Eileen from OH just brought up the WAPO article from Sept 28 2003 in which a "senior admin official" correctly revealed that 6 reporters were called by 2 leakers. I believe I now know who that source was.
WAPO Article
The officer's name was disclosed on July 14 in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak, who said his sources were two senior administration officials.
Yesterday, a senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife. Wilson had just revealed that the CIA had sent him to Niger last year to look into the uranium claim and that he had found no evidence to back up the charge. Wilson's account touched off a political fracas over Bush's use of intelligence as he made the case for attacking Iraq.
"Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge," the senior official said of the alleged leak.
I will show this official was George Tenet on the flip. - Sherlock
The official would not name the leakers for the record and would not name the journalists. The official said there was no indication that Bush knew about the calls.
It is rare for one Bush administration official to turn on another. Asked about the motive for describing the leaks, the senior official said the leaks were "wrong and a huge miscalculation, because they were irrelevant and did nothing to diminish Wilson's credibility."
I believe George Tenet leaked on the leakers, he was so angry with the WH, and wanted to be sure the story had legs--so he talked off the record with the WAPO for this story. More from the article explains his reason for revenge--and don't forget his firing/resignation in June '04, just before the President lawyered up. Tenet has also supposedly told Fitzgerald all the damage hundreds of CIA agents and assets suffered as a result of the Plame leak.
Administration officials said Tenet sent a memo to the Justice Department raising a series of questions about whether a leaker had broken federal law by disclosing the identity of an undercover officer. The CIA request was reported Friday night by MSNBC.com. Administration sources familiar with the matter said the Justice Department is determining whether a formal investigation is warranted.
An intelligence official said Tenet "doesn't like leaks."
The CIA request could reopen the rift between the White House and the intelligence community that emerged this summer when Bush and his senior aides blamed Tenet for the inclusion of the now-discredited uranium claim -- the so-called "16 words" -- in the State of the Union address in January.
Tenet issued a statement taking responsibility for the CIA's approval of the address before it was delivered, but made clear the CIA had earlier warned the White House not to use the allegations about uranium ore. After an ensuing rush of leaks over White House handling of intelligence, Bush's aides said they believed in retrospect it had been a political mistake to blame Tenet.
Tenet leaked enough to give the story legs but not reveal the full scope of the State Dept investigation of the Plame leak, which he had been given. That's how he knew the 6 reporters and 2 leakers but did not want to say their names because he himnself was going before the Grand Jury.
Mary Matalin is not the source. She left the WH in late '03 but was re-hired for the '04 campaign. Tenet was fired in '04. Richard Clarke would not have seen the State Dept investigation so would not have known the 6 reporter fact. This means the former CIA Director is dropping bombshells in the Grand Jury against Bush, and that's why Bush and Cheney are lawyered up and Tenet at left the same time!
He is the main person who had the information AND clearly had the motive. Plus he, like Linda Tripp, was a member of the previous Democratic Administration.
Tenet, Anyone?
UPDATE: Interesting MSNBC article in which an unnamed source gave Norah O'Donnell a true tip that Pavitt was also resigning the next day. Again a story about Tenet and also an unnamed source.
AND IS TENET THE SOURCE THAT HAD NORAH O'DONNELL SAYING "HUGE SCANDAL" TODAY?
MSNBC ON TENET RESIGNING
Earlier KOS diary:
Plame - the OTHER leak (yes, there was one)
Belated kudos to Dave V for the title and thought from his post "Tenet Anyone?"!