White House advisor Karl Rove hasn't lost any clout while being at the center of a criminal investigation into White House leaks of a CIA agent's identity. Sources in the White House tell US News & World Report that he's just as influential as ever:"But the insiders say Rove hasn't backed away from his powerful role as one of President Bush's most valued advisers. He has been active, for example, in winning passage of the recently enacted transportation and energy bills..."
He's now at work on the administration's plans for next year which include Social Security overhaul and tax reform.
The energy and transportation bills only included $38 billion in pork projects. Gotta wonder how Congress will tinker with Social Security and tax plans. (US News)
Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal
Rove, Watergate, and History Repeating Itself -- August 22, 2005
Former Texas GOP Chairman, Vietnam intel officer, and Reagan administration official Thomas Pauken looks into the Plame Name Blame Game for the Houston Chronicle.He finds it ironic that White House adviser Karl Rove's favorite President was Richard Nixon -- andhow trivial matters are behind both men's White House woes.
Mr Pauken looks at how an obscure law may finally catch up with Mr Rove and the political tactics he honed as a College Republican working for President Nixon. (Houston Chronicle)
Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal
I'm Outta Here -- August 5, 2005
After he cussed and stomped off set in the middle of a live show, Robert Novak will get a little cooling off time. CNN told the commentator to "take some time off." They've indefinitely suspended him from the air.
Mr Novak's outburst came during "Inside Politics." He was appearing alongside Democratic political consultant James Carville. They were talking about the Florida Senate race and Rep Katherine Harris' (R-FL) claim that papers had doctored her photos to make her look bad.
This is from the CNN transcript:
So, wait. Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James. Please, I know you hate to hear me, but you have...
CARVILLE: He's got to show these right wingers that he's got backbone. Show them you're tough.
NOVAK: Well, I think that's bullshit. And I hate that. Just let it go.
(Novak leaves set.)
Later in the show, moderator Ed Henry said he'd told Mr Novak earlier that he planned to ask about the CIA leak investigation.
It was Mr Novak's column that first mentioned Ms Plame was a CIA agent. That's sparked a criminal investigation into who leaked that information to the press.
Mr Henry said, "Hopefully we'll be able to ask him about that in the future."
Talk about dodging a question. (WashPost/CNN)
Bet Karl Hopes the Sharks are Biting -- August 4
August is a slow month for news in Washington. And that's bad news for Karl Rove. With
Congress and the President gone for the month, and reporters getting antsy for air time, any thing could turn into a story at any moment. Remember August, 2001, when the media went nuts with shark attacks and Chandra Levy's disappearance? 9/11 wiped them both off the news.So, as the news cycle slows, Republican leaders are prepared for another flare up in the Karl Rove connection to the Plame Name Blame Game -- the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.
In fact, the Democratic National Committee is firing off a daily fact sheet called, "Mr. Bush, Tear Down That Stone Wall." It promises to reveal a fact a day about the Plame case and White House ties to it.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Republicans say "Karl is cool as a cucumber." (USNews)
Rove Aide Questioned -- August 3, 2005
An aide to White House advisor Karl Rove has testified in to the grand jury investigating the leaked identity of a CIA agent. The prosecutor spearheading the criminal investigation called Mr Rove's executive assistant Susan Ralston before the grand jury. It's still not clear what interest Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald had in questioning her.Mr Rove has testified before the grand jury -- the prosecutor has questioned him at least three times. The probe is looking for the person in the White House who identified Valerie Plame as a CIA agent. (LAT)
Plame Name Blame Game Timeline -- Say it Four Times Fast! -- August 3, 2005
Trying to get a grip on who knew what when in the ongoing CIA leak investigation?
MSNBC offers up a timeline of key events in the Plame Name Blame Game scandal. (MSNBC)
What Did Karl Know & When Did He Know It? -- August 1, 2005
Timing is everything. And new evidence questions the timing in the Valerie Plame outing. It could shoot holes in White House advisor Karl Rove's claims that he learned about the CIA agent's identity from the media. TIME reports White House officials may have known about her role in the CIA before her husband wrote an op-ed column critical of the administration. That would give creedence to the theory that the White House outed Ms Plame out of revenge against her husband. (TIME)
Was Bolton Questioned? -- July 28
A Senator wants to know if President Bush's UN Ambassador nominee has been called to testify in the criminal investigation of a CIA agent's leaked identity.President Bush has hinted at a recess nomination of John Bolton (right) to the UN. Mr Bolton ran into a tough time in confirmation hearings and on the Senate floor. Democrats argued he would reject intelligence if it differed with his political objectives.
Sen Joe Biden (D-DE) has sent a letter to Secretary of State Condolezza Rice asking about Mr Bolton and the investigation in to the Plame leak.
The criminal investigation is looking into who leaked CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity to the media in 2003. Attention has focused on White House aides Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. But the special prosecutor in the case has spread a wide net.
If Mr Bolton was questioned, he's required -- as a nominee -- to report that to the confirmation committee. Former White House aide Karen Hughes reported to the Foreign Affairs committee that she'd been questioned in the investigation while she was awaiting confirmation for a diplomatic post recently. (FOX News) [Photo Credit: US State Dept]
White House adviser Karl Rove is still a draw for Republicans. Lt Gov Michael Steele (R-MD) (photo at right) -- considering a run for the US Senate -- used Mr Rove to lure donors to a $1,000 a plate fundraiser Wednesday. The Rove appearance brought out 65 supporters and brought in $75,000. About 35 protestors showed up, too. (WashPost)[Photo Credit: US Govt] Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal
The Washington Post reports that the criminal investigation into the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity is widening: "Prosecutors have questioned former CIA director George J. Tenet and deputy director John E. McLaughlin, former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow, State Department officials, and even a stranger who approached columnist Robert D. Novak on the street."
And the investigation is apparently not looking solely at the leak. It is reportedly looking at how the administration tried to shift blame from itself to the CIA for including the infamous "16 words" into the President's 2003 State of the Union Address -- claiming that Iraq was attempting to obtain uranium from Africa. (WashPost)
Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal
"Even though I'm a tranquil guy now at this stage of my life, I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors."-- George H.W. Bush
at the Dedication Ceremony
for the George Bush Center for Intelligence
April 26, 1999
April 26, 1999
(Central Intelligence Agency) [Photo Credit, US Govt]
Perjury, Obstruction of Justice -- Just Another Day in DC -- July 25
They say its the coverup -- not the initail act -- that gets politicians in trouble with a scandal. That's what happened with Watergate and the Monica Lewinsky affair.
And it looks like it's happening again in the Plame Name Blame Game.
People close to the criminal investigation of the leaked CIA agents identity say the prosecutor is changing his focus in the probe. No longer just going after the leaker -- but toward perjury or obstruction of justice charges.
There have been reports since last week that testimony from two White House officials -- Karl Rove and Scooter Libby -- don't match testimony from other witnesses. (Chicago Tribune)
The Leak Timeline -- July 25
FactCheck.org says there's plenty of false info floating around on both sides of the Plame Name Blame Game.
They cite Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) as saying the leak "put this agent's life in jeopardy" -- but point out there's been no evidence of that.
And they point to RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman claiming Joe Wilson (Valerie Plame's husband) falsely claiming Vice President Dick Cheney authorized his trip to Africa. But Mr Wilson never made any such claim.
The folks at FactCheck.org decide not to wade into this political swamp -- at least just yet. But they do have an extensive timeline of key events in the developing scandal. (FactCheck.org)
Perjury, Obstruction of Justice -- Just Another Day in DC -- July 25
They say its the coverup -- not the initail act -- that gets politicians in trouble with a scandal. That's what happened with Watergate and the Monica Lewinsky affair.And it looks like it's happening again in the Plame Name Blame Game.
People close to the criminal investigation of the leaked CIA agents identity say the prosecutor is changing his focus in the probe. No longer just going after the leaker -- but toward perjury or obstruction of justice charges.
There have been reports since last week that testimony from two White House officials -- Karl Rove and Scooter Libby -- don't match testimony from other witnesses. (Chicago Tribune)
The Leak Timeline -- July 25
FactCheck.org says there's plenty of false info floating around on both sides of the Plame Name Blame Game.
They cite Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) as saying the leak "put this agent's life in jeopardy" -- but point out there's been no evidence of that.
And they point to RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman claiming Joe Wilson (Valerie Plame's husband) falsely claiming Vice President Dick Cheney authorized his trip to Africa. But Mr Wilson never made any such claim.
The folks at FactCheck.org decide not to wade into this political swamp -- at least just yet. But they do have an extensive timeline of key events in the developing scandal. (FactCheck.org)
Click on the Karl Rove icon to see all Watching Washington posts on the Plame Name Blame Game Scandal
Choosing Which to Defend: Defend Rove or the United States -- July 25
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson used the Democratic Party's weekly radio address Saturday to repeat charges that the White House jepordized national security in the Valerie Plame case.The broadcast reflected Mr Johnson's testimony to Congress last week.
White House adviser Karl Rove has admitted that he told TIME magazine reporter Matt Cooper that Valerie Plame worked at the CIA -- but says he never used her name.
Mr Johnson says the President should disipline Mr Rove for the action because it has hampered efforts to recruit informants against terrorists. (LAT)
The 12 Hour Gap - July 25, 2005
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (right) says he spoke with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card as soon as he learned there was a criminal investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity.Mr Gonzales was White House Counsel at the time.
But he waited 12 hours before notifying the rest of the White House staff that an investigation was underway.
The delay is important because the notification is given to make sure no one deletes or destroys any evidence in the investigation. Notifying Mr Card, but delaying staffwide notification until the next morning led Sen Joseph Biden (D-DE) to suggest that would have given people time to destroy evidence.
Sources close to the investigation say that accounts VP Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff -- Scooter Libby -- and what what White House adviser Karl Rove have given the grand jury don't jibe with testimony from other witnesses. (SF Chronicle) [Photo Credit: US Govt]
The Plame Blame Game Adds Names -- July 22, 2005
The criminal investigation into the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity is casting a wide net. Remember Karen Hughes? President Bush's one-time communications aide. She quit the White House back in April, 2002. That's her in the picture at the left with President Bush.She's been called and has testified before the grand jury investigating the leak.
She told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about her appearances. She's appearing before them on her nomination to lead the State Department's public diplomacy effort.
Former White House spokesman Ari Fliesher (right) has also been called to testify because he got a telephone call from columnist Robert Novak the day after the outing. It was Novak, citing "senior administration officials" who first mentioned in print Valerie Plame's role in the CIA. Mr Fliescher says he never took the call that shows up on his telephone log. (IHT)
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Did a Full Court Press Lead to Leaks -- July 22, 2005
At the time Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent was leaked to the media in July, 2003,
both Karl Rove and Scooter Libby were working on a related matter.Presidential advisor Rove and VP Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Libby are both identified as sources of Ms Plame's identification.
They were busy at work defending a 16 word statement in the President's State of the Union Address from earlier in the year relating to Iraq's efforts to get yellowcake uranium from Niger. Ms Plame's husband Joe Wilson had conducted a fact finding mission to Niger and said the claim wasn't true. He says the administration publicized his wife's role at the CIA in retaliation.
Mr Rove and Mr Libby were working on a statement to be issued by then-CIA Director George Tenent -- an explanation of how the "16 words" got into the President's speech.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is looking into that time frame and into the statement itself.
What's unusual is that the people working on the statement were from both the White House's "political" and "national security" operations. It's rare that those are combined.
It appears there was a full court press to defend the President. That climate is certainly on Prosecutor Fitzgerald's mind as he tries to determine just how far those operations might go to defend the President. (IHT)
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So What "Is" the Definition of "Is?" -- July 22, 2005
The story White House advisor Karl Rove and VP Dick Cheney Chief of Staff Scotter Libby tell -- doesn't jibe with other accounts of CIA agent Valerie Plame's outing.
And those are stories told to Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald -- heading up the criminal investigation. He's been calling reporters and White House brass into a grand jury to testify under oath.
People familiar to the case have told Bloomberg News Service that all the reporters tell pretty much the same story. But Mr Rove and Mr Libby tell a different tale. Mr Rove's public account also differs with a TIME magazine account by Matt Cooper. Mr Cooper lists Mr Rove as a source of Valerie Plame's CIA connection. Mr Cooper testified before the grand jury.
Those discrepancies could lead to perjury charges if the differences are enough to look like someone's lying. (Bloomberg)
Bush Mum on Rove Resignation Offer -- July 21, 2005
President Bush sidestepped a reporter's question Wednesday about whether Karl Rove had offered his resignation in the Valerie Plame leak. The President didn't answer the question but said he'd wait until after the criminal investigation into the leak is finished before taking any action on possible leakers. (Houston Chronicle)
Ex-Spies Defend Plame to Congress -- July 21, 2005
Former intelligence officers say leaking Valerie Plame's name may have damaged national security an the CIA's ability to spy on our enemies.Eleven former intel officers sent a three-page statement to Congress stating their concerns.
"Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor."
--from a statement to Congress
by 11 former US intelligence officers
White House Adviser Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby have been cited as sources of leaks that identified Ms Plame as a CIA agent.
There's a criminal investigation into the leaks still going on. (CNN)
There's a criminal investigation into the leaks still going on. (CNN)
Clearly Marked as "Secret" -- July 21, 2005
A State Department memo from June, 2003, contained information about Valerie Plame and her role at the CIA in a paragraph clearly marked "secret." 
Government officials say that any Bush administration staffer reading the memo would have known that the information was classified.
At least two members of the Bush administration leaked Ms Plame's identity and the fact she worked for the CIA. Knowingly identifying a CIA agent is punishible by up to 10 years in prison.
The memo was delivered to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell as he left for a trip to Africa with President Bush on July 7, 2003. Seven days later, Ms Plame was outed as a CIA operative in a Robert Novak column.
White House advisor Karl Rove has admitted to talking with TIME reporter Matt Cooper about Valerie Plame's CIA connections. Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief Of Staff, Scooter Libby has also been identified as a potential leaker. Mr Rove has testified before a grand jury on three occasions as they look for who leaked Ms Plame's identity. Mr Rove says he never saw the memo until the special prosecutor in the leak investigation showed it to him. (WashPost)
Where Have I Heard That Before? -- July 20, 2005
The New York Times' Frank Rich prefaced a column this week with a pair of quotes from a pair of Presidential Press Secretaries:
"I am saying that if anyone was involved in that type of activity which I referred to, they would not be working here."
- Ron Ziegler, press secretary to Richard Nixon, defending the presidential aide Dwight Chapin on Oct. 18, 1972. Chapin was convicted in April 1974 of perjury in connection with his relationship to the political saboteur Donald Segretti.
"Any individual who works here at the White House has the confidence of the president. They wouldn't be working here at the White House if they didn't have the president's confidence."
- Scott McClellan, press secretary to George W. Bush, defending Karl Rove on Tuesday
(NYT)
Scandal Round Up -- July 18, 2005
The Washington Post's Al Kamen points out that one-time Clinton administration advisor Dick Morris says President Clinton shoul not fire Karl Rove because Mr Rove never violated a law disclosing a CIA's identity.
Mr Kamen, in his In the Loop column, also points out why Bill Clinton fired Mr Morris:
Scandal Round Up -- July 18, 2005
The Washington Post's Al Kamen points out that one-time Clinton administration advisor Dick Morris says President Clinton shoul not fire Karl Rove because Mr Rove never violated a law disclosing a CIA's identity.Mr Kamen, in his In the Loop column, also points out why Bill Clinton fired Mr Morris:
"Morris, Loop Fans may recall, was canned by President Bill Clinton without even a hint of any criminal activity. Letting his escort service companion listen in on Clinton's telephone calls was not a crime. And alleged toe-sucking is hardly worthy of a grand jury."
Mr Kamen also points out that Richard Nixon fired aides before they were convicted in the Watergate scandal and Ronald Reagan fired aides before they were convicted in the Iran-Contra Affair. (WashPost)
Outing the Outers -- Rove & Libby -- July 18, 2005
TIME magazine reporter Matt Cooper identifies White House adviser Karl Rove as the first person to identify Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. Mr Cooper was released from his promise of confidentiality by his source shortly before he was to go to jail for contempt in the grand jury investigation into the case.Mr Cooper writes an article for the current issue of TIME. In it, he says Mr Rove was the first to tell him of Ms Plame's role at the CIA. He says it was later confirmed by Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff -- Lewis Libby. (USAToday)
Rove's Phone Call with Novak -- July 15, 2005
Karl Rove testified to the grand jury investigating the Valerie Plame leak that he did indeed talk to columnist Robert Novak about Ms Plame. Mr Novak used the information from that conversation in identifying Ms Plame as a CIA agent in a subsequent column.The New York Times gets their information from an anonymous source "in the legal profession."
The phone conversation took place on July 8, 2003. The source says Mr Novak brought up Valerie Plame's name and the fact that she was a CIA operative. The source tells the Times that Mr Rove replied, "I heard that, too."
Mr Novak's column cited two senior administration officials as his sources for the column. The Times source says Mr Rove would have been the second source -- or the one confirming Mr Novak's information. (NYT)
Picking on Girls -- The American Way -- July 13, 2005
What is it about Republicans attacking wives?
Throughout the Clinton era, the GOP seemed to attack Hillary Clinton as often as Bill Clinton. Then-First Lady Barbara Bush said she couldn't describe Hillary on television but the word rhymed with "witch." That was probably the kindest thing a Republican said about Hillary Clinton after 1991. From there, it only went downhill.
Pick on Girls
And in the 2004 campaign, there was an entire flanking maneuver on Theresa Heinz Kerry -- Republicans even boycotted her late husband's company and squeezed their own "W" ketchup.
And when the Bush administration had a problem with former ambassador Joe Wilson, they didn't go after him. They went after his wife. Valerie Plame was a CIA agent. Some "senior administration official" outed her -- possibly in violation of a 1982 federal law designed to protect CIA and other intel agents. Commentator Robert Novak says at least two sources outed her. Presidential advisor Karl Rove admits he talked about Ms Plame's job -- but says he never mentioned her name.
Karl Rove says he simply referred to Valerie Plame as "Joe Wilson's wife." This wasn't about her -- but her husband. It's become hard-wired for the right to go after the wife if they have a problem with the man.
A Pattern Emerges
That says a lot. Can you remember this kind of automatic attack on Laura Bush or Barbara Bush? Even movie critics defended Barbara Bush when she was made the butt of slapstick humor in the Naked Gun comedies. With Nancy Reagan the attacks even came from the GOP -- people within the administration who had problems with her influence over Ronald Reagan.
Can you imagine someone referring to these women as someone's wife -- instead of calling Laura Bush or Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan by name? Can you remember the last time a Democrat attacked the wife instead of the man he was in a fight with? Think back to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Do you even know the name of Newt Gingrich's wife? Or Henry Hyde's? Or Karl Rove's?
Fight Like a Man
Politics is often described as a "full contact sport." Harry S Truman said "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." You need a thick skin and hard head to be in politics. Your spouse is just along for the ride. Too often they are becoming "collateral damage" in the war of words.
Thank God for the Republicans that the Democrats have Rep Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as one of their leaders. Now, she's a woman who is legitimate target. But her husband should be worried.
Wait a minute, the GOP may be afraid to take on a man. (Watching Washington Commentary)
The One Word Promise from the President -- July 13, 2005
There's been some confusion as to whether President Bush himself ever promised to fire anyone who leaked Valerie Plame's identity to the media. The President has in fact made that promise. It came during an exchange with reporters at a news conference following the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia last year:
Q. Given recent developments in the C.I.A. leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, suggestion that it might difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name? And ...
President Bush: That's up …
Q. And do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so? And …
President Bush: Yes....--President Bush,
June 10, 2004
You can find the complete, official transcript containing the exchange at the White House website. (NYT & The White House) [Photo Credit: President Bush at June 10, 2004 news conference, White House photo]
Talk the Talk -- July 13, 2005
Raw Story has gotten their hands on a memo supposedly put out by Carolyn Weyforth, the RNC's Director of Television, listing talking points for Republicans talking to the media about the Karl Rove Ruckus. The idea is for the GOP to close ranks and get on the same page in defending Mr Rove. The lines don't actually take up for Mr Rove, but attack others -- very similar to the analysis the Washington Post provided in today's edition.
The Talking Points cited in Raw Story include lines like these:
- Once again, Democrats are engaging in blatant political attacks
- Karl Rove discouraged a reporter from writing a false story based on a false premise
- The false premise was Joe Wilson's allegation that the Vice President sent him to Niger
- Karl Rove has fully complied with this investigation for more than a year and has permitted any reporter he spoke with about Joe Wilson to discuss their conversations
Raw Story has a whole lot more of the talking points. See if you can spot them on your friendly, neighborhood cable news shout-fest! Makes for a great drinking game! (Raw Story)
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