"Rove Scoop Remains Elusive"

[kstewart33]

Howard Kurtz provides a summary of the Rove-Leopold-Marc Ash story in his Media Notes column. Worth reading.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html

[Divernan]

1. So Fitzgerald met Luskin at the vet's office? What a Chinese firedrill!

Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, says he spent most of the day on May 12 taking his cat to the veterinarian and having a technician fix his computer at home.He was stunned, therefore, when journalists started calling to ask about an online report that he had spent half the day at his law office, negotiating with Patrick Fitzgerald -- and that the special prosecutor had secretly obtained an indictment of Rove.The cat's medical tests, Luskin says, found that "the stools were free of harmful parasites, which is more than I can say for this case."

The claim that President Bush's top political strategist had been indicted in the CIA leak investigation was written by a journalist who has battled drug addiction and mental illness and been convicted of grand larceny. That didn't stop more than 35 reporters -- from all the major newspapers, networks and newsmagazines -- from calling Luskin or Rove's spokesman, Mark Corallo, to check it out.

While no other news organization touched the report, word spread through blogs and Internet sites. According to the Detroit Free Press, the keynote speaker at a banquet of Michigan trial lawyers announced the indictment, bringing the heavily Democratic audience to its feet.

[DemforNagin]

2. Man....

When will this die already. It was a bogus report, will always be a bogus report.

Sheesh, don't we have better things to do?

[CatWoman]

6. 1. What is a "bogus" report?

2. Just who is this "we" you speak of?

[TahitiNut]

9. Answer to #2 ...

:evilgrin:

[KoKo]

33. Oh Dear God......

kind of says it all...doesn't it...

:-(

[Strong Atheist]

23. Welcome to D.U.!

:toast:

[global1]

8. Sounds Like Somebody Is Being Swift-Boated........

The claim that President Bush's top political strategist had been indicted in the CIA leak investigation was written by a journalist who has battled drug addiction and mental illness and been convicted of grand larceny.

[tiptoe]

10. Update by Marc Ash that anticipated Kurtz' story (screenshot):

Screenshot of Marc Ash' full 5/21 article provided here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1250919&mesg_id=1251360

Excerpts:

Information Sharing on the Rove Indictment Story
by Marc Ash, Sun May 21st, 2006

I'd like to break this posting into two categories: What we know, and what we believe. They will be clearly marked.
...
We believe that we hit a nerve with our report. When I get calls on my cell phone from Karl Rove's attorney and spokesman, I have to wonder what's up. "I" believe - but cannot confirm -- that Mark Corallo, Karl Rove's spokesman, gave Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post my phone number. I believe Howard Kurtz contacted me with the intention of writing a piece critical of our organization. I know that Anne Marie Squeo of the Wall Street Journal attacked us and independent journalism as a whole...

We believe that rolling out that much conservative journalistic muscle to rebut this story is telling. And we believe the Rove's camp is making a concerted effort to discredit our story and our organization.

Further -- and again this is "What We Believe" -- Rove may be turning state's evidence. We suspect the scope of Fitzgerald's investigation may have broadened -- clearly to Cheney -- and according to one "off the record source" to individuals and events not directly related to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. We believe that the indictment which does exist against Karl Rove is sealed. Finallly, we believe that there is currently a great deal of activity in the Plame investigation...

kpete excerpted the article's opening "What We Know" category here:
TRUTHOUT UPDATE 5/21/06 : What We Know & What We Believe

(I was able to acccess the link a few hours ago...others have been having trouble accessing it recently as well:

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2006/5/21/115826/135 )

[pnwmom]

14. Top lawyers get paid $$$$ per hour. Odd that he would spend

a workday at the vet and at home with a computer tech. Wouldn't you think he'd have someone else to do those little mundane chores for him? Isn't his time better spent accruing billable hours? Doesn't make sense to me . . . except as a cover.

[blogslut]

42. Low blow Howie

low...

The claim that President Bush's top political strategist had been indicted in the CIA leak investigation was written by a journalist who has battled drug addiction and mental illness and been convicted of grand larceny.

[bluerum]

3. Is there such a thing as a sealed indictment in these kinds of cases?

I can easilly see the shrub (that the dogs piss on) ordering the special prosecutor (through his lackey boss) to keep this sealed for "national security reasons."

Is it possible that KKKarl R. has already been indicted but that the special prosecutors office has been ordered to keep this sealed at all cost's?

[dogday]

5. Read This

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1250919&mesg_id=1251852

[Garbo 2004]

39. Only the court can seal a indictment. Not the special counsel. n/t

[paparush]

4. Gonzales (Fitz's boss) Squashed the Indictment...or that is the theory

this morning.

[enough already]

11. I thought Gonzales squashing this was a possibility from the start

These nazis will do anything to save Rove and the Chimp.

[Hamlette]

22. the word is "quash", not squash. . .n/t

[onenote]

that's the 'theory' alright -- in fantasy land.

I'm sure with a bit of searching on the Internet I can find folks discussing the theory that the universe is really just a big snowdome toy in the hands of a race of space aliens from Alpha Centurion. Not only has nothing been cited (beyond sheer speculation) to support this theory, its legally wrong -- a court can quash an indictment, not the AG.

[paparush]

41. That's why I cast it in the light of the 'theory'.

At one time, we theorized about electrons, protons, etc...

[theboss]

26. Ha!

That is so laughable.

[UTUSN]

7. Link's title: Rove "Scoop" Remains Exclusive n/t

[LiberalEsto]

12. Either Luskin is full of cat stools

or KKKarl pulled a Dan Rather on Leopold.

[pnwmom]

15. Does it make sense that Luskin would waste all those billable

hours sitting at home with a computer tech? Wouldn't it have made a whole lot more sense for him to have someone else do this little chore for him? This guy bills hundreds of dollars per hour. Does it make sense he'd waste most of a Friday on stuff like this? Not to me.

[OzarkDem]

54. Smells like Rove spin

its such a typical spin tactic.

[wookie294]

13. That's a damn shame

Leopold's career is over. Truthout is seriously damaged, which sucks. I know a few Washington journalists and lefty activists who have always said Leopold is not credible in his reporting. I took Leopold's side in defending him, but now I realize he's not credible. I was hoodwinked. It appears he fabricated the entire Rove story because he thought an indictment was imminent.

[CatWoman]

17. where did you get that information?

It appears he fabricated the entire Rove story because he thought an indictment was imminent.

[wookie294]

18. The information comes from Fitz

Fitz hasn't issued an indictment.

[CatWoman]

19. So, Fitz said the story was fabricated

is that what you're saying?

Or did he do his mime routine?

[wookie294]

25. Jason's previous reporting indicates he exaggerates things

Extreme ambition ruins good people. Why do people need to "win" all the time and "get the scoop" before everyone else? LOL. Winning isn't all that wonderful anyway, imho. I find it difficult to believe that Jason's sources are from people in the White House or in Fitz's REPUBLICAN office. There is no way that Republicans in the Bush White House would speak to Jason Leopold unless they want to toy with him. I have suspicion that Leopold fabricated the whole thing. Maybe Leopold was thinking a broken clock is always correct twice a day.

[CatWoman]

34. I have to admit that I have more faith in Leopold

than I do in you.

[lebkuchen]

46. Misplaced faith.

I hope you're not a betting woman. You'll lose.

[CatWoman]

51. well

i have my faith, and you have yours.

So it appears that mine isn't "misplaced" after all.

[lebkuchen]

59. You base your opinion on faith.

I base mine on personal experience, and as such, I know that these endless Leopold discussions are useless and counterproductive. There have been hoards of them for the past 4 weeks. Knowing that nothing would come of all the hype, I find it sad to see all the wheel-spinning spent on this guy, on this site, which, on a typical day used to be fairly informative in its analysis. Now it just looks silly and naive.

I'm not committed to any one website or personality on it. I'm committed to a cause, and this Leopold escapade is hampering that cause on DU. It's starting to infect DailyKos as well, which is a real shame.

I am sure Rove will one day be indicted, just like the sun will rise. It doesn't take any special journalistic insight to figure that out.

[CatWoman]

67. i'm really sick of the b.s., too

day 10 and counting.

It's been nothing but an endless stream of these posts, and the "taste great" coalition has clearly drawn the battle lines.

Me?

I'm not with the "less filling" gang. Couldn't care less.

I march to my own drumbeat.

However, until Truthout is proven wrong, I continue to believe and support them.

[Maven]

72. "Until" they're proven wrong?

They've already been proven wrong.

Obviously Truthout will continue to publish great stories, albeit under different bylines. But as regards this story, there is no issue of "faith" or "holding out." It was DOA.

And if by some chance in the next three or four or five weeks, Rove is indicted, the story will STILL have been false.

Someone in another thread put it best--it's not just that Leopold toyed with us all, he gambled with something that wasn't exclusively his--the credibility of the entire lefty blogosphere. Everyone needs to drop the "I stand with X" posts and face facts, or we'll never undo the damage. Kurtz is an asshole, yes, but Leopold et al are the reason he has ammunition against us to write articles like this.

[hootinholler]

47. Obi-wan said:

Let the wookie win.

:evilgrin:

-Hoot

[Blue_Roses]

40. What do you base this on

"Fitz's REPUBLICAN office."

We need a link to this 'cause from what I've heard, Fitzgerald is neither.

[lebkuchen]

44. "Fabricate" would be accurate.

[Catrina]

37. That hasn't been established at all ~ in fact, if you read back to the

Libby indictment in October, many mainstream media outlets spoke about Fitzgerald possibly having a Rove indictment 'in his back pocket' but after visiting Rove's attorneys decided to wait, possibly because at the time it was reported that Rove, to avoid that indictment, might have decided to cooperate.

Should we slam those who reported that? Did anyone do a background check on them? Or should we dismiss that possibility, that Fitz has had a sealed indictment against Rove (and maybe added more charges since them) since last October altogether?

So to say that Fitz hasn't issued an indictment is simply speculating. It may be true in that he hasn't acted on it, but we do not know whether the Grand Jury (it is they who issue indictments, btw, not Fitz) has or has not issued any indictment. To say we do, one way or the other, is simply guessing.

[Laurab]

50. Catrina thank you for all your thoughtful and intelligent posts

about this. It's always a pleasure to wade through so much BS and find your posts. In my opinion, ANYTHING could have happened here. With this administration we are dealing with master criminals, who have no regard for the law.

I don't think we should slam the messenger, although there's an awful lot of that going on. My guess is that there's been some shady manipulation going on, and not by the reporter. Time will tell, I guess, but the only thing that would surprise me is if Rove ISN'T indicted. I'd love to see him cooperate, so if that's what the delay is, it's worth waiting for...

[lyonn]

70. Yup, MSM can spout all kinds of speculations and

who rakes them over the coals? Ms. Miller got a couple of minutes of questioning, she was fired and that is pretty much the end of that story. Leo, according to many, should have time to do. Go figure.

[oc2002]

20. Truthout is still as reliable as any other media outlet.

take everything with a grain of salt, and that does not means they all have to be 100% right or 100% wrong.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. BS Squared !

If that's true then Wayne Madsen fabricated the same thing.

[lebkuchen]

48. I doubt his career is over.

Editors have known about Leopold for years, and yet they continue to publish his stories, w/little editorial oversight. "Counterpunch" is the most egregious. I'm sure Jason will always have a home there, as well as that New Zealand site...what's it called..."Scoop?" They will support Leopold to the death.

Truthout needs to cut bait and move ON.

[oc2002]

16. Howard Kurtz is a dueche bag.

Oh, the MSM never uses un-named sources do they?

[notundecided]

28. Heard on the Chris Matthews show Sunday

Reporter, I don't remember her name, says that Rove will not be
indicted this week or next; and she said that she would bet no indictment
at all!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

30. You must be a guy.

[deaniac21]

61. FunnY!!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

65. you, must be a female. And one who knows how to spell! haha

[deaniac21]

66. Bingo!

:blush:

[Spazito]

21. Kurtz is owned lock, stock and barrel by the repubs/bush admin

He sold his soul to them to keep his wife getting contracts from the repubs, it is that simple. Anything he writes has as much credibility as The National Inquirer, less actually, imo.

[NoodleyAppendage]

24. Ash's personal history is irrelevant to story...

Kurtz is such an asshole. It may be time to start investigating his past and dragging out every little indescretion of his when referring to his "reporting."

J

[KoKo]

36. You don't need to go farther with Kurtz than his wife who helped Ahhhnold

in his Campaign for Governor after Pete Wilson was engineered out and that she works for a Republican PR firm in DC.

So if Kurtz is tainted by his wife's huge connections with Repugs then Leopold's past does have some bearing on his articles when he writes one that is causing this much controversy on the blogs and could hurt "TruthOut's" credibility for a long time...

:shrug:

[Fleshdancer]

27. Here's an interesting take from The Capitol Hill Blue blog...

Discussing the article written by Kurtz...

FYI, I'm not really all that familiar with Capital Hill Blue so let me know if they're credible or not.

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/content/2006/05/who_do_you_trust.html

We also called sources who have provided accurate inside information on Fitzgerald's investigation in the past but not one could (or would) confirm the Truthout story. We talked to reporters who said their editors ordered them to check out Leopold's story and found most were reluctant to chase the story.

"There was nothing there," one said. "I knew that before I checked."

Assumption is a reporter's curse. Assuming a story is or is not true leads to sloppy reporting, inconsistent fact checking and mistakes. What we still don't know at this point is whether or not the sloppiness was Leopold's or the reporters who half-heartedly tried to check out his story or both.

[johnnie]

31. I just had a thought

If Fitzgerald doesn't want it to be known that someone leaked the indictment, he could have easily withdrawn in and it will never show a date of May 12th. This of course is assuming the TO story was right.

:shrug:

[Garbo 2004]

38. No. Fitz cannot withdraw a grand jury indictment. He doesn't have

the authority to do that.

People must think an indictment is a note from the grand jury to Fitz that he can just pocket or do what he wants with it. The indictment goes to the judge overseeing the grand jury. If the grand jury has decided to indict, it's a court matter and Fitz is subordinate to that and the process.

[Snivi Yllom]

63. 100% correct

Once there is an indictement issued by a jury, it can't just disappear, no matter how much the KARLSPIRACY Krew believes it to be true.

Rove very well may be indicted, but it has not yet happened. Truthout and Jason Leopold are talking out of their full of shit asses.

[Jersey Devil]

32. The indictment is being hidden by the Mena aliens

This was reported even before the Truthout scoop by Weakly Whirl Newz, a sister publication, which also broke the big story about the aliens who landed at Mena with the objective of controlling the news.
It was confirmed by at least 12 sets of confidential, deep undercover eyes, who reported directly to Jason Leopold and Wayne Madson that they discovered the following facts in their daring expose':

It may always remain a mystery as to exactly what happened that May night in Mena, but the little farming community has never been the same since. In following years, top secret government installations and air strips have been erected. UFO buffs flock to the area and a transvestite nudist camp opened there recently. Dole, Buchanan, and Clinton, who have all been photographed with aliens, regularly visit Mena.

Newt Gingrich was spotted at the transvestite nudist camp, TV Acres, wearing only a football or space helmet. Bill Clinton's own half-brother, Roger, is known to have a "tatoo" similar to Buck Rodham's. Dole reportedly has a financial interest in a fruitcake factory just outside Mena. Based on information given to wEakLy wHiRL kNEwZ by a reliable drug smuggler, investigative reporters suspect the link between these men and Mena is money, power, corruption, and the dark sorcery of evil mutant aliens.

Barry Seal, the infamous drug smuggler, contacted the offices of this tabloid shortly before his mysterious death and told reporters about a group of interstellar criminals known as the Arien Nation. Seal claimed these evil aliens were using space ships to smuggle a substance similar to cocaine. He claimed the smugglers were all mutant aliens with secret powers. According to Seal, these shipments all arrived in Mena.

More - http://members.aol.com/scarien/alien.htm

[symbolman]

35. Once again EVERYONE IS WRONG

Except for Leopold, TO, Pitt, and wild theories that don't hold a drop of legal water..

Wake up, Leopold is a CON artist. You got Punk'd.

Now we have the excuse that Fitz will even make it possible that a MAY 12th Document will NEVER PROVE TO RIGHT..

jesus! Come ON.

Just a Whiff of reality. And everyone wonders why we can't beat the right wing.. THEY lockstep, and the left gets held hostage by Denialists, Conspiracy theories, and Con jobs..

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

43. Wonder how many copies of his just published autobiography he's sold

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976082241/

[symbolman]

71. Well,, he can add the DU int he Epilogue

There it is, all admitted and fine, a fine thing to do, but not if you plan on repeating it and using it to do more damage.. he may well be laughing his ass off at everyone. Like I said before, if I were Pitt, I'd check between my shoulder blades in case of a sharp pain..

Leopold has called out so many of his publishers, sources, etc, and guess what, just now now, it's EVERYONE ELSE who is to blame..

See a trend here?

Like Rove, in the end he wins either way, whether he's right and can grift more people, or if he's wrong just stick it in the book and BRAG about it. A winning formula..

Same back at King Coal, thanks for both linking to this.. once I saw this book it all made sense.. Hell, someone is talking about making this book into a MOVIE starring potentially JOHNNY DEPP. He might be a producer.. Nice to see the DU up there on the big screen, all running around repeating the Mantra, "wait and see, wait and see.." while the three card Monte guy has packed up his card table and left town..

[King Coal]

55. Symbolman, check out this excerpt from Leoplold's book.

It kinda proves yer point.

http://processmediainc.com/press/mini_sites/news_junkie/media_files/newsjunkie_chap2_thescoop.pdf

[bunny planet]

45. Firedoglake has something up about this now.

Christy is very suspicious of Kurtz's motivation and has some other thoughts on the column.
Check it.

[bleever]

49. Thanks, bunny.

Short excerpt:

"...it was Rove legal spokesperson Mark Corallo who fed Howard Kurtz the phone number of Truthout’s Mark Ash. (And isn’t this starting to sound like a horribly written soap opera at this point?)

Now I’m not one for tin foil hats and conspiracy theories. It’s just not my nature. But a hatchet job this obvious — trying to paint the whole of the liberal blogosphere with a jaundiced brush, especially when the painting is a joint venture between Byron York, Mark Corallo, and Howard Kurtz, is pitiful at best."

http://www.firedoglake.com/


:hi:

[OzarkDem]

58. Puppy dogs and cotton candy

Just another sunny, happy day in GOP Roveland...

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/014903.html

from Talkleft

I have just gotten off the phone with Karl Rove's spokesman, Mark Corallo, who provided me with his response to the below quoted portions of the article. (He was at an event making cotton candy with his kids and only saw my email with the quotes, not the entire article.)

First, the Truthout article: Not only is Truthout not backing down, they are flat-out calling Rove spokesman Marc Corallo and Rove Lawyer Robert Luskin's denial false.

Truthout adds a new twist: Rove "may" be cooperating and becoming a witness for Fitzgerald and Cheney may be in Fitzgerald's cross-hairs.

[bunny planet]

62. Thanks bleev, I'm so bad with the linkies.

:hi:
That's exactly the excerpt I would've picked.
Seems like the MSM is very happy to 'swiftboat' the liberal blogosphere. Things that make you go hmmmm?

[Snivi Yllom]

52. That's not a summary

That's a spanking.

[Catrina]

69. I see it differently from several povs. First , it proves that Marc Ash's

theory was correct about Howard Kurtz getting his phone # from Rove's spokesperson. That spokesperson who misinformed reporters before on the matter of Livingston's situation, as has been posted here several times. So, Mr. Corallo's own credibility is seriously in question, or perhaps, his sources' credibility. He is clearly a Rove tool.

For some, who have long viewed Howard Kurtz as suspect regarding his allegiances, it is confirmation that he has a direct line ot Rove. No surprise really, but nice to have 'theories' confirmed.

And, considering the personal histories of many public figures ie Poindexter, Elliot Abrams, Wolfowitz, Perle remember their history? Possibly not for the majority of people, because when 'reporters' like Howard Kurtz report on these public figures, he doesn't refer to their criminal and/or questionable past (far more serious, btw, than Jason Leopold's in terms of this country).

Clearly he was instructed to insert damaging information that had little to do with the title of his article. I would not object to his reporting on the personal lives of Ash or Leopold if only he would inform the public of the personal backgrounds of some of the former or pardoned criminals currently serving in this administration. That kind of information might have changed the course of this country. Leopold's past will hardly have much effect on anything other than his own personal life.

Being 'spanked' by Howard Kurtz means little. Maybe he should give some thought to his own questionable journalistic ethics (more cleverly hidden than JL's granted but not missed by those who care about truth in reporting).

Howard Kurtz seems always to get the stories that the blogosphere are on to before the MSM and which could harm this administration were they to get much coverage. He was the one assigned to the Jeff Gannon affair, I remember, when it became obvious that the story could not be contained anymore. He was responsible for dismissing the fact that someone in this administration gave a press pass to a fake journalist who was a male prostitute and basically killed the story in the MSM.

He's always there to help the Bush administration, while appearing to be 'fair and balanced'.

It's no surprise to news junkies that Howie was given this story, and Ash was proven right it seems ~

[Triana]

53. Howie Klutz...

...how predictable.

[BlooInBloo]

56. 'morning all! Has truthout been 100% vindicated yet?

Just checkin.... "24 hours" has GOTTA be close to being up - it's been like 10 days after all...

:)

[OzarkDem]

57. Rove & Co Backs Against the Wall

They're pulling out all of the stops in their news media war, that is for certain.

Every last quote from this bunch sounds like more Rove concocted pap, and why not? He's in the worst pile of shit he's ever stepped in in his entire life.

The news media is cowering in their corner waiting for someone to break the story. We certainly haven't seen any of them attacking TO for their reporting (except for Howie, who doesn't count).

I'm surprised that so many DU'ers are being duped by the GOP.

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/014903.html

[Catherine Vincent]

60. Remember Howie Kurtz attacked lefty bloggers for outing Jeff Gannon

hmm...

[bunny planet]

64. the 'swiftboating' of the liberal blogosphere has begun.

Please go rate-up the post 'FDL smacks down Kurtz' on the latest page on DU. It only needs two more votes.

[Beetwasher]

68. Nobody Knows Nothing

Not the nay sayers, not the yea sayers, nobody. And anybody who tells you they know something for sure, becuase they KNOW it's "just not done like this" is full of shit. I know nothing, they know nothing, no one knows nothing. And Howie Kurtz, most of all, knows shit, because he's just a tool and does his bidding.

Let the jackals keep doing what they do best: Eat rotting flesh.

[Jazz2006]

73. It is sad to see so much blind faith exhibited by those who,

almost by definition, would rail against exhibitions of such blind faith by anyone else in any other circumstances.

Sad, sad, sad.

Blind faith is just wrong. Always.