Update [2005-7-16 2:48:50 by kant]:The New York Times article sited by Armando has a paragraph that could be HUGE... Hint... Ari Fleischer even looks like John Dean... See below the fold...
Original Post
Well it has been a hectic week since I posted Fitzgerald preparing indictments under the Espionage Act? and since Sherlock Google posted Tenet, Anyone? 9/28/03 WAPO Source Rovelation!.
So I was doing some digging to offer any update that I could and I was struck by the proximity of two items...
The first was a report from Capitol Hill Blue on June 3, 2004 that witnesses told a federal grand jury that Bush knew about and took no action to stop the release of Plame's identity.
The second is the announcement of Tenet's resignation ON THE SAME DAY!
See details below the fold.
Update [2005-7-16 2:48:50 by kant]: Did Ari testify that Bush knew about the leak and failed to stop it?
The special prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, has sought to determine how much Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman at the time of the leak, knew about the memorandum. Lawyers involved in the case said Mr. Fitzgerald asked questions about Mr. Fleischer's role. Mr. Fleischer was with Mr. Bush and much of the senior White House staff in Africa when Mr. Powell, who was also with them, received the memorandum. A spokeswoman for Mr. Powell said he was out of the country and could not comment on the document. Mr. Fleischer said in an e-mail message this week that he would not comment on the case.
See original post below...
Here is Capitol Hill Blue on June 3, 2004 ...
Bush Knew About Leak of CIA Operative's Name
By Staff and Wire Reports
Jun 3, 2004, 05:28
Witnesses told a federal grand jury President George W. Bush knew about, and took no action to stop, the release of a covert CIA operative's name to a journalist in an attempt to discredit her husband, a critic of administration policy in Iraq.
Their damning testimony has prompted Bush to contact an outside lawyer for legal advice because evidence increasingly points to his involvement in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to syndicated columnist Robert Novak.
(All reports that I could find of this were sourced to Capitol Hill Blue. Does anyone have knowledge of the wire reports that may have contributed to this report? Or any corroboration of the report?)
Here is the report from MSNBCon Tenet's resigantion from THE SAME DAY - June 3, 2004...
George Tenet resigns as CIA director
Agency's operations director also leaving, source tells NBC News
NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 8:22 p.m. ET June 3, 2004
WASHINGTON - CIA Director George Tenet has resigned as director of central intelligence for "personal reasons," President Bush said in a surprise announcement Thursday. A government source told NBC News that the agency's director of operations, James Pavitt, would also announce his resignation Friday.
Although the resignations were said to be unrelated, the changes will bring a significant new look at the top of the CIA, which has been under fire for the way the agency monitored terrorist activity before Sept. 11, 2001, and for intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq.
Tenet went to the White House to inform Bush about his decision Wednesday night.
The report about the witnesses came as a "surprise" the day after Tenet walked into the White House to resign. Is this coincidence? Did Tenet hear about these witnesses and confront the President with the information? Did it lead him to say, "enough is enough?"
Here is archive of Bush's halting very brief announcement.
At the time, I remember thinking that Bush looked dazed by the resignation.
And remember how Bush reacted when he was first asked about the leak on October 7, 2003?
Look at what he says ...
Bush: Randy, you tell me, how many sources have you had that's leaked information that you've exposed or have been exposed? Probably none. I mean this town is a -- is a town full of people who like to leak information. And I don't know if we're going to find out the senior administration official. Now, this is a large administration, and there's a lot of senior officials. I don't have any idea. I'd like to. I want to know the truth. That's why I've instructed this staff of mine to cooperate fully with the investigators -- full disclosure, everything we know the investigators will find out. I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is -- partially because, in all due respect to your profession, you do a very good job of protecting the leakers. But we'll find out.
Video and Transcript still available here.
Check out his demeanor in the video. It starts at about the 5:47 point.
Does this look and sound like a man who "wants to know the truth?" Any speculation whether there is a code here to the journalists?
So please offer any information you can about sources for the reports that witnesses to the grand jury have said that Bush knew about the leaks and failed to do anything about it. Also, add any information about any testimony Tenet and Pavitt may have given.