Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the testimony of Bob Woodward regarding the CIA leak case involving Valerie Plame, focusing on the implications of his statements and the reactions from various officials and analysts. The scope includes legal, political, and intelligence community perspectives.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Bob Woodward testified that a senior administration official informed him about Valerie Plame's role at the CIA before her identity was publicly disclosed.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the reliability of Lewis Libby's memory regarding when he learned about Plame, suggesting that his detailed notes contradict his claims.
  • There is a call from former intelligence officials for President Bush to suspend Karl Rove's security clearance, indicating a significant concern within the intelligence community.
  • Participants speculate on the potential internal divisions within the CIA, suggesting that current officials may be restricted from commenting on the situation.
  • Some participants note the unusual detail in Libby's notes about Plame, questioning how he could forget discussing her multiple times shortly before speaking with Tim Russert.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the credibility of Libby's memory and the implications of Woodward's testimony. There is no consensus on the motivations or actions of the involved parties.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the limitations of public knowledge regarding the intelligence community's internal dynamics and the potential impact of classified information on the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in political scandals, intelligence operations, and legal implications of government actions may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
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Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward testified under oath Monday in the CIA leak case that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed.

In a more than two-hour deposition, Woodward told Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald that the official casually told him in mid-June 2003 that Plame worked as a CIA analyst on weapons of mass destruction, and that he did not believe the information to be classified or sensitive, according to a statement Woodward released yesterday.[continued]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501857_pf.html
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
Interesting, though this involves an official other than Rove, and I doubt it was Libby because of the claim that "he did not believe the information to be classified or sensitive."

Meanwhile, according to news to date (MSNBC this evening), there is a lot of disbelief that someone as bright and detailed as Libby could have forgotten where/when he first learned of Plame (which was Cheney) after only a month or so had passed. In addition, his notes were unusually detailed on this particular matter.
 
Ex-intelligence officials rap Rove
Write Bush, urge him to suspend security clearance
By Warren P. Strobel, Knight Ridder Newspapers | November 16, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sixteen former CIA and military intelligence officials yesterday urged President Bush to suspend the security clearance of his top political adviser, Karl Rove, following revelations that he played a role in outing CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

This is not likely to happen, but when 16 former agents are all of a like mind, they probably have a good reason. They aslo have a lot of information that anyone outside of the intellegence community does not have.

It is unfortunate that current intel officials are not allowed to comment on this. I have a gut feeling that there is a schism within the CIA.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/16/ex_intelligence_officials_rap_rove/
 
Last edited:
SOS2008 said:
Meanwhile, according to news to date (MSNBC this evening), there is a lot of disbelief that someone as bright and detailed as Libby could have forgotten where/when he first learned of Plame (which was Cheney) after only a month or so had passed. In addition, his notes were unusually detailed on this particular matter.
Especially since, according to his own notes he discussed her 7 times in June/July before talking to Tim Russert. He also said he was surprised when Russert told him she worked for the CIA.

He should have taken a clue from Ollie North and shredded his notes.
 
edward said:
This is not likely to happen, but when 16 former agents are all of a like mind, they probably have a good reason. They aslo have a lot of information that anyone outside of the intellegence community does not have.
It is unfortunate that current intel officials are not allowed to comment on this. I have a gut feeling that there is a schism within the CIA.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/11/16/ex_intelligence_officials_rap_rove/
Porter Goss is Bush's man. I wonder how things are going now that he is head of the CIA.
 

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