Fitzgerald Eyes Plame-Niger Conspiracy - By Jason Leopold [View All]

Fitzgerald Eyes Plame-Niger Conspiracy
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-01-23 12:19. Media
Prosecutor Probing Niger Forgeries, Possible Conspiracy in CIA Leak
By Jason Leopold, t r u t h o u t | www.truthout.org

"There was a discussion about what to do about Mr. Wilson," the current State Department official said. "There was a decision to leak a story to the press - I think a few journalists - about the Wilson trip, that it was a non-issue because his wife set it up for him."

Over the past few months, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has been questioning witnesses in the CIA leak case about the origins of the disputed Niger documents referenced in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address, according to several current and former State Department officials who have testified in the case.

The State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because some of the information they discussed is still classified, indicated that the White House had substantial motive for revealing undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to reporters.

They said the questions Fitzgerald asked them about the Niger documents suggested to them that the special prosecutor was putting together a timeline. They said they believe Fitzgerald wants to show the grand jury how some people in the Bush administration may have conspired to retaliate against former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, an outspoken critic of the administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence.

lots more:http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/7014