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02/05/2004 Archived Entry: "Possible break in Plame case..."
Possible break in Plame case...
Josh Marshall has this, sans link, from UPI:
Federal law enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year.The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said.
According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby were the two Cheney employees.
"We believe that Hannah was the major player in this," one federal law enforcement officer said.
Calls to the vice president's office were not returned. Hannah and Libby did not return calls.
The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah "that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time," as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law enforcement official said.
Marshall promises more today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Replies: 7 people speak up
pressuring him to reveal his superiors? im not going to hold my breath on that one. if he does name his superiors, he had better get into the witness protection plan, and he had better avoid small aircraft
Posted by justin @ 02/05/2004 04:35 PM NY
Here's the link to the piece.
This "Insight on the News" is not a publication with which I am familiar but considering that they list Ann Coulter's products in their "book club" and their only link is to the Washington Times...for some reason the song "Bad Moon Rising" is suddenly taking over my brain.
Will do some more checking here but I smell a diversion.
Posted by Xan @ 02/05/2004 05:00 PM NY
Xan,
Didn't see the link, so I hadn't entertained the thought. Good catch.
Now that I think of it - isn't UPI owned by Poppy Bush's buddy sun Myung Moon?
Posted by editor @ 02/05/2004 05:06 PM NY
B3, are you just trying to cheer us up?
Posted by Aristophanes @ 02/05/2004 05:29 PM NY
Esteemed editor:
Yup. UPI was bought by "New World Communications" which is owned in turn by the Unification Church, in 2000.
I then went to look at what else the recipient of this blockbuster news Richard Sale has been doing lately. He definitely qualifies as a Ghostbuster as he seems to see spooks frequently:
From Counterpunch (and worth reading in its own right):
"Another CIA spook that may be of interest to Verges is Miles Copeland, who is tight with Bush Senior. Copeland told the UPI's Richard Sale that the CIA had enjoyed "close ties" with the Ba'ath Party, just as it had "close ties" with the intelligence service of Egyptian leader Gamel Abd Nassar.
"Sale quotes a former State Department official as saying ...."
So we have a reporter who has contacts with CIA and State, writing a story that ties the Palme leak to Cheney.
Not to mention it resurrects the Palme story, which had pretty well faded into fishwrap territory, just as the Blue Ribbon "Oops, Intelligence Goofed Just A Little Again" Investigation Commission is ramping up.
The much-vaunted "White House discipline" is cracking badly, and the teflon is starting to peel. Sure breaks my heart. :)
Posted by Xan @ 02/05/2004 08:04 PM NY
has anyone though that they might be sitcking cheney with this because they are planning on getting rid of him before the election?
Posted by justin @ 02/05/2004 11:38 PM NY
Justin, that is a d*mn good thought there. Let's keep an eye out for leaks suggesting any attempts to lay other "missteps" (intelligence "failures", Iraq War, Haliburton contracts, Janet Jackson's halftime costume, War of 1812, etc) at Cheney's doorstep.
Once a furor has been whipped up he can either fall on his sword (do an Agnew and "resign for the good of our beloved party & president") or fall on a scalpel and resign for medical reasons (those durn multiple heart attacks have a way of catching up with one.)
I genuinely hope this does not happen, Cheney is SUCH a juicy target, we need him right where he is. But I have a weakness for overdramatic speculation. :)
Posted by Xan @ 02/06/2004 10:15 PM NY
