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PlameGate: Waas on Ascroft's Recusal, Rove, Novak and Libby

Murray Waas has a new article on PlameGate with the inside scoop on why Ashcroft recused himself in the Valerie Plame leaks investigation.

Shorter version: The FBI had evidence Libby lied about where he first heard about Plame (his handwritten notes showing it was Cheney who told him) and suspected Karl Rove and Bob Novak made up a cover story as early as October, 2003. It's a great read.

What's taking so long for the investigation to conclude? I wonder whether Fitz still isn't looking for evidence (or a confirming witness) to show Cheney's involvement was not limited to instructing others to attack Wilson's statements on uranium, WMD's and Iraq but that he also instructed aides to attack Wilson personally and tell reporters his wife worked for the CIA and the trip was nepotism.

I suspect he has Rove's cooperation. Will Stephen Hadley or someone else supply the final nail in the Cheney coffin? Or does Fitz need Libby -- which would mean he has to wait until either Libby is convicted and his appeals are over, pardoned or acquitted in order to force him to testify? (Those are the events which would cause him to no longer have a 5th Amendment privilege since nothing he said afterwards could be used to incriminate him.)

Also from Murray's article:

Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft continued to oversee the Valerie Plame-CIA leak probe for more than two months in late 2003 after he learned in extensive briefings that FBI agents suspected White House aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of trying to mislead the FBI to conceal their roles in the leak, according to government records and interviews. Despite these briefings, which took place between October and December 2003, and despite the fact that senior White House aides might become central to the leak case, Ashcroft did not recuse himself from the matter until December 30, when he allowed the appointment of a special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, to take over the investigation.

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    Re: PlameGate: Waas on Ascroft's Recusal, Rove, No (none / 0) (#1)
    by scribe on Thu Jun 08, 2006 at 11:39:04 AM EST
    I thought it interesting the incestuous relationships among, inter alia, the flacks. Corrallo - was working for Ashcroft when the investigation got started, now working for Rover. Comstock - was working for Ashcroft when the investigation got started, now working for Libby. And, so it goes.... I'm left to wonder (a) who Murray's source(s) on Ashcroft's involvement was(were), and (b) whether Ashcroft shared his information with personages in the WH, before or after recusing himself. I'd suspect Fitz has had to tease that out, too.... As to timing, I'm standing on my pool bet of a Rover indictment on 6/19. The date just feels right, and the media motions will (or should) be out of the way by then, as will the coming scheduling conference and the discussion about "early" trial subpoenas.

    Re: PlameGate: Waas on Ascroft's Recusal, Rove, No (none / 0) (#2)
    by Tom Maguire on Thu Jun 08, 2006 at 11:44:42 AM EST
    Those are the events which would cause [Libby] to no longer have a 5th Amendment privilege since nothing he said afterwards could be used to incriminate him Really? I would think that Fitzgerald could come up with a brand new indictment suggesting new crimes the day after the current charges are resolved. No double jeopardy at all. Or at least, I have seen plenty of folks keeping hope alive for a superseding indictment. I am sure you are right about a full Presiodential pardon, however (not just a pardon for the current charges). That said, if Fitzgerald needs Libby to get Cheney (and this whole Libby case seems to have been a failed attempt to gain his cooperation), IMHO Cheney has nothing to worry about. Good luck at the conference - being the voice of reason in that gathering will be..., well, fun, I'm sure.

    Re: PlameGate: Waas on Ascroft's Recusal, Rove, No (none / 0) (#3)
    by scribe on Thu Jun 08, 2006 at 12:11:46 PM EST
    re: delays in concluding probe, part II Fitz is busy with other corrupt folks.