Neil Lewis Of Times - Still Watching A Different Trial

Neil Lewis and Scott Shane of the NY Times continue to cover the Alternate Reality version of the Libby trial.  Here is their carefully crafted, deeply researched summary of the current state of play:

Although the jury will not hear Mr. Libby in person, during the trial, prosecutors played eight hours of audiotapes in which Mr. Fitzgerald questioned him before the grand jury. The jury heard Mr. Libby giving his version calmly in the first two-thirds of the tapes and then seeming to become uneasy and less confident as Mr. Fitzgerald bore in.

Prosecutors have said Mr. Libby learned of the identity of Mr. Wilson’s wife, Valerie Wilson, from fellow administration officials in the summer of 2003 and discussed her with reporters. Mr. Libby swore that he had not discussed Ms. Wilson with reporters and believed that he had learned about her in a conversation on July 10 or 11 with Tim Russert of NBC News.

Judith Miller, formerly of The New York Times, and Matthew Cooper, formerly of Time magazine, testified for the prosecution that Mr. Libby had discussed Ms. Wilson with them. Mr. Russert testified that he never discussed Ms. Wilson with Mr. Libby.

Groan.  Libby testified to the grand jury (and as re-heard by the trial jury) that he learned about Plame from Russert on July 10 or 11, then leaked it back to Cooper and Miller as reporter gossip.

Ms. Miller's tale that she and Libby discussed Plame on July 8 undercuts this; Cooper's contribution is to deny that Libby sourced this as reporter gossip.

This is very basic stuff here.

Comments

[Good Lt]

This is very basic stuff here.

Well, its the New York Times.

We can't expect basic facts to be reported fairly or accurately.

[CAL]

What was Coopers testimony? I thought Cooper said that he brought Plame up not Libby?

[Martin]

Really-go back and read Judy Miller's NYT pre-Iraq invasion coverage! Where was she coming up with that stuff?

[theo]

It is so frustrating how they keep getting this wrong. If you read the NYT piece without any other knowledge, you would assume that Libby tipped off Cooper to Plame's CIA employment. Of course, this is NOT the evidence from this trial -- on either side.

The only reporter that Libby is actually accused of tipping off about Mrs. Wilson was Judy Miller -- her of the dubious memory -- who never wrote a story on the issue. But to the MSM there was a Cheney led plot to out Mrs. Wilson in revenge for Mr. Wilson blowing the whistle on lies about pre war intelligence. All facts inconvenient to that story line are ignored or mis reported.

Let us be clear here. Libby did not "out" Mrs. Wilson. RIchard Armitage did and it is apparently not a crime. Mr. Wilson did not actually find anything useful on his Niger trip -- he certainly debunked nothing -- and a report of his mission did not reach Cheney or the White House. The "outing" of Mrs. Wilson was not revenge but related to the internal friction between the CIA and State Department and in any event was not orchestrated by Cheney or Libby.

Other than that, the MSM has the story nearly completely right.

[Daniel]

Didn't Woodward testify that he told Pincus about Plame before july 12?
Then Pincus' attribution of his source as Fleischer was a lie intended to confuse justice?
An indictment in the offing?
If not why so for Libby and not for Pincus?

[Carol Herman]

FROM CAROL HERMAN

That's okay. The New Yuk Times still has produced memorable people. Jayson Blair. Judith Miller. And, nobody comes out much better than the crap contained in Judith Miller's shopping bags.

Even the one juror who once worked for Bob Woodward, probably has a healthy disrespect for the WaPo's "sister paper."

Let alone, RUSSERT and his HATS!

Did Kerry ever sell his Cambodian hat story, for instance, during the 2004 campaign? Gee. I thought it became a joke. Silly me.

And, Russert, when he wore his "viewers complaint cap," (where he gave up Libby faster than Litvinenko gave up that raw fish meal, before he got really, really sick) ...

It seems to me; that the CONTENT of that "agitated call from Libby, "da viewer" ... was WILSON on Chrissy Matthews being treated like a truth teller.

Talk of hats! How did Russert get away with that story, without ever once mentioning Wilson to Libby, hmm?

I think that Russert's hat shows up on close.

Don't know if Wells can wear props, or anything. But hats aren't the best place to crap into when you have to "go." ANd, I think RUSSERT "went."

Can't tell, yet? Well then, let's check back next year, and see if PumpkinHead/Potato Head, still sits in the driver's seat at MTP.

How do any of you know how RUSSERT survives this thing? You jump up and down if Libby is convicted? Perhaps, a hung jury makes you smile?

Where's this case? Why are we here? (Because that giant of affirmative action, sitting on the federal bench, refused in all cases to dismiss Fitz.) Fits goes home without a warning. And, you think that's it?

Personally? That would only be intermission.

[nittypig]

And what about Kessler? Libby testified that he told him too.

[Carol Herman]

FROM CAROL HERMAN

This "battle" reminds me of Gettysberg. With different partisans.

For one side? Instead of "going to war," they politely said it was "just the recent unpleasantness."

For Abraham Lincoln. Gee, he was brief. It didn't even take him ten minutes to sum up what it meant "there."

Don't know how long Wells spends on closing. But what if it comes off like the Gettysberg Address? Just asking.

The trial is still "fluid." But, I mean that, in fluid as Fitz' case can't hold water. Nor can Russert's hats be claimed to be arbiters to the truth. Do you know why? J.K.Rowling knows about "special hats." And, Russert's didn't tell him that he's a snake.

[Tom Bowler]

I don’t believe it’s reasonable to expect the press to get it right at this juncture. They are already likening this to the OJ case. If Libby is acquitted, they will claim that he, like OJ, got away with it.

But let’s face it. Is there anybody around here who ever thought it made any sense that the White House would out a CIA agent to silence a critic? Especially a critic with such a lame story. It’s just not believable. Its only chance of becoming believable is for MSM heavyweights to inject it into their "news" day in and day out as a stipulated underlying fact.

And MSM will not suddenly see the light at this point because they haven’t achieved their goal of stopping the war in Iraq. Count on them to continue to claim the case for invasion was a lie, there never were any WMD, nor were there any connections to terrorists. They will continue to claim that the war was a mistake, that Joe Wilson was a whistle blower whose wife was a victim of a vengeful White House, that we are losing the war, and that the war can’t possibly be won.

They will hammer and hammer and hammer until they get their way. And the beauty of it for them - they get paid to do it.

[Carol Herman]

FROM CAROL HERMAN

Gee, is the NY TIMES just spreading its cheeks wide open?

You think Judith Miller isn't gonna one day do a "sock it to em" punch?

What's her material?

She can take the columns you see now, and put it through a Ron Popeil "agitator." So people can READ and COMPARE.

What's her skills? Watch her UNCOVER the WMD's inside the Times Building on Times Square.

If you think her future writings go unheard, then you're unaware of Mary Mapes earning a decent advance, on the rock she through at Black Rock. Shattered some executive windows, I'm sure. Didn't leave Thornburgh smelling so nice, either.

[Carol Herman]

FROM CAROL HERMAN

Yes. I know there's a difference between "thru, threw, and through." My fingers don't care.

But a rock thrown thru a window, pretty much destroys the glass-ware, through and through.

After this case is over, there's gonna be a lot of people not getting the best seats at lunch time, at their old, familiar perks.

Should be interesting, too, to watch dem perches.

Since, in 2008, the media is gonna want a seat at the table, in "halping" Americans select their next president.

HA! They can't even sell da' Edsel.

And, Russert? You think he's got a great career, ahead? You'd like to be "that" lawyer negotiating his next contract? Funny stuff happens in executive quarters. Monica's story wasn't even the half of it.

[Tom Maguiret]

What was Coopers testimony? I thought Cooper said that he brought Plame up not Libby?

True, and maybe I should hope the Times would get that right, too. I'm taking baby steps.

Kessler is correct - Libby over-confessed on that.

[MayBee]

Martin: Really-go back and read Judy Miller's NYT pre-Iraq invasion coverage! Where was she coming up with that stuff?

Perhaps from Joe Wilson.