PLAME AFFAIR

"'WILSON'S WIFE IS FAIR GAME.'" Those are fighting words for any man, and I'd just had them quoted to me by MSNBC's Chris Matthews. It was July 21, 2003, barely a week since a column by Robert Novak in the ''Washington Post'' had named my wife, Valerie, as a CIA officer, and now the host of ''Hardball'' was calling to tell me that as far as the White House was concerned, they had declared open season on my family. ... In his signature staccato, Matthews was blunt: "I just got off the phone with Karl Rove. He says, and I quote, 'Wilson's wife is fair game.'" (1; cf. 4-5, 351, 373) On August 19, 2007, Rove was asked by David Gregory on ''Meet the Press'' about whether Rove considered Plame to be "fair game." Rove replied "No. And you know what? Fair game, that wasn’t my phrase. That’s a phrase of a journalist. In fact, a colleague of yours." ‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Aug. 19, 2007 Rove hasn't denied he had a conversation with Matthews. Newsweek reported in October 2003 that a source familiar with Rove's side of the conversation told ''Newsweek'' that Rove told Matthews it was "reasonable to discuss who sent [Joe] Wilson to Niger."^[48]
Court documents reveal that in December 2004, Fitzgerald was pursuing perjury charges against Rove. Appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia IN RE: GRAND JURY SUBPOENA, JUDITH MILLER Like Armitage, who was Novak's first source of the leak, Rove was not indicted as a result of Fitzgerald's Grand Jury Investigation.^[49]
On July 8, 2007, Rove spoke publicly about the investigation at the Aspen Ideas Festival question-and-answer session. Rove told the audience "My contribution to this was to say to a reporter, which is a lesson about talking to reporters, the words 'I heard that too,'...Remember, the underlying offense of Armitage talking to Novak was no violation. There was no indictment."^[50][51]
After announcing his resignation from the Bush Administration, Rove appeared on Fox News Sunday and Meet the Press, and discussed his role in the Plame affair. According to Rove, he didn't believe he was a confirming source for Robert Novak and Matt Cooper with regard to Plame. Rove also reiterated that he first learned of Plame from another reporter, though would not disclose which reporter. Rove told Gregory "I acted in an appropriate manner, made all the appropriate individuals aware of, of, of my contact. I met with the FBI right at the beginning of this, told them everything. You’re right, the special prosecutor declined to take any action at all. I was never a target." Rove told Chris Wallace on ''Fox News Sunday'' "I didn't know her name, didn't know her status at the CIA." ‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Aug. 19, 2007 ^[52]

Ari Fleischer

In January 2007, during the first week of Scooter Libby's trial, it was revealed in court proceedings that former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was granted immunity from prosecution by Patrick Fitzgerald in February 2004.^[53] Fleischer reportedly acknowledged discussing Valerie Plame with reporters, but promised to cooperate with Fitzgerald's investigation only if granted immunity. Once the deal was struck, Fleischer told Fitzgerald that he had discussed Plame with David Gregory of ''NBC News'' and John Dickerson of ''Time'' in July 2003, days before leaving his job at the White House. Fleischer testified that he first learned about Plame and her CIA affiliation during a July 7, 2003, lunch with Libby. Fleischer also testified that four days later, while aboard Air Force One and during a five-day trip to several African nations, he overheard Dan Bartlett reference Plame. According to Fleischer, Bartlett stated to no one in particular "His wife sent him...She works at the CIA." Shortly after overhearing Bartlett, Fleischer proceeded to discuss Plame with Gregory and Dickerson. According to Fleischer, neither Gregory nor Dickerson showed much interest in the information. Dickerson has denied Fleischer's account.^[54] Gregory has declined to comment on the matter.^[55] With regards to the immunity deal, Fitzgerald told the court "I didn't want to give [Fleischer] immunity. I did so reluctantly." Libby's attorney, William Jeffress, sought to learn more about the deal, telling the court "I'm not sure we're getting the full story here." According to Matt Apuzzo of the Associated Press, "Prosecutors normally insist on an informal account of what a witness will say before agreeing to such a deal. It's known in legal circles as a proffer, and Fitzgerald said [in court] he never got one from Fleischer."^[56][57][58]

Journalists subpoenaed to testify in Fitzgerald's Grand Jury Investigation

In a January 23, 2006, letter to Scooter Libby's defense team, Patrick Fitzgerald states:

Bob Woodward

On November 16, 2005, in an article entitled "Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago," published in ''The Washington Post,'' Jim VandeHei and Carol D. Leonnig revealed that Bob Woodward was told of Valerie Wilson's CIA affiliation a month before it was reported in Robert Novak's column and before Wilson's July 6, 2003 editorial in the New York Times. Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago At an on-the-record dinner at a Harvard University Institute of Politics forum in December 2005, according to the ''Harvard Crimson'', Woodward discussed the matter with fellow Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, responding to Bernstein’s claim that the release of Plame’s identity was a "calculated leak" by the Bush administration with "I know a lot about this, and you’re wrong." The ''Crimson'' also states that "when asked at the dinner whether his readers should worry that he has been 'manipulated' by the Bush administration, Woodward replied, 'I think you should worry. I mean, I worry.'" Woodward Said Novak's Source 'Was Not in the White House'
Although it had been reported in mid-November 2005 that Novak's source was National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, National Security Adviser Was Woodward's Source, Attorneys Say Security Adviser Named As Source in CIA Scandal almost a year later media reports revealed that the source of this information was Richard Armitage,which Armitage himself also confirmed.Michael Isikoff, "The Man Who Said Too Much," ''Newsweek'', August 28, 2006.
On February 12, 2007, Woodward testified in "Scooter" Libby's trial as a defense witness. While on the witness stand, an audiotape was played for the jury that contained the interview between Armitage and Woodward in which Plame was discussed. The following exchange is heard on the tape:

Judith Miller

New York Times reporter Judith Miller also claims to have learned Plame's CIA affiliation from Scooter Libby. Though she never published an article on the topic, Miller spent twelve weeks in jail when she was found in contempt of court for refusing to divulge the identity of her source to Fitzgerald's Grand Jury after he subpoenaed her testimony. Miller told the court, before being ordered to jail, "If journalists cannot be trusted to keep confidences, then journalists cannot function and there cannot be a free press." Miller was released from jail on September 29, 2005, after Libby assured her in a telephone call that a waiver he gave prosecutors authorizing them to question reporters about their conversations with him was not coerced. Libby also wrote Miller a letter while she was in jail urging her to cooperate with the special prosecutor.^[59] The letter has come under scrutiny, and Fitzgerald asked Miller about it during her grand jury testimony.^[60] Fitzgerald attempted to enter the letter into evidence at Libby's trial, arguing it showed Libby tried to influence her prospective testimony to the grand jury. Judge Walton ruled it inadmissible.^[61]
Miller testified twice before the grand jury and wrote an account of her testimony for the ''New York Times''.
New York Times Reporter Jailed Jailed Reporter Reaches Deal in CIA Leak Probe My Four Hours Testifying in the Federal Grand Jury Room Cooper Agrees to Testify to Plame Grand Jury, Avoids Jail ^[62][63]
In her testimony at Libby's trial, Miller reiterated that she learned of Plame from Libby on June 23, 2003, during an interview at the Old Executive Office Building, and on July 8, 2003, during a breakfast meeting at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington D.C. At the July 8 meeting, which occurred two days after Joe Wilson's op-ed in the ''New York Times'', Libby told the grand jury "that he was specifically authorized in advance... to disclose the key judgments of the classified [October 2002] NIE to Miller" to rebut Wilson's charges. Libby "further testified that he at first advised the Vice President that he could not have this conversation with reporter Miller because of the classified nature of the NIE", but testified "that the Vice President had advised [Libby] that the President had authorized [Libby] to disclose relevant portions of the NIE."^[25][65][24]
Miller was pressed by the defense at Libby's trial about conversations she may have had with other officials regarding the Wilsons. Miller also testified that after her conversation with Libby, she went to New York Times managing editor Jill Abramson and suggested the ''Times'' look into Wilson's wife. Abramson, however, testified at the trial that she had "no recollection of such a conversation." Former Times Reporter Testimony Is Challenged ^[67]
According to Denver criminal defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt, a press-accredited blogger who attended the trial, "After Judith Miller's testimony, Libby lawyer Ted Wells told the judge he would be moving for a judgment of acquittal on a count pertaining to her." Libby: One Part of Judith Miller Count May Be Dropped Neil A. Lewis reported in ''The New York Times'' on February 9, 2007, that "The Libby defense won a victory of sorts when Judge Reggie B. Walton agreed to exclude part of one of the five felony counts against Mr. Libby. But it remained unclear whether the change, which was not contested by the prosecutors, would matter in jury deliberations," and some speculated that Libby's conversation with Miller would be dropped from count 1 of the indictment. NBC’s Russert Wraps Up Prosecution Case in Libby Trial At Libby's sentencing hearing, Libby's lawyers filed a response to the Government's sentencing request. Libby's filing read, in part, "At the close of the government’s case, the defense moved to dismiss from the indictment the allegation that Mr. Libby had lied about his July 12 conversation with Ms. Miller, because the evidence did not support this allegation. The government did not oppose this motion, and the Court granted it."^[68]
After the verdict was read, a juror told the press that while Miller's memory may have been bad, many on the jury felt sympathy for her due to the nature of her cross-examination. The juror also stated that Miller was deemed credible during deliberations due to the fact that she had made notes of her meeting with Libby. Juror Explains Libby Verdict: They Felt He Was 'Fall Guy' 'Where's Rove? Where are these other guys?': Juror Says Libby Was Guilty But Was Set Up to Take the Fall in Plame Probe

Walter Pincus

Walter Pincus, a Washington Post columnist, has reported that he was told in confidence by an unnamed Bush administration official on July 12, 2003, two days before Novak's column appeared, that Because he did not believe it to be true, Pincus claims, he did not report the story in ''The Washington Post'' until October 12, 2003:
On February 12, 2007, Pincus testified during Libby's trial that he learned Wilson's wife worked at the CIA from Ari Fleischer. According to Pincus, Fleischer "suddenly swerved off" topic during an interview to tell him of her employment. Fleischer, who was called to testify by the prosecution, had earlier testified he told two reporters about Valerie Plame, but on cross-examination testified that he did not recall telling Pincus about Plame.

Matthew Cooper

Days after Novak's initial column appeared, Matthew Cooper of ''Time'' magazine published Plame's name citing unnamed government officials as sources. In his article, entitled "A War on Wilson?", Cooper raises the possibility that the White House has "declared war" on Wilson for speaking out against the Bush Administration. "A War on Wilson?" Cooper initially refused to testify before the grand jury, and was prepared to defy a court order and spend time in jail to protect his sources. At a court hearing, where Cooper was expected to be ordered to jail, Cooper told U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan: "I am prepared to testify. I will comply. Last night I hugged my son good-bye and told him it might be a long time before I see him again. I went to bed ready to accept the sanctions." Cooper explained that before his court appearance, he had received "in somewhat dramatic fashion" a direct personal communication from his source freeing him from his commitment to keep the source's identity secret. In an interview with National Review Online, Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, stated: "Cooper's lawyer called us and said, 'Can you confirm that the waiver [Rove originally signed in December 2003 or in January 2004] encompasses Cooper?' I was amazed...So I said, 'Look, I understand that you want reassurances. If Fitzgerald would like Karl to provide you with some other assurances, we will.'" Cooper testified before the grand jury and wrote an account of his testimony for ''Time''. Cooper told the grand jury his sources for his article, "A War on Wilson?", were Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. What I Told The Grand Jury ^[69][70]
During his appearance at Libby's trial, Cooper recounted how he first learned about Valerie Wilson on July 11, 2003, from Karl Rove. Cooper testified that Rove told him to be wary of Joe Wilson’s criticisms in ''The New York Times''. "Don’t go too far out on Wilson," Cooper recalled Rove saying, adding that Wilson's wife worked at "the agency." Rove reportedly ended the call by saying, "I've already said too much." United States District Court for the District of Columbia Memorandum Opinion Cooper testified that when he spoke to Libby, he told Libby that he had heard that Joe Wilson’s wife worked at the C.I.A. According to Cooper, Libby responded, "I heard that too." Former Times Reporter Testimony Is Challenged In Libby's grand jury testimony, Libby recalled telling Cooper that he'd heard something to that effect but that he didn't know for sure if it were true. In Libby's trial, Cooper's notes became the subject of intense scrutiny by the defense.^[71][72][73]
Libby was acquitted on one count involving Cooper. A juror told the press that count three of the indictment came down to Libby's word versus Cooper's word, and thus provided enough reasonable doubt. Juror Explains Libby Verdict: They Felt He Was 'Fall Guy'

Tim Russert

According to Patrick Fitzgerald and the Grand Jury Investigation indictment, in his sworn testimony, Libby claimed to have heard of Plame's CIA status from Tim Russert.
Both Russert and Libby testified that Libby called Russert on July 10, 2003 to complain about the MSNBC program Hardball and comments that were made on that show about Libby and Cheney with regard to Wilson's Niger trip and subsequent op-ed. Libby contends, however, that at the end of that conversation, Russert asked him: "Did you know that Ambassador Wilson's wife works at the CIA? All the reporters know it."^[74] Libby's Grand Jury Testimony
At Libby's trial, Russert was questioned by prosecutors for only 12 minutes, but underwent more than five hours of pointed cross-examination over two days from defense attorney Theodore Wells Jr. Russert told prosecutors that he could not have told Libby about Plame because he had not heard of her until she was publicly revealed by Novak on July 14, 2003, four days after Russert spoke with Libby by phone. Wells challenged Russert's memory and his version of the events that lead to his crucial grand jury testimony. Wells also questioned Russert about his reaction to the announcement of Libby's grand jury indictment.
Wells also focused on a November 24, 2003, report by John C. Eckenrode, the FBI Special Agent who interviewed Russert as part of the DOJ investigation. In that report Eckenrode writes:

Russert does not recall stating to Libby, in this conversation, anything about the wife of former ambassador Joe Wilson. Although he could not completely rule out the possibility that he had such an exchange, Russert was at a loss to remember it, and moreover, he believes that this would be the type of conversation that he would or should remember. Russert acknowledged that he speaks to many people on a daily basis and it is difficult to reconstruct some specific conversations, particularly one which occurred several months ago.^[75]

Russert testified, however, that he does not believe that he said what Eckenrode reports; while he acknowledged on cross examination that he was not asked about any conversations he may have had with David Gregory or Andrea Mitchell regarding Plame during his deposition with Fitzgerald, he also told the jury that "they never came forward" to share with him anything they were learning about Joe Wilson or Valerie Plame from administration officials, and he testified that after Novak's column was published, the NBC Washington bureau (which he heads) debated whether pursuing Plame's role in the story would compromise her job at the CIA and ultimately decided to pursue the story.^[76][77][78] NBC’s Russert Wraps Up Prosecution Case in Libby Trial ^[79][80]
According to multiple news accounts of the trial, Russert's testimony was key to Libby's conviction or acquittal, and on the day that the defense rested, February 14, 2007, the judge refused to allow the defense to call Russert back to the stand.Jeralyn Merritt, "The Defense Rests", ''TalkLeft'' (accredited press blog), February 14, 2007, accessed February 15, 2007. A juror told the press that the members of the jury found Russert to be very credible in his testimony. "The primary thing that convinced us on most of the counts was the conversation, alleged conversation with Russert," the juror told the press.^[81]

Legal issues relating to the CIA leak scandal

There are some major legal issues surrounding the allegations of illegality by administration officials in the CIA leak scandal, including Executive Order 12958, the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, the Espionage Act, Title 18 Section 641, conspiracy to impede or injure officers, the Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement, other laws and precedents, perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and compelling the media to testify.

Congressional hearings

On March 8, 2007, two days after the verdict in the Libby trial, Congressman Henry Waxman, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform, announced that his committee would ask Plame to testify on March 16, in an effort by his committee to look into "whether White House officials followed appropriate procedures for safeguarding Plame's identity."^[82]

Plame's testimony

On March 16, 2007, Plame testified before the committee. Henry Waxman read a prepared statement that was cleared by CIA director Michael Hayden. It read in part:
Plame's opening statement included the following:
When asked by the committee the definition of the term "covert", Plame responded: "I'm not a lawyer, but my understanding is that the CIA is taking affirmative steps to ensure that there is no links between the operations officer and the Central Intelligence Agency." When asked if she was ever told whether her status fit the definition under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, Plame replied: "No," adding "I'm not a lawyer, but I was covert. I did travel overseas on secret missions within the last five years...[but] no, no one told me that [I fit the definition under the IIPA]."
Plame also told the committee: "For those of us that were undercover in the CIA, we tended to use 'covert' or 'undercover' interchangeably. I'm not — we typically would not say of ourselves we were in a 'classified' position. You're kind of undercover or overt employees."
Plame told the committee she believed her "name and identity were carelessly and recklessly abused by senior officials in the White House and State Department." Plame testified that "I could count on one hand the number of people who knew where my true employer was the day that I was — my name was — and true affiliation was exposed in July 2003." As a result of her exposure as a CIA operative, Plame told the committee "I could no longer perform the work for which I had been highly trained." When asked if she had any evidence government officials knew she was covert when disclosing her identity to reporters, Plame responded "That, I think, is a question better put to the special prosecutor, Congressman."

Knodell's testimony

Dr. James Knodell, Director of the Office of Security at the White House, testified before the committee as well. He was asked whether the White House conducted any internal investigation, as is required by Executive Order 12958. Knodell said that he had started at the White House in August 2004, a year after the leak, but his records showed no evidence of a probe or report: "I have no knowledge of any investigation in my office," he said.^[83] When asked why no internal investigation was conducted or disciplinary actions taken after he took office, Knodell replied "there was already an outside investigation that was taking place, a criminal investigation. So that's why we took no action."^[84] In response to Knodell's testimony, Waxman sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton asking for clarification as to the "steps that the White House took following the disclosure of Ms. Wilson's identity." Letter from Henry Waxman to Joshua Bolton
According to Waxman:
Citing Executive Order 12958, Waxman observes that the "White House is required to 'take appropriate and prompt corrective action' whenever there is a release of classified information." On September 29, 2003, approximately two and a half months after the disclosure of Plame's identity and subsequent filing of a crimes report by the CIA with the Justice Department, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters: "The president believes leaking classified information is a very serious matter and it should be pursued to the fullest extent by the appropriate agency and the appropriate agency is the Department of Justice." McClellan also stated that the White House would not launch an internal probe and would not ask for an independent investigation into the matter.^[85]

Other testimony

Attorneys Mark Zaid and Victoria Toensing also testified before the committee. Each testified that Plame may not have been covert under the IIPA, and that the legal definition is more narrow than the general CIA designation. Zaid told the committee, "Mrs. Toensing is absolutely correct with many of her questions with respect to the Intelligence Identities Act, which has a very exacting standard. Mrs. Plame, as she indicated, was covert. That's a distinction between possibly under the Intelligence Identities Act, and that classified information was leaked. And the question then is it of a criminal magnitude versus something less than that and these could be any number of penalties." Hearing Examines Exposure of Covert CIA Agent Valerie Plame Wilson's Identity
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald was also asked to testify. In a letter to Waxman, Fitzgerald responded to Waxman's request in part:

Reaction to hearing

According to Robert Novak, Rep. Peter Hoekstra and Hayden were in a conference together five days after the committee hearing. Novak reported that Hayden "did not answer whether Plame was covert under the terms of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act" when pressed by Hoekstra.^[86] Novak reported on April 12, 2007 that:
:"Hayden indicated to me he had not authorized Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman to say Plame had been a 'covert' CIA employee, as he claimed Hayden did, but only that she was 'undercover'...I obtained Waxman's talking points for the hearing. The draft typed after the Hayden-Waxman conversation said, 'Ms. Wilson had a career as an undercover agent of the CIA.' This was crossed out, the hand-printed change saying she 'was a covert employee of the CIA'...Hayden told me that the talking points were edited by a CIA lawyer after conferring with Waxman's staff. 'I am completely comfortable with that,' the general assured me. He added he now sees no difference between 'covert' and 'undercover'...Mark Mansfield, Hayden's public affairs officer, next e-mailed me: 'At CIA, you are either a covert or an overt employee. Ms. Wilson was a covert employee'...On March 21, Hoekstra again requested that the CIA define Plame's status. A written reply April 5 from Christopher J. Walker, the CIA's director of congressional affairs, said only that 'it is taking longer than expected' to reply because of 'the considerable legal complexity required for this tasking.'"^[87]

Possible consequences of the public disclosure of Plame's CIA identity

There has been debate over what kinds of damage may have resulted from the public disclosure of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative in Novak's column and its fallout, how far and into what areas of national security and foreign intelligence that damage might extend, particularly vis-à-vis Plame's work with her cover company, Brewster Jennings & Associates.
On October 3, 2004, ''The Washington Post'' quotes a former diplomat predicting immediate damage:
In contrast, in an October 27, 2005, appearance on ''Larry King Live'', Bob Woodward commented:
In an appearance the next night, October 28, 2005, on ''Hardball'', Andrea Mitchell was quoted as saying:
Following Mitchell's appearance on ''Hardball'', on October 29, 2006, ''The Washington Post's Dafna Linzer reported that no formal damage assessment had yet been conducted by the CIA "as is routinely done in cases of espionage and after any legal proceedings have been exhausted." Linzer writes:
Mark Lowenthal, who retired from a senior management position at the CIA in March 2005 reportedly told Linzer:
Another intelligence official who spoke anonymously to Linzer cited the CIA's interest in protecting the agency and its work:
On October 28, 2005, the Office of Special Counsel issued a press release regarding Libby's indictment. The following is stated regarding Plame:
In a November 3, 2005, online live discussion, in response to a question about the Fitzgerald investigation, ''The Washington Post's Dana Priest, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist specializing in matters of national security, opined:
In a January 9, 2006, letter addressed to "Scooter" Libby's defense team, Patrick Fitzgerald responded to a discovery request by Libby's lawyers for both classified and unclassified documents. In the letter, Fitzgerald writes:
He continues:
On March 16, 2007, Plame told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform "But I do know the Agency did a damage assessment. They did not share it with me, but I know that certainly puts the people and the contacts I had all in jeopardy, even if they were completely innocent in nature." Plame hearing transcript
During Libby's trial, Judge Reggie Walton told the jury "No evidence will be presented to you with regard to Valerie Plame Wilson’s status. That is because what her actual status was, or whether any damage would result from disclosure of her status, are totally irrelevant to your decision of guilt or innocence. You must not consider these matters in your deliberations or speculate or guess about them." During court proceedings, when the jury wasn't present, Walton told the court "I don’t know, based on what has been presented to me in this case, what her status was...It’s totally irrelevant to this case...I to this day don’t know what her actual status was."^[88]
Larisa Alexandrovna of The Raw Story reports that three intelligence officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told her that
According to her sources,
Alexandrovna also reports that while Plame was undercover she was involved in an operation identifying and tracking weapons of mass destruction technology to and from Iran, suggesting that her outing "significantly hampered the CIA's ability to monitor nuclear proliferation." Her sources also stated that the outing of Plame also compromised the identity of other covert operatives who had been working, like Plame, under non-official cover status. These anonymous officials said that in their judgement, the CIA's work on WMDs has been set back "ten years" as a result of the compromise. Outed CIA Officer Was Working on Iran, Intelligence Sources Say
MSNBC correspondent David Shuster reported on Hardball later, on May 1, 2006, that MSNBC had learned "new information" about the potential consequences of the leaks:
On September 6, 2006, David Corn published an article for The Nation entitled "What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA" in which Corn reports that Plame was placed in charge of the operations group within the Joint Task Force on Iraq in the spring of 2001 and that, "when the Novak column ran," in July 2003:
According to Vanity Fair:
In testifying before Congress, Plame described the damage done by her exposure as such:
:"The CIA goes to great lengths to protect all of its employees, providing at significant taxpayers' expense painstakingly devised and creative covers for its most sensitive staffers. The harm that is done when a CIA cover is blown is grave, but I can't provide details beyond that in this public hearing. But the concept is obvious.
:"Not only have breaches of national security endangered CIA officers, it has jeopardized and even destroyed entire networks of foreign agents, who in turn risk their own lives and those of their families to provide the United States with needed intelligence. Lives are literally at stake." Plame hearing transcript
Main articles: Valerie Plame#Career

Other perspectives on the CIA leak scandal

Main articles: Alternate theories regarding the CIA leak scandal

Since the CIA leak scandal became public knowledge, commentators began presenting multiple and often highly-contested perspectives on it in various media.

See also

★ CIA leak grand jury investigation

★ CIA leak scandal criminal investigation

★ Plame affair timeline

★ Plame v. Cheney

★ United States Intelligence Community

★ United States v. Libby

★ U.S. Department of Justice Office of Special Counsel

★ Yellowcake forgery

Notes

1. Plame's Suit Against Top Officials Dismissed
2. Letter from Bruce C. Swartz to David Addington (PDF page 4)
3. Letter from James B. Comey to Patrick Fitzgerald
4. Bush Says He'll Fire Any Aide Who 'Committed a Crime'
5. Role of Rove, Libby in CIA Leak Case Clearer
6. "No charges against Rove in CIA leak case", New York Times, June 14, 2006
7. "Plame Lawsuit Brief", ''USA Today'', accessed July 13, 2006.
8. David Corn, "What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA", ''The Nation'' (Web only) September 6, 2006, accessed December 6, 2006.
9. Cheney aide denies Libby account of CIA leak
10. Libby's Grand Jury Testimony (PDF)
11. Outed CIA operative blames White House, State officials
12. "Plame Sheds Little Light in Leak Case"
13. Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence (PDF)
14. Analysis: Plame Asked to Explain Trip Role
15. I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby Guilty on Four of Five Counts in CIA Leak Trial
16. David Corn, "A White House Smear", ''Capital Games'' (blog), ''The Nation''. July 16, 2003.
17. Joe Wilson Who's Who in America entry
18. Murray S. Waas "Plame Gate," ''American Prospect'' (web exclusive), December 2, 2004.
19. Ex-CIA official’s comment about Plame story is inaccurate
20. Novak Memoir: Armitage Wanted Plame Named
21. Government's Response to Court's Inquiry regarding News Articles the Government Intends to Offer As Evidence At Trial (PDF)
22. FBI Agent: Libby, Cheney May Have Discussed Plame
23. Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Notes Show
24. The Libby-Cheney Connection
25. Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks
26. Bush Directed Cheney To Counter War Critic
27. First Witnesses May Bolster Libby Defense
28. Libby Describes Forgetting, Relearning CIA Operative's Identity
29. Diary of the Leak Trial (Timeline)
30. In Closing Pleas, Clashing Views on Libby’s Role
31. The Cloud Over Cheney
32. Court Hears Libby Describe Cheney as 'Upset' at Critic
33. FBI Agent Testifies Libby Learned About Plame from Cheney
34. Juror Calls On Bush to Pardon Libby
35. Libby Prosecutor Asks for No Leniency in Sentence
36. Libby's Lawyers Argue Against Prison as Fitzgerald Seeks 30 Months
37. Was Libby’s Prison Sentence 'excessive'?
38. "Government's Memorandum Of Law In Support Of Its Proposed Sentencing Guidelines Calculations"
39. Libby Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison
40. Libby Given 21/2-Year Prison Term
41. Bush Commutes Libby Sentence, Saying 30 Months 'Is Excessive'
42. Libby Pays 0,000 Fine
43. Libby Pays Fine: Judge Poses Probation Query
44. Press Conference by the President
45. Source Tells AP About Rove's Grand Jury Testimony on Plame Leak
46. Mysterious 'Official A' Is Karl Rove
47. Rove Testifies 5th Time on Leak
48. Plamegate Turns D.C. Upside Down
49. Jim VandeHei, "Rove Will Not Be Charged in CIA Leak Case, Lawyer Says", ''The Washington Post'', June 14, 2006, accessed November 20, 2006.
50. Rove Faces Cynics in Aspen
51. Rove, Powell Engage in CIA Leak Case
52. Transcript: Karl Rove on 'FOX News Sunday'
53. Government Exhibit GX51: Order of Use Immunity Before the Grand Jury
54. My Surreal Day at the Libby Trial
55. Libby Trial Opens with Simple Tales and Complex Plots
56. Libby Lawyers Seek Facts on Immunity Deal
57. "Former Press Secretary Says Libby Told Him of Plame"
58. Former White House Spokesman Fleischer Contradicts Libby's Claims in Perjury Trial
59. Letter from Libby to Miller (PDF)
60. Libby's Letter to Miller Raises 'Troubling' Issues
61. Libby Live: Judy Five ("live-blogging" transcript of court proceedings)
62. N.Y. Times Reporter Released From Jail
63. Times Reporter Testifies Again in CIA Leak Probe
64. Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks
65. Iraq’s Continuing Program for Weapons of Mass Destruction: Key Judgments from October 2002 NIE
66. The Libby-Cheney Connection
67. Lawyer: Neither Cheney nor Libby will testify in CIA leak case
68. Defendant I. Lewis Libby's Opposition to the Government's Memorandum of Law in Support of Its Proposed Sentencing Guidelines Calculations
69. Cooper Agrees to Testify to Plame Grand Jury, Avoids Jail
70. Lawyer: Cooper 'Burned' Karl Rove
71. Leak Trial Reveals Flaws in Note-taking
72. What Scooter Libby Said, What Matt Cooper Wrote
73. Matt Cooper's Unmagical Notes
74. Russert Contradicts Libby
75. Defense Exhibit 1809.1: Stipulation Regarding Former FBI Inspector in Charge John C. Eckenrode (PDF)
76. Russert Testifies in Libby Perjury Trial
77. NBC's Russert Back on the Stand to Challenge Libby's Version of CIA Talk
78. Prosecution Rests Case in Libby's Perjury Trial
79. Russert on the Hot Seat in Libby Trial
80. Lawyers to Question Russert Credibility
81. For Jurors, Libby Might Be 'fall guy,' But He Was Guilty
82. Plame to Testify to Congress on Leak
83. White House Security Chief Reveals — No Probe of Plame Leak There
84. White House official: No probe launched into Plame leak (transcript)
85. "White House Vows Help in CIA Leak Probe"
86. Was She Covert?
87. CIA chief Plays Plame Game
88. Libby Judge: Even I Don’t Know Plame’s Status

Selected references

★ "AP falsely reported Wilson 'acknowledged his wife was no longer in an undercover job' when her identity was first publicly leaked". ''Media Matters for America'' July 15, 2005.

★ "A Bad Leak." ''The New York Times'' April 16, 2006, Editorial. Accessed November 18, 2006.

★ Ballard, Tanya N., and Kevin Dumouchelle, comps. "Key Players in the Plame Affair." ''The Washington Post'' October 20, 2005. (Incl. link to "Timeline.") Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Corn, David. "Toensing and WSJ: Corn Outed Plame (Here We Go Again)." ''DavidCorn.com'' (journalist's blog) September 15, 2006. Accessed November 18, 2006. (Reply to Toensing's editorial in ''The Wall Street Journal''; linked therein.)

★ –––. "What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA." ''The Nation'' (web only) September 6, 2006. Accessed December 6, 2006.

★ –––. "A White House Smear." ''The Nation'' July 16, 2003. Accessed November 18, 2006. (Also linked in above source.)

★ De la Vega, Elizabeth. "The White House Criminal Conspiracy." Online posting. ''The Nation'' October 26, 2005. Issue of November 14, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Dickerson, John, and Viveca Novak. "Grand Jury Hears Plame Case in Front of a Grand Jury in the Investigation into Whether the Identity of CIA Operative Valerie Plame Was Improperly Leaked to the Press." ''Time'' January 22, 2004. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Gellman, Barton, and Dafna Linzer. "A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic." ''The Washington Post'' April 9, 2006. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Hayes, Stephen F. "The White House, the CIA, and the Wilsons: The Chain of Events That Gave Rise to a Grand Jury Investigation." ''The Weekly Standard'' [11.6] October 24, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Hitchens, Christopher. "Plame's Lame Game: What Ambassador Joseph Wilson and His Wife Forgot to Tell Us about the Yellow-cake Scandal." ''Slate'' July 13, 2004.

★ Isikoff, Michael. "Matt Cooper's Source." ''Newsweek'' July 18, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ ––, and David Corn. ''Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War''. New York: Crown, 2006 (Sept. 8). ISBN 0-307-34681-1.

★ Johnston, David, and Richard W. Stevenson, with David E. Sanger. "Rove Reportedly Held Phone Talk on C.I.A. Officer". ''New York Times'' July 15, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006. (TimesSelect subscription required.)

★ Johnston, David, Richard W. Stevenson, and Douglas Jehl. "Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report." ''The New York Times'' October 25, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006. (TimesSelect subscription required.)

★ Kerber, Ross, and Bryan Bender. "Apparent CIA Front Didn't Offer Much Cover." ''Boston Globe'' October 10, 2003). Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Kincaid, Cliff. "Why Judith Miller Should Stay In Jail." ''Accuracy In Media'' July 11, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Leonnig, Carol D. "Papers Say Leak Probe Is Over." ''The Washington Post'' April 7, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ End of an Affair ''The Washington Post'' September 01, 2006, Editorial: A20. Accessed December 6, 2006.

★ Miller, Zell."Rule Can Head Off Dirty Tricks at CIA." ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' November 2, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ ''News War'': ''Secrets, Sources, and Spin'' (Parts 1 and 2). With correspondent Lowell Bergman. Special four-part series broadcast on ''Frontline''. Prod. of WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts). Public Broadcasting Service. Part 1 first broadcast 13 February, 2007. WXXI-TV (Rochester, New York). Part 1 incl. "Prologue: The Plame Affair" (chap. 1) and "Epilogue: 'Plamegate'" (chap. 8). Streaming video accessible online in both Windows Media Player and Quicktime. Accessed February 14, 2007. [Full transcripts to be posted online at pbs.org approx. 7 to 10 days following first broadcasts of each part of the series.]

★ Novak, Robert D."The CIA Leak." ''TownHall.com'' (syndicated column) October 1, 2003. Accessed December 12, 2006.

★ –––. "Mission to Niger." ''The Washington Post'' July 14, 2003: A21. Accessed December 12, 2006.

★ –––. "Who Said What Where When: The Rise and Fall of the Valerie Plame 'Scandal.'" ''The Weekly Standard'' October 16, 2006. Accessed December 5, 2006.

★ Parry, Robert. "Media Criticism: Shame on the Washington Post, Again." ''The Baltimore Chronicle'' February 19, 2007. Accessed March 13, 2007.

★ Polity Media, Inc. "Valerie Plame's Campaign Contributions" from 1999 and 2004. ''Newsmeat.com''. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ "Q&A: The CIA Leak Case BBC News September 9, 2006. Accessed December 6, 2006.

★ "Richard Armitage Admits to Name-Dropping Incident." ''LegalNews. TV'' September 9, 2006. (ClipSyndicate media link provided.) Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Scarborough, Rowan. The Flameout of the Plame Game." ''The Washington Times'' September 5, 2006. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Smyth, Frank. "U.S. Sends the Wrong Message to the World." IFEX June 30, 2005. Posted July 1, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Spiegel International Online. "Was Berlusconi Behind the Pre-Iraq War Yellow Cake Story?" (English translation). ''Der Spiegel'' October 27, 2005. Accessed November 17, 2006.

★ Suellentrop, Chris. "Robert Novak: The hollow center of the Plame Affair." ''Slate'' October 2, 2003.

★ "White House Counsel Questioned in CIA Leak." ''Las Vegas Sun'' June 18, 2004.

★ Toensing, Victoria. "The Plame Kerfuffle: What a Load of Armitage! What did Patrick Fitzgerald know, and when did he know it?". ''The Wall Street Journal'' September 15, 2006, Editorial. (See reply posted by Corn.)

★ United Press International. "Ashcroft Recuses Himself from Plame Affair Case." UPI December 30, 2003. (Defunct link)

★ United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. ''On the U.S. Intelligence Community's Pre-War Intelligence Assessments on Iraq, Together with Additional Views''. July 9, 2004. Accessed December 5, 2006.

★ –––. "Senator Roberts' Statement on the Niger Documents." Press release. July 11, 2003. Accessed December 5, 2006.

★ Ward, Vicki. "Double Exposure." ''Vanity Fair'' (Jan. 2004). (11 pages.) Accessed February 6, 2007.

★ "What Does the Plame Case Add Up to?" Online feature of ''News War'' on ''Frontline'' (Public Broadcasting Service), WGBH-TV. Posted February 13, 2007. Accessed February 14, 2007.

★ Wheeler, Marcy. ''Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy''. Berkeley: Vaster Books (Dist. by Publishers Group West), 2007. ISBN 0-979-17610-7 (10). ISBN 978-0979-17610-4 (13).

★ Wilson, Joseph. ''The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Put the White House on Trial and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir''. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2004. Paperback ed., 2005. ISBN 0-7867-1551-0.

Other related external links

★ ''A Conversation with Ambassador Joseph Wilson, IV'', Google Video/UC Berkeley Educational Technology Services

★ Joseph and Valerie Wilson Legal Support Trust. Accessed August 7, 2007.

★ ''News War'': "A special four-part investigation into the future of news." ''Frontline''. Prod. WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts) and a co-production of ''Frontline'' in association with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Broadcast by PBS. Parts 1 and 2: ''Secrets, Sources, and Spin''. Part 1 first broadcast on February 13, 2007. Streaming video in Windows Media Player and Quicktime and multiple other online resources, incl. broadcast schedule, full interviews, and full transcripts (within 7 to 10 days of the broadcast of each part). Part 1 incl. "Prologue: The Plame Affair" (chap. 1) and "Epilogue: 'Plamegate'" (chap. 8).

★ ''The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies That Put the White House on Trial and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir,'' by Joseph Wilson: website featuring excerpts from the book, interviews, and reviews, a news archive, and "Bibliography", with hyperlinks. Copyright © 2004, Carroll & Graf Publishers & Joseph Wilson.

★ Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald's official Web site.