Plame Updates from Clemons and Sale

Fred Fleitz, the CIA operative on loan to Bolton, is apparently the hot topic on the rumor mill tonight.  

Per Clemons, who cautions that the role of Fleitz is purely rumor at this point:

But then, a short while ago -- one of America's top journalists called me to ask what I knew about Fleitz. He said rumors were swirling everywhere and that a "really wild rumor" was that Bob Woodward had a piece appearing in tomorrow's Washington Post focusing on Fleitz. Realize -- NOTHING substantiated here.

Part of the rumor is that Fleitz is on leave.

I just tried to track that down. I just called Fred Fleitz, but got his answering machine and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I then called Under Secretary of State Bob Joseph's office and talked to a person who told me that Fleitz was on leave for two days but would return to the office Monday morning.

Former UPI Intelligence Correspondent Richard Sale is reporting that it was not Cheney who told Libby about Plame, it was learned in a call from State:

This source, supported by three others, alleged that it was a telephone call from the Department of State that first gave Libby the name of Plame.

The name of the caller? No one is sure. But these sources said that the call defintely came from the State Department office of John Bolton, then the arms control chief of the department.

 

The same sources who say Cheney wasn't Libby's source believe Plame's name came from Fleitz, to Wurmser, to Libby.

Interesting rumors. At this point, who knows?

•  Didn't Libby's notes say...

  That he got the ID from Cheney?

  I understand, all we got is rumor, but assuming that's so, why would he falsely implicate his boss?

  This is killing me!

  Fitzgerald Issues Frog-Marching Guidelines

  by The Eyewitness Muse on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:01:08 PM PDT

  •  And does Fitz actually have those notes?? n/t

    by Phil S 33 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:07:06 PM PDT

  •  I don't know that he was trying to implicate his

    boss.

    Both Cheney and Libby had the clout to have whatever clearances they needed.  If Tenet told Cheney, who told Libby, there's no crime.  

    I'm wondering if Libby was trying to float the idea that Cheney and Libby thought she was an analyst, not an operative.

    by 2lucky on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:07:30 PM PDT

    •  Could be the case of fake notes...

      Also, I would guess that anyone wanting to climb the ladder would have been beating feet to Scooter's office to give him the scoop on Plame.

      There are a lot of people who's ambition got in front of their brains in DC and they paid dearly for it.

      by The Eyewitness Muse on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:12:58 PM PDT

      •  That's possible

        Seems far-fetched when you first think about it, but imagine this is a Judith Miller-like scenario, where Fitzgerald says, "We know that you talked to Cheney about Ms. Wilson on June 12th, but this is not in the notes you turned over."

        Now suppose that Libby has either destroyed the actual notes, or they are too damning to reveal. So he doctors up a new set, conveniently skirting the IIPA by leaving out any mention of covert status and claiming the info came from Tenet rather than Fleitz/Wurmser.

        Remember, the NYT didn't see the notes themselves.

        by Swopa on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:24:25 PM PDT

  •  the notes were from a conversation with cheney

    but i don't remember if they specifically said that cheney told him.  

    I'm almost wondering if Fitzgerald isn't starting all of these rumors just because he can, knowing that they're nowhere near the truth.

    by guyermo on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:42:01 PM PDT

•  Nice job but I am tapped out on rumors

  at this point. I am now expecting very little. I think most of these "rumors" are from the admin who know who will be indicted and know it aint all that much so they are spreading all kinds of big-name things to hype the whole thing and raise expectations. Then when only one or maybe two people are charged with obstruction and perjury they can say "see, does not even have anything to do with a crime." Still big charges, but the admin can spin to the slack-jawed oopids in the right. This admin is good at making sure people expect one thing and they get another. Leaks were few if any before this week. Now all of a sudden we have about 1 an hour? hmmmmm

  by bebacker on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:03:24 PM PDT

  •  Your correct in the sense

    that they are coming more frequently, but these leaks really started in earnest when Judy was released from jail, almost 30 days ago.

    Even after indictments, rumors and speculation will continue.

    by Terre on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:25:04 PM PDT

    •  Aarg - John Dean just told KO

      that Fitz' original mandate was to look into violations of IIPA!  

      by 2lucky on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:31:23 PM PDT

•  The are previewing that Woodward is

  going to be on The Hack Larry Kings show tonight. He may talk about it. I can't stand Larry King but I will check out what Woodward is spinning.

  by Chamonix on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:14:47 PM PDT

  •  bob woodward is a shill

    plain and simple.  

    by dumbya on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:22:44 PM PDT

    •  It was just a couple of months ago

      that Woodward was saying Cheney is definitely running for president in '08. Now he's half a hop from a frog march. Woodward's a loon.

      by jamfan on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:25:50 PM PDT

      •  he really wants him too

        Bob Woodward wants to keep his security clearance, and the only way that happens is if Cheney becomes President in 08.

        by dumbya on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:50:04 PM PDT

•  I am ready for rumors

  to come in the words of proclamations coming out of Fitzgerald's mouth saying, "Today, the Grand Jury has....."  Secondarily, I just want to hear that Chaney, Rove, Libby, et al are having panic attacks every time a car drives by fearing that it is the police coming to take them on a perp walk.  ;-)

  Thanks for the entertainment.  Only one more day...I think.....

  by macmcd on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:18:41 PM PDT

•  Interesting

  I just finished reading this Slate piece that speculates that Novak had a CIA source for the name. Wonder if that was Fred?

  by LynnS on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:20:39 PM PDT

•  Makes lots of sense

  I had a post at Needlenose this morning explaining why the Hannah/Wurmser/Fleitz gang of henchmen were the most likely conduits not only for conveying Plame's identity to Libby, but also for leaking it to Judith Miller and (perhaps through St. Judith) to Novak.

  Since the INC and the Cheney/Bolton cabal were also key sources for Judith Miller's embarrassingly false New York Times articles about Iraq and WMD, all he had to do was make sure they knew the dirt (if they didn't find it originally), then drop a hint to Judy -- "I've heard Joe Wilson's wife was involved in his trip to Niger, but I don't know why" -- and trust her to "discover" the information through her usual contacts just as surely as if he'd given her a treasure map with a big "X" drawn on it.

  
  This is actually a notion that I started pushing back in August:
  

  ... I think Rove, Libby et al. had the information from a classified source (for example, via the State Department memo that's been discussed, or separately through John Bolton or one of his flunkies at State) but tried to "launder" the leak through reporters in order to pretend that's how they learned it.

  Whether Miller learned about Plame independently or was fed the information from the same source, the point is that once she volunteered it to Libby -- who already knew, but was reluctant to use it for risk of prosecution -- he probably pumped his fist ("It's not classified anymore! We're good to go!") and told Rove, Ari Fleischer, and whoever else that they were legally clear for spreading the word.

  See this post for a breakdown of how Miller & Libby's June 23rd conversation achieved this goal of laundering the information.

  by Swopa on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:20:55 PM PDT

  •  I think this makes the most sense.

    I wonder how much we'll learn tomorrow?  

    by 2lucky on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 05:28:28 PM PDT

•  One thing we can all look forward to

  that is that lack of anything else huge happening we will
  all know what is going to happen before the end of the
  day tomorrow.

  We can all wait one more day I believe and we can hope
  that our fondest wishes will be fulfilled.

  by eaglecries on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 06:42:34 PM PDT