David Corn On Plame Case - "The Investigation Is Over"

David Corn and Byron York square off in a brutal BloggingHeads smackdown covering 'Hubris' and the Valerie Plame investigation.   Byron York has been working the Plame case for NRO and has both important hair and a straight-faced, droll style that works well visually (I'm thinking Chevy Chase).  David Corn, who launched the Plame criminal case with his July 16 2003 column, has a passionate personality which is perfect for print.

For folks unfamiliar with the Blogging Heads format, let me offer a viewing suggestions - right click on "Options" and increase the play speed to "Fast".  Some high-tech process will then speed up the voices without turning everyone into Mickey Mouse.

The result will be that Byron York is transformed from low-key to, well, low-key and amusing.  The high-speed David Corn, on the other hand, becomes kryptonite to Starbucks - you'll never want a cup of coffee again after seeing him rant endlessly and patronizingly about whatever he was going on about.

Anyway, a bit of non-news was delivered at the end - Corn was trying to argue that, since Armitage has finally come forward with a televised mea culpa and Rove has not, Rove is the bad guy.  York's rejoinder was that the White House and its officials, including Rove, will not be commenting on an ongoing criminal investigation.  At which point Corn announced that, per his reporting, the active investigation is over.

For most of the world, this is not news - both the WaPo and the NY Times reported that after the story broke that Rove would not be indicted.  However, I believe there are still a few candles flickering on the left coast of Dean Island, where the inhabitants are awaiting indictments of Cheney, Rove, and a cast of thousands.  Presumably Corn will clarify his remarks to allow them to Keep Hope Alive.

LOST OPPORTUNITY: At another point in the debate, Corn was lecturing on the question of whether Ms. Plame was involved in choosing her husband for the 2002 trip.  Corn was quite emphatic that Douglas Rohn, the INR representative at the meeting "apparently" convened by Ms. Plame, told Corn a different story for the book -   apparently Rohn was late for the meeting and had no particular conviction as to Ms. Plame's actual role.  Consequently, the State Dept may have had a misimpression about her involvement.

However, the lost opportunity was this - York did *not* ask him about this passage in Libby's indictment:

7. On or about June 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke with a senior officer of the CIA to ask about the origin and circumstances of Wilson's trip, and was advised by the CIA officer that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and was believed to be responsible for sending Wilson on the trip.

The senior CIA officer was Robert Grenier - was he also relying on a faulty State Dept. memo?

BEST LINE:  I am stealing York's thunder, but - after another lecture in which Corn concedes that Rove and Libby did not know that Ms. Plame had classified status but insists that they should have double-checked, York picks up on one of Corn's phrases characterizing their behavior and suggests it as an alternative to the "Hubris" title: "A Wee Bit Reckless".

I think the publishers made the stronger choice.

CREDIT WHERE DUE:  David Corn's column launched the criminal brouhaha but Josh Marshall certainly promoted the Plame case tirelessly.  Well, tirelessly until it turned against him.  Dan McLaughlin presnts "Josh's Greatest Hits".

Comments

[totopsecretk9]

Hubris contains new information undermining the charge that she arranged this trip. In an interview with the authors, Douglas Rohn, a State Department officer who wrote a crucial memo related to the trip, acknowledges he may have inadvertently created a misimpression that her involvement was more significant than it had been.

I can't help but notice yet again the use of "inadvertent", the DoS apparently engaged in a series of "inadvertence"

[hit and run]

Maybe Corn should use the Rohn sentence as a framework for his own mea culpa. As in "I may have inadvertently created a misimpression that the White House's involvement was more significant than it had been"

Of course, you would have to perform some serious bastardization the term inadvertant, but it takes one to perform one, I always say.

[clarice]

Better yet: Corn should say that I may have inadvertently made up a crime that didn't exist and a storyline tailor made for the sort of deep thinkers who get their news from Oprah and Chris.

[Gary Maxwell]

wouldnt the title be even better if instead it was a Wee Bit Feckless ( as in David Corn )? Anyone that writes for the Nation fits the bill too.

[RichatUF]

At another point in the debate, Corn was lecturing on the question of whether Ms. Plame was involved in choosing her husband for the 2002 trip. Corn was quite emphatic that Douglas Rohn, the INR representative at the meeting "apparently" convened by Ms. Plame...

Or the memo, which Ms. Plame sheds light on Super Agent Wilson's creditials...something like "he has good relations with the former PM and Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts)" or words to that effect. I was hoping, really hoping, that the Wilson's would just one night pack up and defect to France. Great way to end the case.

And I don't know how am I going to go on without my daily dose of plameology. I can feel the shakes starting

RichatUF

[Rick Ballard]

Would St. Fitzzle make a declaration concerning closing the investigation? His appointment as Superpersecutor doesn't require any final report - how will anyone know when he's "done"?

[hit and run]

Yup clarice, that is the larger point. But even I cannot bring myself to put inadvertently into the sentence reflecting Corn's making up a crime. So, we're left with...

"I advertently created the misimpression that a crime had been committed."

[clarice]

Rick--the reason he advanced for keeping Armitage's name secret was that there was an ongoing investigation. Since Armitage finally cam forward, I suppose that should be our hint that it is, in fact, over.

[capitano]

Are there any journalist/bloggers on the left who have integrity? Wasn't Marshall supposed to be one of the good ones? Not just clever but also honest, forthright, and willing to admit error. The Crank nails it -- he's a slippery writer.

The only quasi-lefty I read is Mickey Kaus who I think meets all those requirements.

I would like to avoid the temptation to "cocoon" but it's tough. These guys are so blinded by ideology they'll print anything.

Does anyone rate the non-idiot bloggers on the left?

[clarice]

RichatUF..Well, since the oppo has a way of recirculating old disinfo campaigns, perhaps they'll try to Plame this year's NIE, too. Keep hope alive!

[clarice]

Josh Marshall is Sid Blumenthal in drag, capitano.

Consider him the tip off to each new dirty trick.

[JJ]

Wondering when someone was going to mention the bloggingheads debate.

I thought frankly a transcript might have been better since they spent so much time talking over each other.

You're dead on about the fast-talking Corn. Even at low speed it was like fingers on chalkboard.

[JJ]

Also, I still don't see how saying "You heard that too" by Rove means that he was maliciously outing Plame. ?

There is no room there for malicious anything.

What should he have said? "Oh, yeah?" "I can't talk about what might be CIA secrets openly and you know that?" "No comment" "How about those Yankees?"

[RichatUF]

from clarice...

Well, since the oppo has a way of recirculating old disinfo campaigns, perhaps they'll try to Plame this year's NIE, too. Keep hope alive!

Twas the 24 business hours before Fitzmas
and all throught the Agency...agents and operatives were leaking with care...
Iraq and Niger, that is not uranium you see, but SuperAgent Wilson forging documents while sipping mint tea

I'm going to come back and work on it...and clarice, Courage!

RichatUF

[verner]

OK, from Corn:

1) Fitzgerald knew early on that she was NOT covert, and would not fit under the IIPA.

2) Corn said that her "transition" would take anywhere from three weeks to three months. And that it was in process (and had probably not taken place because a) there was no real need since she was based in the US, and b) for her trip to Jordan etc., the only time her cover was an issue, it is apparant (LOL) she used a passport that provided her with protection and diplomatic immunity--I would bet. It would have been insane not to do so, considering her past history etc., and the fact that she was known to Jordanian intelligence and drove to Langely everyday. My guess, she just continued to tell the neighbors that she worked at Brewster Jennings--therefore the phoney NOC stuff.)

3) Valerie Plame was "Senior mid level", like thoudands of other agents, and therefore not known to the higher ups. In other words, a mid level desk jockey, just as we've been saying.

4) She had been on maternity leave for ONE YEAR, Must have been a real bad case of PPD.

In other words, Byron York got him. Corn has lied, spun and told half truths all along to make the bleach blonde hussler look more important than she was. She was simply "clasified" like thousands of other people who work in the building. Toensing was COMPLETELY right, and Corn knows it.

And the icing on the cake, Corn stating that Joe Wilson could lie and cheat because he was a private citizen.

Corn is now the laughing stock of the DC press corp. Weasel doesn't even touch what he has done with words.

And WE have been right all along. She was NEVER even close to being covered under the IIAP.

Where is Jeffie when you need him.. Now he's arguing with Corn instead of us. Should be interesting.

[Great Banana]

Now, now people, I think we should all let up on Corn here. After all, it is not what those on the left do or say (i.e., we should not ever judge them on their actions or words), but what their noble intentions and feelings are.

Corn felt he was right, and that starting this brouhaha would help rid the world of the evil Bush, Rove, and Cheney, and it is those noble intentions that matter - not whether or not he lied, made terrible errors at the expense of other's reputations, or did anything else wrong. It only matters that his heart was in the right place.

- GB

[verner]

And has anybody noticed how quiet Isikoff has been? Where is he? All we're hearing are shrill, non-defenses from David Corn.

Sounds like Corn was using Isikoff to get info from people who would never give a hack like Corn the time of day--and as York points out, some of the sources thought that they were talking for Newsweek pieces. That's not nice.

I think Isikoff is going to regret the day he ever agreed to do this trash with Corn.

[capitano]

Josh Marshall is Sid Blumenthal in drag, capitano.

Consider him the tip off to each new dirty trick.

Posted by: clarice | September 25, 2006 at 11:36 AM

Wow! That's one of those priceless descriptions that bloggers like to post on their mastheads as a badge of honor.

[verner]

And Clarice, if the JD gets in touch over your letter--be sure and take Corn with you as a witness, because, as he has written and just clarified, when Fitz sent Judy Miller to jail, he KNEW the IIPA did NOT apply.

[Neo]

I wonder if we can get Joe and Val on with Dr. Phil.

[hit and run]

After all, it is not what those on the left do or say (i.e., we should not ever judge them on their actions or words), but what their noble intentions and feelings are.

And the opposite is true as well (in the hearts of lefties). It doesn't matter what those on the right do or say, but that their intentions can be nothing but evil becuase righties are nothing but evil. "I heard that too" is pure malevolent evil to punish Joe and Val, even if KKKarl had no idea that he was being evil - because his heart lets him do nothing but evil.

[danking70]

I inadvertantly listened to that whole thing.

What a fucking chore that was.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Is Corn telling us that the guy who attended the meeting for INR, and wrote that Wilson's wife convened the meeting, didn't get there early enough to witness her convening the meeting?

Then how did he come to write something he wouldn't have known about?

[jerry]

Since I can't manager to get the Blogging Heads grudge-match thingie to run, I'm still "keeping hope alive" here on the left end of the Isle o' Dean.

[totopsecretk9]

Then how did he come to write something he wouldn't have known about?

Posted by: Patrick R. Sullivan | September 25, 2006 at 01:31 PM

Something I wondered as well...if he BS'd the memo, then who is to blame here?

[maryrose]

Clinton-meltdown-Corn -foaming at the mouth at grudgematch. Does anyone see a pattern here?
Gary: " A Wee BitFeckless?" That's putting it mildly. Will it effect book sales in a negative way? Yup.

[totopsecretk9]

OR Pat...he consulted other attendees who told him such and now has scary thoughts about being the person to have written it (as in the fall guy?)

[verner]

Patrick:Is Corn telling us that the guy who attended the meeting for INR, and wrote that Wilson's wife convened the meeting, didn't get there early enough to witness her convening the meeting?

I think Mr. Rohn may be feeling a little heat from his democrat buddies over his role in making Joe look like a fool. So what if he got there late, he got the info from somebody at the meeting. Just another Corn-fed weaselism that means absolutely nothing.

[Gary Maxwell]

So is David Corn in some kind of wierd contest with Joseph Wilson III to see who can tell the biggest whopper and keep a straight face while the cameras run? What do you think the winner of the bet gets? A paid vacation to Niammey? Consolation prize is a years supply of mint tea?

[verner]

Jerry honey, spare yourself some grief. Don't watch it unless you want to feel a little sick.

Corn has left the Wilsonistas nothing but the cob--no kernals of hope and only good for a wipe up in the outhouse.

[Gary Maxwell]

Oil below $60 a barrel down almost 22% form their high. $2 a gallon gasoline here we come.

[Dob]

Conspiracy Theorists. Corn seems to avoid that Fitz was a criminal conspiracy investigator and that is what scared Wilson/Plame.

[Sue]

Does Corn say Fitzgerald knew she didn't fit under IIPA? Or is it in his book? I'm afraid my dial up can't handle the smackdown.

[Jane]

I don't think he addressed that in the vlogcast. At least I don't remember that. What he did say is the whole covert thing was his (Corn's) idea and he relayed it to Wilson the morning of Novak's column.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Corn conceded to York that eventually Fitz knew IIPA didn't apply. Not realizing that he's then, accusing Fitz of lying to Tatel in August 2004. Ha ha.

Now, back to the meeting at the CIA; okay, the INR guy shows up late. He walks in and Joe Wilson is talking about what he can do for them in Africa. Rohn sits down and asks someone; 'Who's the guy with the big hair?'

Answer; 'His wife works here. She invited him.'

Rohn; 'Which one is she?'

Response; 'She left after she convened the meeting. Maybe you ran into her in the hallway; nice looking blonde name Valerie.'

So, what's changed? We've got someone saying Wilson's wife is CIA and convened the meeting.

[totopsecretk9]

So, what's changed? We've got someone saying Wilson's wife is CIA and convened the meeting

Well, apparently Wilson and Plame need this to be believed.

[Sue]

Good grief, even Joe Wilson has admitted his wife introduced him at the meeting. The SSIC report says she introduced him, stayed about 3 minutes and left. What is the controversy?

[verner]

I don't think he addressed that in the vlogcast. At least I don't remember that.

Jane, try another watch. He and York had quite an exchange over the covert section, York had Corn answer some rather detailed questions over her service, and then Corn admitted that she did not fall under the IIPA, and that she did not fit the LEGAL definition of covert, but that she was still "classified"

[MayBee]

) Corn said that her "transition" would take anywhere from three weeks to three months. And that it was in process (and had probably not taken place because

Waaaa?
According to the Wilsons and Larry Johnson, she'd been in "transition" since 1997.

[Jane]

Jane, try another watch. He and York had quite an exchange over the covert section, York had Corn answer some rather detailed questions over her service, and then Corn admitted that she did not fall under the IIPA, and that she did not fit the LEGAL definition of covert, but that she was still "classified"

I remember that. I just don't remember any discussion of whether Fitz knew about it, which was the question. It was hard to listen to with Corn yapping like a paranoid poodle, so it could have been there.

[verner]

Maybee,

I know, real weird. They are playing games with "transition" just like they did with "covert." When York asked, Corn said, "I don't know, three weeks, three months" But the fact is, in all but the "Brewster Jennings" cover, she had transitioned. For gosh sakes, she was on leave with a severe mental disability for a year, do you think they would ever let her out in the field again? And that's not considering all the other stuff.

Don't let Corn fool you. He knows plenty that he has selectively left out. As he said, he wrote a book about the CIA, and he has been writing about CIA issues for 20 years--from the "progressive" side of the fence.

It is a joke that he would conclude from the fact that Valerie was working under light "cover" that she would fall under the IIPA. He knew damn well that not every person who worked at CPD was "Covert" in the legal sense. He was around when the law was passed, and the arguments were being made. But he thinks most people won't catch on to the word games he's playing.

Toensing has been telling us all of this from the beginning though. The CIA passed on Val's referral just like it does 8-10 a week when "classified" information is somehow released. It's routine, and usually goes nowhere--unless you have democrat senators and press people pushing it.

[maryrose]

Slowly but surely all will be revealed in the Plame game. The wheels have already come off of the wagon.

[verner]

Jane:I remember that. I just don't remember any discussion of whether Fitz knew about it, which was the question. It was hard to listen to with Corn yapping like a paranoid poodle, so it could have been there.

I can relate to Corn being beyond annoying and hard to follow. York looked like he was ready to crack up a few times. But if you can stand listening again, Corn admitted that obviously she didn't fit the IIPA, because Fitz didn't charge--pretty much conceding the point to York.

You've got to assume that Fitz knew everything Corn is telling us, plus the stuff Corn is trying to hide with verbal smoke and convenient omission. And he would have gotten this info at the beginning.

[totopsecretk9]

Maybe it's just a lefty tactic is to talk without breathing...Matthew's and all.

[totopsecretk9]

I also thought it was hilarious when Byron agrees that Corn rattling was accurately described as a lecture.

[Rocco]

Notice the attached, numbered Tabs on the 4th page of the INR Memo. Why is Tab 1 which occured on Feb 19 before Tab 2 which occured the day before on Feb 18?

[narciso]

On another seemingly unrelated point, since when does a persuasive essay constitute an authoritative intelligence estimate. I refer
this to the recent leaked NIE which affirms
that Iraq has weakened our position in the
war on terror. Among its assertions; is that
jihadists are being generated by the Iraq
war, like the horseman in Jason & the Argonauts. True there have been jihadist
from Paris & London, to Damascus, who have
made it to Iraq. However, this is more a
function of the jihadist websites, journals
news channels ; AL Jazeera, Al Manar, Al
AP, Al-Reuters; you get the idea. In addition to many of the host governments
lax and/or non existent border controls.
The problem doesn't begin or end with Iraq;
the boys from Luton, who appeared in Afghanistan in 2002, the trail of the Al Ghamdi and Al Quahtani clans, from September 11th, to Gitmo & Bagram, in the former case, Chechnya & the Mosul mess hall in the latter case.et al. Another is that the Iraq War is creating a new generation of Al Queda leadership. For this argument, you have Zarquawi, yet we know he was active long before, his associate and Michael Moore doppleganger, Mustafa Setmarian Nasar, who never set foot in Iraq;
yet is seen as the man behind the London &
Madrid bombing. One could cite Muriel Duboque, the Flemish shaheed, and Raed Al
Banna, the jordanian attorney who blew himself in Hillah, after he couldn't get a
visa to Chicago, but they're dead, so that
rung of leadership is imcomplete. The London
tube bombers, would seem to illustrate this
point, but they did their finishing school
work in Lahore, not Fallujah. The same, for
the latest English fish and chips TATP bombers. Iraq seems to have returned al Banna's entreaties by ending Rishawi and
company to the Amman hilton, you see the
problem with this report

[verner]

Interesting point Rocco. Boy, in reading that memo again, and the meeting notes, DoS really did think it was a dumb idea to send him, probably in part because the CIA wife was involved, and they knew him by reputation as a washed-out Clintonoid.

And it proved to be the case. Though he did find out one little bit of info that they didn't--Iraq had been sniffing around.

[Jane]

narciso,

You gotta do something with that formatiing.

Verner,

I'm sure you are right. But nothing is going to convince me to listen to that again.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

David Corn is more defensive than Clinton was in his Wallace interview. If I were Bryon York I would have been saying, "David your rambling again." He sounded like a blithering idiot.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

you = you're

[Sara (Squiggler)]

A Rebuttal To The Senate Iraq/Al-Qaeda Report

124 page pdf that goes through the Senate report line by line.

[verner]

Jane, I don't blame you one bit.

I hate to admit this about myself, but I did enjoy seeing Corn squirm. Kind of like salting a slug. York made him look like an idiot. He deserves it.

York boxed him in. He had to concede that when all was said and done, the OVP was only guilty of hitting back at Wilson's lies, as every administration in American history has done, and "inadvertantly" releasing classified information to three journalists who,there is strong evidence suggesting, already knew about Valerie Plame. There was no "two track" conspiracy about it--except in the word garbage coming out of Corn's pen.

[Rocco]

What I find curious is that Rohn wrote the attached notes in Tab 1.

INR made it a point to, gently, tell them that the embassy has very good contacts and the Ambassador is a Tandja confidante Later (redacted) they were informed, a little less gently, that the embassy was a reliable interlocutor and could be trusted to protect US interests.

Certainly sounds like Rohn has a lot of faith and trust in the embassy doesn't it? How could Rohn be that certain when the previous day the embassy cabled for another hard look with a sense of urgency. The SSCI describes Tab 2

(U) On February 18, 2002, the embassy in Niger disseminated a cable which reported that the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal "provides sufficient detail to warrant another hard look at Niger's uranium sales. The names of GON [government of Niger] officials cited in the report track closely with those we know to be in those, or closely-related positions. However, the purported 4,000-ton annual production listed is fully 1,000 tons more than the mining companies claim to have produced in 2001." The report indicated that the ambassador had met with the Nigerien Foreign Minister to ask for an unequivocal assurance that Niger had stuck to its commitment not to sell uranium to rogue states. The cable also noted that in September 2001 the Nigerien Prime Minister had told embassy personnel that there were buyers like Iraq who would pay more for Niger's uranium than France, but the Prime Minister added, "of course Niger cannot sell to them." The cable concluded that despite previous assurances from Nigerien officials that no uranium would be sold to rogue nations, "we should not dismiss out of hand the possibility that some scheme could be, or has been, underway to supply Iraq with yellowcake from here." The cable also suggested raising the issue with the French, who control the uranium mines in Niger, despite France's solid assurances that no uranium could be diverted to rogue states.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Corn's problem is that he sees the White House as starting the fight, when, in fact, it was Wilson who started everything with his lies. Corn does not believe the WH had the right to "hit" back and defend itself and instead he turns their defensive reaction into original offensive action and skips Wilson's initiating role in the whole affair.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

If this were a marathon race, Corn wants to skip the first 5 miles and jump in at mile six as if everyone else should be as fresh after five miles as someone that hasn't run a lick.

[richard mcenroe]

"Are there any journalist/bloggers on the left who have integrity?"

No.

Not one.

Never.

Remember, no matter what your flavor of "left", a basic tenet of your belief system is that it is permitted to lie for your own advantage. Whether you get it from mad, bad Saul Alinksy, Lenin, the Clintons or freaking Moby, it's a fundamental part of your philosophy.

They will lie. They will feel entitled to lie. And they will feel good about lying.

All of them.

[verner]

Rocco, the only thing that pops into my head is that maybe they thought it was a good idea to give a second look, but that they thought that Val's set up was a bit suspect (the wifey sending the Clinton apointee husband who hadn't served in Niger in decades. Like maybe it was an amateur hour/nepotistic junkett hatched in the bowels of the CIA by a mid level desk jockey that wouldn't produce anything of value.)

Then again, maybe Rohn hadn't seen the cable until after the meeting.

In either scenario, it doesn't seem like state placed any importance on Joe's excellent adventure either before or after the trip. They had their own people, who they appear to have trusted, and felt were much better connected than Joe, on the case.

[Neo]

When will Google add this filter to their site ?

Computers taught to sort opinion from fact

NYT and WaPo would yield nearly empty pages.

[verner]

Corn Tries to take on the Hitch. Big mistake. Add this to York's take-down, and Corn looks mighty pathetic.

http://www.slate.com/id/2150345/

Hitchen's reply is a classic.

[sad]

Corn Tries to take on the Hitch. Big mistake. Add this to York's take-down, and Corn looks mighty pathetic.

Am I reading with a jauniced eye or did Corn actually imply that Hitchens is jealous of Corn and all of his success? My astonishment has taken away my critcal reading ability.

[verner]

Sad: Am I reading with a jauniced eye or did Corn actually imply that Hitchens is jealous of Corn and all of his success? My astonishment has taken away my critcal reading ability.

Nah, even Corn isn't that dumb. Hitchens is in his prime, and has never been more widely read or popular. Unlike Corn, who is nothing more than a political hack, Hitchens is a public intellectual of international standing.

It's more one of those typical leftist "in sadness rather than anger, see how far the mighty have tumbled" written with uber condescention, that Hitchens' old comrades are constantly throwing his way. And Hitchens ends by telling him to shove it.

[sad]

Verner

Thanks for the clarification. Hitch did have a fun piece in reply.

[verner]

From Drudge--splat.

'HUBRIS' FADES WITH 4,352 FOR WEEK [13,170 TOTAL]...

[clarice]

Karma--It's nice to see that. I don't want these creeps to profit from this, especially not Corn who ginned up this farce.

[Thomas Morrissey]

From Todays W.Post,extensive excerpt,

Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who investigated whether senior Bush administration officials illegally leaked the name of a CIA operative for political payback, has spent $1.4 million in his probe over the past three years, his office reported yesterday -- a figure that establishes him as remarkably frugal in the ranks of recent special investigators.

Fitzgerald's probe roiled the White House, laid bare an Oval Office intent on squelching a critic of the Iraq war and forced reporters to do the unthinkable -- name their confidential sources. Though Fitzgerald debated for months whether to charge Bush Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove with a crime, the investigation eventually led to no charges of a criminal leak.

No mention of Richard Armitage at all.

[sad]

...has spent $1.4 million in his probe over the past three years, his office reported yesterday -- a figure that establishes him as remarkably frugal in the ranks of recent special investigators.

It is easy to be frugal in the course of an investigation if one is not investigating. Remarkable isn't it?

[Thomas Morrissey]

Forgot the link,

Cia Probe Relatively inexpensive

[maryrose]

I hope we get some info after the hearing concludes today. Like possibly because of national security this case is now officially dropped and all charges disappear.

[Sue]

Off topic...but http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215983,00.html>My Gawd!

[JM Hanes]

maryrose:

Results of the hearing may be slightly delayed. The Courthouse was evacuated when a suspicious package was found "near the building:

As the evacuation of the courthouse was underway, Justice Department officials quickly removed a trove of highly secret national security documents, including numerous Presidential Daily Briefs, from a security courtroom facility where they were being kept for use in the Libby case. The documents were the subject of today's hearing, in which defense attorneys and prosecutors were set to pursue their arguments over whether the material should be admitted in Libby's trial.

The special counsel in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, and about eight of his associates were forced to leave the building and join more than 100 others on the sidewalks nearby, the Associated Press reported.

Can't you just picture that scramble?

[Sue]

I wonder if they left their work product in the building when it was evacuated? ::grin::

[cathyf]

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, and about eight of his associates

20 months, $1.4 million works out to $70,000/month. They got salary+benefits for nine lawyers, a couple of secretaries, rent on an office big enough to hold at least a dozen people, computers, copy machine, coffee maker, paper, pencils, paperclips, yadda ya for $70,000 per month?!?!? Don't believe it. No way.

No, somebody is playing games with the accounting here...

[sad]

Cathyf

A couple of articles I've read on the subject mentioned, IIRC, that Fitz is using existing facilities, and some if not all personel are already on the Govt. payroll. I will try to find the pieces I read.

[clarice]

It was in SFGate yesterday.

[Gary Maxwell]

I wonder if they left their work product in the building when it was evacuated? :

Cathy you just gave Truthout the next big headline. Watch for it. In 24 hours( business hours ?). You are the seed of this story, so claim when the echo comes back. "According to some rightwingnut blogs, the evil neocons plotted to separate the Great Fitz from his confidential work product, in order to subsume justice in the Plame covert agent leak case."

[sad]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4216420.html

This article says the real cost is $330,000. That the rest of the 1.4 mil is just paper transfer between govt. entities.

[Gary Maxwell]

Paper transfer = government employees take my taxes and putting it in their pocket. How that is not both a cost and a travesty is beyond this accountant.

[Rick Ballard]

Cathy,

If I'm not mistaken, most special prosecutors have had quite a few private sector lawyers on their staffs. If you hire people who are adept at billing 15 six minute minimums per hour at a $300 dollar billing rate, the price is going to be considerably higher than if you're using DoJ staff attorneys who cost out at $100 per hour. Especially if those staff attorneys are very cautious about putting a high visibility investigation on their time cards.

$1.4M seems very, very low but Fitz hasn't really done much, has he?

[maryrose]

Of all coutrooms to hit the one that Libby's case has a hearing in. Leopold and Johnson strike again!

[JM Hanes]

"No, somebody is playing games with the accounting here..."

When I walked through Fitzgerald's expenses on an earlier thread, it looked like they basically don't include any overhead at all. They also don't include funding for FBI "detailees" and possibly some category of court related costs, which could conceivably be a lot of money or none.

I assume Fitzgerald's spokesman was reporting the $1.4 million total to date as submitted to the GAO, which is helpful because there's a 6 month time lag before the official report is actually published. That gives us:

Oct'03 - Sept'04 = $611,491 [Technically starts Dec '03?]
Oct'04 - Sept'05 = $290,627
Oct'05 - Sept'06 = $497,882

What still interests me most is comparing the SP's expenses to what we knew (or assumed) about the progress & direction of the investigation at the time. Alas, no monthly segments are available, but while the GAO's 6 month blocks are a pretty blunt instrument, the fact that overhead is not included may actually be a plus. They should be reporting out Fitzgerald's Oct'05 - Mar'06 expenses in a couple of days. Since we now have the total, we'll be able to replace the averages below with actual amounts.

Oct'03 - Mar'04 = $ 26,592
Apr'04 - Sep'04 = $584,899
Oct'04 - Mar'05 = $112,550
Apr'05 - Sep'05 = $178,077
Oct'05 - Mar'06 = $248,941 *AVG
Apr'06 - Sep'06 = $248,941 *AVG

Of course, what I'm really trying to track is the effect of the Armitage & Woodward revelation. Does anybody know how to dig up the FBI's expenses?

[sad]

Fitzgerald's office released the total, which is current through Aug. 31, in response to a request Tuesday by The Associated Press.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4216420.html

[JM Hanes]

Rick:

The fact that Fitzgerald has apparently cost Libby $7 million to date certainly serves to reinforce your point, doesn't it? He's the one who has really been paying for this investigation. Frankly, I think his folks have been doing most of the heavy lifting too.

[Thomas Morrissey]

I wonder how much room and board at a Federal institution for Judy Miller costs.

Shouldn't that be counted too?

[clarice]

Maybe the mysterious package contained the sealed indictment(s).LOL

[JM Hanes]

sad:

Thanks for the chron link. I'll correct my end date in the next installment when the GAO numbers come out.

One of the hidden costs to the public, of course, lies in the other cases of merit Fitz et al were not pursuing when they were devoting themselves to this one. Fitzgerald's office may call it a paper transfer between departments, but it still represents a delegation of real resources. At the same time, your observation on frugality certainly hit the spot!

[Rick Ballard]

JMH,

I figure that TeamLibby probably sends an EMT team with a 'hot' defibrillator along with the courier who delivers the billing. I can almost see the the 'messenger' palming the adrenaline syringe as he hands the bill over...

[clarice]

Well, in this period of time, Fitz botched the Cowles case, his team accidentally handed over 16 cartons of classified material to defense counsel and didn't realize it for months, and yesterday he dropped his major count in a terrorism case--Saleh--apparently because the informant was lying.

How do you calculate those cots?

As for this case, it was as we all know a piss poor one, based on a false premise, completely skewed by that premise, and probably shouldn't have been undertaken at all since Armitage came forward before Comey or Fitz were even appointed.

[clarice]

***calculate those coSts***