| WIKI | FAQ | Tech FAQ | |
 http://csua.com/feed/ | |
| ||||||
| 5/23 |
| 2006/5/13-16 [Politics/Domestic/911, Politics/Domestic/President/Bush] UID:43044 Activity:nil |
5/13 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051206Y.shtml http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042806Y.shtml http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1622082/posts "Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources." \_ I like how the entire Republican party has been taking Bush's lead on the whole "never admit when you've done something wrong" thing, starting w/ the Dukester loudly proclaiming his innocence and heaping scorn on the partisan politics of those who would accuse him ...until the evidence was finally overwhelming. \_ Joshua Bolten, a white Jayson Blair? http://villagevoice.com/news/0508,murphy,61336,6.html \_ Because what was important about Blair was he was black. You know how it is, let those black folks think they are the same as whites and they will just stab you in the back. What The Fuck? \_ Um, isn't this about Jason Leopold, not Joshua Bolten? |
| 5/23 |
|
| www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051206Y.shtml Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted By Jason Leopold t r u t h o u t | Report Friday 12 May 2006 Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources. Details of Rove's discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee. Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources confirmed Rove's indictment is imminent. These individuals requested anonymity saying they were not authorized to speak publicly about Rove's situation. A spokesman in the White House press office said they would not comment on "wildly speculative rumors." Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, did not return a call for comment Friday. Rove's announcement to President Bush and Bolten comes more than a month after he alerted the new chief of staff to a meeting his attorney had with Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in which Fitzgerald told Luskin that his case against Rove would soon be coming to a close and that he was leaning toward charging Rove with perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, according to sources close to the investigation. A few weeks after he spoke with Fitzgerald, Luskin arranged for Rove to return to the grand jury for a fifth time to testify in hopes of fending off an indictment related to Rove's role in the CIA leak, sources said. That meeting was followed almost immediately by an announcement by newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten of changes in the responsibilities of some White House officials, including Rove, who was stripped of his policy duties and would no longer hold the title of deputy White House chief of staff. The White House said Rove would focus on the November elections and his change in status in no way reflected his fifth appearance before the grand jury or the possibility of an indictment. But since Rove testified two weeks ago, the White House has been coordinating a response to what is sure to be the biggest political scandal it has faced thus far: the loss of a key political operative who has been instrumental in shaping White House policy on a wide range of domestic issues. Late Thursday afternoon and early Friday morning, several White House officials were bracing for the possibility that Fitzgerald would call a news conference and announce a Rove indictment today following the prosecutor's meeting with the grand jury this morning. However, sources close to the probe said that is unlikely to happen, despite the fact that Fitzgerald has already presented the grand jury with a list of charges against Rove. If an indictment is returned by the grand jury, it will be filed under seal. Rove is said to have told Bolten that he will be charged with perjury regarding when he was asked how and when he discovered that covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the agency, and whether he discussed her job with reporters. Rove testified that he first found out about Plame Wilson from reading a newspaper report in July 2003 and only after the story was published did he share damaging information about her CIA status with other reporters. However, evidence has surfaced during the course of the two-year-old investigation that shows Rove spoke with at least two reporters about Plame Wilson prior to the publication of the column. The explanation Rove provided to the grand jury - that he was dealing with more urgent White House matters and therefore forgot - has not convinced Fitzgerald that Rove has been entirely truthful in his testimony. Sources close to the case said there is a strong chance Rove will also face an additional charge of obstruction of justice, adding that Fitzgerald has been working meticulously over the past few months to build an obstruction case against Rove because it "carries more weight" in a jury trial and is considered a more serious crime. Some White House staffers said it's the uncertainty of Rove's status in the leak case that has made it difficult for the administration's domestic policy agenda and the announcement of an indictment and Rove's subsequent resignation, while serious, would allow the administration to move forward on a wide range of issues. "We need to start fresh and we can't do that with the uncertainty of Karl's case hanging over our heads," said one White House aide. "There's no doubt that it will be front page news if and when (an indictment) happens. The key issue here is that the president or Mr Bolten respond to the charges immediately, make a statement and then move on to other important policy issues and keep that as the main focus going forward." Jason Leopold spent two years covering California's electricity crisis as Los Angeles bureau chief of Dow Jones Newswires. Jason has spent the last year cultivating sources close to the CIA leak investigation, and is a regular contributor to t r u t h o u t He is the author of the new book NEWS JUNKIE. |
| www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042806Y.shtml Fitzgerald to Seek Indictment of Rove By Jason Leopold t r u t h o u t | Report Friday 28 April 2006 Despite vehement denials by his attorney, who said this week that Karl Rove is neither a "target" nor in danger of being indicted in the CIA leak case, the special counsel leading the investigation has already written up charges against Rove, and a grand jury is expected to vote on whether to indict the Deputy White House Chief of Staff sometime next week, sources knowledgeable about the probe said Friday afternoon. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was in Chicago Friday and did not meet with the grand jury. Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, was informed via a target letter that Fitzgerald is prepared to charge Rove for perjury and lying to investigators during Rove's appearances before the grand jury in 2004 and in interviews with investigators in 2003 when he was asked how and when he discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA, and whether he shared that information with the media. If the grand jury returns an indictment Rove would become the second White House official - and one of the most powerful political operatives in the country - charged in the case since the leak investigation began in the fall of 2003. In the event that an indictment is handed up by the grand jury it would be filed under seal. A press release would then be issued by Fitzgerald's press office indicating that the special prosecutor will hold a news conference, likely on a Friday afternoon, sources close to the case said. The media would be given more than 24 hours notice of a press conference, sources added. Luskin was at his office when called for comment but his assistant said he would not take the call or comment on this story. In recent weeks, sources close to the case said, Fitzgerald's staff has met with Rove's legal team several times to discuss a change in Rove's status in the case - from subject to target - based on numerous inconsistencies in Rove's testimony, whether he discussed Plame Wilson with reporters before her name and CIA status were published in newspaper reports, and whether he participated in a smear campaign against her husband. The meetings between Luskin and Fitzgerald which took place on several occasions a few weeks ago were called to discuss a timeframe to schedule a return to the grand jury by Rove to testify about, among other things, 250 pages of emails that resurfaced February 6 from Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Office of President Bush in which Rove wrote to former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card about strategizing an attack against Wilson, sources familiar with the case said. An earlier date for Rove's testimony was scheduled, but Fitzgerald canceled the appearance because of matters related to another high-profile case that was coming to close in Chicago, sources said. The rescheduled grand jury appearance by Rove took place Wednesday afternoon and hinges on whether Rove's testimony about the reasons he did not disclose the emails during his previous testimony will convince Fitzgerald not to add obstruction of justice to the list of charges he intends to file against Rove, sources said. As of Friday afternoon, sources close to the case said, it appeared likely that charges of obstruction of justice would be added to the prepared list of charges. Rove testified that he first found out about Plame Wilson from reading a newspaper report in July 2003, and only after the story was published did he share the information about her CIA status with other reporters. In fact, evidence has surfaced during the course of the two-year-old investigation that shows Rove spoke with at least two reporters about Plame Wilson prior to the publication of the column that first unmasked her identity and exposed her covert CIA status. The explanation Rove provided to the grand jury - that he was dealing with more urgent White House matters and therefore forgot - has not convinced Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Rove has been truthful in his testimony. Rove has been questioned by FBI investigators and grand jurors on ten different occasions since October 2003. The time he has spent under oath exceeds 20 hours, sources said, adding that he answered a wide-range of questions about intelligence the White House used to win support for the Iraq war. But it was during Rove's request to appear before the grand jury for a fourth time that he suddenly changed his testimony to explain the circumstances of his conversation with at least one reporter, and how his attorney, Robert Luskin, helped Rove jog his memory. Fitzgerald has been suspicious that Rove altered his previous testimony once it became clear that the reporter he spoke to, Matt Cooper of Time magazine, would be forced to testify and reveal his sources for a story he wrote about Plame Wilson in July 2003. Moreover, Rove has testified that he and other White House officials were not involved in a coordinated effort to attack the credibility of Plame Wilson's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who in mid-2003 questioned the veracity of the Bush administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence. However, grand jury testimony by at least a dozen administration officials have portrayed Rove as a key player in a campaign to destroy Ambassador Wilson's credibility in Washington, DC, sources familiar with several of the witnesses' testimony said. Jason Leopold spent two years covering California's electricity crisis as Los Angeles bureau chief of Dow Jones Newswires. Jason has spent the last year cultivating sources close to the CIA leak investigation, and is a regular contributor to t r u t h o u t He is the author of the new book NEWS JUNKIE. |
| www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1622082/posts Karl Rove has finished testifying before prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA leak investigation grand jury. After the appearance, Rove lawyer Robert Luskin issued a statement: Karl Rove appeared today before the grand jury investigating the disclosure of a CIA agent's identity. He testified voluntarily and unconditionally at the request of special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to explore a matter raised since Mr Rove's last appearance in October 2005. In connection with this appearance, the special counsel has advised Mr Rove that he is not a target of the investigation. Mr Fitzgerald has affirmed that he has made no decisions regarding charges. At the request of the special counsel, Mr Rove will not discuss the substance of his testimony. View Replies To: BoBToMatoE Chris Matthews (HARDBALL) must be peeing in his pants. He's on vacation this week, and David Gregory ain't as excited about Valerie Plame as Chrissy is. I love watching them get all excited and thrilled at the prospect of Rove getting indicted, only to watch them throw up after they find out they've been lied to by their "sources" once again. View Replies To: slowhand520 And according to ABC Radio News earlier today, "Rove is being investigated for leaking the name of a CIA officer" and "the leak, according to indicted Cheney aid, Scooter Libby, was authorized by President Bush." View Replies To: cardinal4 Joe Wilson leaked classified info to "hold the Administration accountable". You see, when a liberal "leaks" to hurt a conservative, it is whistle-blowing. When a conservative "leaks" to hurt a liberal, it is against the law. View Replies To: Gordongekko909 You should see the thread over there from Raw Story (I think) where they quote some article from a writer who said his "sources" close to the investigation said a target letter had been sent to Rove. Another poster questioned the credibility of the writer and got the crap beat out of him. One poster, I think it was Pitt, even said he had checked everything out before putting up the article on his site and everything was fine. View Replies To: slowhand520 My first thought is, "you can't believe a damn thing a lawyer says on TV". But I do trust Byron York in whatever he writes, so just call me, uncharacteristically but cheerfully, cautious. View Replies To: slowhand520 I think he's testifying to what he had for dinner last night. rove, but we subpoenad your chef who said you have fava beans while in this statement you claimed they were pinto beans. Karl Rove's return to the grand jury today could mean the end of the Rove investigation or the beginning of the Rove prosecution. If Fitzgerald asked Rove to return to the grand jury, that means Fitzgerald thinks he doesn't have enough for an indictment. If Rove asked to return to the grand jury, that means Rove's lawyer, Bob Luskin, believes an indictment is imminent and is sending his client back to make a final desperate attempt to avoid indictment. Luskin did this once before when he told Fitzgerald about the Viveca Novak connection, which is certainly going to be covered in Rove's testimony today. Luskin has experienced extreme mood swings in his willingness to talk to the press about this case. If a reporter can ask him one question today, it should be who asked Rove to return to the grand jury?" I'm also wondering what the bottomline is of this vague statement: "Karl Rove appeared today before the grand jury investigating the disclosure of a CIA agent's identity. He testified voluntarily and unconditionally at the request of special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to explore a matter raised since Mr Rove's last appearance in October 2005. In connection with this appearance, the special counsel has advised Mr Rove that he is not a target of the investigation. Mr Fitzgerald has affirmed that he has made no decisions regarding charges. At the request of the special counsel, Mr Rove will not discuss the substance of his testimony." View Replies To: Marine_Uncle L/MSM are going to go into high gear on this one to come up with some off thw wall spin for the minions. I won't celebrate until Fitz holds another news conference attacking the real villains in this trumped up bullshite circle jerk. View Replies To: slowhand520 There were probably two parts to this testimony, make sure Libby can't use Rove as a scapegoat and to find out if they need to subpoena more reporters in light of the McCarthy revelation. View Replies To: Marine_Uncle L/MSM are going to go into high gear on this one to come up with some off thw wall spin for the minions. The headlines will be: "Today Rove testified to the grand jury investigating leaks in the Culture of Corruption Bush Administration. Criminal charges against Rove, Cheney, Bush, Haliburton and the Trilateral Comission have not yet been formally announced, but unnamed insiders expect that to happen any day now". last Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works. |
| villagevoice.com/news/0508,murphy,61336,6.html In late August 2002 Salon reported a major scoop: An e-mail linked then Army secretary Thomas White, a former executive at Enron, to an effort to cover the massive losses at the energy giant. White's supposed message instructed a subordinate: "Close a bigger deal. " By early October, the scoop was scrapped: Salon retracted the story, saying it was "unable to independently confirm the authenticity" of the e-mail. What looked like a direct link between the Bush administration and the Enron debacle was shredded, and the career of Jason Leopoldthe author of the piecewas destroyed. Now Leopold has written a book that casts that episode as just one drama in a tumultuous life that includes years of drug addiction, a felony conviction Leopold hid from his employers, getting fired from a Los Angeles Times community paper for threatening a reporter, and leaving Dow Jones Energy Service after an inaccurate story got Leopold pulled from the Enron beat. "This is stuff that I've really hidden my whole life," Leopold tells the Voice, adding that the book "really allowed me to purge all those feelings. I want to make sure I come across as totally, 100 percent honest." The book opens with Steven Maviglio, a spokesman for then California governor Gray Davis, telling Leopold that he had purchased stock in two energy companies that were negotiating contracts with the state. The comment is "off the record," meaning the information is supposed to never show up in print, but Leopold wants to report it anyway. He leaks it to two of his contacts and tells them to pass the tip on to two newspapers. When those papers start working the tip, the story is on the radar screen, and Leopold is free to write about his own leak. Leopold says he broke the rules because his enthusiasm for news was like an addict's thirst for the next hit. His aggressive style earned the ire of other reporters, and that's one reason The New York Times and Washington Post pounced on the demise of his Salon story, he says. The Salon piece began to fall apart after Paul Krugman mentioned it in his Times column. White wrote a letter saying he did not "recall saying or writing anything close" to the e-mail. Then Salon issued a correction, noting that seven paragraphs in the story were identical to an earlier Financial Times piece. Salon counters that Leopold's purported source for the e-mail denied ever speaking to him. "I totally still believe it's authentic," Leopold says of the e-mail. The broad outlines of the Salon storythat Enron was front-loading the profits from new contracts in order to cover up losses on other dealsjell with common knowledge about Enron. But it's unclear that White was anything more than a figurehead, and he has escaped the prosecutions that have targeted 32 other people in the scandal. "The truth of the matter is it's just damn hard to know" about the e-mail, Robert McCullough, a researcher who has amassed 12 million Enron files, tells the Voice. He says he warned Leopold in 2002 that "the e-mail was not persuasive" because it was shorter and less formal than other Enron e-mails. Maviglio denies even speaking to Leopold about any "inside information," and the letter warns the publisher against defaming Maviglio in the book. It's unclear whether Off the Record will make it to store shelves or Leopold will suffer yet another retraction. "All I can say is, there is a legal issue that's arisen and we're looking into it," Rowman publicist Jenni Brewer tells the Voice. Shacking up Reporters at "the Shack"the press center at 1 Police Plazaare fighting for space, and not in their papers. Hoy news director Javier Castano says his police reporter shares an office with a reporter from El Diario, three people from The New York Sun, and sometimes a person from Bloomberg News. The Staten Island Advance, after a long wait, was finally shoehorned in with another paper. NYPD public-information commissioner Paul J Browne says that Hoy and El Diario want separate areas, and that when NY1 applied for a regular desk, some reporters already on-site opposed the bid. Browne contends that police staff is also crammed in at headquarters. When is short sweet With a combined 9 million-plus readers, Time, Newsweek, and US News dominate the US newsweekly market. Now a newcomer called The Week, founded in 2001, is gaining ground: Its readership is only 231,000, but up about 30 percent in the past year. Twenty staff members put The Week together by scanning some 200 news outlets from around the worldso readers don't have to. "What The Week is trying to do is kind of short-circuit that need to go to 10, 15, 20 sources to compose your own view," says general manager Justin Smith. None of the stories occupies more than one page, and most are just blurbs. If that sounds like TV news, note that The Week offers opinion from Japan and news out of Madagascar. If the reader is a stay-at-home parent, The Week might be enough, he says. |