PRESIDENT WAVERS ON PLEDGE TO HELP FIND LEAKER

[TOAD6147]

Quote:

When it was first reported that a "senior Bush Administration official" had
leaked the name of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, President Bush
dutifully pledged his full cooperation and assistance with the
investigation. He said, "I'd like to know who leaked, and if anybody has got
any information inside our government or outside our government who leaked,
you ought to take it to the Justice Department so we can find out the
leaker. I have told my staff, I want full cooperation with the Justice
Department."

But with the Justice Department now asking White House staff to sign forms
that could definitively expose the leaker, the President appears unwilling
to uphold that commitment. Specifically, the Washington Post now reports
that the White House "declined to say Monday whether President Bush thinks
his aides should sign the forms that would release reporters from any
pledges of confidentiality" - and thus allow reporters to identify the White
House leaker. (Time magazine reported that Karl Rove, Bush's senior adviser,
was one of a number of top White House staff that has been sent the form by
investigators).

When asked about the President's stonewalling, White House spokesman Scott
McClellan dismissed any inquiries, saying, "That's asking a specific
question about matters that should be directed to the career officials at
the Department of Justice." It was a sharp contrast to his previous comments
attempting to specifically absolve Rove, the Vice President's Chief of
Staff, Scooter Libby, and National Security Council official, Eliot Abrams,
from any responsibility. McClellan also said that "no one wants to get to
the bottom of this more than the President does." But three months ago, Bush
refused to ask his staff to sign the same release form to minimize the
investigation's cost and potential damage to national security. His
apparent reticence to fully support the Justice Department's efforts to
expose the leaker is now raising additional questions.

Read the Mis-Lead -->
< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1155689&l=13649 >

[tony_j15]

this issue has been blown way out of porportion. Claiming that Mrs. Plame was "undercover" is total BS. Thus, there is no real issue here, other than to make Bush look bad.

[MTAtech]

Plame was a CIA covert operative. She said so and the CIA said so. What do you know tony that the CIA doesn't?

[MTAtech]

As a follow-up, "Federal law-enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year..."
http://www.bushcentral.com

[Bill in SD, CA]

There are also very disturbing reports (not proven BTW) that Bush may have farted in first grade.



Have to wait for the congressional "probe" (bad choice of word maybe) on this.



Bill

[MTAtech]

Disclosing the identity of a covert operative is a serious matter that rightly is a federal crime. I can't resolve how some people jumped all over former VP Gore's office about '96 fund-raising practices while all to willing to ignore criminal activity in VP Cheney's office now.

[whitebeard21]

MTA you might as well get used to it GOD talks to bush and all of his supporters, therefore they can do no wrong.

[Pexster]

Furthermore, if a left-leaning journalist had done anything remotely similar to what Novak did, he or she would have been crucified. You know it, I know it, we all know it!

[Omardeth]

why bother , nobody here is biganuff to say they might be wrong on something .