Leak risks US security, says ex-CIA official (Larry Johnson on Plame)

[Khephra]

Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday October 2, 2003
The Guardian

snip.............

Larry Johnson, a former CIA officer, said he was trained 14 years ago with Valerie Plame, a specialist on weapons of mass destruction, whose naming by a Washington journalist quoting senior administration officials has triggered a criminal investigation of the White House.

The journalist who published Ms Plame's name, Robert Novak, said he was told she was an analyst and that although he was asked by the CIA not to use her name, he did not think it would endanger anyone.

Mr Johnson, now a business security consultant, vehemently disagreed.

"I was an analyst. She's not," he told the Guardian. "In any case, it is a red herring. Even when I was an analyst my own parents did not know who I worked for. The day we walked into the agency we were under cover and we only knew each other by last initials.

"She's under cover, working in a clandestine situation, and it was exposed for the sake of cheap, tawdry politics. Assessing the damage for this could be difficult and will take some time," Mr Johnson said.

"I'm a registered Republican and I'm sickened by this," he added. "I've spoken with four colleagues who have since left the agency who worked with her. And they are livid."

MORE..............

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1053934,00.html

[AndyTiedye]

1. The Stuff She Was Working On...

...seems rather important right now, with North Korea building nukes.
Wouln't we like to know who they're selling to?
Who are we going to ask now?
:nuke:

[Khephra]

2. Maybe Rove can ask her....

According to the new Dowd piece, both Rove and Plame attend the same church. I can only imagine what this Sunday will be like.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. I doubt seriously if Plame is appearing anywhere in public these days...

...after all, it's been some time since Novak revealed her name and we don't know what's happened to her network at this point in time.

[Khephra]

3. kick

:kick:

[tlb]

4. Isn't this the same ex CIA man who said 40 year old Palme

was an agent for three decades ? What he said this time is probably true but a different spokesman might be useful.

[Khephra]

5. I don't know

But he could have meant that they had known each other DURING 3 decades? That's technically possible with knowing someone just 10 years and 2 days.

He states 14 here. eg: (not the years in question) 1988-2002 would be "during" three decades, but not "equal" to 3 decades.

I'd have to see your original quote to know...but I've heard people talk about knowing people through various decades without meaning that they knew them throughout the whole decade.

:shrug:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

6. Wrong. Maybe it would help if the press would accurately report what....

...Johnson actually said, or that people would research for themselves what Johnson actually said.

While watching Buchanan and Press yesterday, Johnson was asked that exact question and he plainly stated that Plame had been an agent for 18 years overlapping three decades. That length of time includes the latter part of the 1980s, all of the 1990s, and up to the present.

22 plus 18 equals 40, does it not?

Maybe we'll just keep Johnson...he presents well on television and appears to have a very good grasp of the facts.