White House 'Discovers 250 Emails Related to Plame Leak

[cal04]

The White House turned over last week 250 pages of emails from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office. Senior aides had sent the emails in the spring of 2003 related to the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald revealed during a federal court hearing Friday.

The emails are said to be explosive, and may prove that Cheney played an active role in the effort to discredit Plame Wilson’s husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a vocal critic of the Bush administration’s prewar Iraq intelligence, sources close to the investigation said. Sources close to the probe said the White House “discovered” the emails two weeks ago and turned them over to Fitzgerald last week. The sources added that the emails could prove that Cheney lied to FBI investigators when he was interviewed about the leak in early 2004. Cheney said that he was unaware of any effort to discredit Wilson or unmask his wife’s undercover status to reporters.

Cheney was not under oath when he was interviewed. He told investigators how the White House came to rely on Niger documents that purportedly showed that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from the African country. Cheney said he had received an intelligence briefing on the allegations in late December 2003, or early January 2004, and had asked the CIA for more information about the issue. Cheney said he was unaware that Ambassador Wilson was chosen to travel to Niger to look into the uranium claims, and that he never saw a report Wilson had given a CIA analyst upon his return which stated that the Niger claims were untrue. He said the CIA never told him about Wilson's trip.

However, the emails say otherwise, and will show that the vice president spearheaded an effort in March 2003 to attack Wilson’s credibility and used the CIA to dig up information on the former ambassador that could be used against him, sources said. Some of the emails that were turned over to Fitzgerald contained references to Plame Wilson's identity and CIA status, and developments related to the inability of ground forces to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the start of the war in March 2003. According to sources, the emails also contained suggestions by senior officials in Cheney’s office, and at the National Security Council, on how the White House should respond to what it believed were increasingly destructive comments Wilson had been making about the administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence.

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http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022406Y.shtml

[lolly]

1. Quick Post!

Just got this from my e-mail too.

Sounds as if Georgie's ready to dump Cheney overboard.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. Georgie can't dump anything... Dick is

jumping. If anything.

[havocmom]

6. Maybe Rove is pushing

There seems to be quite the power struggle going on between the turd blossom and the geezer blaster. Race to stay outta court for one thing.

Plus, george may have done some independent studies and noticed he could appoint a new, nicer VP if the need arose. He might be getting tired of geezer blaster treating him the same way his daddy did. That prolly wasn't in the original promises to the poster boy.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

13. LOL, havocmom!

"appoint a new, nicer VP . . ."

Hell, my ornery brother fits that bill!


p.s. I think you're absolutely right re: turd blossom and "not-sorry-I-shot-u-in-da-face Dick."

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. yes, Turd Blossom LOVES to destroy people who threaten his power.

I think this makes it clear that they are at least reining Cheney in and perhaps preparing to dump & scapegoat him for all of the Bush cabal's many crimes. He's guilty, of course, but he's not the ONLY one.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Hard to push anyone when you're in a free fall yourself.

[Che_Nuevara]

3. Is there trouble in 'Paradise'?

First Cheney refuses to use the White House press corps. Now this.

Is this a fallout in the executive branch? Are they lining up against each other?

[babylonsister]

4. DU is "hot"! Already on

greatest! But this is the perfect place for this!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x514621

[For PaisAn]

5. How convenient

that Dick was not under oath and that they suddenly find over 250 pages of emails.
Biggest bunch of criminals EVER.

[aquart]

12. WHO had them? WHO turned them over?

My, my, my, my, my.

Is this like the last days of the Roman Empire?

[yodermon]

14. Dick can still be charged w/ False Statements! n/t

[dweller]

7. Lock and load, Dickie.

Hunting season is opening, and you are the favorite stool pidgeon.

dp

[rodeodance]

8. i have to wonder how many were not turned over.

......Sources close to the probe said the White House “discovered” the emails two weeks ago and turned them over to Fitzgerald last week.

[yourout]

10. My question is.....why now?

I find it hard to belive that they just now found these after years of "looking".

[lolly]

11. Forensic Computer Scientists?

Maybe Fitzgerald was able to find a way to prove they existed and they saw more obstruction of justice/tampering with evidence convictions?

But it could be part of a get rid of Cheney move.

Or maybe some whistleblower SA got word to the right people?

[CrazyOrangeCat]

16. Well, Fitz sure has been quiet.

So he's been twisting arms, and playing the two executive offices off each other. This is pretty wild. . .

[speedoo]

17. bingo, lolly.

Your paragraph 1 is right on, IMO.

By the way, your handle was my kid nickname many many years ago :)

[yodermon]

15. Who decided to do this?

Sounds like Karl flipped on Dick.

[tinrobot]

18. Time to dump Dick

'Sudden' discoveries like this always happen on purpose.

Despite the 'support' from Repugs, I think shooting that guy was actually the last straw for Cheney. He'll be gone before summer is over. They need to lighten the load by dumping all the blame on him before the midterms.

[DemReadingDU]

20. I think Cheney will resign for 'health reasons'

He is 'suffering' way too much stress from shooting his hunting buddy, he doesn't want to end up with more heart problems