Here’s the latest salacious speculation on the Fitzgerald investigation, from Richard Sale:
Two top White House aides are expected to be indicted today on various charges related to the probe of CIA operative Valerie Plame whose classified identity was publicly breached in retaliation after her husband, Joe Wilson, challenged the administration’s claim that Saddam Hussein had sought to buy enriched unranium from Niger, acording to federal law enforcement and senior U.S. intelligence officials.
If no action is taken today, it will take place on Friday, these sources said.
I.Scooter Libby, the chief of staff of Vice President Richard Cheney, and chief presidential advisor, Karl Rove are expected to be named in indcitments this morning by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.
Others are to be named as well, these source said. According to U.S. officials close to the case an bill of indiictment has been in existence before October 17 which named five people. Various names have surfaced such a National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, yet only one source would confirm that Hadley was on the list. Hadley could not be reached for comment.
But letters from Fitzgerald, notifying various White House officiials that they are targets of the invstigation, went out late last week, a former senior U.S. intelligence official said.
Although most press accounts emphasized that Fitzgerald was likely to concentrate on attempts by Libby Rove and others to cover-up wrongdoing by means of perjury before the grand jury, lying to federal officials, conspiring to obstruct justice, etc. But federal law enforcement officials told this reporter that Fitzgerald was likely to charge the people indicted with violating Joe Wilson’s civil rights, smearing his name in an attempt to destroy his ability to earn a living in Washington as a consultant.
The civil rights charge is said to include “the conspiracy was committed using U.S. government offices, buildings, personnel and funds,” one federal law enforcement official said.
Other charges could include possible violations of U.S. espionage laws, including the mishandling of U.S. classified information, these sources said.
That Vice President Cheney is at the center of the controversy comes is no surprise. Last Friday, Fitzgerald investigators were talking to Cheney’s attorneys, and detailied questionaires, designed to pin down in meticulous sequence what Cheney knew, when he knew it, and what he told his aides,, were delivered to the White House on Monday, these sources said.
The probe is far from being at an end. According to this reporter’s sources, Fitzgerald approached the judge in charge of the case and asked that a new grand jury be empaneled. The old grand jury, which has been sitting for two years, will expire on October 28.
Sale also says (and TalkLeft concurs) that indictments could come down today afterall.
I have no comment on the substance of any of this (other than to say I’m dubious). Instead, I’ll let you all mull it over, and decide whether or not you trust the source.
For what it’s worth, though, Alan Dershowitz—appearing on Neil Cavuto’s show just now—suggested that investigations like Fitzgerald’s, insofar as they conclude by criminalizing policy disputes, are anathema to the democratic process. And Ann Coulter—appearing with him—disagreed, adding that all of this is moot (nobody knows what the hell is going on yet, despite all the speculation), and that, if a serious crime has been committed, prosecutions should of course proceed.
So. There you go. Have at it.
****
update: Tom Maguire offers his predictions. Somewhere to the terrestrial side of Sale’s, I should say.
So now that the MSM is salivating, can we expect
that the case will be tried by the Media before any court action, and realistcally, how will that effect the overall outcome of the current investigation….
Is it over yet?
Violating his civil rights?
Civil Rights?
Joe Wilson is male, 56 years old, wealthy, and among the whitest person in America.
Yeesh…..
Also, how does a Rovian White House ‘smear’ destroy anybody’s ability to earn a living as a consultant in Washington?
My hunch is that a ‘smear’ would only add to Wilson’s cachet and employability among certain groups in Washington.
Man, I’d hate to walk that far out on a limb only to see it sawn out from under me.
Is Sale nuts?
I mean, I could do a post speculating that the indictments name Bush 43, Bush 41, Condi Rice, Dick and Lynne Cheney, Jenna Bush, The Reverend Dobson, and Chuck Norris, but can you walk something like that back once you float it out there?
“Hey it was just speculation. No harm, no foul.”
I’d have to think that he’s getting pretty far ahead of the game here.
My thoughts exactly, Bumper. I think this little blurb from Sale stinks a little.
No, wait. I think it stinks a lot. From all accounts Fitz is a straight shooter. How does he take an indictment like this to court?
Dershowitz and Coulter should make the bipartisan beast with two backs.
Oh yeah.
I just heard on the radio that Fitzgerald confirmed he’d wrapped up his case with the Grand Jury today. There had been some speculation (the word “speculation” deserves a vaction after this week)that Fitzie was looking for a new jury or an extension.
BTW, Is Patrick Fitzgerald the same guy I heard dates Gerald Fitzpatrick? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
I’d say this is a no sale, except as fiction. It is amazing, though, how much the left in America participates in the Big Lie–perpetuating falsehoods until they are accepted as the truth.
Funny how the media bends over backwards regarding the presumption of innocense, excepting if you’re on the political right, then you’re automatically guility as alleged.
If I were of the left, I’d be embarrassed to associate my ethical principles with the proven fabulist Joe Wilson.
Yet, if someone is indicted, it will be interesting to learn of how, say, Valerie Plame was a covered person regarding the Agent Identities Protection Act, or what classified information was disclosed under the Espionage Act, or for that matter, how attempting to smear someone is a civil rights violation–all novel theories in themselves.
Now, pass that Kool-Aid.
That’s right, the same Dershowitz that said the SCOTUS “hijacked” the 2000 U.S. presidential election, says we shouldn’t use the judicial system to fight public policy differences.
Ann Coulter agreed. I must be dreaming.
As Betsy Newmark (betsyspage.blogspot.com) writes today: “Up is down and down is up these days.
-Steve
Where have you been, dude, we are just waiting for the sentencing.
“Where have you been, dude, we are just waiting for the sentencing.”
I don’t get out much
Okay, I’m gonna go out on a limb here…Wow, my wifi even works in this tree!!!
New jewelry for Karl & Scooter?
http://www.1starmy.com/uploadimages/Product_2360.jpg
OH MY GOD THEIR THE SAME PERSON I KNEW IT LOLOLOLOMGWTFBBQ!!!eleven!1
This sounds like Sale projecting what he wishes were true. Civil rights violations? This makes no sense. Obviously, Wilson has the same package of rights the rest of us do. But as an aggrieved member of a minority? Absurd.
What he may be clumsily referring to is a tort known as slander. But this also doesn’t make any sense, as Wilson would be the plaintiff in such an instance, not the federal government. Furthermore, to the extent there was a slander or “smearing,” Wilson would have to get over the very high hurdle of “actual malice” since he has quite willingly become a public figure as it relates to the whole affair. He has no case, or he would have brought it before now, IMO.
I would say that perhaps some of the details are right. But almost certainly this conspiracy-to-violate-civil-rights nonsense is unworthy of even a response. I also do not expect an extension of the grand jury. Why all the hush-hush stuff if Fitzgerald was ready to start fresh?
The beautiful thing about all of this speculation is that once it’s out there, any lesser indictment or non-indictment becomes, in some people’s minds, a whitewash and a cover-up – likely complete with shadowy conspiracies, veiled threats, and fixers getting to the grand jury.
I’ve mulled it over and have decided to just wait until something happens instead of trying to score pundit points by predicting the future.
Go Astros! (not gonna watch. nope.)
This entire affair was initiated, orchestrated and executed by the Wilsons. They had help from CIA elements that specialize in dirty tricks. Elements that found themselves out of favor in a Republican Administration. Elements that would do anything to discredit said administration. It was done for a single minded purpose of discrediting the administration with the added reward of great celebrity in the cottage industry left wing republican bashing that sells so well to it’s captive audience. Write a book or tell a tale that bashes this President or the people around him and you are guaranteed major news segments, scads of greenbacks and the eternal praise of the “progressives”. Then add the bonus of spin, smoke and cover fire from your MSM promoters and it becomes a “Slam Dunk”.
I’ve said this for months now. Not because I have any empirical evidence other than it’s the only scenario that ties all its ends.
Now there are investigators poking around this very assertion as late as this week? Wait.
So Ann Coulter disagreed that this criminalized policy disputes? She is all for these investigations? That surprises me. Or am I misunderstanding?
Coulter said if a crime like perjury was committed, then people should be prosecuted. She said we don’t know what the investigation was about, really, so she couldn’t comment on whether the supposed aim was based on a policy dispute or not.
Thanks Jeff.
I have to see I agree with Coulter’s wait and see attitude.
I do think the potential is there that this is criminalizing politics. Not for the first time, of course. But it isn’t that hard to go through life without perjuring oneself.
– what Coulter actually said, to paraphrased: “Since no one knows what the fuck did or didn’t happen, was or wasn’t said, beyond the fact that wilson is a proven lier and tried to leverage his importance, read standing, within the Whitehouse with his cronies, what you’all are actually asking me to do is engage in irresponsible speculation…. well ok”….
*what you’all are actually asking me to do is engage in irresponsible speculation…. well ok*
It seems to work daily for the New York Times.
“Joe Wilson is male, 56 years old, wealthy, and among the whitest person in America. “
Are you sure you know what the words ‘civil rights’ mean?