Post Spins for Libby
In its March 6, 2007, lead editorial, the Washington Post attempts to downplay the Libby conviction. You might recall that we predicted such spin by the media.
As for whether or not she was covert, according to Fitzgerald, Plame's identity had been protected by the CIA "not just for the officer, but for the nation's security."
In statements to the press following the verdict, Fitzgerald stated clearly and emphatically that Libby had divulged "classified information." The question of whether she was covert is moot. The CIA referred the matter to the Justice Department for a reason. The outing of Plame had done serious damage to the security of the nation and to the CIA intelligence apparatus.
Further, in a Justice Department letter to Fitzgerald the department clearly granted him "authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal crime laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure, as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses."
Any way you cut it. Libby committed a very serious offense in jeapordizing a CIA operative and those working with her. Fitzgerald was perfectly within reasonable prosecutorial boundries in going after the man who tried to obstruct his investigation into it.
"The trial has provided convincing evidence that there was no conspiracy to punish Mr. Wilson by leaking Ms. Plame's identity -- and no evidence that she was, in fact, covert."On the contrary, the Post earlier reported this:
As he drew back the curtain this week on the evidence against Vice President Cheney's former top aide, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald for the first time described a "concerted action" by "multiple people in the White House" -- using classified information -- to "discredit, punish or seek revenge against" a critic of President Bush's war in Iraq.In order to believe the editorial's suggestion that there was no orchestrated effort to punish Wilson, one has to disbelieve the Post's own reporting.
As for whether or not she was covert, according to Fitzgerald, Plame's identity had been protected by the CIA "not just for the officer, but for the nation's security."
In statements to the press following the verdict, Fitzgerald stated clearly and emphatically that Libby had divulged "classified information." The question of whether she was covert is moot. The CIA referred the matter to the Justice Department for a reason. The outing of Plame had done serious damage to the security of the nation and to the CIA intelligence apparatus.
Further, in a Justice Department letter to Fitzgerald the department clearly granted him "authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal crime laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure, as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses."
Any way you cut it. Libby committed a very serious offense in jeapordizing a CIA operative and those working with her. Fitzgerald was perfectly within reasonable prosecutorial boundries in going after the man who tried to obstruct his investigation into it.
