... and the floodwaters are starting to pour down on Fort George W. Bush.
The CIA has formally asked the Justice Department to start an investigation of whether two senior officials in the Bush White House deliberately revealed the identity of an undercover CIA officer to get back at her husband for his role in revealing the "Yellowcake Road" hoax. (Revealing the identity of a covert agent is an aggravated felony punishable by up to ten years in prison.) Justice has officially begun a preliminary inquiry.
Meanwhile, a "senior administration official" has confirmed to the Washington Post that two "top White House officials" were responsible for the leak, that they called at least six journalists in addition to columnist Robert Novak, and that the motive was "purely and simply revenge" on former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who went to Niger and reported that Iraq had not, in fact, bought uranium there.
If you're just hearing about the affair for the first time, that's not surprising: the mainstream media have largely ignored it, perhaps because reporters who depend on leaks for a living don't want to start prying into one another's sources. But it is potentially a Watergate-sized scandal, and the CIA referral to Justice has forced it on to the front pages. (To be precise, onto the front page of Sunday's Washington Post.)
Wilson has spoken publicly about his hopes of seeing Karl Rove "frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs." He might just get his wish. With someone in the top ranks of the White House itself naming the names of other top officials — albeit off the record — it's not going to be hard for the FBI, and and a grand jury, to find out who the culprits were.
You can find a summary of the affair here. All the most recent developments, with links, are discussed here.
Article comments
1 - Michael Croft
I've seen one analysis that suggests that Ari Fleischer had to be one of the "two top administration officials" because they don't believe that anyone would contact multiple major news outlets without his involvement.
Dunno, I could see it, but it's a possibility. And he's a lot easier to allow to take the fall, since he's out...
2 - Sherry
The more President Bush gives people the benefit of the doubt, the more he gives people a chance, is accepting and tolerant... the more he is attacked and taken advantage of.
There is no story here. The journalist Novak has said repeatedly that he didn't originally hear the info about Plame from the White House, but another source. He claims that his mention of the White House officials are of those who *confirmed* the information, but on top of that, it was confirmed by CIA over the phone as well, who also claim that Plame was merely an analyst.
Then it sat for 2 months before anyone said a word about it.
Too, Wilson himself has his wife listed by name on his internet website, another journalist has stepped forward and said that he knew about Plame and thought it was simply common knowledge.
Wilson has made it clear he is an enemy of President Bush, that he is incapable of being objective, and that he has publicly stated some pretty scary thoughts about what he would like to do to those in the administration.
This is a non-story. Wilson is trying to fabricate a scandal. The left and the media have basically convicted the administration before an investigation has even been able to begin. Bush-haters are dogpiling on, hoping against hope that they might actually have something that might stick.
But it won't. Bush didn't do it, didn't tell anyone to do it, wouldn't allow it, wouldn't have any part of it, and will be vindicated by EVIDENCE, something that you and the media don't seem to have any desire or respect for.