Truth, Put Your Boots On!

Atrios is recycling this old Isikoff piece from Feb 2006 which explained that Fitzgerald's court filings demonstrated that Valerie Plame was covert.

Fine - I'll recycle these old Kleiman and York responses, both of which noted that we are looking at a vague, out of context quote the meaning of which is far from clear.

So far, Fitzgerald has resisted all defense efforts to document Ms. Plame's status, although he did say at his Oct 2005 press conference that her status was classified.  "Classified" is not "covert" as per the IIPA statute, however - there is still the matter of overseas service in the previous five years, and uncertainty about whether "service" means a stop-over at a European airport or a formal posting abroad.

Comments

[clarice]

This is the most cogent discussion of the "classified"/covert issue I've found. http://cryptome.org/spy-id-ok.htm

[Rick Ballard]

DoJ should use the "Tatel standard" in deciding whether to pursue McCarthy on 793(d). If a federal judge thinks a statement in the conditional linked to a poorly constructed compound sentence is sufficent to allow imprisonment of Miller then DoJ has complete reason to believe that a thorough formal gj investigation of McCarthy is entirely warranted.

No special prosecutor necessary - just call a gj and get going.

[BumperStickerist]

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Valerie Plame is a former covert NOC agent who now works at the CIA - not classified

Valerie Plame is a former covert NOC agent who works at the CIA in WMD - classified.

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In the former, you could follow Valerie from her driveway to the office parking lot.

In the latter, you would have to follow Valerie from her driveway to her desk.

You'd need a security clearance to get to her desk.
.

[nittypig]

Fitz has been pretty clear that her status was "classified". That's not the point here. Was she "covert" i.e., covered under IIPA? Fitz has never claimed that she was despite all sorts of assertions to the contrary.

[boris]

In the latter, you would have to follow Valerie from her driveway to her desk.

Point? UGO revealed that to Novak, according to Fitz UGO's innocent. Whatever Fitz claims Libboy and Rove did, didn't include that.

[Seixon]

What I don't get is why Plame's status is STILL classified. She doesn't work at the CIA anymore. Her cover was "blown". So why is her status still classified??

[Sue]

Seixon,

Good question. You would think after appearing in Vanity Fair, that classified status would have been dropped.

[maryrose]

Claiming, incorrectly I might add that Val is classified just gives momentum to Fitz. It is the meme that WILL NOT DIE!

[kim]

Well, Seixon, no one really knows publicly what she did pre and post covertness, nor what she does now, nor how she's connected in the 'Plame Affair' with her husband. For all we know, she is still covert. For all we know, she's the designated DIA in the shadow government.
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[JM Hanes]

Seixon

Is her status still officially classified? IIRC, someone at the CIA said no further harm could be done by referring to the fact of her employment at the CIA. Even if her cover were blown however, I don't see how it would change the classified status of what she was actually doing.

[PeterUK]

Seixon,
There are unknown classifieds,partially known classifieds,known classifieds,in your face rampantly famous classifieds,everyone can know but no one must say.

BTW I bet the bill for pencils is also classified by the CIA.

[ajacksonian]

Still refuse to get involved in this non-issue.

Valerie Plame marries high-flying ambassador. Everything in her past must be behind her to do so. One may not be covert and do such. No technical reading of any law will obviate that single, solitary fact.

The only one to out Valerie Plame was... Valerie Plame. She ended any chance of a covert status when she started dating in that social milieu.

Wake me up when she, her husband or the CIA get charged for that.

Yes, you actually *do* agree to lead a dull, normal life as a covert agent. Mingling in circles where socialite gossip columnists roam is no way to stay covert. This *story* has been hot air since day one.

[Tom Maguire]

Is her status still officially classified?

Per some filing, Fitzgerald said her status was declassified to facilitate his investigation, or embrace reality, or some such. Anyway, she is no longer classified.

[boris]

This *story* has been hot air since day one

The *story* is the story. Elements of the CIA, VIPs, MSM, DoJ, and a sitting judge working against the administration over a noncrime. While the MSM is actually covering it for the wrong reasons, they should be covering it correctly for the right reasons.

[brenda taylor]

well i heard she retired. now how can she retire and mom gets fired unless she planned this when her story started unraveling.

[sad]

David Broder, a columnist at the Wapo, educates us.

******** Unless the president comes to understand that it is in his interest -- as well as the country's -- to conduct a more open governing process, the new press secretary, Tony Snow, will find himself inevitably as much of a punching bag as McClellan became. Only George Bush can signal to the White House staff and administration that he wants a government ready and eager to explain itself to the people it is trying to lead.**********

Wasn't "a government ready and eager to explain itself" how Scooter got into trouble in the first place?

[maryrose]

sad:
Of course it was but the press has their own agenda and their view is that they should know about everything classified or not. Well as the clown played by Wayans in "In Living Color" used to say "Homey don't play that"

[BumperStickerist]

~ sigh ~

I guess the "Valerie was a Covert Spook" is too appealing an issue to consider a more pedestrian notion that the nature of Valerie Wilson's work AT THE CIA, WHILE BUSH WAS PRESIDENT, was, technically, classified material.

Not BigAss Sexy Classified like Larry Johnson is prattling on about, no NOC/NotNoc crap but when the conversation about Plame/Wilsom included her work with WMD analysis, that's classified.

This is like Capone getting nailed for tax returns - revealing Plame's work 'in the WMD' area is the classified intel equivalent of jay-walking, but - hey - Libby / Rove might have 'revealed classified information' of an extraordinarily minor kind.

.

[boris]

Hey stickerbump !

UGO revealed Val's job description to Novak and according to Fitz UGO's innocent. Whatever Fitz claims Libby and Rove did, didn't include that.

[kim]

One of the reasons I think UGO is Tenet, is that he would not be in any trouble for revealing anything.

And still isn't.
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[owl]

When I see something by Isikoff, I am reminded of the PBS program I saw him and Cooper going after Rove. Have wondered ever since if he has talked to Fitz.