CIA officer named prior to column (Plame)

[Rose Siding]

'Anonymous officials' are chatting with the WaTimes

The identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame was compromised twice before her name appeared in a news column that triggered a federal illegal-disclosure investigation, U.S. officials say.

Mrs. Plame's identity as an undercover CIA officer was first disclosed to Russia in the mid-1990s by a Moscow spy, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In a second compromise, officials said a more recent inadvertent disclosure resulted in references to Mrs. Plame in confidential documents sent by the CIA to the U.S. Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Havana.

The documents were supposed to be sealed from the Cuban government, but intelligence officials said the Cubans read the classified material and learned the secrets contained in them, the officials said.
...
However, officials said the disclosure that Mrs. Plame's cover was blown before the news column undermines the prosecution of the government official who might have revealed the name, officials said.

"The law says that to be covered by the act the intelligence community has to take steps to affirmatively protect someone's cover," one official said. "In this case, the CIA failed to do that."

A second official, however, said the compromises before the news column were not publicized and thus should not affect the investigation of the Plame matter.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040722-115439-4033r.htm

[redqueen]

1. The second official is logical

How stupid is that first line of reasoning? :crazy:

[MidwestTransplant]

16. The first official: Scooter Libby

[grytpype]

2. The defense is beginning to take shape...

Anonymous "officials" leak to the Moonie Times that it's the CIA's fault! Again!

[merh]

38. Don't forget lack of intent - he didn't know her position was

classified - everyone knew she was an officer - he had no intent to violate national security - it was a mistake (e.g. Berger leaving with copies of classified documents - it was human error, a harmless mistake). They will try to make the comparisons to the public (jury pool) through their puppets (media).

imho

[tom_paine]

3. Sounds like Uncle Karl is beginning his Smear and Muddy Waters

campaign.

Why not? It has worked for him every single time before.

[ClassWarrior]

11. Every...single...time, huh?

Yeah, Karl's an infallible uber-mensch, isn't he? An all-seeing, all-knowing deity, really. We just cannot beat him. So we might as well all pack up and head home. There's simply NO WAY we can win against his perfect record...

<sarcasm off>

[tom_paine]

12. That's NOT what I was saying at all

We CAN win, but we have to understand why he keeps being successful in implanting his memes, in manipulating the media, in the incredible ability to launder lies into "conventional wisdom" so easily.

If we don;t understand it, refuse to acknowledge it, then how can it be stopped?

You misinterpreted me.

NEVER GIVE UP FIGHTING TYRANNY!

Does that make my position clear?

[DenverDem]

4. Moonie Times is all wrong wing propaganda all the time.

Absolutely no credibility whatsoever.

[Rose Siding]

6. Yes but

seeing them as the vehicle for this lame CYA sputtering is telling. The admin isn't through feeling threatened by this situation.

[DenverDem]

7. Unquestionably.

The fact that this only appears in this daily collection of wrong wing prevarication transparently reveals the pure propagandic nature of this partisan meme.

[hansolsen]

8. Yes, I agree with you -- this is very telling. It tells me that Shrub

and the boys are fully expecting indictments to come down and they need to get their defense ducks in a row. I take this leak as good news for Joe Wilson and all of us seek justice for the outing of Valerie Plame. They can run but they can't hide.

If we had 60 reliable votes in the Senate there would be a charge of treason under consideration right now.

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. For some reason this one

really scares them.

There's more going on here, than any of us know yet.

Ask a freeper about Plame and watch their heads explode. I've seen it happen.

[Edmond Dantes]

5. Does anyone else detect the stench of ...

Ted Olsen?

<snip>

"The law says that to be covered by the act the intelligence community has to take steps to affirmatively protect someone's cover," one official said.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. More crap from the Loonie Moonies. The law does NOT apply....

...to information uncovered by foreign intelligence agencies through their own espionage efforts and used for their own means.

This law was clearly designed to keep any AMERICAN citizen, in or out of the U. S. government, from revealing the name of ANY CIA field operative. This covers, among others, individuals working for the government itself, and people working in the world of journalism.

This story is therefore a "red herring", and a poor attempt at that.

[struggle4progress]

23. And the IIPA also contemplates those who use already available info ...

... to further compromise an agent.

[chuckhoward]

10. This is horse****

The relevant statute is at: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/421.html

the relevant language from that statute is: ". . . and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, . . . ".

It's in the present tense. If the government wants to prosecute, all it needs to do is present evidence from the CIA that, at the time of the leak, it was taking such measures. There is also nothing in the statute that requires that the CIA was successful in taking those measures...only that it was taking affirmative steps.

I imagine the official who offered the first interpretation is probably an offical in the RNC and doesn't have a clue about what he/she is talking about.

[Rose Siding]

13. Absolutely, but it fits the pattern, doesn't it

Obfuscate, muddy the water, broaden the debate, throw 'em on the defensive. Each tidbit gets floated, then someone else repeats it with their own embellishment and we're off.

I'm reading Blumenthal's book. I'm shocked at how much pure garbage got passed off as CW.

[spotbird]

14. Todays news from "officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity"

Hum? Could that be the leaker him/herslef?

More importantly, is today's release another breach of national security? Surly this information was also classified.


On edit: That may be the point, to open another avenue for Fitzgerald to investigate, delaying the indictments until after November.

[shraby]

15. I emailed the paper and

told them the story was a bunch of garbage. What are the officials names that gave them the information because otherwise there was no way to confirm or refute the story.

[never cry wolf]

29. Exactly!

If this leaked info came from the secret grand jury hearing, it too is a breach of law. If it didn't, it has already been dismissed as irrelevant.

Look for this to be echoed in the NY Post, Faux and all the talking heads as well. The only curious thing is, why the Friday afternoon dump, if this had any relevance?

[spotbird]

31. Very good point on the dump angle.

Maybe they want it out, so they can say it has been public for awhile, but don't want it to have too much publicity.

All along the RW line (lie) has been that her position was well known around Washington social circles, therefore the Novak story simply repeated common knowledge. This story contradicts that point directly. That can't be good.

[never cry wolf]

33. Yeah, I'm thinking the same way

It's a bald faced lie with no real sources, so they certainly don't want mainstream media critters snooping around trying to verify it, hence the friday dump after the first stringers have gone for the weekend.

[librechik]

17. well, EVERYBODY knew, right?

it was common knowledge around Washington, so I hear...

Way to point the finger at Clinton! I am impressed, Karl.

Certainly had nothing to do with you!

<sarcasm off>

:puke:

[Catfight]

18. Well then, I'm sure the CIA won't mind if Plame exposes her co-workers

identity.

[maggrwaggr]

19. the story is pure bullshit

Notice how it's anonymous sources, the moonie times, and "facts" that are impossible to prove.

Duh.

[blm]

20. RevMoon's #1 'son' Bill Gertz doing his best to cover for #1 'ally' Bush.

And the naive "Christian" base eat this bullshit up with a spoon, believing Bush is one of them.

ANYTHING coming from Bill Gertz is propaganda. He has been a Moonie allmost his entire life and is truly devoted to Moon and his agenda. Bush staying in power is a BIG part of Moon's agenda.

[Alpharetta]

21. compromised, maybe. publicized, NO!

just because there were some in intelligence circles who knew who she does not mean she was useless to the U.S. in our quest for security and intelligence regarding nuclear materials.

The White House did not merely compromise Ms. Plame. They damaged U.S. ability to get intelligence from anyone in Africa who talked with her.

[RebelYell]

22. Whatever happened to the CIA Rules?

1. Don't fck with the CIA.
2. Refer to Rule #1.

[SayitAintSo]

24. This is just going to piss the spooks off even more and HOPEFULLY

initiate a long overdue blanket party for the bushbots..... I hope I hope ....

[MallRat]

25. Guess what? This is irrelevant to the investigation.

Just because an agent's identity "may" have been compromised previously doesn't mean it's open season for a political enemy to blow her cover.

Another smoke screen. Wow, the Administration must be pissing their pants over this.

Is it me, or does the frantic planting of lame "exculpatory" stories in the press indicate that this scandal is going to go much higher up the ladder than previously thought?

IOW, are we looking at Bush and Cheney getting tagged with the words "unindicted co-conspirators?"

-MR

[MallRat]

34. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks this.

Josh Marshall:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_07_18.php#003196

"There does seem to be a rush of articles aimed not simply at discrediting Wilson but specifically at arguing that there is no legal basis for a prosecution of the folks who leaked Plame's name. Who's so concerned? It makes me wonder."

[Generator]

26. So obvious!

It's the-she was already outed, so my outing her wasn't so bad defense. Which is nonsense because clearly, THEY KNOW THEY COMMITTED A CRIME because if she WASN'T COVERT then there wouldn't be a crime. And also it wouldn't have been that great FUN REVENGE on that dastardly Joe Wilson. In other words, Chimpy defenders, you wouldn't have done it if didn't CAUSE HARM to Plame and thus Wilson in the first place.

Therefore, there would be no story. But there is a story, so their little premise is crap.

How stupid do they think everyone is?

It's the- she was already raped by somebody else so how could my raping her matter defense. Since her boss already slipped up and allowed her to be molested by Russia and Cuba, then that means her boss is saying it's okay for me to let the world molest her? NO, assholes.

They are stark raving guilty and this makes me smile. Obvious, very, very obvious.

They will try anything, anything to get out of this, which is showing to me just how bad it is.

[The Night Owl]

27. The Washington Times article about Plame is a good sign for us.

The Washington Times article about Plame is a good sign for us. I think it reveals that Bushco is going to try to defend itself in the court of public opinion, rather than in the eyes of the law, because it does not have a leg to stand on the eyes of the law.

[wolfgirl]

30. Hopefully the

CIA won't sit by and let Bush & Co get away with this. These folks risk their lives and all this admin has done is stomp on 'em, use & abuse 'em.

[snippy]

39. Agreed. They are trying to get off on a questionable legal technicality.

They are not denying the criminal conduct, they are just saying that they have discovered an argument for why the conduct wasn't criminal after all. The fact that someone has gone to the effort of discovering this information about Plame shows a lot of concern and fear about indictments.

[Robb]

32. Executive Order 13292, signed by Bush

Part 1, Section 1.1(b): "Classified information shall not be declassified automatically as a result of any unauthorized disclosure of identical or similar information."

In other words, so what?

[Disturbed]

35. "How stupid do they think everyone is? "

They are counting on the millions who are as stupid or more so than Dumbass. BushCult is in desperation mode.




I am a compasionate conservative, damnit!

[merh]

37. I love that line! thanks for the post. (n/t)

[Joanne98]

36. It's the CIA'S FAULT, When Clinton was President

Therefore it's Clinton's fault or Sandy Berger's. Move along nothing to see here.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

40. "to take steps to affirmatively protect someone's cover"

It seems to me that in both alleged cases in which Agent Plame's cover was blown, it was not due to CIA negligence or failure to take affirmative steps to protect her cover. It seems that it was due to the skill of spies to infiltrate US intelligence sources. I would guess that the identity of every single CIA Agent is known by some foreign governments, at a high level.

[Rose Siding]

41. Wouldn't even having that information be classified?

Maybe this leaker is breaking the law :shrug: