Not sure if this has been diaried yet. This comes from yesterday's edition of "Hardball", but I wanted to wait until I could get the exact transcript so I quoted accurately.
Deborah Orin added a new layer of spin to the CIA Leak Investigation by accusing the CIA of lying about Valerie Plame's covert status when originally bringing the leak to the Department of Justice's attention.
ORIN: Chris, to be honest I don't know, because it appears that contrary to what a lot of people would like to claim, Valerie Plame was not a covert agent, nor was she outed. There is no underlying crime there.
The only crime is lying about what--
MATTHEWS: Her status was not undercover?
ORIN: She was not covert. She was not covert. If she had been covert, there was law they could have charged under. You've heard--you have heard charges ...
MATTHEWS: The CIA referred this to the Justice Department because a covert agent was uncovered and outed. They brought the charge. You're saying the CIA was wrong?
ORIN: I'm saying that it is very unclear whether the CIA was telling the truth, that's correct.
MATTHEWS: So the CIA itself was lying?
ORIN: I believe that's probably true, myself.
First, the CIA gives poor Dubya bad intelligence regarding WMD and now this? The spooks are out to get him America! Those flaming liberals at the CIA!