Clarification on the Powell Plame connection ... [View All]

[FormerRepublican]

I had been reading on these boards about some mention that Powell had a Plame brief with him on his trip to Africa with Bush, and some had speculated that Powell was the leak. So, I looked up this info on when he testified to the Grand Jury:

"Aug. 9 issue - Secretary of State Colin Powell recently testified before a federal grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of CIA covert officer Valerie Plame, NEWSWEEK has learned. Powell's appearance on July 16 is the latest sign the probe being conducted by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is highly active and broader than has been publicly known. Sources close to the case say prosecutors were interested in discussions Powell had while with President George W. Bush on a trip to Africa in July 2003, just before Plame's identity was leaked to columnist Robert Novak. A senior State Department official confirmed that, while on the trip, Powell had a department intelligence report on whether Iraq had sought uranium from Niger—a claim Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, discounted after a trip to Niger on behalf of the CIA."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5570006/site/newsweek/

It looks like Powell had the brief with him and discussed it with Bush. I think Powell is in the clear (he wasn't recalled for additional testimony and he didn't hire an attorney to represent him, as others did). I think the target may be Bush, based on this article.