Plame criminal case

A federal grand jury investigated for over three years the circumstances by which the identity of former CIA operative Valerie Plame was leaked to the press. The investigation, which was led by special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald, led to the indictment of then-Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby.

The United States v. I. Lewis Libby refers to the criminal case brought against former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff for concealing his role and that of Cheney in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. After an investigation by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, a federal grand jury indicted Libby of five counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to investigators. Libby was found guilty of four of the charges. His sentence was commuted by then-President George Bush, but Bush refused to pardon Libby-- despite Cheney lobbying Bush that he do so.

2005
"For nearly two years, the investigation into the leak of a covert C.I.A. officer's name has unfolded clamorously in the nation's capital, with partisan brawling on talk shows, prosecutors interviewing President Bush and top White House officials, and the imminent prospect that reporters could go to jail for contempt of court. "But the woman at the center of it all, Valerie E. Wilson, has kept her silence, showing the discipline and discretion that colleagues say made her a good spy. As her husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, has become a highly visible critic of the administration and promoted his memoirs, Ms. Wilson has ferried their 5-year-old twins to doctors' appointments, looked after their hilltop house in the upscale Palisades neighborhood of Washington and counseled women with postpartum depression. "On June 1, after a year's unpaid leave, Ms. Wilson, now known to the country by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, returned to a new job at the Central Intelligence Agency, determined to get her career back on track, her husband said. Neither the agency nor Mr. Wilson would describe her position, except to make what might seem an obvious point: she will no longer be working under cover, as she did successfully for almost 20 years. "`Before this whole affair, no one would ever have thought of her as an undercover agent," said David Tillotson, a next-door neighbor for seven years who got to know the Wilsons well over back-fence chats, shared dinners and play dates for their grandchildren with the Wilsons' children, Trevor and Samantha. "`She wasn't mysterious," Mr. Tillotson said. `She was sort of a working soccer mom.'"
 * Scott Shane, "Private Spy and Public Spouse Live at Center of Leak Case," New York Times, July 5, 2005:
 * M. Kane Jeeves, "Bush's Damaged Control," mkanejeeves.com, July 5, 2005.
 * SusanG, "Joe Wilson on Sentencing of Judith Miller," stevegilliard.blogspot.com, July 6, 2005: "Clearly, the conspiracy to cover up the web of lies that underpinned the invasion of Iraq is more important to the White House than coming clean on a serious breach of national security. Thus has Ms Miller joined my wife, Valerie, and her twenty years of service to this nation as collateral damage in the smear campaign launched when I had the temerity to challenge the President on his assertion that Iraq had attempted to purchase uranium yellowcake from Africa. ... The real victims of this cover-up, which may have turned criminal, are the Congress, the Constitution and, most tragically, the Americans and Iraqis who have paid the ultimate price for Bush's folly."
 * Murray Waas, "Exclusive: Plame Game Over?" American Prospect, April 6, 2005.
 * "'The President Should Fire Rove!'," BradBlog, July 13, 2005.
 * Larisa Alexandrova, "Interview: Ambassador Wilson, husband of outed CIA agent, sees larger Administration role in leak," The Raw Story, July 13, 2005.
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * John Aravosis, "Republicans now trying to Swift Boat Ambassador Joe Wilson over Rove-Treason-Gate," AMERICAblog, November 8, 2005.
 * Murray Waas *"The Meeting" The American Prospct, as reposted on CBSnews.com, August 8, 2005.
 * David Johnston and Richard W. Stevenson, "Times Reporter Testifies to Jury in C.I.A. Leak Case," New York Times, October 1, 2005.
 * Jim VandeHei and Walter Pincus, "Role of Rove, Libby in CIA Leak Case Clearer. Bush and Cheney Aides' Testimony Contradicts Earlier White House Statement," Washington Post, October 2, 2005.
 * Judd Legum, "Source to Stephanopoulos: President Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal," Think Progress, October 2, 2005.
 * Billmon, "Conspiracy Theory," Whiskey Bar, October 2, 2005.
 * Billmon, "Battle Cry of the Republicans," Whiskey Bar, October 2, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Rove Before Grand Jury in the Morning," Whatever Already! (blog), Oct. 6, 2005.
 * Murray Waas,"Rove Assured Bush He was Not Leaker" National Journal, Oct. 7, 2005.
 * Murray Waas,"Libby Did Nor Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation" National Journal, Oct. 11. 2003.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Jearlyn Merritt, "It's Libby vs. Miller Time, Talk Left, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Secret Service Records Prompted Key Miller Testimony," National Journal, October 20, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney, Lobby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
 * Murray Waas and Paul Singer, "Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005
 * Jim VandeHei and Carol Leonnig, "Rove's Future Role Is Debated. White House May Seek Fresh Start In Wake of Leak," Washington Post, November 3, 2005.
 * Dubya, "Rove Remains In Serious Jeopardy, Could Be for Some Time," Daily Kos, Nov. 11, 2005.
 * David Johnston, "Another Time Reporter Is Asked to Testify in Leak Case," New York Times, November 28, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.
 * Byron York, "Will Rove be Indicted? As rumors fly, here’s what’s known at this point," National Review, December 14, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Rove Assured Bush He was Not Leaker" National Journal, Oct. 7, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Libby Did Nor Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation" National Journal, Oct. 11. 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney, Lobby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
 * Murray Waas and Paul Singer, "Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005
 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.

2006

 * Murray Waas, "Cheney Authorized Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006. "Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records."
 * Murray Waas, "Rove-Novak Call Was Concern to Leak Investigators," National Journal, May 25, 2006.
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Ashcroft Was Told," National Journal, June 8, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Bush Directed Cheney to Counter War Critic", National Journal, July 3, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006: "Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews."
 * Dan Froomkin, "Another Stab at the Truth," Washington Post, July 14, 2006: "There are some hugely important aspects of the Bush presidency that remain insufficiently examined, and the most important are about the run-up to war in Iraq. Polls show that a majority of Americans believe President Bush and his associates intentionally misled the public in making their case for war. It's a terribly serious charge, if true. In fact, it's hard to imagine a more serious charge against a president."
 * "US officials 'betrayed' CIA agent," BBC, July 14, 2006.

2007

 * Richard B. Schmitt, "Jury seated in trial of ex-Cheney aide. The 12 to hear evidence against 'Scooter' Libby include four who gave some criticism of Bush," Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2007.
 * "CIA trial under way in Washington," BBC News, January 23, 2007.
 * Stacy Schiff, "A Trial to Remember," Welcome to Pottersville Blogspot, January 23, 2007.
 * Michael Isikoff, "'Scapegoat:' Scooter's Stunning Defense. A bombshell detonates on day one of the Libby perjury trial, as Cheney's longtime aide points the finger at Karl Rove," Newsweek (MSNBC), January 23, 2007. re Karl Rove
 * Neil A. Lewis, "Libby a Scapegoat, His Lawyer Tells Jurors," New York Times, January 23, 2007: "In his opening statement today, the chief defense lawyer for I. Lewis Libby Jr. set the stage for a nasty bout of finger-pointing in the Bush administration, asserting that Mr. Libby, the vice president’s former chief of staff, had been made a scapegoat to protect the president’s longtime political strategist, Karl Rove. "The unexpected statement by Theodore V. Wells Jr. was the first sign that Mr. Libby, who is facing five felony counts, would seek to deflect some of the blame on to his former White House colleagues. Until today, Mr. Libby’s defense to perjury and obstruction of justice charges was that he might simply have remembered incorrectly what he testified to in a grand jury and to F.B.I. agents.  "Mr. Wells told the jury that the unnamed White House officials wanted to protect Mr. Rove because they believed his survival as President Bush’s political adviser was crucial to the health of the Republican Party."
 * Joe Sudbay, "Roles of Cheney and Rove dominate opening arguments in Libby trial -- Scooter says Karl set him up," AMERICAblog, January 23, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "Libby Update: Protecting Karl Rove?" TPMmuckraker, January 23, 2007.
 * "Libby Destroyed Evidence Prior To Testifying, Cheney 'Deeply Involved'," Think Progress, January 23, 2007.
 * Richard Willing, "Liar or 'scapegoat'? 2 depictions of Libby as trial opens," USA TODAY, January 23, 2007.
 * Carol D. Leonnig and Amy Goldstein, "Ex-CIA Official Testifies About Libby's Calls. Queries' Timing Key To CIA Leak Case," Washington Post, January 25, 2007.
 * Jeff Lomonaco and Murray Waas, "The United States v. I. Lewis Libby," Union Square Press, Feb. 2, 2007.
 * David Johnston and Jim Rutenberg, "At the Libby Trial, Hints of Intrigue and Betrayal," New York Times, January 25, 2007.

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * prewar intelligence
 * Valerie Plame
 * Patrick J. Fitzgerald