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Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of White House Iraq Group

By Jeralyn, Section Valerie Plame Leak Case
Posted on Wed Oct 19, 2005 at 06:37:52 PM EST
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Former intelligence agents have told the New York Daily News that members of the White House Iraq Group funnelled information to Judith Miller and that she was a "charter member" of the group.

There were a number of occasions when White House officials or Vice President [Cheney's] staffers, or others, wanted to push the envelope on things," an ex-intelligence official said. "The agency would say, 'We just don't have the intelligence to substantiate that.'" When Wilson was sent by his wife to Africa to research the claims, he showed the documents claiming Saddam tried to buy the uranium were forgeries. "People in the Iraq group then got very frustrated. It was a side show," said a source familiar with WHIG.

Besides Rove and Libby, the group included senior White House aides Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, James Wilkinson, Nicholas Calio, Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley. WHIG also was doing more than just public relations, said a second former intel officer. "They were funneling information to [New York Times reporter] Judy Miller. Judy was a charter member," the source said.

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    Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of White House Iraq Group | 22 comments (22 topical)
    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#1)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    The Left now will cry treason against Ms. Miller. It is bad enough that she shilled for the Bushies but she did it in the NYTimes, the Bible of Lefties everywhere. She's a traitor in the worst sense to the Left and some will never forgive her although I do find it ironic that just a few weeks back everyone here was bemoaning the imprisonment of Miller. Funny how times change. I guess it is just about whom is being hoist on thier own petard. Plame out.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    JC-The NYT has not been a "bible of the lefties" since Miller started her front page direct feed from the administration, even though the editorial page was to the left on most issues. If Sulzberger and Miller resign perhaps the NYT can regain its status.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#4)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    "Ex intelligence sources" won't cut it with the rightards, and rightly so. I hope the Fitz knows who these sources are and has talked to them. Don't get set up. No one who gives a wants this case thrown out on ANY legal technicality. This is a huge legal minefield, so let's tread carefully (but not softly). I'm not saying the report is false, but I wouldn't use it as a talking point just yet. Maybe this is for an open thread, but I'm interested in comparisons and contrasts between the Fitzgerald investigation and the Starr investigations of the 90's, in terms of leaks and ethics.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#5)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    Not surprising one bit. They needed to control a reputable news source. These neocons are like a cancer that tactically spreads itself where needed to control the word. They certainly learned from past fascists mistakes. Uberfascism with a 'friendly' corporate face.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    When Wilson was sent by his wife to Africa to research the claims, he showed the documents claiming Saddam tried to buy the uranium were forgeries. "People in the Iraq group then got very frustrated. It was a side show," said a source familiar with WHIG.
    This just occurred to me: who forged to goddmaned documents and who determined they were forgeries??? Does these track back to WHIG? If so, whose fingerprints are on the documents? And, if not from the CIA, what agency would have the resources to forge these documents? Just wondering . . .

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:09 PM EST
    When Wilson was sent by his wife to Africa to research the claims, he showed the documents claiming Saddam tried to buy the uranium were forgeries. "People in the Iraq group then got very frustrated. It was a side show," said a source familiar with WHIG.
    This just occurred to me (DUH!): who forged to g*ddamned documents and who determined they were forgeries??? Do these documents track back to WHIG? If so, whose fingerprints are on the documents? And, if not from the CIA, what agency would have the resources to forge these documents? Just wondering . . .

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#8)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    The Niger forgeries idea most likely go back to 2000 or earlier. Since the Niger embassy in Rome was broken into in Jan 2001, which is where they got the stationary and seals, it must have been pnac members plotting way back then. Leeden is the main suspect for the forgeries. These guys may have been planning a long time. Oner can only imagine the influence they have had on world events.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    Paul--Jimcee isn't lying. He really does think the NY Times is the "Lefty Bible." And why shouldn't he? I'm sure Limbaugh and the posters on Free Republic repeat that meme every time the Times gets mentioned in any capacity (along with the usual complaints about how the liberal press keeps showing poor, misunderstood bigots and morons in such a bad light). Liars and idiots aren't mutually exclusive, but really, you should learn to tell them apart.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#10)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    Paul in LA, I'm a libratarian not a conservative but I don't want to confuse you so think what you want. I am not lying, just stating the truth and that is simply that a while back this site as well as many correspondents thereof were crying foul when Ms Miller was imprisoned and now they have turned 180 degrees when she doesn't turn out to be what the Left thought she was. Molly, I have neither the time nor inclination to listen to Limbaugh or Air America for that matter. I don't need to be told what to think or have a need for the type of talking-points such as you are so fond of using. Et Al, When you find that your argument amounts to ad hominom or personal insult then you have already lost your argument. It is nothing more than a Lefty version of McCarthyism and that is pathetic. Good Night and Good Luck. You'll need it with attitudes you possess. Sheesh.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#11)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    JC- perhaps you were looking at another site. Few tears were shed here by Miller's imprisonment.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#12)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    WHIG lobbies for federal shield law as Senators Question St. Judith the Martyr aka Miss Run Amok on how she suffered in jail for 85 days to protect a whistleblower anonymous source
    But Miller argued that "even flawed reporters should not be jailed for protecting even flawed sources."


    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    Posted by Molly: "Paul--Jimcee isn't lying. He really does think the NY Times is the "Lefty Bible." That canard goes back to the last century -- moldy oldie. No, he is a liar for slandering TL and TL commenters. TL's position was in defense of journalism; my overt and nasty attack on 'Judas Miller' alone easily gives the lie to jimcee's jibe. "Paul in LA, I'm a libratarian not a conservative" And I'm a conservative, not a 'leftist.' Conservative in the actual meaning of the word. Liberal conservative. I'm not in favor of racist coups, dismantlement of the biosphere for profit, or the deregulation of capitalism. I have never been a 'leftist' -- I have voted as a Democrat for my entire adult life. The righwing is not the R party, at least it didn't USED to be, but for some reason you think, along with those R trollers, that all Democrats are lefties. Why is that? "many correspondents thereof were crying foul when Ms Miller was imprisoned" She was not imprisoned in criminal contempt. She was HELD in civil contempt. She could open the door to her prison cell ANY DAY SHE WANTED to follow the law. "and now they have turned 180 degrees when she doesn't turn out to be what the Left thought she was." If that's what you think, then this isn't an instance of lying, sorry for that. You're just wrong. You may not remember the Clinton years, but quite a few Democrats lost faith in the NYC, WAPO, (Chicago) LA Times, and other national papers back then, if not earlier. The hateful lies printed in these rags have now helped kill 100,000+ innocent people. So why isn't it printed in RED? "Et Al, When you find that your argument amounts to ad hominom or personal insult then you have already lost your argument." Yeah, well jimcee, why don't you look at the FIRST post in the thread for awhile. There you will find your rock-throwing ad hominem troll trying to push the thread off-topic. Instead of a glasshouse of reason; you and the R trolls bust every window they can reach, because they can't stand the reflection in the panes.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#14)
    by cpinva on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    jimcee, the nyt and the wp haven't been "liberal" for at least the past 15 years, what cave have you been hiding in? ms. miller was just the latest in a string of useful idiots, masquerading as "pseudo-liberal journalists" working for them. maureen dowd, frank rich and john tierney come quickly to mind as well. let me clue you in: just because rush, sean and anne claim something to be true, that doesn't mean it is. in fact, usually quite the opposite. your protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, your comments give you away my man. clearly you are an accolyte of the above referrenced "entertainers". just as clearly, you've chosen to ignore the actual comments made here, vis a vis ms. miller, the times and the wp, and attempted to insert your own "truths" instead. unlike the right-wing talk shows, you can't turn off this mic, when your lies are unmasked in public. libertarian my butt! i bet ol' judith probably thinks that gw is a "cool" guy, the most "brilliant" thinker of his generation! oh, wait, that's harriet miers, or laura bush. hell, i get them all confused

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#15)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    The problem with Judith Miller isn't just that what she wrote wasn't accurate, but what she wrote helped support an unnecessary war which has resulted in unnecessary deaths. I do think its a mistake to make Judith Miller the scapegoat for the uncritical coverage of the buildup to the invasion of Iraq. That responsibility should be shared by all of the major news media.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#16)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    she did it in the NYTimes, the Bible of Lefties everywhere
    jimcee, First of all, lay off the stereotyping. Not all "Lefties" think alike (just like not all "Righties" think alike). Regarding the NYT, all "Lefties" do not consider it the Bible. To use a phrase popularized by Eric Alterman,it is part of the So Called Liberal Media (SCLM). Regarding Miller, "liberals" like Alterman and Josh Marshall (talking points memo) were on to here 2 or 3 years ago. By the way, didn't you mean "libertarian". I believe a "libratarian" is someone who believes that you should turn in your overdue books.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#17)
    by theologicus on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    Back in 1977 Carl Bernstein wrote an article for Rolling Stone called "The CIA and the Media." Daniel Brandt wrote a similar piece in 1997. (These may still be available online. I don't know. But I once found them that way.) Bernstein argued that the media has often employed journalists who were really operatives. Judy Miller seems to fit in this pattern. She was not really a journalist, it seems, but an operative for an arm of the government. What kind of compensation she may have received for this work is an interesting question.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#18)
    by Lora on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:10 PM EST
    "...When Wilson was sent by his wife to Africa to research the claims..." (emphasis mine) False. Wilson was not sent by his wife, although the right loves to say so. And, interestingly, not a direct quote from the source, but simply "mentioned" in the article above.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#19)
    by Jlvngstn on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:11 PM EST
    Jimcee: FYI - Look at the saved messages, I believe your Limbaughesque accusations are displaying your true colors: Thursday :: October 07, 2004 NYT Reporter Judith Miller Ordered Jailed, Stayed Posted by sebimeyer at October 8, 2004 01:38 AM Karma, I guess. She rode us into the war by writing stories quoting Chalabi on the front page of the NYT. The correction then ran on page A10. Posted by Jlvngstn at October 8, 2004 07:02 AM Good, a felony was committed, if this were an act of child abuse she would be villified. Posted by Duckman GR at October 7, 2004 09:52 PM I've held her in contempt for quite some time, especially when she wrote that breathless article about the guy in the distance she couldn't talk about or id who was told by someone that they'd heard about all kinds of WMD. And Keller printed it in the Times, for jeebus sake. Posted by rverne8 at October 24, 2004 09:58 PM Judith Miller landing in jail: poetic justice for a reporter so well equiped with slime equipment. She canceled her credentials as a journalist when she clambered her way to her desk at the NYT. From Edward W. Said's incisive and withering review of her book: Tuesday :: June 28, 2005 Hearing Weds. for Reporters Miller and Cooper Posted by Last night in Little Rock at June 28, 2005 11:09 PM I have really mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I fully support the right of the press to withhold sources under the First Amendment, even if the Supreme Court does not buy that argument. On the other, the dirt bags that outed Valarie Plame may be guilty of treason, aside from the crime of outing a CIA agent. What this country needs is a good treason trial and another impeachment, this time for real, and not for lying about sex. It would help cleanse the nation's soul. When Clinton lied, nobody died. Posted by SeeEmDee at June 29, 2005 06:15 AM Perhaps I am mistaken, but wasn't Judith Miller the 'journalist' who passed on tainted 'useful idiot' type intelligence about Saddam's chimerical WMD program, as well? The same Judith Miller who was also friends with Dr. David Kelly, the UK microbiologist whose death was officially claimed a suicide, but about which doubts continue to this day? The same Judith Miller who was great friends with alleged Iranian double agent Ahmed Chalabi, who is now, incredibly, running the Iraqi oil programs? The same Judith Miller who is in bed with the PNAC crew that surrounds Bush? If she sees the inside of a jail cell I'd be very surprised indeed. More likely she'll be the unfortunate victim of an 'accident'. Posted by Dadler at June 29, 2005 11:02 AM While I sympathize with the ethical issues, and future implications (although I still have faith that we can deal with each case on it's own merits and in its own unique context), I have to say that it is somehwat enjoyable watching Judith Miller squirm. Her journalistic cowardice in the aftermath of 9/11 was more destructive to this nation, to truth, to a "free" press, than any time in the pokey she'll get. She was played for a fool, played us all for a fool, and she isn't evolved enough to stand up and take responsibility that play. What goes around comes around. Not always, but enough to keep us believing. It goes on and on and on and on. She was accused of being an accessory to a possible felony, and I don't recall the "left" screaming on this site. As a left leaning libertarian, I find very little in common with the likes of a Jimcee....

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#20)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:11 PM EST
    Raimondo has an excellent article regarding the depth of Fitzgerald's probe and its relationship McNulty's Franklyn/AIPAC case and the Niger Forgeries. Leeden, Ghorbanifar, Larry Franklin, and Harold Rhode are all in there. Hope they all fry, Imperial traitiors.
    No wonder my source tells me that "Fitzgerald asked the Italians if he could share the report with Paul McNulty," the prosecutor in the AIPAC case. There are plenty of links between the two investigations: they are, in a sense, the same investigation, since many of the same people are involved.
    Raimondo via Juan Cole

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#21)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:11 PM EST
    Miller gives anothr version of her famous line: "I was f***ing right"
    When asked if she had ever left the impression with sources, including Mr. Libby, that she had access to classified information after leaving her assignment in Iraq, Ms. Miller said she could not recall. "I don't remember if I ever told him I was disembedded," she said. "I might not have." But she added, "I never misled anybody." (emphasis mine)
    war and peace

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:12 PM EST
    Squeaky, In researching Ledeen's connection to the Niger forgeries, I found this link to an transcript of an interview conducted by Ian Masters with Vincent Cannistaro, the former CIA head of counterterrorism operations and intelligence director at the National Security Council under Reagan. Maybe this is old news, but it was news to me. Here's a link to an interesting analysis of some of Ledeen's writing by Rep. Ron Paul (R) Texas: Odd to think a Libertarian advocating a return to the Gold Standard would actually be thinking about the Neo-con(spiracy), but there you have it.

    Re: Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of (none / 0) (#23)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:05:15 PM EST
    Eulipian-I had read the Cannistaro interview before but had not been aware of Rep. Ron Paul (R) Texas writings on Leeden. Leeden is quite the creep and his neocons have hijacked our government. This bit is a doozy:
    Amazingly, Ledeen calls Pearl Harbor a "lucky" event. The Project for a New American Century, as recently as September 2000, likewise, foresaw the need for "a Pearl Harbor event" that would galvanize the American people to support their ambitious plans to ensure political and economic domination of the world, while strangling any potential "rival.".... .....but that this sympathy for a galvanizing event, as 9-11 turned out to be, was used to promote an agenda that strict constitutionalists and devotees of the Founders of this nation find appalling, is indeed disturbing. After 9-11, Rumsfeld and others argued for an immediate attack on Iraq, even though it was not implicated in the attacks. link

    Ex-Intel Officers: Miller a Charter Member of White House Iraq Group | 22 comments (22 topical)