By now, most of us have had a chance to review Victoria Toensing's performance before the House Oversight Committee this afternoon.
As LitigatorMom and others have noted, Vicky was a little fast-and-loose with her interpretation of the law (the Intelligence Identities Protection Act). Passing herself off as an expert on the law due to her involvement in drafting the statute, she appears to have misquoted the criteria for an agent to be considered "covert". This, of course, wasn't the first time she's done so.
In closing, Chairman Henry Waxman mentioned his skepticism of Toensing's comments. I would very much like to see her recalled before the Committee to answer for several of the statements she made that were clearly counterfactual. After the jump, I've written up my idea of how such a session might go.
CHAIRMAN: Ms. Toensing, you've discussed your expertise on the law.
TOENSING: Yes, Mr. Chairman. No one knows more about it than me. In fact, no one knows half as much as I do about it.
CHAIRMAN: Ms. Toensing, can you quote the statute in question (the IIPA) from memory?
TOENSING: Well, Mr. Chairman, I don't think I could recite it word-for-word. It's been 20 years...
CHAIRMAN: 25.
TOENSING: Mr. Chairman!
CHAIRMAN: Let's move past that. Let us refresh your memory. Can you get that copy of the statute to her? Thank you. Ms. Toensing, do you see Paragraph (4) of the statute?
TOENSING: Yes, I do. I recognize it very well. I wrote the whole thing myself, with a tiny bit of help from Barry Goldwater (sigh).
CHAIRMAN: What does Paragraph (4) refer to?
TOENSING: It discusses covert agents.
CHAIRMAN: Could you read Paragraph (4), please?
TOENSING: (reads)
CHAIRMAN: Now, Ms. Toensing, you've stated that Ms. Plame was not covert. You've specifically said, both in front of this Committee and to the media, that she had not been "stationed" overseas. Could you find the word "stationed" in Paragraph (4) for us?
TOENSING: No, but...
CHAIRMAN: How about "lived"?
TOENSING: Now wait a minute...
CHAIRMAN: In fact, Paragraph (4) is divided into two possible cases in which an agent could be considered "covert". And the first of those only stipulates "serving". Isn't that right?
TOENSING: Yes, but that's not the meaning...
CHAIRMAN: In fact, the second case in Paragraph (4) specifically says "resided", in contrast to the first.
TOENSING: (aside to counsel) By "serving", we intended the law to mean "living overseas"...
CHAIRMAN: Isn't that what "resided" means? Why two different words if two different meanings weren't intended?
TOENSING: Mr. Chairman, it's the CIA's fault...
CHAIRMAN: What is your relationship with Robert Novak? And remember, you're under oath.
TOENSING: I know Mr. Novak.
CHAIRMAN: Are you on a first name basis with him?
TOENSING: Yes.
CHAIRMAN: How about his wife?
TOENSING: Yes.
CHAIRMAN: What is your relationship with Scooter Libby?
TOENSING: I would consider him a friend.
CHAIRMAN: Considering your misquoting of the statute in question to this Committee, and considering your obvious conflict of interest in this matter, can you see how this Committee might find all of your testimony suspect?
TOENSING: Mr. Chairman, I was paraphrasing the meaning of the statute. I helped draft the law and when we wrote the law we intended it to mean someone stationed overseas...
CHAIRMAN: And given your personal stake in this matter, you can perhaps see why we might find your claims in this matter to be less than believable.
TOENSING: Fox News wasn't this disrespectful.
CHAIRMAN: Fox News can't save you now, Ms. Toensing.
Now that, I'd pay to see.