland that's even better than actual accurate facts. The gurl's homefree.

[Dale in Atlanta]

roger: what the HELL are you talking about???

Are you on CRACK??

[ordi]

Dale,

I am not concerned about H/T, but thanks! I just wanted the Plameologist on this site to know there was 4 posts by Byron. :)

[clarice]

Gonna dash of to see my darling Jeff's latest.

In the meantime, I'd be curious to know what this bit from Plame's memo referred to:
"So where do I fit in? As you may recall, [redacted] of CP/[office 2] recently approached my husband to possibly use his contacts in Niger to investigate [a separate Niger matter]. After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison. My husband is willing to help, if it makes sense, but no problem if not. End of story"

As to Brian Ross's latest leak on Iran. I find it interesting that the reports are that the WH and CIA knew a week ago he was running with it and made no move to stop him:(1) are they incompetent;(2) was the story deliberate disinfo, or (3) was the story correct and the lesson learned that it is better to let them run with it and let the enemy stew over whether it was real or memorex.(In the meantime Mac reported we have agents at risk and operations cancelled because of the leak--more Memorex?)

[Enlightened]

From Clarice's above:

"After many fits and starts, [redacted] finally advised that the station wished to pursue this with liaison."

So Joe was not the original "go to guy", but rather a "low level type" that his wife tried to push through.

Does this sound like someone else (Liason) checked the story at the (behest)of the Station prior to what Joey did not find?

Who is this Liason?

And "fits and starts" - does that mean Val tried to push Joey through more than once, got rejected so went to a higher up?

And what is the Other Niger Matter? Forgeries??????

[cathyf]

Interesting catch, clarice. So here's a totally off-the-wall piece of speculation: Joe's "separate Niger matter" was checking out reports that Iran was buying yellowcake from Niger/Congo/etc. And he confirmed that they were, and has successfully hid this for 4 years, since it is disasterous to the "narrative" demanded by his politics...

How's that for speculation?

[PatrickR]

'Mrs. Wilson told the [Senate] committee staff, "I honestly do not recall if I suggested it or my boss, who knew my husband and what he had done for us previously, my boss at the time being the head of the whole task force, during a brainstorming session suggested well, what about your husband, Ambassador Wilson, would he be willing to consider this." When asked specifically if she remembered whether she suggested her husband's name, she said "I honestly do not."'

And, as cathyf noted, her memory improved for Waxman's committee. Seems a lot more cut and dried perjury than anything Scooter Libby testified to.

[Enlightened]

How many want to bet that ValJoe did NOT want the "Separate Niger Matter" to ever surface?

And where is gasbag Scary Larry?

I think we can count the hours till he starts barking in Val' defense-

[Walter]

Congrats Jeff!

I hope you still find time for us now that you've been un discovered.

Fitzgerald filed the prosecution's sentencing brief today. He wants three years.

[Walter]

Is there a reason that http://www.scooterlibby.org/ is no longer work-safe? Or, for that matter, Libby related?

[clarice]

What's "recently"? What's the "other matter"? Who pushed him then> (Val conceded she pushed him earlier on a trip I believe in 2001 to Niger he undertook for the Agency.

She pushed him three times in 2 years? What does CP2 (counter proliferation)2 unit cover? Who was the liaison who was sent on that occasion?
Why did the station handle that itself and not this third trip?

So many questions and only two serial liars are talking publicly about these trips.

[clarice]

Walter, I think the site has been moved. I believe the new one is scooterlibby.com

[Walter]

Thanks Clarice.

TM, PLEASE update the link on the right hand of the page. Lest someone make an inadvertant "adult" connection.

I already have to explain too many sites in my browser's history.

[Jane]

I have to admit, 3 years is better than I expected them to ask for.

[Enlightened]

"So many questions and only two serial liars are talking publicly about these trips."

Bam!

That's it in a nutshell.

Shorter Jeff: So? Scooter was convicted for lying to a grand jury about a lying liar who lied about WMD.

Hmmm, let me weigh the greater of two evils.

[clarice]

Judge Walton was just named to the FISA Court. I suppose if he doesn't order Libby garrotted on the spot the press will argue that's because he seeks political favor. I can see from the NYT they are already bitching that they have a right to see the letters of support he received, and are critical that some said Fitz went overboard. (Of course, when the press was trying to quash the subpoenas they, too, said the case was a big nothing and that Wilson had disclosed Plame's identity long before anyone in the Administration had done so.)
He's asking a 2 1/2 to 3 year sentence and no bail.
I refuse to predict any more as this is the stupidest case I can recall and I have yet to see anyone with the power to stop it do so.

[Walter]

"nolo" at Firedoglake has a version of the filing up.

Talk about sites that you have to explain visiting...

[Enlightened]

Well Clarice, ya never know.

Perhaps the missing FBI Pumpkinhead notes turn up - in CIA's vault.

Stranger things have happened. Hic.

It's Friday, countdown to Martiniland has commenced.

[Enlightened]

Oh good gawd almighty. That filing is just about the most preposterous piece of crap I've ever witnessed.

It's almost better than the legendary sealed v sealed.

[Jane]

Well I for one would be happy to see J. Walton render a little payback. Given the fact that he let this mess get where it is, its not like he would be compromising much of anything.

[hit and run]

Thanks Cathy, et al for pointing to and congrating for the BOTW cite. I wouldn't have seen it 'til Tuesday otherwise (I always lag a day behind on those and with the holiday, wouldn't have checked in til then).

Oh shoot. Gotta run........getting yelled at......going to a baseball game....c-ya soon.....or Tuesday........

(wait, did my name actually change? hehehehehehehehe)

[Enlightened]

Could Walton give say, 5 years - probation?

Can you imagine the involuntary rush of air through those cranial cavities?

I guess air rushing through nothing is better than pumpkinseeds cloggin up the works.

[topsecretk9]

WALTER

--I already have to explain too many sites in my browser's history.--

Try this!

[Sara]

Things that make you want to gag.

Fox News just reported that the prosecution asked for 36 months for Libby because he has failed to show any remorse.

[topsecretk9]

--interesting catch, clarice. So here's a totally off-the-wall piece of speculation: Joe's "separate Niger matter" was checking out reports that Iran was buying yellowcake from Niger/Congo/etc. And he confirmed that they were, and has successfully hid this for 4 years, since it is disasterous to the "narrative" demanded by his politics...

How's that for speculation?

Posted by: cathyf | May 25, 2007 at 05:11 PM------

Well, since Joe totally lied in public about his confirming report-debrief at his house - it's interesting and fits his template.

I thought it was interesting how she said So where do I fit in? ...End of story.

That sounds like she was being pressed prior to Feb. 12th why she was involved in her husbands gigs and she was trying to deflect it -

Also, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy work last go-round

Did they try to send someone to Niger on this matter before? Or is she talking about Joe's many previous trips?

And

More evidence of that is provided in a cable Senate investigators obtained, a cable written by Valerie Plame Wilson and “sent overseas requesting concurrence with Ambassador Wilson’s travel to Niger,” in the words of Sen. Bond’s additional views. In the cable, Mrs. Wilson wrote that “both State and DOD have requested additional clarification” on the Niger matter.

This seems to run contrary to what we've learned too. Well, we know the State Department voiced at the meeting the trip idea was really dumb and it was Joe pushing his rationale why he should go.

Joe retired -- I wish someone would ask if he took voluntary retirement buyout the gov't was handing out at the time- if he did, he was barred from working for the Government for 5 years or he had to pay the money back. And since he was fairly young when he retired, I have to think he did.

[topsecretk9]

OH...wanted to add

Also, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy work last go-round

Well, I was somewhat embarrassed by the agency's sloppy on THIS go-round too!

[Enlightened]

Other things to make me gag:

Why didn't Bond, or someone else, get this info out there before Valerie Plame made millions posing as an outed agent?

I'm glad it's coming out, we all knew she was a liar just like her husband.

I'm just frosted this stupid sham has cost so much money, has cost Scooter Libby life as he knew it, has lined the pockets of abject liars, and has deified this pathetic woman.

[topsecretk9]

Enlight

--Why didn't Bond, or someone else, get this info out there before Valerie Plame made millions posing as an outed agent?--

ME TOO! Nothing I've seen needed to be shrouded in secrecy and I just have to wonder why the hell this wasn't made public a long time ago?

[Cecil Turner]

I'd like to take this opportunity to crow a bit, because we went round and round over this earlier. My contention:

It's far more likely the ongoing dissension among CIA (and DIA and INR) analysts provided the initial impetus for Wilson's mission (especially since you'd expect a report dated the 12th would normally be briefed on the morning of the 13th).

The new version of the memo (and subsequent dating of the VP's request) supports that, but my favorite part of the new report (summarized in Byron's piece), is Val's Feb 13 cable:

"both State and DOD have requested additional clarification [of the Niger-Iraq uranium report] and indeed, the vice president's office just asked for background information . . ."

Again, this was something that could be inferred from earlier reports:

Alternate explanation: the State and Defense inquiries provided the actual impetus, the VP's question was tacked on.

. . . but it's nice to see it confirmed.

[Cecil Turner]

I just have to wonder why the hell this wasn't made public a long time ago?

Apparently they didn't have the timeline until recently (Sen Bond, new report, p. 208):

This is significant because the CIA originally told the Committee, and Ambassador and Mrs Wilson have stated publicly, that it was a question from the Vice President that prompted CIA's Counterproliferation Division (CIA/CPD) to discuss ways to obtain additional information about the reporting. However, the Committee now knows, based on information released during the Scooter Libby trial, that the Vice President had not even asked about the Iraq-Niger uranium deal until the following day.

[clarice]

Cecil, I am often wrong. We know Mr. 70%'s record, but you are NEVER wrong.

What was going on in Niger(besides his personal interests) that Val pushed that he be sent THREE Times in 2 years? And maybe this explains why DoS was so reluctant about this thrid trip and why Joe was limited as to who he could talk to and what he could ask on the third trip?

[topsecretk9]

One area of inquiry which now seems to be unresolved is why Mrs. Wilson provided different testimony to the CIA Inspector General, our committee staff, and the House committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The account of a discussion among three colleagues about a phone call from the vice president is new to us, and apparently new to the CIA which has been unable to find the alleged participants. Still, it is a story worth exploring. For that reason, Senator Bond has written to the CIA seeking interviews with the individuals involved, including a re-interview with Mrs. Wilson. We hope that these witnesses will enable us to tie up these loose ends once and for all.

[Other Tom]

I'm surprised to see this amount of enthusiasm over this item. Let me tell you, based on more than six years experience with G. W. Bush and too many with Alberto Gonzales, that absolutely nothing--nothing whatsoever--will come of this. There will be no prosecution, and indeed there will be no investigation and no referral of any kind. If asked about it at a presser, Bush will say nothing, and Gonzales is so pathetic that he won't know what the question means and would be afraid to answer if he did. Sorry, but that's where we are today.

[Enlightened]

Well, I'm just a poo-flinger according to most folks, and I lay no claims to knowing much about anything BUT -

It is patently obvious that the Wilson Plames were in dire need of covering up their "other" Niger activities as soon as the OVP started sniffing around.

Almost immediately the pushback from their lying mouths started, and what is one of the most common traits of crooks and liars - the old bait and switch.

OVP was about to stumble into their liars den and had to be stopped. How better to stop them than to infer OVP is a criminal?

They came damn close to criminalizing the VP, and perhaps could have netted the POTUS had not Scooter Libby smelled a rat, and look where it got him.

You all know whatever Joe did in Niger at the behest of his wife will never see the light of day. It's not just the Joe and Val show. There must be a bigger shark in that fish tank.

[Sara]

The meat of the Plame memo:

my husband has good relations with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.

And can someone say what CP/[office 2] is? Is this one of their desks in another agency?

[Enlightened]

Well Sara, your meaty portion would seem to negate Joe Wilson having ever checked "this sort of activity" previously.

So, can we assume JW's "Separate Niger Matters" are not uranium related? Had he checked on Iraq or Iran and uranium/Niger, then shouldn't her statement have been-

"My husband has good relations with both the PM and the former minister of mines, not to mention lots of French contacts, and he has checked this sort of activity previously"??????

So what else goes on/went on in Niger that is/was so super secretive, that it would scare the crap out of Val and Joe if anyone outside the CIA found out, particularly Dick Cheney?

Scare them enough to lie so heinously a man is facing prison, and our country's national security has been compromised?

[Enlightened]

I'm going off the moonbat deep end but - what if the CIA was purchasing Niger uranium, or was aware of Niger uranium purchases, and Joe was the broker?

[Sara]

A.Q.Khan

[PeterUK.]

Enlightened,
There have been numerous drugs stings, by both the Customs and the police which have gone badly wrong,sometimes hilariously so,what if the CIA was running a uranium sting and got stung?
They can't send one of their own,the debriefing needs to be off the records,perhaps to keep the matter at department level,after all running an operation like this then suddenly finding themselves in the middle of a war,somewhat embarrassing,bound to create a scandal,head would roll.
What better way to run interference than sending someones spouse,throw the blame onto the unsuspecting administration.Creating scandals involving those who might accuse you is an age old ploy,particularly beloved of the left.

[Enlightened]

Yep, so conversely we can say perhaps Val lied in her memo as well, by suggesting her husband could shed light on this activity by going to Niger, when in fact he already knew about this activity - and as Cathyf pointed out previously - Joe knew about Iran and Niger uranium, and perhaps was brokering deals with AQ Khan, hence a serious need to keep the OVP far away from Niger. Hence the bullshit Niger trip Joe took.