Special counsel to investigate leak of CIA agent’s identity (MSNBC, NBC)

Special counsel to investigate leak of CIA agent’s identity
Ashcroft steps aside from inquiry
out of ‘abundance of caution’



Attorney General John Ashcroft felt that now was the ‘appropriate’ time to recuse himself from the investigation, his deputy said.

NBC, MSNBC and news services

-snips-

Updated: 2:29 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2003WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the Justice Department’s investigation of the unauthorized disclosure of an undercover CIA officer’s identity, which will be overseen by a special counsel, Ashcroft's deputy announced Tuesday.

Experienced prosecutor in charge
Comey appointed the U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, as special counsel. He will have independent authority to direct the investigation without seeking approval from Comey, to whom he will report, Comey said.

Fitzgerald, 41, who was chief of the Justice Department's Organized Crime-Terrorism Unit before he was confirmed as U.S. attorney in Chicago in October 2001, will oversee investigators who are trying to determine who gave three journalists the names of a CIA operations officer who served overseas.


But the focus remains on the White House, two law enforcement officials told the AP on condition of anonymity. While initial, informal interviews have yielded no major breaks, the FBI is satisfied that the dozen agents assigned to the probe are making progress and have not encountered any stalling tactics, the officials said last week.

So far, no grand jury subpoenas have been issued, they said.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3840566/

this...is this going to be another stonewall effort by the Busheviks, or is Chimpy trying to clear up as many potential negative campaign issues as possible before he tries to steal another election??

'ken starr' type long long long investigation that continues right up to the election....and leaks like a sieve the whole time...

The guy they have assigned this to also sounds like an imbecile in the Asscroft tradition here's an excerpt from Fitzgerald regarding our wonderful patriot act.

His whole testimony can be found at the below URL (Sorry I don't know how to post a link):


"When I hear – as I do almost daily – from opponents of the Patriot Act that the law was passed in haste and ought simply be repealed, I think back to the days when we required prosecutors and agents to make decisions about national security – life and death – while only looking at half the cards in their hand and know that the change came a decade too late, not a moment too soon."

http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/testimony.cfm?id=965&wit_id=2741

Guess links post automatically!
(I had no idea...how cool is that? lol)

Although I don't fully trust any republican, Fitzgerald brought down dozens of republicans and has Ex-Gov. Ryan indicted. Hopefully there is one honest republican who will take down chimpy.

At least he went after a repuke- that's something anyway!

Having him appointed was one of the best things that Senator Peter Fitzgerald(no relation) did for us here in the Land O' Lincoln.

But- since Karl Rove was Peter Fitzgerald's campaign manager as a run-up to the Lil'Dictator's selection, so I don't know if there might be any kind of connection with Karl...

Being born and raised there.
That other term might have been ethnic, or maybe not I don't know.
I do know that sounding the S on the end could shorten your life-expectancy in some communities...especially if you are wearing a Packer Cap.

so I was trying it on for size.

I've always known the 'proper' term as "illinoisian"(the S is silent, for you neanderthals)

Maybe people would be able to warm up to "Illinoids"??

This guy Fitzgerald is the bane of the RNC. He was appointed by the freshman Republican senator from Illinois (the name escapes me) and he promptly prosecuted a load of Illinois Republicans for corruption. It made the RNC so mad that they forced the senator to resign after 1 term.

If there is something (left) to be found, he will find it. This could be fun to watch.

He is filthy rich and ran for office in spite of the RNC. He is fairly respected here in Illinois (By the Republican rank and file) for being independent from the party line. He didn't need the nod from the RNC to hold that seat.

Fitz DID get himself in a bit of trouble when he told some reporter about his chat with shrub on board AF One, but beyond that, he really wasn't in THAT bad of shape from what I could tell. His departure caught the Illinois GOP by surprise--so much so, that they didn't get anybody lined up to run as an anointed GOP candidate to replace Fitz.

Bringing down Ryan is a big deal, but even that was just about a foregone conclusion given how much dirt they had on him. It took a Fed to do it, however, and Fitzgerald (the prosecutor) does get some credit for that.

I think it is far more telling that AshKKKroft is backing away from it. He's giving himself some CYA room, and THAT is a very good sign, indeed.

Laura

to recuse himself???????

Did it take him that long to make sure everything was shredded?

history: under nixon...the U.S. Attorney General, John Mitchell, actually ended up IN PRISON...and asscroft is trying to cover his own ass, to prevent a reoccurance of the sordid reTHUGlican history....asscroft delayed this as long as he could to help bush*, but asscroft does NOT want to serve time in PRISON....watch the cards fall now....under nixon, a lot of people went to PRISON or plea bargained out...they like bush*, but not that much....



the reTHUGlicans KNOW that bush* is a real clod...a total screw-up....


stay-tuned....

damn time..

I still have no confidence that anything will ever come of this.It sounds good,"a special counsel"almost sounds Clinton-esque.You know," special counsel Kenneth Starr will now be taking over the Lewinsky matter....".They throw a bone thru the cage and laugh at us.This is the justice dept.that also had to recuse themselves from the Enron scandal while Ashcroft senate contributor Ken Lay is walking around in one of his six mansions wiping caviar off the sides of his mouth with one hundred dollar bills stolen from hard working honest people.I played a gig for Enron a month before they went under and I can tell you they were a miserable sort.Oh yea they also never paid for the party-screwed Ragtops out of $7200.00 bucks.They told the owner "Do you know who we are?We're Enron a multi billion dollar corporation.I could go on and on but I'm afraid the moderators will again censure ME for something I might say to ruffle their feathers-again.

"They throw a bone thru the cage and laugh at us."

So let's throw it back and behead a few, boomerang-style.

they seldom even "talked", it is good that The Witchfinder, Ashcroft, stayed out of this but I wonder who will be appointed to the special counsel?

This is a typical act in this type of situation. The real test is 1)how well does the SC investigate, and 2) what kind of cooperation does the SC get from the administration.

This whole matter would be cleared up in a week if the guy who obviously knows who the leakers are would be handcuffed and marched off to jail as he should be.

I'm sure those questionaires that were vetted by the White House COULDN'T POSSIBLY have been used to facilitate a coverup.

Our Boy-Emperor would NEVER do such a thing.

:puke: :puke:

Remember when we were a Free People who voted for our National Leader.

It was so recently and I still can;t remember what that felt like.

In the six months since the scandal broke, there has been plenty of time to scrub everything and coach and threaten all the witnesses and suspects.

Now they can appoint a special prosecutor (finally) who seemingly above reproach. However, what's left for him to find? He'll probably be left with hearsay, IOW, the word of people in the admin against the words of a handful of journalists and CIA agents. Unfortunately, that leads to an unprosecutable case.

Of course, there could always be surprise waiting for herr Ashcroft. He may THINK he scrubbed everything, but the CIA is notorious for holding on to things that should have been disappeared, just in case. We can only hope.

they outlast any administration and they have loooong memories.
I'm not holding my breath, though....

and most of DC is gone home for the holidays...

nice political play of the week....BIG message to bush* minions...watch for lots of bush* people to suddenly retire, go home to their families, leave in some way...get out and get a lawyer is the BIG message from asscroft to all bush* thugs....

yes, it's not good to be on the wrong side of the CIA....

and asscroft is just trying to stay out of prison himself...he may already be in trouble for stalling in a case of TREASON.....
(it's so much bigger than a third-rate burgalry like watergate....this is TREASON...).....

BushCo in a nutshell.

just like they always draw bush* in the cartoons, the ultimate 'little' man...despite being about 5'11', bush cannot fill the chair of the President of the United States...


BOOT BUSH in 2004.....SAVE AMERICA....

Hope I'm wrong. The WPost had an article last week saying the investigation was actually progressing. I remain hopeful that this is good news--maybe the direction the investigation is taking taking convinced him his own messianic future as Holy Roller Emperor of America would be best served if he got out of the way. There are actually honest investigators and prosecutors in the Justice Dept who value their own professional standards above the political fortunes of particular * admin figures.

Other than the WPost story, I don't see any other indications of why he'd feel pressured to make this decision now, given how obstinate he's been. That's what makes me suspicious it's just a decision on his part that nothing's going to be found, the documents have all been safely shredded, the phone calls were made from some payphone outside the WH, etc.

Hope I'm wrong. The WPost had an article last week saying the investigation was actually progressing. I remain hopeful that this is good news--maybe the direction the investigation is taking taking convinced him his own messianic future as Holy Roller Emperor of America would be best served if he got out of the way. There are actually honest investigators and prosecutors in the Justice Dept who value their own professional standards above the political fortunes of particular * admin figures.

Other than the WPost story, I don't see any other indications of why he'd feel pressured to make this decision now, given how obstinate he's been. That's what makes me suspicious it's just a decision on his part that nothing's going to be found, the documents have all been safely shredded, the phone calls were made from some payphone outside the WH, etc.

elections....see, also, the thread about a General's (retired) appointment to take over GITMO tribunal activity (and charges...which we've yet to see) from Wolfowitz. In a Rovian world, these moves would make sense going into the scrutiny of general elections.

Whatever evidence remains. Wink.

and asscroft just sent the BIG message to bush*, that he is jumping ship.....asscroft is saving his own ass....the special prosecutor will do the same, even if sympathetic to bush*.....

------------------------------

John Mitchell, U.S. Attorney General under nixon....famous words at the beginning of nixon's administration "Watch what we do, not what we say"


During his successful 1968 campaign, Nixon turned over the details of the day-to-day operations to the superbly organized Mitchell. After he became president in January 1969, Nixon appointed Mitchell attorney general. Mitchell remained in office from 1969 until he resigned in 1972 to manage President Nixon's successful reelection campaign. As attorney general, Mitchell believed that the government's need for "law and order" justified restrictions on civil liberties. He advocated the use of wiretaps in national security cases without obtaining a court order and the right of police to employ the preventive detention of criminal suspects. He brought conspiracy charges against critics of the Vietnam War, and demonstrated a reluctance to involve the Justice Department in civil rights issues. "The Department of Justice is a law enforcement agency," he told reporters. "It is not the place to carry on a program aimed at curing the ills of society."

On February 21, 1975 Mitchell was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury and sentenced to two and a half to eight years in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in and cover-up.

Tape recordings made by President Nixon and the testimony of others involved confirmed that Mitchell had participated in meetings to plan the break-in of the Democratic party's national headquarters in the Watergate complex. In addition, he had met, on at least three occasions, with the president in an effort to cover up White House involvement after the burglars were discovered and arrested. He died after collapsing in front of his Washington, DC home in 1988. His wife Martha passed away in 1976.


http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/John-N.-Mitchell

for political innoculation.

We have to compare W to Nixon

atleast Ashcroft is out of the picture.

it will be interesting to see how long it will take before he`s stonewalled...

Why didn't he do that a long time ago?

Will this ever move forward?
Bush as much as told the reporters involved that they had better not divulge the source when he said 'it would probably never be solved because reporters never divulge their sources'.

To get around this, "Reporter_A" tells "Reporter_B" the identity of the senior White House officials who leaked the information.
"Reporter_B" reports on the leak, but can keep the identity of "Reporter_A" confidential.

I believe there were possibly six "Reporter_A"s who were called by the senior White House officials. The problem here is that they probably all work for Faux News or else the leaks wouldn't have been given to them. They might think protecting the administration is more important than protecting a CIA operation that was keeping us safe from rogue nuclear weapons.

Do I feel any safer than two years ago? Not when this White House feels it is OK to expose a covert operation this important to our national security for their personal political revenge.

Who would have ever thought anyone that close to the seat of power would be so irresponsibly partisan to even consider compromising national security for the politics of personal destruction. Those people have done damage that leaves us all exposed to a higher terror threat. They have to be removed from access to any more information immediately. Leaving them in place for the past six months may have given them the opportunity to pass along more secrets to our enemies. They may not be over zealous partisans, they may actually be working for our enemies.

This is where the Patriot act might have been used effectively.

The fellow in charge of the "investigation" is a Bush appointed US Attorney. Guess who the US Attorneys report to, that’s right, the Attorney General. How is this supposed to be independent when the guy they have chosen is beholden to the one who he is investigating to get his job back when the investigation is over?

No one will be reporting to Ashcroft on this matter in the future. Fitzgerald, the new special counsel, will report to Comey (sp?) the ass't AG who announced Ashcroft's recusal. And Comey said that he had already given Fitzgerald carte blanche authority to follow this wherever the leads go.

FWIW, Sen. Charles Schumer, who's been pushing for an independent investigation since day one, says he has the utmost respect for both Comey and Fitzgerald and that this is about as good an appointment as one could expect.

While the long delay seems suspicious, yes, this is definitely good news. Most likely it does mean that things have gotten a bit hotter than Ashcroft had hoped. And it would be pretty hard to scrub everything. Plus, we know that there are at least 6 reporters out there who have personal knowledge of things plus, in the WP article last week, we learned that there is a memo that was circulated to the press about Plame's background.

There will be no findings. This will cost bookoo bucks and it's all a dog and pony show.
I will be VERY SURPRISED if they get anybody but a low level staffer.
When they get this little fish, be prepared for a BIGGER dog and pony show.

Smoke and mirrors thats all this was (and is)

to bush* and the rest of his thugs....the message is: asscroft is jumping off the sinking ship...and that they are all on their own now....

expect LOTS of bush* thugs to suddenly resign for 'family reasons' or 'health reasons'.....as Watergate spread, it included hundreds of nixon's thugs..some took plea bargains...some worked out behind-the-scene deals...some went to PRISON....including U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell.....

just to stay our of PRISON, nixon thugs were walking in with their attorneys, having never been accused or anything...suddenly self-confessing to lesser things than they actually did, and ratting off their colleagues....

asscroft just covered his own ass...and the rest of the rats may well follow him and jump the sinking ship too....

I would certainly like to go to bed tonight believing this is true.

And I thank you for all of your recent succinct posts.

However, my personal baloney chart is going off the wall. I find it very difficult to believe, actually, that anyone has the power to refute the powerful propagandist machine of Bush. He seems to have it sewn up in lies of course, but somehow the people are indeed believing him and his lies. That is the reality that must be faced if it is to be defeated. He reigns when it comes to the bully pulpit and he does not intend to change his approach. He has , apparently convinced more than fifty percent of Americans that he is really, really a good guy, but a tough, plain speaking, cowboy who is ready to take this country into Armageddon and win! :eyes:


Wow, look how powerful he is! He can kill hundreds at will while only a governor.! and now, as president , his kill power has been expanded and he can, legally, kill thousands of children, women and old men, and here he is--the vaunted, and admired president by a majority of people , according to the polls--and we do not even know if the polls are honest and correct!


What a mess, eh? Is there any honest man or woman, left in this crazy world?

will fall...IMO, it will fall hard, like nixon did....

nixon killed lots of people, along with his minions, henry kissinger, alexander haig and others....in the background, every day, the Vietnam war KILLING continued all through the whole thing...my cousin was KILLED in Vietnam....Charlie was an HM3 Medic...he was awarded a silver star (for valor) and a purple heart AFTER he died, only 19 years old, he could not even vote because he wasn't old enough (you had to be 21 then).....

bush* has abused the power of the Presidency of biggest and best country in the world....just like nixon, there are any number of abuses of power that should impeach him, or take him to the Haig or put bush* in prison....but justice moves along quite slowly...and in this TREASONGATE, it seems to be moving at quite a clip....it's one part of the BIG picture...and the BIG picture is the taking glee in KILLING people, ordering the KILLING of thousands of innocents by flinging bomblets on them with hot molten spinning pieces of metal coming out everywhere...and BOMBING the water supply for 5 million people...stealing BILLIONS in broad daylight...it is all very very wrong....

and it's been done before (the classic example that runs along the same WAR-bribery-corruption-war profiteering stuff was nixon)....

I am old enough to remember the darkness during Vietnam and nixon....and I was young, and angry like you and all my friends were coming home from Vietnam in boxes....but there is a lot of movement now toward taking bush* out of power, because he abused it in many ways...I am not sure how the scenerio will play out...it will change and evolve....but TODAY, for me....I feel a lot better about America today....in fact, I'm thrilled with this turn-of-events...it puts a BIG 'cloud' on bush*, which could help us win the election....bush* doesn't have the character or the stamina to face what awaits him here in DC, as in any DC investigation, but especially TREASON...

my Dad used to tell me that the government is like a big ship...it takes a long, long time to get a big ship to turn...at one end of the ship, you've got to push and push and push...and nothing happens...and push and push...and then suddenly, the big ship starts to turn, and once it starts to turn, the momentum just keeps it going without a lot more effort....TODAY, the big ship started to turn....I am elated, thrilled...and I'm going to keep working on the elections, because NOW I know WE CAN WIN and change this whole mess...I didn't feel that way at all when shrub landed on the aircraft carrier...it's a real good feeling to end a horrible dark year on....


Stand up...keep fighting...don't give up....Paul Wellstone



P.S. Marianne, there are many more HONEST men and women in America and the World, than the tiny number of dishonest scums....right now, we are just anxiously awaiting WHO will step up...who, being in the right time and right place, will STAND UP...there will be many, I believe, and some are already here....more will appear soon...


"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, if you listen carefully, you can hear her breathing. ---Arundhati Roy

The fox is guarding the hen house. They are judge and jury and they're in charge of sentencing as well--no cookies for you tonight.

These are the same people who lied to send people to war and death and said "yeah, so, what are ya gonna do about it?" They blame 9/11 and false Iraq claims on intelligence breakdown and don't even demote someone for it.

They lie and they lie and they don't care who knows about it. Why do we think there will be one rolling head for this little boo boo?

Carthridge near there, actually. Went to prison for using his office and staff for personal business. Missouri Attorney General Webster.

and heads will roll if this doesent get prosecuted, they can watch all of the ppl in the whitehouse and if they fuck up even once BAM Front page news

Operation: Frog March the Turd Blossom has begun!!!!

suggests that something ILLEGAL is happening at OUR White House...

and this investigation is BIG....it's TREASON against the United States of America.....

it's not any little third-rate office break-in....or a blow-job....

THIS IS TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!!
in time of war.....

Yes, it's officially a scandal, and shrub is ON VACATION again....the shrub might as well not even come back to DC, now...maybe just stay down there at his 'prairie chapel ranch' for the rest of his life....

hundreds of Washingtonians are cutting their holidays short and rushing back to DC right now...lawyers, counselors, public relations people, movers, CIA people, and the whole bush* White House staff....

let the investigation begin !!!!

When the cable news stations give the CIA leak story its own "theme music," we'll know it is officially a scandal. Until then, keep writing them and demanding that they cover it.

Incidentally, FWIW, during CNN's coverage of this development, Kelly Arena and John King were commiserating about how extraordinarily difficult it was to come up with any information about this investigation.

The theme music comes with a logo
Again, I suggest Operation: Frog March the Turd Blossom

it some other light-weight name....

already heard NPR trying to say it's about an 'un-named' women, who was revealed by an 'unknown' person within the White House....

call-in, write....demand that it be PUT-OUT-THERE, UP-FRONT for America

------------------------------

this officially announced 'Special Prosecution' Federal Investigation is about:

TREASON AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in time of war....

------------------------------

make them say it....don't let them disguise this under layers of b.s.

TURD BLOSSOM!!!!!!!

I like that better than treasongate. But you're right, we need the shorthand meme, a logo and the theme music. When we get those, we will know that we have made it a real, bona fide, ain't going away scandal.

And I agree, MikeG, Turd Blossom is pretty irresistable until you realize you're quoting the world's biggest terrorist. Still....... ;-)

Chicago's top prosecutor known as political independent
Tuesday December 30, 2003

By MIKE ROBINSON
Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO (AP) U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald has sent corrupt politicians and members of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network to prison.

Now Chicago's top federal prosecutor takes his reputation as a tough, aggressive crime buster to Washington and the politically sensitive job of trying to find out who leaked the name of a CIA operative to a columnist.

Those who know him say the 43-year-old transplanted New Yorker and avowed political independent has the right temperament for the job.

``Elliot Ness with a Harvard law degree and a sense of humor,'' James Comey, the Justice Department's No. 2 official, told reporters Tuesday after announcing that Attorney General John Ashcroft was recusing himself from the investigation.

Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last July. Fitzgerald is to head the investigation and report to Comey, a longtime friend who worked alongside Fitzgerald when both were assistant U.S. attorneys in New York.
(snip/...)

http://cbs2chicago.com/illinois/IL--FitzgeraldProfile-in/resources_news_html

scholar, give speeches and become a multi-millionaire and enjoy the rest of his life....

this is definately one of those rare career opportunities in law....

go for it Fitzgerald...STAND UP against those TREASONOUS bastards....show them what the son of an immigrant, who worked his way through college, can do to those slimy corrupt squatters in the White House....SAVE AMERICA !!!!! be a HERO !!!!

said as an Irishman myself.

Irish in me too...

it'll be another PROUD moment when the son of an Irish immigrant takes down the criminals in the White House...make me proud again to be an American ! ....

sort of like when Kennedy was President...and America stood PROUD....

The uppity neo-cons are now done. The real power elites in the CIA, Pentagon, and Military-Industrial complex got scared or got pissed and are now re-establishing order.

They know Dubya can't win in November, so they are going to make a big bloody pile of neo-cons for the cameras, while the traditional conservative GOP elites advance their careers by deploring Dubya's behavior.

and Chicago....

:kick: don't let this scum get a way !!!

:bounce:

That's why it took him so long to recuse himself ... had to be sure he'd get someone he could count on to hide the truth.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:


:toast: :toast: :toast:


:hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:


:nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

Fitzgerald is a bulldog prosecutor and stays out of party politics. We love him here.

The only thing that worries me about his appointment is that all the evidence may be gone. And in three months the administration will look legit when they say, "See, even Fitzgerald can't find any wrongdoing on our part."

There is no way this administration would let Fitzgerald loose on themselves if they hadn't scrubbed themselves down.

AssWipe's campaign fraud has left the building... :grr:


Ashcroft Not Queried On Campaign Funds

By Walter Pincus and Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 20, 2003

During more than two years of investigating two campaign committees that Attorney General John D. Ashcroft maintained when he was in the Senate, the Federal Election Commission never directly questioned Ashcroft or obtained a sworn statement from him even though the issue of his personal ownership of a mailing list and the income it produced were central to the inquiry.

<snip>
The case has its roots in 1998, when then-Sen. Ashcroft (R-Mo.) created a leadership political action committee (PAC), Spirit of America, to raise money and develop a donor list for a possible presidential race. A year later, when the list totaled 80,000 names, Ashcroft dropped the presidential plan and created Ashcroft 2000 to raise money for his Senate reelection campaign.

A key element of the FEC case was an unusual document called a "work product agreement" spelling out that by allowing Spirit of America to use his name, signature and image to raise money, the donor list was to be the "exclusive property of John Ashcroft." Ashcroft signed the document, as did Jack Oliver, acting as executive director of the PAC. Drawn up "as of the 17th day of July, 1998," the document produced for the FEC was signed on Aug. 4, 1999, because, as the FEC was told, all the original 1998 copies were lost.

The date was important because, "as of the 1st day of January, 1999," Ashcroft signed a "list license agreement" with Ashcroft 2000, which gave the Senate campaign committee use of the PAC list, which cost $1.7 million to develop. That transfer saved Ashcroft 2000 the cost of creating a fundraising list. But because the PAC had contributed $10,000 in cash, the amount permissible under law, to the Senate campaign committee, three public interest groups called for an FEC investigation after the 2000 election, arguing that the mailing list was an additional donation that violated the law.

more...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16412-2003Dec19.html