Conyers on Veteran's Day and Rove

[MelissaB]

http://www.johnconyers.com/vertical/Sites/{EF00C507-612C-4BA3-84C0-446C97F7E413}/uploads/{783D5269-5DF5-4A99-B14D-401ED14EF0A3}_WEB.jpg

Friday, November 11th, 2005

Veterans Day and a Couple of Items of Miscellany

While the President apparently decided to break with tradition and politicize Veterans Day, I simply hope we all take a moment to think about our men and women who have served are are serving in uniform, their sacrifices, and especially those who have lost their lives or been wounded while serving our nation.

A couple of miscellaneous items I noticed today:

Like many of you, I have heard and read a great deal of contradictory information about the fate of Karl Rove in the Fitzgerald investigation of the leak of Valerie Plame's covert status. There is a new article out by investigative journalist Murray Waas who seems to have some of the best sources around. It doesn't entirely clear things up but, and I am reading between the lines here, that may be because the prosecutor himself has not yet decided on a course of action.

Also Josh Marshall has been doing some very interesting reporting on the origin of the forged Niger documents. Like the Murray Waas article on Rove, there is much to chew on, but little resolution here. If you want to follow a byzantine story, but one of ultimate importance, this is it. As they say, both off these just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.


Blogged by JC on 11.11.05 @ 04:37 PM ET

Link: http://www.conyersblog.us/

From the Waas article above:

Libby Testimony Is Key To Rove Inquiry

By Murray Waas, special to National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald delayed a decision on whether to seek criminal charges against Karl Rove in large part because he wants to determine whether Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, can provide information on Rove's role in the CIA leak case, according to attorneys involved in the investigation.

Even if Fitzgerald concludes in the near future that he does not have sufficient evidence to charge Rove, the special prosecutor would not rule out bringing charges at a later date and would not finish his inquiry on Rove until he hears whatever information Libby might provide -- either incriminating or exculpatory -- on Rove's role, the sources said.

On the last day of its two-year term, the federal grand jury in the leak case indicted Libby on five counts of making false statements, perjury, and obstruction of justice as part of an alleged effort to conceal his own role, and perhaps that of other Bush administration officials, in publicly disclosing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.

Fitzgerald did not seek an indictment of Rove, opting to present any potential new evidence on the White House deputy chief of staff to a new grand jury. In recent days, Fitzgerald has reinterviewed several witnesses with knowledge of Rove's role in the Plame leak and talked with attorneys of other potential witnesses.

More: http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1112nj_waas.htm