home

Keeping an Eye on Fitzgerald's Big Picture

Murray Waas has just posted another Rove scoop. I agree with his ultimate conclusion:

In the meantime, however, what has propelled the investigation -- and led to the extraordinary jailing of the Times’ Judith Miller -- has been the strong belief by federal investigators that Rove, Novak, and others may have misled them and the public, and that one or more of the participants may have devised a cover story with others to avoid public or legal culpability.

I'm glad to see Waas stay on the subject of Fitzgerald's investigation. I think that those who are fixating on trying to figure out whether reporters told Rove or Rove told reporters about Plame's status are falling for the Republican talking points.

Whether Karl Rove was only a "confirming source" or learned about Plame from reporters is immaterial to Fitzgerald at this point. He's known what Karl Rove and other White House officials have said since 2003 when grand jury investigators interviewed them and through their grand jury testimony.

The fact that Fitzgerald told the Judge early this month that Judith Miller's testimony was essential to the successful conclusion of the investigation indicates that this investigation has moved far past the stage of who outed Valerie Plame and whether she was or was not a covert operative and on to whether White House officials and/or reporters lied in their initial interviews with grand jury investigators or during their grand jury testimony - and whether there was an attempted cover-up that would amount to a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Fitzgerald has known Cooper's sources were Rove and Libby for ages. Judith Miller is the one in jail. Fitzgerald wouldn't be spending all this time and money to go after Novak or another reporter. Plus, it's obvious Novak has been cooperating all along.

On November 18, 2004, the AP reported that Fitzgerald told the Judge Matthew Cooper's second subpoena (after the first about Lewis Libby with which he complied) was necessary because he needed more information from Cooper "due to an "unanticipated shift" in the grand jury's investigation." (available on lexis.com)

The "shift" can only be away from the identity of who leaked Valerie Plame's identity into a broader investigation into perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit both.

< Dean on Rove | Rove E-Mailed Hadley About Conversation With Cooper >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Re: Keeping an Eye on Fitzgerald's Big Picture (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:17 PM EST
    Oh Christmas would come early this year if that old fraud Novak would somehow land in jail. For sure.

    Re: Keeping an Eye on Fitzgerald's Big Picture (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:17 PM EST
    Looks like Judy Miller may be in even more hot water.