It turns out that all the while Mitt Romney was blasting the Obama White House for supposedly engaging in national security leaks, his campaign is basically a hive of people involved in outing Valerie Plame as a CIA operative. In addition to the campaign adviser quoted in a Romney press release attacking Obama who was the one who
suggested to Scooter Libby that leaks about Joe Wilson's Niger trip might be a good idea, Romney has a
Plame leak-involved bundler.
Richard Hohlt, a lobbyist who has bundled $22,500 for Romney's campaign and personally given $20,500 to his Super PAC, was really interested in being helpful to Karl Rove on the Plame leak:
On July 11, 2003, three days before the column was published, Novak gave him a preview copy. (Unknown to Hohlt, Rove had already confirmed to Novak that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.) That same day, Hohlt e-mailed details about the column to Rove, and later faxed him the entire unpublished article. (Rove's lawyer confirms this account.) ‘I was just trying to be helpful,’ Hohlt says.
As far as we know right now, Romney's campaign is advised and funded by people involved in a national security leak that led to four felony convictions for a high-ranking Bush administration official. Anyone else? Maybe another donor or three will somehow have had a hand in the leak? Maybe Scooter Libby is some kind of secret campaign adviser?
It makes sense. Romney is promising a return to the policies and personnel of George W. Bush. Why would a little matter like the leak of a CIA operative's identity be exempt from that?