White House rallies behind Cheney

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051026/pl_nm/bush_leak_dc



By Adam Entous 26 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday sidestepped questions about whether Vice President Dick Cheney told his chief of staff about the CIA officer at the center of the leak probe as investigators wrapped up interviews with witnesses ahead of indictments expected as early as Wednesday.

Marc Lefkowitz, who lives across the street from CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, said he was questioned by two
FBI agents on Monday night about whether he knew about Plame's work at the CIA before her identity as a covert operative was leaked to the press in 2003.

"They just asked me if I knew what my neighbor (Plame) did before it came out in the press," Lefkowitz told Reuters. He said he told the agents: "I didn't know."

Two lawyers involved in the case said the line of questioning could be a sign that federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald intends to charge administration officials for the leak itself, in addition to possible charges for easier-to-prove crimes like perjury and obstruction of justice.

[acmavm]

1. Charge them with everything and anything, they're probably guilty

anyway.

[WI_DEM]

2. and the games have begun

Cheney is up to his neck in this mess.

[malaise]

3. He could make it easy for everyone by

taking out those batteries. I'd pay to watch that.

[Hotler]

One could only hope! n/t

[sniffa]

4. the ship is sinking

everyone grab onto this anchor!!

[Demeter]

5. There's Not Enough Cover to Protect Any One of Them

let alone all of them. WHat are we going to do for goavernance when this misAdministration is decapitated? We as a nation ought to have a plan.

[rodeodance]

6. is that Bush at the end of the line. sure is a weird pic.

[Terran]

52. Noticed that too. If that is Bush...

why is he standing so far away from Dick? How very odd!

[russian33]

7. I noticed this with this group

they rally behind a mess, no matter how big it is....and no matter how many times they get burned, they still do it....oh well, cheers...

[rodeodance]

8. wonder who sent the CIA snooping last night?

....Marc Lefkowitz, who lives across the street from CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, said he was questioned by two
FBI agents on Monday night about whether he knew about Plame's work at the CIA before her identity as a covert operative was leaked to the press in 2003.

[rsmith6621]

9. HE'S T O A S T

In a Word.....HE'S T O A S T


Anyone want to wager that he will not be VP at the end of this month....or is it president...Im so confused.

Hes Gone....why else is the White House floating the name of Sen. John McLame.

[BlueStater]

10. Keeping my fingers crossed

I really hope we can nail Cheney. The thought of that bastard no longer being Vice President makes the rest of Bush's term seem almost bearable (key word is "almost").

[Arkana]

11. They are?

That means he's going down.

[stepnw1f]

12. WasThat Picture from Today?

If so, he can go F* Himself!

[cliss]

13. I don't know, guys.....

Cheney looks awfully smug here. What does he know that I don't know?

Crap, this makes me nervous. All these creeps look fairly happy. Is that Bush standing on the far right?

....please,please,please.....don't let BeelzeBub walk.

[Tiggeroshii]

15. If by "happy" you mean "tense" and "uneasy"

I'll agree. Besides, they all look a bit constipated. Like they aren't happy with the way they look. You know, they're always faking everything anyways, right?

[BlueStater]

16. It may very well be an act

Obviously they can't show the public their fear.

[bobbieinok]

18. not watching TV ..... would someone please ID the people in the pic???

[jazzjunkysue]

23. Halderman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.

[Olney Blue]

53. LOL

:rofl:

[Marie26]

22. Does this help?

This was from five days ago, so maybe they've gotten more worried since then. Plus it's a posed shot, so they made sure to look happy for the cameras. Here's another candid phot taken when Cheney wasn't looking.


He doesn't look like a happy camper.

[Olney Blue]

54. Where did you find this candid photo?

[Marie26]

55. Yahoo photos

There's a slideshow w/just recent Cheney photos. For all you Cheney groupies out there.

[Zynx]

51. You can see fear behind that smug look.

It looks forced. I can force a smile too even when I'm scared.

[DLnyc]

14. Go Cheney yourself, f**k!

[Scout1071]

17. Anyone else think that it looks like Cheney's face is sliding down

on the left side? Almost like someone who's had a stroke?

[DLnyc]

20. Yes, the left side of his face is definitely drooping

He also looks a little 'glazed' to me. I guess watching his evil empire go up in smoke raised his blood pressure a little too high.

[goforit]

19. I wonder if Lefkowitz has been charged by the other side * for saying

something.

[shanti]

21. OR ELSE!

:evilfrown:

[jefferson_dem]

24. CIA leak investigators hold last-minute interviews (Reuters)

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - With charges expected as early as
UPDATE 2-CIA leak investigators hold last-minute interviews
Wednesday 26 October 2005, 8:53pm EST

By Adam Entous

Wednesday, federal officials investigating the exposure of CIA operative Valerie Plame conducted last-minute interviews with her neighbors and associates of Karl Rove and other top White House aides, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Marc Lefkowitz, who lives across the street from Plame, told Reuters two FBI agents asked him on Monday if he knew about Plame's CIA work before her identity was leaked to the press in 2003. Lefkowitz said he told them: "I didn't know."

Two lawyers involved in the case said such questioning could indicated that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald intended to charge administration officials for the leak itself, in addition to possible charges for easier-to-prove crimes like perjury and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors also questioned a Rove colleague and other witnesses, lawyers said.

<SNIP>

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nN25576267&imageid=&cap=

[NYdemocrat089]

25. There are so many different reports of this.

I just want the indictments...and soon!

[KoKo]

26. I'm sorry...but I find it hard to believe that Fitz's Investigators are

going around Tonight or Last Night just NOW interviewing Plame/Wilson's neighbors asking "Did you know about Valerie? Was she CIA...they ask breathlessly." :eyes:

This sounded to me like a Repug Plant from when Matthews talked about it tonight and he picked it up from this Reuter's report.

If Fitz has had two years...why would he have his investigators out there just NOW..on the streets asking about Plame...? He'd have to be an idiot to send folks out just before he's either going to indict or drop the investigation. :shrug:

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. Or worse, the FBI agents weren't sent by Fitz...

Shades of Nixon?

[crispini]

30. Or...

they weren't really FBI agents? :tinfoilhat:

[alcibiades_mystery]

32. That was my next post

:rofl:

Indeed...

[crispini]

36. Some days

there just isn't enough tinfoil to go around.

[crispini]

29. It's Reuters.

Who is Marc Lefkowicz, and why would he lie? :shrug:

[deadparrot]

28. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: We know nothing.

Only Fitz knows what Fitz is going to do. His people have been ordered not to leak anything.

Let's just wait and see. Don't get too emotionally attached to any one theory at this point.

[Donailin]

31. Fitz

One day a movie is going to made about this whole event and it is going to be centered on Fitz and his operation of this investigation and, God willing, successful prosecution of the Bush Cult. It will be blockbuster. There has never been a tighter ship than the one he is commanding. This guy is one of the good ones and it will be a great American Story,I think.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. True

In the old days, the movie would have focused on the intrepid reporters who got to the bottom of it. These days, the reporters are in cahoots with the conspirators, and we can rely only on the occasional honest prosecutor. I wonder if the Washington press corps isn't a little bit ashamed right about now.

[KoKo]

33. There's always one or more Bush Bot plants in News Organizations...

let's figure that Reuter's has it's one reporting this ridiculous "interviewing Plame Neigbors story" today.

It's just ridiculous...on face value that Fitz would be out "beating the shrubs" for someone who "Just Knew" that "Val" was CIA from the beginning. Maybe they've paid someone off. (the Bushies) to come forward or something and Reuters is hoping to get the exclusive "propaganda interview." :-( I don't think what I've read of Fitz that this is the way he works. :shrug: sorry...I just don't buy it.

[crispini]

38. Ok, here it is in the LA Times.

Not the Reuters story

Fitzgerald Focuses Again on Rove
By Tom Hamburger, Richard B. Schmitt and Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON -- Prosecutors investigating the leak of a CIA agent's identity returned their attention to powerful White House advisor Karl Rove on Tuesday, questioning a former West Wing colleague about contacts Rove had with reporters in the days leading to the outing of a covert CIA officer.

Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald also dispatched FBI agents to comb the CIA officer's residential neighborhood in Washington, asking neighbors again whether they were aware — before her name appeared in a syndicated column — that the agent, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA.

The questioning, described by lawyers familiar with the case and by the neighbors, occurred as Fitzgerald was thought to be readying indictments in the long-running inquiry into the leak of Plame's identity.

more

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-102505leak_lat,0,7947383.story?coll=la-home-headlines

However, the LA Times adds one little word the Reuters story does not: AGAIN

[jefferson_dem]

41. CNN clarifies that this is "the second time" agents interviewed Lefkowitz

With the grand jury investigating the leak set to expire Friday, FBI agents interviewed a Washington neighbor of Plame for a second time.

The agents asked Marc Lefkowitz on Monday night whether he knew about Plame's CIA work before her identity was leaked in the media, and Lefkowitz told agents he did not, according to his wife, Elise Lefkowitz.

Lefkowitz said agents first questioned whether the couple was aware of Plame's CIA work in an interview several months ago.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/25/cia.leak/index.html

[crispini]

43. Good, that does make more sense.

Fie on Reuters!

[creeksneakers2]

34. Suppose a couple of grand jurors aren't convinced on a couple

of points. He could be doing this for jurors who want a last final check.

[princehal]

35. Good Move

If he is going to bring charges. This way we have the neighbors on record, before the Repbulicns can "find" people who "knew" she worked for the CIA.

They asked these questions earlier I think. This might just be nailing the coffin...

[alcibiades_mystery]

39. I agree

This sounds like a "dot-the-i's-and-cross-the-t's" operation that develops potential witnesses for trial. This is not related, in other words, to the contingency of indictments (it's not a necessary condition), but is rather a final flourish for the argument NOW, and a strong opening at trial against one possible line of defense (imagine 25 neighbors, relatives, friends, and acquaintances saying "I didn't know she worked for the CIA" - would you wanna be the one or two people claiming under oath that it was all over the cocktail circuit? - note that no such claim has been on record by anyone yet!).

The openness with which it was conducted is also telling. These neighbors are probably being watched closely by the press, and they probably have business cards of every beat reporter in DC. Fitz knew, in other words, that this would get out. He's basically signalling to the parties that he's building a witness list for trial, and that if they want to go to trial, he's ready down to the rhetorical details. So, fellas, ya wanna deal now, or later. This is as good as it's gonna get, and it's never gonna get this good again....

[Kira]

42. What do you mean

want to go to trial? Isn't that the purpose of an indictment? What else could happen to them once they are indicted?

[crispini]

44. Presidential pardon.

Just watch. :eyes:

[Kira]

45. * could pardon them

before trial?

[alcibiades_mystery]

49. Of course

Nixon was pardoned before indictment!

[alcibiades_mystery]

48. They could make a deal to avoid trial

As is the usual practice. Such deals could also involve providing further evidence for the investigation, if you follow...

What I'm saying is this: Sending agents out to see Plame's neighbor again is a coded signal to those who've been warned that they're going to be indicted. It says "I'm now getting ready for trial, even at this level of minutia. So, do you wanna give up somebody else, or do you want to take your chances with the jury?"

[demgrrrll]

40. I think it is a shot across the bow towards Rove and his minions. My

first thought was that he knows how they operate and wants to make sure they know that he is one step ahead.

[dweller]

47. He's making his list ...

"he's checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and ..."

guilty of treason?

dp

[jazzjunkysue]

46. No one rallys behind an innocent man.

There's simply no reason to.
:popcorn:

[lovuian]

50. Judith smiled and Tom Delay smiled & Frist smiled & Cheney too

it the smile I'm going to be indicted smile!!! :)

[AndyTiedye]

56. I Like This Picture Better

[PurityOfEssence]

57. "Rallying behind" is a whole lot different than "rallying around"...

Sure Dick, we're behind you...

[belle]

58. "Et tu, Scooter?"

[Trajan]

59. HUG that rat bastard ..... Hug Him REALLY tight and DONT LET GO ! ......

Every one of you lying fucks should follow his ass STRAIGHT to the slammer .....

Birds of a feather flock together, you know .....

I hope the WHOLE GOP grabs a hold of him for dear life .... Please ....

I am SO PLEASED that Fitz appears to be prepared to charge for Espionage .... GET THEM BUSH BASTARDS ! ...