"Subject: Rove/P&C," (for personal and confidential), Cooper began. "Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation ..."Karl Rove has been confirmed as at least one source of the leak of Valerie Plame's identity. A review of Time reporter Matt Cooper's emails, indicate that Rove wasn't exactly lying when he said he "didn't leak her name" and that Cooper was concerned about identifying the source as having any affiliation with the White House, let alone as being Rove himself.
Rove told Cooper that Wilson's trip had not been authorized by "DCIA"—CIA Director George Tenet—or Vice President Dick Cheney. Rather, "it was, KR said, wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd [weapons of mass destruction] issues who authorized the trip." Wilson's wife is Plame, then an undercover agent working as an analyst in the CIA's Directorate of Operations counterproliferation division.If Rove said he was not the source of any leak that lead to Plame's outing because he didn't identify her by name, Clinton's impeachment for perjury when he denied having sexual relations with "that woman" must be overturned if there was a female in the room when he said it (if he looked or gestured at a woman, it could be construed that hewas was just saying he didn't have sexual relations with that particular woman). Rove's intent in his contact with Cooper was most obviously to discredit Wilson on the basis that it was Wilson's wife, a WMD expert in the CIA, who sent him to Africa to determine the veracity of allegations Iraq was trying to purchase uranium there.
"not only the genesis of the trip is flawed an[d] suspect but so is the report. he [Rove] implied strongly there's still plenty to implicate iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro[m] Niger ... "
Rove was in the process of planting what BushCo knew was inaccurate information to lend credence to the propaganda used to justify the invasion of Iraq, not
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, implies this as some sort of vindication of his client since the emails do not state that Rove said "Wilson's wife" was a covert operative is proof Rove didn't know her name or status. I disagree. The emails also point to him lying about information he did not; what's to say he just failed to mention what he did know because that might be a little problematic for him or the administration. At such a high level of government, wouldn't Rove be under some sort of obligation to ensure that any information he provides regarding CIA personnel could not possibly interfere with an operation or risk national security?
Oh & another thing: if Rove didn't know, let alone convey any knowledge of Plame's covert status, why is it that Cooper felt the need to use the words "double super secret background"? I can understand why Rove & the WH would need to be distanced from statements implying Wilson lied in his report and editorial since it would be obvious it was a case of the administration lying to defend their earlier lies, but double super secret sounds like kiddie-detective dialogue best left for Peter Brady in "The Great Earring Caper" episode.
"to discourage Time from publishing things that turned out to be false"& dispute claims that Cheney and high-level CIA officials arranged for Wilson's trip to Africa as a source close to Rove told Newsweek.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, implies this as some sort of vindication of his client since the emails do not state that Rove said "Wilson's wife" was a covert operative is proof Rove didn't know her name or status. I disagree. The emails also point to him lying about information he did not; what's to say he just failed to mention what he did know because that might be a little problematic for him or the administration. At such a high level of government, wouldn't Rove be under some sort of obligation to ensure that any information he provides regarding CIA personnel could not possibly interfere with an operation or risk national security?
Oh & another thing: if Rove didn't know, let alone convey any knowledge of Plame's covert status, why is it that Cooper felt the need to use the words "double super secret background"? I can understand why Rove & the WH would need to be distanced from statements implying Wilson lied in his report and editorial since it would be obvious it was a case of the administration lying to defend their earlier lies, but double super secret sounds like kiddie-detective dialogue best left for Peter Brady in "The Great Earring Caper" episode.
Tags:Rove; Plame; politics; Bush Administration; Foreign Policy; conservatism; robert novak; media; matt cooper; judith miller; Downing Street MemorandumSphere: Related Content
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