Surprise, surprise. Look what suddenly turned up at the White House: 250 pages of emails sent by senior aides from VICE's office related to the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson. Rumored to be explosive, Jason Leopold reports that sources close to the investigation indicate the emails may prove that VICE spearheaded the effort to discredit Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, an outspoken critic of BushCo's prewar Iraq intelligence. This could be big, people.
According to sources close to the investigation, the White House "discovered" the emails two weeks ago, turning them over to Fitz last week. The sources added that the emails could prove that VICE lied (Imagine that!) to FBI investigators during an early 2004 interview about the leak in which he denied awareness of any effort to discredit Wilson or disclose his wife's undercover status to reporters. (Too bad Cheney wasn't under oath when interviewed.)
The emails allegedly show that VICE launched a March 2003 attack on Wilson's credibility and had the CIA dig up information on Wilson in order to use it against him. (Ya think maybe that's what the NSA eavesdropping program is being groomed to do--dredge up dirty stuff on political enemies? Sure would explain why they don't want FISA court approval or oversight. Just a thought.)
Sources further indicated that some of the emails turned over to Fitzgerald revealed Plame Wilson's identity and CIA status and contained information related to our troops failure to find the infamous weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the start of the war in March 2003.
Also allegedly contained in the emails were suggestions by senior officials in Cheney's office and at the National Security Council of ways for the White House to combat Wilson's damaging comments about the administration's prewar intelligence.
Fitzgerald disclosed in court documents last month that witnesses in the case had informed him that some emails related to Wilson and his wife, written by senior aides to Cheney and sent to officials at the NSC, had not been turned over to investigators by the White House.
Sources indicated that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales withheld numerous emails from Fitzgerald citing (the usual) "executive priviledge" and "national security" concerns. According to these sources, as of Friday some emails still have not been released to Fitzgerald because they contain (of course) classified information as well as references about the Wilsons.
Also revealed on Friday by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, was that another administration non-White House official also spoke to reporters about Plame Wilson. According to sources, this person works at the NSC.
Things seem to be heating up, folks. Just wish Fitz'd hurry up and make a few more (hopefully high level) indictments. The suspense is killing me.
Read more.
Photo: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
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• Identity of Official to Be Kept From Libby - NEWS - Comcast.net• Jason Leopold | Gonzales Withholding Plame Emails
• Jason Leopold | Plame Whistleblowers Targeted by Administration
Two top Bush administration officials who played an active role in the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson nearly three years ago have been removed from their jobs. They were career State Department weapons experts, who disagreed with the White House's pre-war Iraq intelligence and have spoken to investigators during the past two years about the officials' role in the leak, according to a half-dozen State Department officials.
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