Cheney May Be Entangled in CIA Leak Investigation, People Say

Cheney May Be Entangled in CIA Leak Investigation, People Say

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A special counsel is focusing on whether Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in leaking a covert CIA agent's name, according to people familiar with the probe that already threatens top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby.

The special counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, has questioned current and former officials of President George W. Bush's administration about whether Cheney was involved in an effort to discredit the agent's husband, Iraq war critic and former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson, according to the people.

Fitzgerald has questioned Cheney's communications adviser Catherine Martin and former spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise and ex-White House aide Jim Wilkinson about the vice president's knowledge of the anti-Wilson campaign and his dealings on it with Libby, his chief of staff, the people said. The information came from multiple sources, who requested anonymity because of the secrecy and political sensitivity of the investigation.

New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who has now testified twice before a federal grand jury probing the case after spending 85 days in jail for refusing to cooperate with Fitzgerald, wrote in yesterday's New York Times that Fitzgerald asked her whether the vice president ``had known what his chief aide,'' Libby, ``was doing and saying'' regarding Wilson, a critic of the war in Iraq.

snip>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aSuj1d8CcYAk&refer=top_world_news

something big might be coming, and don't want investors to get too spooked if it appears to be coming out of the blue...maybe?

But for those who have been following the story, it is no surprise at all...

The return of 'tricky Dicky'...

NOBODY but the people on the grand jury know what's "coming." Nobody knows in advance what the results will be, and is preparing anyone for anything. Capisce?

You and I, I suspect, know as much as Blomberg's editors and reporters about this case.

Other times it's a hand vote.

They deliberate and "vote" openly among themselves.

So, technically speaking, not even the members of the grand jury know what's coming, since they don't necessarily know how their colleagues "vote."

How is the Grand Jury chosen? Is this like any other jury duty? It's grand so it must be different in some way but I don't know...

.......last week when Bush had the conversation with the soldiers, I noticed something odd. (You know, the talk where they rehearsed the soldiers to make it look like it was a spontaneous conversation.)

Anyway, Bush was doing his good ole boy imitation and at one point he mentioned that they should stop by to see him when they get back and he added 'if I'm still here'.

At the time, I thought it was an odd thing to say. I mean he should still have another 3 yrs in this administration and surely some of those soldiers would expect to come home sometime in the next 3 yrs.

I've read that many of the politicians are freaked out over all of the investigations..........not only Fitzgerald's investigation but they also seem to be worried about the Abramoff investigation too.

So I'm thinking, maybe Bush thinks he's going to be implicated in one of these investigations or maybe it was a subconscious thing..........

Anyway, I thought I'd mention it. It's a little thing but it might fit into this puzzle somewhere down the line.............

investigation. The list of people being dragged into the case is getting bigger by the day. I am happy to say that one of them is Grover Norquist, Mr. High and Mighty himself. A favorite of mine is Ralph Reed, the little faux "Christian" man who was the creator of The Christian Coalition. Many menbers of the House also. This is a huge case.

.......the articles I've read said the Abramoff case has the potential of incriminating many, many people and that's why they're so worried about it!

I read one article that said they're even more worried about the Abramoff case than the Fitzgeraald investigation.

Right now we're focused on the Fitzgerald one but that one's also been going on for several yrs at this point. Who knows what will happen with the Abramoff thing.........

I hope it takes ALL of them down!

this country is really going down hill fast..... on both sides of both political parties...... nothing can be done without an investigation, which cost tax payers money that could actually could go to helping people... i mean who do you think pays for Bush's lawyers?????

and what happens after every investigation? nothing. everything has to be fought today in america for example, someone spills some coffee because they are an idiot sues and wins...... a robber can fall on a knife in a house he broke into and sue for personal injury and win...... and its not only with the Bush power..... i hate all of these investigations because it takes the focus off of stuff like poverty and education.. no wonder why other countries are smarter than us..... we spend to much of our time pointing fingers, and blaming other people.

Where many of us feel we can investigate the criminals and provide money for the poor and education at the same time.

:hi:

investigating, indicting, punishing, and ruining these Republican douchebags that have no interest in "poverty and education" unless it means money for Pat Robertson and co.?

is this the Weekly Standard's new talking point project?

rigged so we can't get incompetent people out of office quickly. Unfortunately, we have to legally toss them out because a lot of gullible people (about 45% of the country) actually believe Bush is/was a good President. I want to start selling these idiots some bridges! :)

Guess you're for tort reform, too. (Investigate the famous "coffee spill" case in depth; don't believe what you're told.)

Did you lament investigations as much back when millions were spent in a vain attempt to bring down our last elected president? In case you don't remember, Bill & Monica didn't kill anyone.

A thief who broke into a house and fell on a knife sued and won.

Thanks.

the movie "Liar Liar"

;-)

When I argue before the Supreme Court, I'll be sure to cite references to Seinfeld.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I thought it was pretty funny too. :)

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as seen on the wonderful Jim Carey movie, Liar Liar, the case of the .... :rofl:

A few years back two youths broke into a house. One of them got blasted with a 12 guage (in the back apparently). The house owner went to jail.

Disclaimer - Information provided for factual reasons and is not intended as a comment on the rights or wrongs of killing an intruder.

But shooting somebody in the back - if in fact there was no longer a threat to the home-owner - is a crime, IMHO. While the laws have gotten a bit nutso on this point here, the spirit of the law is that self-defense requires an actual ATTACK.

That said, the case is neither here not there with respect to my comments. I'm wondering where the proof of SUCCESSFUL litigation is for a burglar who "fell on a knife." Perhaps that standard is too high. I'd like to see successful litigation against a burglary victim by a burglar. Only then will we be able to determine whether the case had any merit.

So, for example, if I catch a burglar in my home, incapacitate him, then keep him locked up in my basement for three weeks, subjecting him to daily beatings, I think any civil case by that burglar against ME has merit. If, on the other hand, I incapacitate a burglar in my home by smashing him on the head with a bat, and immediately call the police, and he then sues me for his hospital bills and pain and suffering, that case does not have merit. And, I'd be surprised to see that any such case passed even preliminary stages of civil litigation, much less succeeded at trial! I call bullshit on that.

...again.
And they let the Clintons get away with it.
Shame.

Mind you - we do live in a nation of the death of common sense but I dont think concern about the investigation of the traitors and crooks in this administration fits that catagory.

we should let them go free, even tho they comitted treason and all.

this is not HUGH111

nothin to see hyah...


this message brought to you by Republican Right Wing Talking Points for Joe Six Pack.

I immediately thought of the Clinton witch hunt, which wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and tied him up in a defense of a personal matter instead of letting him do the job he was legally elected to do.

I must point out, though, that unlike Watergate and Plamegate, the Whitewater "investigation," was not inspired by a CRIME having been committed, but rather, it was a crusade in SEARCH of some CRIME. Alas, after nearly 8 years and with the help of a snitch inside the White House (Linda Tripp), they FOUND ONE! A BLUE STAINED DRESS!!

But Watergate began with a break-in (a crime) and Plame-gate began with the revelation of an undercover agent in search of WMD (also a crime).

There's a big difference between investigations for the sake of handcuffing an administration and investigations as a result of a crime having been committed.

preferably for life, if not longer.

Check out what happens to most of those sensational personal injury cases that the insurance companies spread hype/hysteria about. It's not over when the jury returns its verdict; in fact, that's really close to where it begins. Most of the large awards are reduced.

Every now and then the little guy actually gets some corporate behemoth to actually take responsibility when it causes the death of some innocent person. But dumbasses (who are themselves some of the little guys) get all in a stew about how "everyone has to pay" when an insurance company or a large corporation actually has to pay for harm it causes. Since when does "everyone have to pay" when some private corporation or insurer loses money?? What crap.

Do you know anyone in St. Bernard Parish, LA? Their entire parish, and all the homes/businesses in it, was destroyed. They didn't just get water in their houses--they got oil, too. Ordinarily, those people in St. Bernard are, for the most part, as angry and misinformed about personal injury cases as you are.

But will they (as personal injury plaintiffs) sue Murphy Oil (which would then be the angelic, righteous, defendant) for the oil leak which made their water problem into an oil problem?? You bet they will! And they should: Murphy Oil had that leak BEFORE the storm hit, and they didn't fix it as they should have.

of a Republican White House. Fitzgerald is a Justice Department appointee, brought in after Ashcroft recused himself. The investigation was requested by the CIA--not exactly a bastion of liberal thinking. Your attempt to blame Democrats for any part of Plamegate is ridiculous--there's no politically inspired witch hunt here. America's security was compromised in a petty act of political revenge, which was then illegally covered up. Somebody should go to jail. Several somebodies.

I'll just call you an idiot and be done w/ it.

glad somebody just came out and said it.

:D

:loveya:

...the fact that even with a Fascist stranglehold on the executive and legislative branches (and to some degree the judicial) that this case is proceeding is testimony to the strength of the country.

Thank God for men and women of integrity.

stop the investigations... cost too much ... yeah thats the ticket.

:crazy:

I sure don't thank the Chinese for inventing gun powder- although I do love fireworks. I plan to set some off when these criminal bastards go down.
When we have people with integrity in power the poor will be fed, housed and educated. I think your post is foolish, accountability is important in this country or it will go down hill and lay there in a crumpled heap.

the treasury for billions. They must be brought to justice, or there
won't be anything left for education or helping the poor.

... Bush's uncle war-profiteering shares to reach over $500K, and Cheney's personal Halliburton options to bloat at a staggering 3,000% growth rate is OK!!

Not to mention the thousands of "statistics' NUMBERS" (i.e. THE "EXPENDABLES" of the WEALTHIEST 1%...) at:

http://icasualties.org

The Enron scandal was nothing compared to that one. Nothing! (No WMDs...):

http://costofwar.com



Note the "little" ND decrease somewhere near the 1999-2000 mark. Who was Prez & VeePee??

Yeah... who?

can we point fingers if it's actually their fault? ("they" not only meaning the stuffed monkey)

when I heard those words from little bush. It was odd that such a guy with his cowboy swag and arrogance would say something as negative about himself...if I'm still there. It's like he's having his legs cut off.

Jeesh.

Either he thinks he's going to be impeached, shot, or fired or else he thinks those guys are gonna be there a LONG time....

Either WAY that is a really strange thing for him to say.

Wow.


Laura

It is a three legged stool. If you are in the military, all of those are on YOUR BACK with regard to the conduct of your subordinates.

In this effed up administration, the buck stops with AUTHORITY. They sure know how to throw their weight around, but they can't seem to take responsibility or be accountable for their own missteps, failures, and blatant lies.

Which picture do we prefer? Notes for Judy, or Frogmarch?

Want to point out and got a lot of heat for it too.

and give up Cheney.

would he have a problem outing an undercover agent. Besides, if she was close to finding the Bush Crime Syndicate's trade trail in arms, drugs and terrorism, how could he not disrupt it. He's a great patriot.

They're trying to let that little weasel at the top off the hook though.

and the common note in that film about "Some People say" line added being Faux News' typical M.O. for creating rumors. Hope that this isn't just a similarly created rumor.

seen for what they really are!!

Bushco for the damage done to Valerie's career. If that happens, both Bush and Cheney will probably be forced to testify under oath, which would be VERY interesting indeed. Supreme Court precedent established under Clinton says that even sitting Presidents are not immune from civil action. Man, karma can turn around and bite you in a hurry...

I'm all for it, but it seems very sticky to me, to try to prove damages when her work was Top Secret. How do you prove your value to a company when you cannot reveal what you did for that company?

Seems to me that other employees of Brewster Jennings would also have a case against B/C. I wonder how many of them got knocked down the career ladder thanks to the treasonous actions of our (mis)leaders.

A civil lawsuit against B/C. Very interesting approach to justice, indeed.

to figure that one out. I do hope the proceedings will be televised.

has already been compromised - as in stopped, caput, done, ended, and totally exposed.

You can't put a price on something that is "PRICELESS"!

In an interview yesterday, Wilson said that once the criminal questions are settled, he and his wife may file a civil lawsuit against Bush, Cheney and others seeking damages for the alleged harm done to Plame's career.

If they do so, the current state of the law makes it likely that the suit will be allowed to proceed -- and Bush and Cheney will face questioning under oath -- while they are in office. The reason for that is a unanimous 1997 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that Paula Jones' sexual harassment suit against then-President Bill Clinton could go forward immediately, a decision that was hailed by conservatives at the time.

And then I'm running around the house doing the Gene Wilder line from Young Frankenstein:


IT..... COULD.....WORK!!

Damn, I hate being right all the time.

Which is how targets are usually handled.

decides to take the stand in his own defense--if he is indicted. Then Fitzgerald will have a cartload of documents, depositions, phone logs, notebooks, emails, time-lines and "smoking guns" that Cheney will be faced with for the first time, to try and lie his way out of.

Nice to think about. Realistically, though, I suspect that Libby is going to take the fall, Cheney may be named as an "unindicted co-conspirator," and that will leave the Wilson's to try and nail Cheney with a civil suit.

and Agnew had to resign... I'm sure the two cases are not alike in specifics, but I wonder who would be tapped to be his #2 if it came to Cheney resigning and being indicted?

recently. Don't look over there...look over HERE...at that dangerous, stray backpack. The WH must know damned well that something this big is in the making so they might just be trying to create a major diversion. Fool me once, umm, er, fool me ummm..twice...can't...ummm fool....em, er me..again. Too true Georgie Boy.

I ain't counting the chickens yet but it's looking hopeful.

Wonder if praying really does work? Maybe it's time to give it a try.

Why did he leave and do I smell a mutiny!!!

Who walks the plank on the Skull & Bone ship

Cheney!!!

Perhaps this has been discussed elsewhere on DU but if so, I missed it. She quit/left/resigned abruptly, and I have read comments that James Carville uncharacteristically pooh-poohed the value of dragging Chaney into this investigation. What did Mary know and when did she know it? What is she doing now?

Cheney May Be Entangled in CIA Leak Investigation (Update1)

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A special counsel is focusing on whether Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in leaking a covert CIA agent's name, according to people familiar with the probe that already threatens top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby.

The special counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, has questioned current and former officials of President George W. Bush's administration about whether Cheney was involved in an effort to discredit the agent's husband, Iraq war critic and former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson, according to the people.

Fitzgerald has questioned Cheney's communications adviser Catherine Martin and former spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise and ex-White House aide Jim Wilkinson about the vice president's knowledge of the anti-Wilson campaign and his dealings on it with Libby, his chief of staff, the people said. The information came from multiple sources, who requested anonymity because of the secrecy and political sensitivity of the investigation.

New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who has now testified twice before a federal grand jury probing the case after spending 85 days in jail for refusing to cooperate with Fitzgerald, wrote in yesterday's New York Times that Fitzgerald asked her whether the vice president ``had known what his chief aide,'' Libby, ``was doing and saying'' regarding Wilson, a critic of the war in Iraq.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=akWPSILU8o5Y&refer=top_world_news

If Bush's Brain (Rove) and the real President (Cheney) are both indicted? What would Moron do? I mean, the pathetic creature can't even conduct a staged interview without screwing it up. What will he do when "President" Cheney and his ear piece (Rove) are behind bars? Oh, this could really be fun to watch! Is this when we get to say the Fat Lady is warming up or do we have to wait a little longer?

.

The Supreme Court in 1997 says that civil lawsuits against a sitting president can proceed, which the Repugs hailed because the Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton could then immediately go forward.

I wouldn't doubt it if the Repugs try to change the law now.

Yum, yum, yum.

Cheney May Be Entangled in CIA Leak Investigation (Correct)

(Corrects third paragraph to delete reference to former White House aide Jim Wilkinson; corrects 18th paragraph to say Fitzgerald reports to Justice Department.)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aT0EuwQJZyPo&refer=us

A broadranging investigation that shows all of our worst suspicions about these scumbags is coming true and the Public is hearing about it. There are some highly intelligent people working on these investigations, particularly Senate Majority leader Frist's.

The fur seems to be flying, but it's still hard to get my hopes up though.

reporter writes trash like that. And what editor passes on it? It is kind of like a student writing a book report and saying, "A lot of interesting stuff happened." Bleh.

Cheney May Be Entangled in CIA Leak Investigation (Update3)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aIh7Ul2ZhzQE&refer=top_world_news