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Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Article

By Jeralyn, Section Valerie Plame Leak Case
Posted on Sun May 14, 2006 at 07:03:30 PM EST
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NRO's Byron York reports he spoke to Rove publicist Mark Corallo who stated unequivocally that Fitzgerald did not go to Robert Luskin's law office Friday or tell Luskin Rove has been indicted. He said Jason Leopold's article was false.

Did Patrick Fitzgerald come to Patton Boggs for 15 hours Friday?
No.
Did he come to Patton Boggs for any period of time Friday?
No.
Did he meet anywhere else with Karl Rove's representatives?
No.
Did he communicate in any way with Karl Rove's representatives?
No.
Did he inform Rove or Rove's representatives that Rove had been indicted?
No.

So, is this Corallo spin? Larry Johnson, or someone pretending to be him at Democratic Underground says Joseph Wilson was told the same thing as Leopold. York concludes:

But for some media blogger out there, it might be reasonable to ask: Where are these reports coming from,

Indeed. Either Corallo is spinning or someone is setting Jason and others up.

Jason said today on Pacifica Radio will disclose his sources if his report turns out to be false. He is expecting the announcement on Rove to be Tuesday or Wednesday. Jane says :

That's FANTASTIC. That really turns this whole thing into a win-win. If Rove has already been indicted, we all celebrate. If not, we get to show that the blogosphere has higher standards than the MSM when Leopold outs his sources.

< Soprano's Open Thread: Show 10 | Leopold Responds to Corallo's Denial of Fitzgerald - Luskin Meeting >

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    Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Article | 22 comments (22 topical)
    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Sun May 14, 2006 at 08:01:57 PM EST
    Either Corallo is spinning or someone is setting Jason and others up. Or both?

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Sun May 14, 2006 at 08:20:52 PM EST
    edger-
    Either Corallo is spinning...
    There is no "Either" in the equation. Spin is what a PR guy is supposed to do. If he did any less he would be out of a job.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Sun May 14, 2006 at 08:26:35 PM EST
    What would be the point of Corallo spinning this if Jason has it right? Who benefits, and how? And if Jason was set up, who benefits, and how?

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 08:51:27 PM EST
    What would be the point of Corallo spinning this if Jason has it right? Who benefits, and how?
    Yeah, I almost have to agree. Spinning is one thing, but lying through your teeth is another. I mean, I have no doubt that Corallo or anyone on Rove's team would have no second thoughts about lying through their teeth, but when their lies are going to be exposed in three days or so? Why bother? Just for the timing? It seems to me the next step is someone who knows Larry Johnson confirming that is indeed him on DU (again, it seems odd to me that he would respond there rather than say something at TPMCafe or No Quarter).

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 08:56:34 PM EST
    The Rove team would benefit by eviscerating Leopold's veracity now before Rove's case ends up in the same public forum as Libby's. It's one thing to have open court documents and another to have sources close to bone that might undermine your attempts at media manipulation. Cut the cancer out quickly before it spreads. That being said, I'm still not sure what side I come down on as to Leopold's accuracy. I repeat this which I left on an older thread of the same topic. "Still one last question begs but wasn't asked, interestingly enough, "Has Karl Rove received a target letter?" Not that I'm handing the benefit of the doubt to Leopold, but the entire line of questioning all rests on the first question which bases the entire line of questions on this taking place on Friday. For if that were not the case, that this is all based on Friday's activities then there is no possible way that Corallo could have responded in the negative to "Did he communicate in any way with Karl Rove's representatives?" That could only conceivably pertain to Friday (unless he's completely lying) because, of course, Fitz has been in communication with Karl's reps throughout.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:06:04 PM EST
    Oh, and I just thought of another reason why Luskin has referred questions about Rove to crisis communications Corallo. He CAN lie! He's not an attorney. He's simply a media manipulator. Yup, I'm sticking with he's trying to squash the Leopold bug before he gains credulity. Even if indictments are handed out this week, he can play the story entirely different as to how it came about. Perhaps he simply doesn't wish it to appear that Rove was trying to strike a plea deal.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:07:24 PM EST
    By the way, that supposed "15 hours" just seems ... very hard to believe. What, was he there from 7am to 10pm? That's ... something's very wrong there. Has anyone asked Jason Leopold about that detail in particular? (Maybe this came up in earlier threads and I missed it, I've been mostly lurking on and off.)

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:07:57 PM EST
    Posted for your amusement, you and your phone call was mentioned on Drudge by a caller this evening, around 8:55 or so Arizona time. The gist was that the indictment keeps getting pushed back from early last week to late last week to early this week to mid this week and we are all just grasping at straws. Drudge didn't know who you are, but I do!

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:11:14 PM EST
    He CAN lie! He's not an attorney. He's simply a media manipulator.
    Well that would make the most sense of anything.
    Even if indictments are handed out this week, he can play the story entirely different as to how it came about.
    And I keep thinking that Leopold just threw this story out there like a gambler at the racetrack who is sure his horse is going to come in and is willing to put all his dollars down. What a payoff if he's right!

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:19:17 PM EST
    Since when are bald faced lies, if that's what they are, "spin"? Oh! Don't answer.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#11)
    by squeaky on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:27:07 PM EST
    edger-
    What would be the point of Corallo spinning this if Jason has it right? Who benefits, and how? And if Jason was set up, who benefits, and how?
    The benefit is that the WH can control it after Chimpy's speech. There is no downside, the public forgets very quickly. The news never stops it is a business. Old news is little valued.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#12)
    by squeaky on Sun May 14, 2006 at 09:31:51 PM EST
    Larry Johnson links to the Leopold article. No doubt he supports him. Rove Indicted--Frog March the Ba*stard

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun May 14, 2006 at 10:21:38 PM EST
    Larry Johnson links to the Leopold article. No doubt he supports him.
    Thanks for the link, very interesting. And someone asked him in the comments whether that was indeed him at Democratic Underground -- we'll see if he replies.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#14)
    by pax on Sun May 14, 2006 at 10:33:57 PM EST
    Jasons Leopolds article starts out that "...Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove." In the 3rd paragraph he says "Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove..." While more than "half a day" is obviously inprecise, it would indicate to me 5, maybe 6 hours. Two paragraphs later he says fifteen hours. I'm not a journalist, nor I am a professional writer, but more than half a day would not be how I would otherwise phrase 15 hours. Much as I would love to see the rover indicted, I was dubious from the git go because of this discrepancy.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#15)
    by squeaky on Sun May 14, 2006 at 11:02:10 PM EST
    For whatever it is worth here is WMR's report:
    Yesterday afternoon, WMR was staked out at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington awaiting any developments in the CIA leak case. A little after noon, a large motorcade consisting of black and one green SUV, several police cars and police motorcycles sped into the street behind the courthouse.... Although there is no final confirmation that the motorcade was that of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, there is every indication that he spent approximately a little under 30 minutes in the courthouse.... Last October, Gonzales made a similar trip in an identical motorcade to the courthouse on a Friday to hear the decision of the grand jury investigating Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.... After last October's visit to the grand jury, Gonzales informed the White House that Libby was to be indicted. One week later, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald delivered a five count indictment against Libby.
    WMR

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon May 15, 2006 at 01:10:41 AM EST
    I e-mailed Larry Johnson and he confirmed he posted the message on Democratic Underground.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#17)
    by Edger on Mon May 15, 2006 at 01:16:04 AM EST
    xyz commenting at Firedoglake notes that
    "leopold notes that rove's speech is off the aei website, but leopold has not confirmed anything with the aei".
    Washington Calendar at Marketwatch dot Com still says:
    11 a.m.: Karl Rove, deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to President Bush, gives speech on policy, at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.
    ... but their last page update was May 12. Whether or not Rove speaks there Monday morning should tell us something, but I'm not sure what. If he doesn't it could be because he can't, due to Jason being right and Rove being indicted, or it could be because it it is part of machinations to discredit Jason. This is too interesting, and it's sort of twilight zone stuff. I still can't figure out why, if Jason's source told him the truth, Corallo would lie. It will make him and bushco look like idiots. One side note: It's got people talking about Leopold, rather than talking about Rove. Diversion? Is that the key here?

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#18)
    by Edger on Mon May 15, 2006 at 01:35:40 AM EST
    I talked with my neighbor, the editor of MWCNews, and he tells me that he spoke with Jason by telephone Sunday and that Jason told him he is confident in his sources and that he reported exactly what they told him.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#19)
    by Molly Bloom on Mon May 15, 2006 at 05:09:41 AM EST
    I am dubious but hopeful. The 24 hours turned into 24 business hours and the 15 hours seems unusual to me. Then there is Leopold's employment history- he has gone from Dow Jones to Salon to Truthout. As for outing his sources, I can tell you now how that will go down- he said, she said. I hope he is right and vindicated, but right or wrong, Rove will be indicted, it is just a matter of time.

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#20)
    by squeaky on Mon May 15, 2006 at 09:27:04 AM EST
    Here is a clip from this morning's Q&A after Rove's speech. A non-answer to David Corn's question regarding the WH denial that Rove had anything to do with the leak: think progress

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#21)
    by Edger on Mon May 15, 2006 at 10:11:41 AM EST
    Looks like the smearing of Jason Leopold is cranking into higher gear now, and has spread to six sites...

    Re: Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Arti (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon May 22, 2006 at 09:15:46 PM EST
    Smearing? If the truth is a smear I guess I'm guilty. The salacious stuff comes directly from Jason's bio, via Howard Kurtz. One week later my comments look positively reasonable. Even Truthout had to partially apologize for Jason's story - a problem I haven't had because Rove has not been indicted. Not saying he won't be at some point, just that he hasn't been...

    Byron York: Corallo Denies Leopold's Rove Article | 22 comments (22 topical)