Great job Mark. Thanks for posting this transcript. We never get this level of detail from standard news sources, and I appreciate the opportunity to read more than just a reader digest version of this event.

Salut!

wtg - good piece

Great job, Mark.

Now, in the interest of national security and a return to some semblance of trust with this White House Karl Rove must resign forthwith.

1. Karl Rove must resign and cooperate with investigators who are in charge of determining the facts.

2. President Bush should issue a conditional pardon of Mr. Rove under the conditions that he will return to private life, take no further role in the political arena whatsoever, and issue a statement of apology to the members of this Administration, Joe Wilson and his wife and to the people of America.

3. President Bush should come forth before the American public and tell us once and for all when he knew the facts. If he fails to do so, I would support a Congressional investigation that could lead to impeachment.

you spoke well, with the exception of point number two

if guilty, the punishment should be according to the law, anything less taints all it touches with the brush of hypocrisy and special priveledge for the powerful

President Bush should issue a conditional pardon of Mr. Rove under the conditions that he will return to private life, take no further role in the political arena whatsoever, and issue a statement of apology to the members of this Administration, Joe Wilson and his wife and to the people of America.

Does Judith Miller get a pardon too?

David: Wonderful piece. It's really great to see a (mostly) complete transcript like this. You've been such an excellent contribution to the site.

Not only does Judith Miller get a pardon but she deserves a Pulitzer.

A conditional pardon for Karl Rove is a far worse punishment than a few months in a federal detention facility. He should be removed from politics all together. That kind of restriction would be a far worse punishment for him to endure. Either that, or make him Martha Stewart's first Intern!!!! I'd like to see him on all fours groveling at Martha's feet. This misogynist chauvinist bigoted pig should squeal like the porcine trash he is.

the law in question here is
Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 which states that
"Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both."

Classic Bush administration hypocritical bullshit. Great post.

Thanks to all for the compliments.

Pilgrim, I totally understand that many will call for a severe punishment should Rove be found guilty. Right now all we have is an appearance of impropriety. It seems that there is sufficient evidence but that can only be determined by a Grand Jury. All that being said, Rove must resign now. He has placed many in the Bush Administration in a very uncomfortable position and morally the proper thing to do is walk away if he wants to clear his name.

i called for nothing, silas. i quoted the law. no apologist for hypocrisy or those that violate their oath and morals.

Rove should be jailed for treason and perjury!!!

Thanx for posting the transcript? I think that the administration is resisting too hard for the sake of Karl Rove. I think that they are protecting a bigger Bush, uh I mean a bigger fish.
Probably because Rove knows where all of the bodies are buried.

I posted this on my site on July 1 at about 11:31 PM -- a minute after it was posted in Editor and Publisher. (http://www.liberalrevolt.com/2005/07/04/rove-traitor) It's really amazing to me that these stories seem to be released at times when they are least likely to reach the MSM. Who's controlling these things? It was Friday before a holiday weekend (I don't know why I was still working). . Thank God for the blogosphere -- we may never find out about stuff like this. Imagine all of the things we've lost ...

BTW - Crooks and Liars has a link to the meaty part of the video - http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Scotty_Rove.wmv

>>shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.<<

So, an appropriate punishment would be $1 and a pat on the back?

Dave

Vaughn Taylor says: "Thank God for the blogosphere -- we may never find out about stuff like this. Imagine all of the things we've lost ..."

This is where it's at, Vaughn. The main stream media knows it. The political parties are terrified of it. And the special interest groups from the NEA to the AMA to the Drug, Petroleum and Gun Lobbies are perplexed as to the rising tide. We're the little volcano simmering under the ocean's floor and soon there will be enough pressure for us to break through. As the tidal wave of change is released, the first target shall be Washington, DC.

Thank you for publishing the text of the press briefing.

It disturbs me that political commentary is that Rove did nothing "wrong." People familiar with Rove tactics know that he deliberately uses subterfuge - I doubt that if he knew that Plame was possibly responsible for her husband's trip, he did not know her position. And how difficult is it really to unearth her name once you know to whom she is married and where she works?

If Bush does nothing, it will confirm that he has absolutely no regard for the law, the American people, or the people who work for the government to protect our Country.

As far as Rove being banned from government and politics - it would be a literal death knell for this "doctor of political strategy."

Dave Mark, terrific reporting!

Ref: 1) the press: it's about goddamned time they started doing their jobs. They should be baring their fangs like this with EVERY politician, ALL the time - & the higher the pol, the harder the bite. 2) BushCo: I knew it would be only a matter of time before they got caught with their pants down, red-handed (to mix metaphors), so blatantly that even they can't deny or spin it enough to make it go away. Maybe this will wake up some on the right who have been blindly defending Smirk & Co. no matter what BushCo has done to destroy this country & our rights; it is acknowledged that, like their Fearless Leader, most will be incapable of admitting they were wrong & grossly misjudged the characters of the people they voted for & trusted to lead them. 3) On the contrary, I hope Smirk DOES continue to stand by his man & the admin continues to try to spin & ride out the storm. The 06 elections are coming up; lessee: we've got DeLay, & that guy w/the houseboat, & now Rove, & the Downing St. memo ... yeah, we should be able to clean out a lot of corrupt GOP scumbags. The Dems have been handed several gifts on a golden platter. If they can't do anything with this plethora of scandal, they'd better fold up for good as being too stupid to live. Pity none of this came up before the presidential elections. But I am optimistic: we may have a presidential impeachment yet. I shall continue to hope. Meanwhile, I really, really hope this means the media have finally gotten their groove (& thirst for blood) back again. It's overdue & very needed.

"This is where it's at, Vaughn. The main stream media knows it. The political parties are terrified of it."

We have the opportunity to be honest, and cut through all of the bureaucratic nonsense that the MSM has to deal with before they can even think about running a story. Unless the MSM finds a way to get stories on the TV quicker, they may soon become irrelevant. The MSM is using the blogosphere as a testing ground for their stories -- they can determine if the story has legs, and avoid getting "Rathered".

http://www.liberalrevolt.com/

ARE WE ALL BLIND? THE REPORTERS WHO ALLEGEDLY TALKED TO KARL ROVE HAVE HAD TO ENDURE THREATS OF JAILING AND ONE OF THEM IS PRESENTLY IN JAIL. WHAT ABOUT ROBERT NOVAK WHO ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED THE WILSON'S WIFE BY NAME? IS IT BECAUSE HE IS A CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST THAT HE SEEMS TO BE UNSCATHED? I BET HE GOT THE INFORMATION FROM ROVE ALSO. AGAIN, MY QUESTION IS: WHAT ABOUT NOVAK?

Daniel, we have to assume that Novak cooperated with the prosecution.

But that leads to a follow-up: If Novak did cooperate and testify, seemingly giving up his sources, why the pursuit of Cooper and Miller.

The only way around this is if Novak lied in his column, and didn't actually talk to administration sources, but instead pick up on the information from talking to fellow reporters like Cooper and Miller, who themselves did not print the information.

Is that possible?

The smarmy, unscrupulous Robert Novak won't get into any kind of trouble. He is the darling of the Republican right. He's been their lapdog for as long as he's been in news. He was like a pit bull on Clinton for a blow job. When it comes to something that borders on treason, he's a wimp.

Silas, that may be true, but I think more likely he was advised by very well-paid GOP advisors/lawyers to wade his way through this mess unscathed.

But logically, I think it has to be that Novak lied in his column. Otherwise, the investigation wouldn't need to proceed to Cooper and Miller.

We can't assume that Novak was uncooperative with the investigation.

Great Post! thanks for the transcript.
I also disagree with the idea that W should pardon Rove, it seems like these guys have been acting like they're above the law since they got in. Time for the Dems to take 'em to the mat on this one. The Republicans like to portray themselves as the only party to trust with our national security, how was our national security served by the outing a covert "front line soldier" in the war on terror, who's job was to investigate the proliferation of WMD's?

And Novak's "cooperation" with the prosecutor shouldn't keep him out of the fire either, He's the hack that spilled it first!

Let the unravelling begin....

One must wonder if Time, Inc's decision to cooperate and turn over the notes has a connection to Mr. Novak. Let's not forget that Time and CNN are part of the same corporate entity. Here's an example of how a mega-corporation could have a negative impact on the exercise of free press. The Rove story is only part of the overall bigger picture. Unfortunately the FCC is owned by the conglomerates.

Interesting. Hadn't thought of that, Silas.

If that's true, then Miller really is on her own.

a good round-up of relevant quotes that provide historical reference of that old truism about scoundrels,politicians and liars

Damn, it was frustrating wading through McClellan's sea of non-remarks (which is pretty close to par for the course, actually, if you watch any typical White House press briefing).

I'm just catching up on this story today -- nice job, David.

When will the people wake up and realize thier all a bunch of liars and crooks and there isn't a damm thing we the people can do about it. This isnt the land of the free its the land of whose in power at the time.

Thank you, Aaman.

Robert, you've answered your own question. People across this great land are waking up. They are realizing that there's something inherently wrong with the way the business of politics is executed. The real question is what CAN we do to change things? I don't buy the "we can't do a thing about it" mentality. We CAN do something. The center of power is ever shifting, Robert. Don't you even recognize the potential we have via a place like BlogCritics and other Blogs? In the few months I've been here, I have learned so much. Four years of college could never have enlightened me as much as BlogCritics.

Silas but as you know we as the people lost the ability to organize in large enough numbers to force them to do whats best for us the people. These days its all about the almighty dollar and who can be purchased for the correct amount whether is goverment contracts or campaign contributions. These days its one corrupt hand washing the other no matter if it's breaking the law or not.

What a difference a few years make. Since 9/11, the White House has been telling us that we were at war with terrorist around the world and that we needed to watch what we said (1) in order to avoid aiding and abetting the enemy. However, while suppression of free speech is what they recommend for the rest of us, it seems that the rule does not apply to members of the White House Staff. For example, Mr Rove found it perfectly OK to disclose information about active CIA agent to members of the press. And what were the motivations behind this? Retributions seems to be the main motive, as the leak was issued as the result of an editorial faulting the government policy on Iraq and highlighting that findings from an expert were different than the ones the White House was pushing.

In times like ours, it is important to let the truth come out. Because the current investigation is being done by members of the Department of Justice, who answer to the Attorney General, who answers to the White House, the potential for conflict is high.
Considering the existence of such conflict, it seems the only way the country can truly get to the bottom of this would be through the creation of an
independent counsel under Title 28 of the United States Code, Section 595. The goal of this independent counsel would be to investigate to the maximum extent
authorized by law whether Karl Rove or any other members of the White House violated the law when it comes to disclosing information about an active CIA agent. The counsel should also investigate other allegations or evidence of violations of any federal criminal law by organizations or individuals developed during the course of the investigation of Karl Rove and connected with or arising out of that
investigation.

The American people deserve the truth. Our soldiers in Iraq deserve the truth.
And only an independent counsel could truly provide it.

Call your congressman or congresswoman now and ask them to support the creation of an independent counsel. (Contact info for them can be found at
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
and
http://clerk.house.gov/members/mcapdir.html

----------------
Footnotes:
1. "All Americans that they need to watch what they
say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for
remarks like that; there never is" - Ari Fleischer,
speaking from the White House Press podium
2. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8525978/site/newsweek/

On September 30, 2003 President George W. Bush denied any knowledge of a leak and expected that whoever made the leak to come forward. It is important now for the Congress to step up to the plate and demand a full accounting of the matter.

My friends, we have the power to force Congress to step in. We have the power by caliing and/or writing to our Congresspeople and Senators. Then, I would suggest you call Mr. Rove at the White House at (202) 456-2369.

Great idea. Call up and have your entire life in a folder on the desk of J. Edgar Hoover 2.0

You guys act like Mr. Anderson in the Matrix Movie living in a dream. Your Congressman or Congresswoman whichever it may be, doesnt care what you want unless it benefits them personally or professionally

I knew Rove would do a two-step. He must have learned it hanging out with Tom Delay.

From: Pete Yost--Washington Post

"Rove "was discouraging a reporter from writing a false story based on a false premise," said Mehlman. Cooper's e-mail says that Rove warned him away from the idea that Wilson's trip had been authorized by CIA Director George Tenet or Vice President Dick Cheney."

Rove should be in hot water for this. Ought to go down for this--but he won't. He simply won't. There are too many out there willing to forgive and forget anything these guys do almost as soon as they screw up. Doesn't matter how immoral or illegal they won't be called on it, because those who support this Administration don't want to examine their own consciences too closely. They've already sold out too much to turn back now.

"Great idea. Call up and have your entire life in a folder on the desk of J. Edgar Hoover 2.0"

IOW, stand up and speak out or be a pussy.

This is America, isn't it? Of the people, by the people, yadda yadda? Land of the free, home of the brave? Speak the fuck up! If lawmakers ignore masses of their constituents speaking up and demanding action regarding dealing with the Plame leak, there is a remedy for it. But are Americans brave enough to risk speaking up or voting the bastards out of office? It's doubtful. Ben Franklin would weep...

Congressional switchboard: 202/224-3121.

I just tried to call, and as soon as I asked for Rove, got cut off. This happened 4 times. I get the impression the W.H. is not taking calls for Rove.

"Ben Franklin would weep..."---Natalie Davis

Indeed.


"IOW, stand up and speak out or be a pussy."

Very true, but don't be naive in standing up. Don't think everyone is going to see this as the same thing. Already the GOP is twisting this into "Rove was a whistleblower" ignoring that months before he said he knew nothing about the case, and that both he and prez stated whoever outed an agent should be fired. He jeopardized the lives of not only this woman, but all her contacts and assoicates as well, but that won't stop them from trying to contort the facts until they can pretend he's a hero.

This isn't going to end the Alice thru the Looking Glass logic that's infected half the country. They can turn reality into a pretzel as fast as the facts can be presented. Don't be surprised if Rove twists his way out this, but hopefully in the end he'll be more of an albatross than champion.

Holy crap, Ms. Nancy that blows. I didn't run into that problem, but will try again to see what happens.

>>This isn't going to end the Alice thru the Looking Glass logic that's infected half the country. They can turn reality into a pretzel as fast as the facts can be presented.<<

I know, it's so true. But fortunately the other half of the country can still tell truth from spin, so we can hope that the Democrats won't get too far with their latest smear and distract campaign.

dave

Says the global warming denier.

JR, nice spin. I've never denied global warming. Not once. What I've questioned is the significance of humans in the trend and the ability of human efforts to reverse a massive natural phenomenon.

Dave

Can President Bush select a Supreme Court Justice while an impeachment is looming?

I think the Karl Rove story is simply another ploy to direct the publics' interests away from the real crime(s) of this administration...
the lies told to seduce the Americans into supporting the war on Iraq...they (the republicans) have had this plan in mind since 1997... PNAC
Don't you think that is why Rove will not resign and Bush won't fire him...the longer they lead us all around by the nose on this story, the less time we have to get on with the Impeachment of this country's worst President in our History...That's why Rove is always smiling...he has a greater plan in mind, and he can see that we are all falling into his devious plot...I also think Judith Miller is in on Rove's plans, and that is the real reason she has gone to jail for these liars!
Just a thought...keep up the excellent work.
Mary S
De Pere, WI

>>Can President Bush select a Supreme Court Justice while an impeachment is looming? <<

Good question for all of those living in fantasy land. Talk amongst yourselves.

In the real world, on the other hand, where no impeachment is looming, he ought to be able to do the job.

Dave

Nixon and Staff = Watergate Crooks & And Convicted

Ford = Pardoned Nixon = The Fix Was In - Crook

Reagan & Staff = Treason - Sold Arms To The Enemy - Iran Contra - Staff Charged And Ready For Trial

Bush Sr. = The Fix Was In Again: Pardoned All charged in Iran-Contra To Avoid Convictions

Bush Jr. - The Fix was In again: Stole 2 Elections - Started Illegal War - Added Signing Statements To Laws.- Politicized all branches of government - Encroached on Constitutional Rights - Enacted vast coverup of lies on Iraq War and attacks on it's critics. And On And On. Continued Criminal acts and policys.

Want more of the same? Vote Republican. Vote McCAIN!