Byron York On The Latest Libby Filings

Byron York discusses the latest Libby filings in the Plame case.  We have links to the filings and lots of excerpts here.

Let's also include this MSNBC article, which touches on the question of the Woodward/Armitage connection:

Did Woodward tape CIA name leaker?

‘Scooter’ Libby’s defense team argues tape will help his defense

WASHINGTON - A snippet of a conversation between Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and an unnamed source in mid-June 2003 appears to be a major focus of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby's defense in the CIA leak case.

According to a newly released transcript of last week's motions hearing in U.S. District Court, William Jeffress, one of Libby's attorneys, is focusing on three words — “Everyone knows it.”

Libby, a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, was indicted last year on charges that he lied about how he learned that Valerie Plame Wilson was a CIA operative and when he told reporters.

...Woodward revealed in November that a senior administration official — in addition to Libby — told him about Plame and her position at the CIA nearly a month before her identity was disclosed by syndicated newspaper columnist Robert Novak in July 2003.

A transcript and affidavit filed Thursday indicate that Woodward taped his conversation with his unnamed source.

Jeffress was given a redacted transcript of the conversation Woodward had with his unnamed source, according to an affidavit filed by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald on Thursday. The Libby team wants the full transcript of the conversation in order to argue that the phrase “Everyone knows it,” uttered by Woodward's source in that 2003 conversation, means that Plame's job at the CIA was common knowledge among Washington journalists.

“Who did he mean by ‘Everyone knows it'?” Jeffress asked the judge.

According to Jeffress, the only inkling of the source's identity in the redacted document “is some person not in the White House.”

...In asking for access to the tape, Jeffress said, “We know of two reporters that 'official one' talked to. ... We do know that he did discuss Ms. Wilson with at least two reporters.”

The Libby defense said the information would help it investigate which other reporters knew and might have mentioned Plame's name. Jeffress also said he wants “to confront Mr. (Tim) Russert with what other reporters knew."

Ahh - this story ties in to a question raised by the defense filing, which said that "There has been media speculation that Mr. Woodward’s source and Mr. Novak’s source are the same person."

"Media speculation"?  Fueled by whom, we might ask?  In the transcript cited by MSNBC, Mr. Jeffress [part of the Libby defense team] said that:

"We know of two reporters that 'official one' talked to. ... We do know that he did discuss Ms. Wilson with at least two reporters.”

In this context, we are talking about sources and reporters known to Fitzgerald and 9mostly) to the public.  The only sources which are still a mystery are Bob Novak's primary source, and Walter Pincus' source.  And eventually, Mr. Pincus told NPR (and the WaPo told the world) that Mr. Pincus had a White House source.

Meaning what?  Well, if "Official One" was not in the White House, the two reporters with whom he spoke must be Woodward and Novak.  Conversely, if the statement made by Mr. Jeffress - "some person not in the White House" - is wrong, misleading, or being misinterpreted, then perhaps Official One leaked to Woodward and, later, Pincus.  In that case, Hadley of the NSC emerges as a prime candidate.

MJW and the EmptyWheel studied the redacted documents to see whether these or other names fit - Armitage was the preferred good match, and Fleischer (and Rumsfeld!) were close.  In the comments, MJW advises me that Hadley was "impossibly short". [Edited slightly]

Comments

[Sue]

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2006/03/byron_york_on_t_1.html#comment-15225969>Jeff

You are trying so hard to make Pincus' 2nd version fit his 1st version and all of it fit your version. If Pincus actually talked to the person who authorized Wilson's trip, what better way to find out if Wilson had concluded the documents were forgeries. Or did the person who authorized Wilson's trip play along with the game? Because, I agree with you, Pincus is not an idiot. He was either willingly used or a whole lot of sources were feeding him a line of, how to say nicely, bulldookey.

Pincus 1st article is Wilson debunked the documents and the claim and Cheney ignored it. Bush/Cheney took us to war on forged documents and Wilson can prove it. Without that, Wilson's story is a non-story. Wilson was one of 3 people who checked the Niger claim. And ONLY Wilson is doing the trifecta, NYTs, WaPo and MTP.

[nittypig]

I suspect that the truth is somewhere in between - Joe led the reporters down the garden path and let them draw whatever conclusions they might without actually lying to them.

For example Joe says "I know that the document is a forgery because the names and dates on the documents were wrong". Joe knows this because the IAEA report has already pointed this out. Reporters conclude that Joe knew this in 2002 and that he had seen the documents. Joe has been misquoted.

Or Joe says "Cheney asked questions about the Niger reports, so I was sent to Niger". In reality low level mucky-mucks at CIA (Val or not) made this decision, certainly independently of OVP, and in all likelihood independent of top CIA management. Reporters conclude Cheney sent Joe to Niger. Again Joe gets misquoted.

If you read anything that Joe's written about this he chooses his words carefully to imply something he cannot support.

And in Pincus' defense I would hope that everyone could agree that he comes out of l'affaire smelling much better then Kristof. Regardless of how you think Pincus has handled himslef Kristof was mucyh worse.

[Sue]

It isn't Pincus I'm worried about. It is Jeff. ::grin::

[clarice]

If you look at the text of Wilson's appearance before EPIC with Ray McGovern, Ray (in the Q and A) period makes reference to the forgeries without fully fleshing out the claim IIRC. ) For those of us who think the Wilson waltz with the press was not a solo dance but one in which he wasaccompanied by some of the VIPS leaders, it is possible that they expanded on what he'd said knowing it made the story sensational--If my suspicion is right it would go some way to explain why Kristof never backed off the story and why Pincus tried hard not to even after the SSCI report:They couldn't do so without admitting that some of the details of the Mission were supplied by interested anti-Administration partisans with no first hand knowledge of it.

[Patton]

Jeff silliness:
"""And notes that the CIA, the very agency that sent Wilson, contradicts the SSCI on who sent him. """"

This is silly, Sue some Manager sent Wilson (ie. making the final decision and signing the paperwork),, but that isn't the point, the point is he never would have been
'sent' had his wife not worked there, suggested he go, write a memo to that effect, etc.

Both statements can be semi-true.

The Manager made the final decision, but he never would have made that decision, but for the wife being there and pushing it.

It is just what makes Wislon look better..The Wifey got him sent, or he was selected due to his excellent background.

But if Pincus had written in his original article that:
1. Wilson was sent because his wife works there, and
2. Wilson never talked to any current Niger officials, and
3. Wilson never saw the documents of which he speaks and
4. Wilson confirmed that Iraq had sent a trade delegation in 1999 and a former Niger official concluded they were interested in Yellowcake, and
5. none of Wilsons information every went to the VP....

then you'd have a much different story.

Wilson could have done just as much with a phone call to the former official he had sweet tea with.

[maryrose]

JeFF:
I can't wait to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth from Pincus and Wilson. At that time I believe you will be ordering crow pie. There is a reason we keep making the same arguments- they are most likely what actually went down. Your obsession with the "goodness" of Joe is disheartening. He's a lying twit.

[Patton]

Jeff, From Wilsons own book regarding the February 19th meeting:

""It would have been of keen interest to me to know who might have signed the contract on behalf of the Niger government, but no information was provided on this either.""""

[owl]

But if Pincus had written in his original article that:
1. Wilson was sent because his wife works there, and
2. Wilson never talked to any current Niger officials, and
3. Wilson never saw the documents of which he speaks and
4. Wilson confirmed that Iraq had sent a trade delegation in 1999 and a former Niger official concluded they were interested in Yellowcake, and
5. none of Wilsons information every went to the VP....

then you'd have a much different story.

Bingo. And don't you think that's a tad too many for this Wilson Waltz just being danced by plain ole honest reporters, just doing their jobs?

[kim]

Dwilkers, re your 3/20 8:24 AM comment. It also bothers me that Armitage is not a person that Bush would move heaven and earth to protect, and he seems to be doing so. That is one of the main reasons I persist with Tenet.
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