I'm sitting here watching "Hardball" with Chris Mathews, and his guest for the first segment was Matt Cooper's attorney, Richard Sauber.
While he was evasive in his answers during the interview about the facts of the case, Matthews asked about what he thought was going to happen at the end of the interview. Sauber said that from what he knows, Fitzgerald wouldn't have put Judy Miller in jail if he didn't have some type of case. He said that he expects indictments to occur.
I'll update the diary with the transcript from "Hardball" when it becomes available...
Update [2005-10-12 19:48:27 by Rimjob]:
Here's a transcript of the end of the interview...
Chris Matthews: Where's the prosecutor headed? Is he looking for obstruction of justice? Is he looking for a perjury, for the espionage act? What's he going to look for here?
Richard Sauber: I'm not exactly sure. I think that the statute about releasing the name of an undercover agent would be difficult, in these circumstance for all the reasons people have talked about...
Matthews: The "82" act?
Sauber: The "82" act. It does seem to me that people have testified inaccurately in the Grand Jury...
Matthews: Being kind.
Sauber: ...And whether Mr. Fitzgerald can muster the case...
Matthews: Does Mr. Fitzgerald strike you, going as he's gone after the Chicago orginization, the city out there, going after Lord Black, going after Governor Ryan, does he seem like the kind of a guy that means business here?
Sauber: It's hard for me to think that he would have kept Judy Miller in jail for 4 months, and then said "never mind" and gone home.
Matthews: So he's got a case to make?
Sauber: That's where it seems to be headed.
Matthews: Is this White House coming down?
Sauber: I think people are going to get charged, but...
Matthews: Top people?
Sauber: It seems to me that's where this is headed. Yes.
Matthews: Scooter & Karl?
Sauber: It's hard to say.
Matthews: (laughs) But you're getting there?
Sauber: (Grins) Mr. Fitzgerald, I think is heading in that direction.
...The other piece of news that I haven't seen reported here yet, was that Judy Miller WAS NOT given permission by Libby to reveal her June conversation with him. According to Reuters...
...After spending 85 days in jail for the refusal, Miller testified before the grand jury on September 30 about two previously disclosed conversations with Libby -- on July 8 and July 12, 2003.
Libby had referred only to the July conversations when he wrote Miller last month waiving a confidentiality pledge. The limited reference raised questions about whether he intended the waiver to apply to their conversation that June.
It was unclear how Fitzgerald learned of the June 23, 2003, conversation.
So if the NY Times & Miller are so committed to Journalist principals, why did they
"drop dime" on a conversation that hadn't been waived? How did Fitzgerald hear about the June conversation?
Update [2005-10-12 18:3:6 by Rimjob]:
Matthews just discussed the lastest news of the "Leak Case" with the Washington Post's Mike Allen, and NBC's Norah O'Donnel.
Mike Allen said people inside the White House are readying their legal defense, and that it will be that the Valerie Wilson information came from the press to them, not the other way around. One problem though, is that Allen said members of the State Department (including Colin Powell) have testified that the White House specifically requested the information about Valerie Wilson before there were any press accounts.
Norah O'Donnel said people inside the White House have suggested fmr. RNC Chief Ed Gillespie might take Rove's place as political strategist, if Rove is forced to resign...
Update [2005-10-12 18:55:29 by Rimjob]:
I haven't seen this diaried yet & I'm on the East Coast watching the "NBC Nightly News", where Brian Williams & Tim Russert just released their new NBC/WSJ Poll. Here's the numbers for those of you on the West Coast...
Bush Job Approval?
Approve 39%
Disapprove 54%
Only 2% of African-Americans approve of Bush. Tim Russert said that was the lowest result ever in that measurement.
Direction Of Country?
Right Track 28%
Wrong Track 59%
Rep. Tom Delay's Indictment?
Little Merit 24%
Potential Illegal Activity 65%
Sen. Bill Frist's Stock Sale?
Little Merit 28%
Potential Illegal Activity 57%
Russert said that 50% of Republicans believe that it's potential illegal activity for both Delay & Frist.
Control Of Congress?
Republicans 39%
Democrats 48%
A 9 point advantage is the largest advantage for any party in the NBC/WSJ poll in a decade...