Rove Walks
In October 2000, President Bush said: “In my administration we will not ask only what is legal but what is right, not what the lawyers allow but what the public deserves.”
In 2003, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said he consulted Karl Rove and was assured that the senior aide played no role in the leaking of Plame's name to the media. The White House left the clear impression that Rove knew nothing of the leak and certainly did not participate in it. McClellan was asked if Rove "told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?" Rove, he said, "assured me" he was not involved in the leak of such information.
After news of the leak case broke, Bush said he would "fire anyone" who leaked the name of a covert CIA operative.
The subsequent federal investigation determined that Rove talked with at least two reporters about Plame before her identity was disclosed by columnist Robert D. Novak in July 2003, and that he relayed word of those conversations to other White House officials.
In July 2005, the president revised the threshold for dismissal to cover only those aides who "committed a crime." By then, it was clear Rove was involved in the disclosure of Plame's identity even if his actions did not break the law.
But while today Rove appears out of criminal jeopardy, the question remains as to whether Rove should be held accountable outside the legal system for his part in unmasking CIA officer Valerie Plame and initially telling the nation he was not involved? He confirmed her CIA role to two reporters, according to court filings in the Libby case.
Yesterday at a news conference, Bush said: "Along with others in the White House, I took a sigh of relief" when the news broke this week that Rove would not be charged in the CIA leak investigation, Bush told reporters in a Rose Garden news conference. "I trust Karl Rove." A senior White House official said Bush and his staff are eager to "put this behind us" as quickly as possible.
Adding all this up, we have a combination of outright lies that are treated as if they were never uttered and standards that change to fit whatever is deemed expedient by the Administration. Just another day in the Bush White House.
In 2003, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said he consulted Karl Rove and was assured that the senior aide played no role in the leaking of Plame's name to the media. The White House left the clear impression that Rove knew nothing of the leak and certainly did not participate in it. McClellan was asked if Rove "told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?" Rove, he said, "assured me" he was not involved in the leak of such information.
After news of the leak case broke, Bush said he would "fire anyone" who leaked the name of a covert CIA operative.
The subsequent federal investigation determined that Rove talked with at least two reporters about Plame before her identity was disclosed by columnist Robert D. Novak in July 2003, and that he relayed word of those conversations to other White House officials.
In July 2005, the president revised the threshold for dismissal to cover only those aides who "committed a crime." By then, it was clear Rove was involved in the disclosure of Plame's identity even if his actions did not break the law.
But while today Rove appears out of criminal jeopardy, the question remains as to whether Rove should be held accountable outside the legal system for his part in unmasking CIA officer Valerie Plame and initially telling the nation he was not involved? He confirmed her CIA role to two reporters, according to court filings in the Libby case.
Yesterday at a news conference, Bush said: "Along with others in the White House, I took a sigh of relief" when the news broke this week that Rove would not be charged in the CIA leak investigation, Bush told reporters in a Rose Garden news conference. "I trust Karl Rove." A senior White House official said Bush and his staff are eager to "put this behind us" as quickly as possible.
Adding all this up, we have a combination of outright lies that are treated as if they were never uttered and standards that change to fit whatever is deemed expedient by the Administration. Just another day in the Bush White House.
posted by John Weiss at 3:42 PM
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