Armitage leaked information to Novak he obtained via Libby

One current talking point gaining favor was that  Fitz knew when he started his investigtation that Armitage--not Libby--was the source for the Novak column.  Thus, the reasoning goes, Fitz should have never proceeded with the investigation.  Not true.

Where did Armitage get the information he leaked to Novak about Plame?  None other than our hero Scooter. So, contrary to what Brit Hume says, Libby--at Cheney's direction--was responsible for outing Plame.

David Corn of The Nation and Media Matters have done a superb job of puncturing right wing myths regarding the Plame leak case.  One of these myths is that Armitage was independently responsible for the leak.  This is what Corn writes:

The Armitage leak was not directly a part of the White House's fierce anti-Wilson crusade. But as Hubris notes, it was, in a way, linked to the White House effort, for Amitage had been sent a key memo about Wilson's trip that referred to his wife and her CIA connection, and this memo had been written, according to special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, at the request of I. Lewis Scooter Libby, the vice president's chief of staff. Libby had asked for the memo because he was looking to protect his boss from the mounting criticism that Bush and Cheney had misrepresented the WMD intelligence to garner public support for the invasion of Iraq.

The memo included information on Valerie Wilson's role in a meeting at the CIA that led to her husband's trip. This critical memo was--as Hubris discloses--based on notes that were not accurate. (You're going to have to read the book for more on this.) But because of Libby's request, a memo did circulate among State Department officials, including Armitage, that briefly mentioned Wilson's wife.

Armitage's role aside, the public record is without question: senior White House aides wanted to use Valerie Wilson's CIA employment against her husband. Rove leaked the information to Cooper, and Libby confirmed Rove's leak to Cooper. Libby also disclosed information on Wilson's wife to New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

So, it is a complete lie to say that Libby was not responsible for the leak to Novak and for the Novak column.  Scooter worked hard to get his "message" into the news stream--and accomplished that goal through the somewhat bumbling Armitage.  

•  This is a key fact overlooked by many

  And why does no one ask where Armitage got his information?

  by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:26:52 AM PDT

•  Heard said that Armitage liked to talk ....

  so .... who better to tell something you want leaked?  Commonplace tactic ... Armitage was not liked by the administration because he was forthright, was a Powell follower who as we all know the Bushies had no regard for.

  by Southern Mouth on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:34:12 AM PDT

•  A point.....

  I have been making. Scooter is still the source.

  by sephius1 on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:34:24 AM PDT

  •  Hopefully it will sink in

    There is a lot of spinning going on that is not being responded to....

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:36:01 AM PDT

    •  re

      Let's hope.

      Here that concern trolls?

      by cookiesandmilk on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:43:42 AM PDT

      •  Grrr..

        hear.

        by cookiesandmilk on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:43:54 AM PDT

•  This question is on....

  my very long list.

  But what I'm not getting here is wasn't the memo in question developed by State? Surely Armitage would have seen it; if not had a hand in creating it.

  No defense of any of these clowns, I loath them all, but what am I missing?

  by The Eyewitness Muse on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:38:51 AM PDT

  •  Libby was the catalyst

    Libby was pressing all the buttons he could to get the "story" out, and one of those buttons was the creation of the memo circulating in the State Department......Libby put the story in the "stream of commerce" so to speak, with the specific intent that it be leaked.....

    Corn's book Hubris apparently has the details--I have it at home but haven't turned to it yet....

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:42:33 AM PDT

    •  Yes, that book is a must.

      I'm so remiss for not picking one up.

      I tell myself that every time I see Corn (wasn't Isikof the coauthor?)on TV.

      Anyway, thanks for the diary--an important topic.

      by The Eyewitness Muse on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:54:26 AM PDT

      •  Co-authored by Isikoff and Corn n/t

        by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:59:33 AM PDT

•  Good stuff

  Anyway, Libby was not charged with leaking, he was charged and convicted of lying to the Grand Jury investigating the leak.

  By exposing Libby's lies, Fitz succeeded in turning over the rock that exposed the creepy-crawlies that infest the Bush White House.

  So whether it was Libby, Rove, Cheney or Armitage who disclosed Valerie Plame's identity to the press and blew her CIA cover, it is clear that the leak came from one or more senior White House officials. Bush said that when he found who the leaker(s) was/were, that he would deal with him or her or them.

  Since there have been no consequences or accountability on this (like there ever is with these people) one can only assume that this was part  of a concerted effort initiated at the highest levels of the Administration to smear a critic of their war policy. Like we didn't already know that, but it is sure nice to see it out in the open and as the new Topic A with the punditocracy.

  So. Merry Fitzmas, finally. I wonder what other presents we will find in our stockings.

  by BrewUnit on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 10:51:36 AM PDT

  •  What interests me is the Cheney quote

    Something like "Sending down one member of the administration for the incompetence of another,". It really doesn't make sense, the use of the word incompetence. I've thought about it and thought about it.

    What about if Scooters role was really just to quietly kill the Wilson story by giving deep background to the press never meaning for the story of his wife being a member of the CIA to be printed just hoping that the meme of it being a junket would hit enough ears that it would kill off further interest in the press.

    Look at how  many reporters he told who didn't report that Valerie Plame was a CIA agent.

    Look who did. Novakula. The good buddy of Rove and even he admits that Rove was one of his sources. What if it was Rove who decided that this quietly trying to kill the story just wasn't good enough and told his good buddy to go public with the CIA angle?

    Would Cheney consider that incompetence?

    Only thing I've been able to come up with on this angle anyway.

    by dotsright on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:15:40 AM PDT

    •  Maybe it will come out in the civil lawsuit

      If Cheney, Libby and Rove have their depositions taken, it would be very, very interesting......

      by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:19:04 AM PDT

      •  Except

        I'd expect them all to lie like sieves. It certainly didn't stop either Libby or Rove or Novakula that they were under oath the first time around.

        If I'm not mistaken, Empty Wheel did a diary awhile back where she speculated on collusion between Rove and Novakula on what they told Fitzgerald and the GJ and they've had plenty of time to get their stories straight by now.

        by dotsright on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:32:06 AM PDT

    •  Kill the Story

      Very good point. They wanted to reduce Wilson's credibility. They wanted this story to go away. They didn't expect to ever be found out. It had worked before.

      This is what you get when you have a complient press. What they didn't understand was how the internets were going to find a role in this story. We formed our own echo chamber and kept the story alive.

      by Tuba Les on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:34:57 AM PDT

•  Not sure your title is accurate

  The text of your diary says that Libby asked for a memo on the history of the trip, and that Armitage got a copy of the memo (and this is indeed information that has been out there for awhile). But this isn't the same thing as saying that Armitage actually got the information from Libby, which is what the title implies.

  by leevank on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:01:03 AM PDT

  •  "Via" Libby

    Not sure how else to phrase it; according to Corn, if you follow the trail, it leads beack to Libby....Corn says, or certainly implies, that the memo circulated at State at Libby's request.  No matter, the memo was created at Libby's request and was the source of Armitage's information that he leaked to Novak....

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:06:11 AM PDT

•  Tag Corrections:

  Original Tags:

  Plame, Libby, Armitage

  Tag guidelines instruct that when names are used both the first and last names should be included and in cases like the George Bushes - the middle initials are essential.

  Thanks!

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  by SarahLee on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:11:59 AM PDT

  •  Thanks n/t

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:12:56 AM PDT

•  What I've never understood about this

  Why did the White House think that Joe Wilson's wife having suggested him for the trip would discredit his conclusions?  The suggestion seems to be that this was some kind of a junket, which I might understand if he was heading to some popular tourist destination.  But that isn't a description that I think would ever apply to Niamey, Niger.  Here's a link to the Consular Information Sheet on Niger:

  http://travel.state.gov/...  Some selections:

  CRIME:   Crime is at a critical level due primarily to the number of thefts, robberies, and residential break-ins.  Foreigners are particularly vulnerable to attempts of bribery and extortion by law enforcement authorities.  Theft and petty crimes are common day or night.  However, armed attacks are normally committed at night by groups of two to four persons, with one assailant confronting the victim with a knife while the others provide surveillance or a show of force.  Tourists should not walk alone around the Gaweye Hotel, National Museum, and on or near the Kennedy Bridge at any time, or the Petit Marche after dark.  These areas are especially prone to mugging and should be avoided. Walking at night is not recommended as streetlights are scarce and criminals have the protection of darkness to commit their crimes.  Recent criminal incidents in Niger have included carjacking, home invasion, and mugging.  In December 2000, an American was killed in a carjacking incident in Niamey, and another American was gravely wounded in a carjacking incident outside of Niamey in 2004. Travelers should always keep their doors locked and windows rolled up when stopped at stoplights.

  And this:

  MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:   Health facilities are extremely limited in Niamey and urban centers, and completely inadequate outside the capital.  Although physicians are generally well trained, even the best hospitals in Niamey suffer from inadequate facilities, antiquated equipment and shortages of supplies (particularly medicine).  Emergency assistance is limited.  Travelers must carry their own properly labeled supply of prescription drugs and preventative medicines.

  Malaria is prevalent in Niger.  Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the serious and sometimes fatal strain in Niger, is resistant to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine.  Because travelers to Niger are at high risk for contracting malaria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that travelers should take one of the following antimalarial drugs: mefloquine (Lariam tm), doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone tm).

  Here's a link to a photo of beautiful downtown Niamey at night, which looks somewhat less exciting (and obviously a lot less safe) than beautiful downtown Peoria, IL at night:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/...

  I can only imagine recommending one's spouse for a trip to Niamey if (1) you think your spouse is uniquely qualified for the mission, or (2) you really dislike your spouse.

  by leevank on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:15:38 AM PDT

  •  Cheney's deranged

    It is the best explanation I can come up with and it covers a lot of ground....

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:20:41 AM PDT

•  Armitage and the administration

  hoped that Armitage's admission of guilt would end the investigation.  After all, he didn't knowingly or willfully out an agent, right?

  The problem was that Libby lied and continued to lie throughout.  He didn't do that because he and Cheney were innocent.  He lied because he knew that he and Cheney committed treason and perjury is the lesser of the crimes.

  by nupstateny on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:25:43 AM PDT

•  Where did the name come from?

  It was my understanding that that the memo that Armitage saw, prepared by state, did not use Wilson's working name of Plame or mention her cover company, Brewster Jennings. Do we know how that exact name and company, the most damaging of the information leaked, actually got to Novak? Has Fitz represented that Libby told him all this?

  by Snarcalita on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:37:16 AM PDT

  •  Have to read Corn's book, I guess.

    "Wilson's wife worked at the CIA," seems bad enough.

    And the Prince of Darkness confirmed the story with Rove before he published it.....

    by MKS on Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 11:46:28 AM PDT