WHO TASKED PLAME?
By John Batchelor Posted in User Blogs — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
WHO TASKED PLAME? On my show November 7, Vallely restated his memory that Joe Wilson told him in a "casual conversation" in the green room at Fox News Network in 2002 that Wilson's wife "worked at the Agency." Valley said that he would not retract his statement in response to a letter of demand from Joe Wilson's lawyer Christopher Wolf. Also, Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily said that he would not retract his publication's articles about Paul Vallely's statements.
Also, John Loftus reported that in e-mail from Joe Wilson to Loftus (who is an admitted friend of Wilson's) Wilson has said that he is adamant he did not say such a thing to Vallely or to anyone, at anytime, at any place.
Later, Tom McInerney called for the whole story from the CIA: why was Wilson sent to Niger in February 2002 despite his lack of WMD knowledge, despite the fact he had not been there in 20 years, despite his lack of training in intelligence gathering? Why didn't Wilson have to make a written report to the CIA when he returned? Why wasn't Wilson required to sign a confidentially agreement? Why didn't the CIA make an effort to conceal the fact that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA? Why didn't the CIA object when Wilson spoke about his Niger trip to Kristoff of the New York Times, who published a reference? Why didn't the CIA require Wilson to submit his op-ed to the review board for vetting and approval? Why didn't the CIA investigate other reports of Wilson speaking of his Niger trip, his wife's job, his own political interpretations of CIA business to the media?
McInerney's answer to these mysteries is that Wilson was part of a CIA smear campaign against the Bush administration.
At the least, these questions deserve answers if we are to have a full accounting of the origins of the investigation (called for by the CIA in September 2003) that has led to the indictment of Libby and the defaming of the Bush administration.
Later in the broadcast, Jed Babbin of American Spectator told me that his investigation of some of the questions raised above points to the Deputy Director of Operations at the CIA.
Who tasked Plame to task her to hire her husband? Who paid Wilson's chits? Who let Wilson go on without a confidentially agreement? If the Wilson report of Niger was classified when it went to the Vice President's office, why wasn't Wilson warned he had classified information that he was unfree to distribute?
And who directed the CIA general counsel to make a criminal referral to the DOJ after Novak's columns in July 2003? Referral on what basis? The 1982 law? Who determined there might be a violation? What name? The same DDO office?
Start with the first name: who tasked Plame, February of 2002, to task her husband to travel to Niger? That name is the beginning of the rest of the story.
(who is an admitted friend of Wilson's)...it's getting harder and harder to be Joe Wilson's freind.
And I am going to post till someone gets it!
Boston Globe, 10-03
"...Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who said a Bush aide disclosed that his wife is a CIA operative in retaliation for his criticism of the Iraq war, has worked since May (03) as an unpaid adviser to Senator John F. Kerry, offering foreign policy advice and speechwriting tips to the Democratic presidential candidate from Massachusetts. Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie said Wilson's work for Democrats may have motivated him to attack the administration...
...Kerry's advisers acknowledged yesterday that Wilson, who has also donated $2,000 to Kerry this year, told them about his allegations against the White House involving his wife before going public with them this summer. But Rand Beers, Kerry's top adviser on foreign affairs, said the campaign has not played a role in coordinating Wilson's charges.--
I believe Rand Beers, don't you?
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/10/02/in_probe_of_cia_leak_
two_sides_see_politics/
[...]In 2002 the Bush administration tapped Wilson, a career diplomat, to investigate British reports that Iraq sought to buy nuclear materials from Niger
And there again, The Big Lie that started the whole shootin' match.
In your diary you said:
Lt. General Tom McInerney, USAF (ret), West Point '59, will join his colleague Maj. General Paul Vallely, USA (ret), West Point '61, on my show Monday 7 November (1005 pm Eastern Time on ABC Radio Network) to repeat and expand upon Vallely's memory that Joe Wilson more than once in 2002 in the green room at Fox New Channel in Washington D.C. boasted about his wife the "CIA desk officer." McInerney has the same memory and more, since both he and Vallely were on FNC between 150 and 200 times in 2002 each.
Did LG McInerny speak about this?
LtG McInerney tells me that Wilson did not speak to him in the green room about his wife. McInenrney supports his colleague Vallely's remarks. He also told me that Vallely has spoken often over the last years of the fact that Wilson told Vallely of Wilson's wife's employment. It was never considered significant nor unusual; Wilson's wife's employ was common general knowledge in Washington fed and uniform circles: Wilson is a celebrated bigmouth. What makes it revealing now is the noise by Fitzgerald. What we need more of is the names at the CIA who were part of the decision chain with regard the Wilsons and the investigation of the Novak columns.
It is fascinating that anyone would call into question Gen. Valleys' credibility, while this is Wilson's' central charge...he was attacked for telling the truth.
Additionally, Wilson when questioned about his dishonest assertions to Kristof and Pincus, that "the names were wrong, the dates were wrong" referring to the forgeries he should have no independent knowledge of (which should be of concern to the CIA) and his lie that the VP dispatched him
his excuses have been in order
- He Misspoke
- May have applied a little "Literary Flair"
- The Reporters misquoted or misattributed him (therefore accuses the reporters of dishonesty)
- By being 50 years old, by definition, has a right to forget things
Mr. Batchelder, thank you for this fine investigative journalism you are doing. I surely hope this helps to get the real story out...if it does, it will be interesting to see how the MSM handles it.