Josh Marshall fingers Cheney's office for Plame leak

[Dudley_DUright]

There's been plenty of chatter over recent days that some indictments were coming down the pike in the Plame matter. Now UPI's Richard Sale seems to have the goods.

This from a story just out ...

Federal law enforcement officials said that they have developed hard evidence of possible criminal misconduct by two employees of Vice President Dick Cheney's office related to the unlawful exposure of a CIA officer's identity last year.

The investigation, which is continuing, could lead to indictments, a Justice Department official said.

According to these sources, John Hannah and Cheney's chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby were the two Cheney employees.

more...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_02_01.html#002529

[Mandomaniac]

1. Its about freaking time!

[jbfam4]

5. Welcome to DU

It's about time....

[Mandomaniac]

9. Thanks!

[never cry wolf]

Yes, welcome to DU Mandomaniac!!

:hi:

[BOSSHOG]

15. Welcome to DU Mandomaniac

Maybe the begining of your journey with DU will be the end of the cheney regime. However, I think we should keep him around to account for his energy "task force."

[newyawker99]

29. Hi Mandomaniac!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[never cry wolf]

2. Oh GOD, I hope they sing like canaries

to save their own scrawny asses!!

[Stevendsmith]

3. Holy Shit!

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

BRING IT ON!

[stepnw1f]

4. Wow..

I never thought I would see so many incriminating cases against an administration and still feel absolute joy.

[Sagan]

6. they have promises of pardons in hand, believe me

Though now they are probably hoping for Chimpy to lose in November. Otherwise, they might have to spend some years at Club Fed.

[lancdem]

7. I love this part

The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah "that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time," as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law enforcement official said.
This is, to put it mildly, awfully big news if it bears out.

[Oilwellian]

18. Let me repeat what you said

The strategy of the FBI is to make clear to Hannah "that he faces a real possibility of doing jail time," as a way to pressure him to name superiors, one federal law enforcement official said.

(doing the moonwalk) :D

[Beetwasher]

8. WOOOOHOOOO!

The big hammer is coming down and soon!!!!

[lancdem]

12. And Marshall says he'll have more to say about other "key"

developments in the case. I can't wait.

BTW, if indictments are made, do you guys think Cheney will be off the ticket in 2004?

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

16. All part of the plan

Cheney falls on his sword (he wasn't going to be around for round 2 anyway) and takes the heat away from the other criminals. I mean war criminals...

[lancdem]

19. But it's still a huge embarrassment for Bush

Remember, the last president to have a VP resign was Richard Nixon. Hmmmm...

[newyawker99]

30. Hi ABB_04!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[never cry wolf]

10. Here's is Richard Sales article

http://www.insightmag.com/news/2004/02/17/National/Cheneys.Staff.Focus.Of.Probe-598606.shtml

[lancdem]

13. Isn't Insight mag a RW site?

Just curious. UPI is owned by the Moonies, isn't it?

[chiburb]

23. Yep. Makes you wonder what Moon's...

angle is in bringing Cheney/Libby down? You'd normally expect him to cover this up or ignore it... not break it.

[lancdem]

24. It sounds like it was all over town the past few days

according to Marshall, so maybe UPI just wanted to scoop everyone. Just a theory.

[jackstraw45]

17. Email this article around...smoke them out!

I'm sure it's the first of many to come.

Time to "smoke out" the crooks in this administration.

[maddezmom]

11. great news

[Stephanie]

14. Dick!

Would these guys make a move like this without running it by the boss?

[Stevendsmith]

21. Hell No!

[drdigi420]

20. hahahahahahahaha

did i mention.....

hahahahahahahahaha?

[TolstoyAndy]

22. Lewis Scooter Libby is PNAC

iirc.

[Stephanie]

25. Sure is

It's all about to unravel! Get out your pencils, let's connect all the dots!

[jackstraw45]

27. PNAC FINALLY getting some exposure

Their ideas run our country...about time.

[Snazzy]

28. What the heck's with 'Scooter' anyway?

Is that a southern good ole boy thing? Some weird sexual predilection I don't want to know about?

For sure he has never rode a scooter....

Think I heard some basketball guy called scooter once.

[Greyskye]

26. Smoke 'em out!

Damn, I'm thinking that this mis-administration is finally on the ropes! :evilgrin:

[calimary]

31. I noticed in the latest update that several news orgs are sitting on this

Marshall says he's not sure why.

I think we need to make some noise about this.

1 (800) 839 - 5276 - TOLL FREE to Capitol Hill

Here's the REALLY CRITICAL part in the TPM this morning:

"The first thing to notice is that, as near as I can tell, the story has not been picked up by any other news organization. Moreover,
from the rough read one gets from Google News, the UPI Story only seems to have run on the website of only one news organization.

Several other news organizations have been and continue to sit on this story -- though why, for good reasons or not good reasons, I'm not sure."

I just called Ted Kennedy's office AND my congressman Henry Waxman about this. The staffers were intrigued, to say the least. Waxman's apparently got a few people who read Josh Marshall's stuff, so they were familiar with him and open to hearing more.

WE NEED TO MAKE A STINK ABOUT THIS AND FIND OUT WHY - REPEAT - WHY OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATIONS ARE SITTING ON THIS. WHAT are they covering up, and FOR WHOM???

[yellowcanine]

34. Something on the Wash Post Website today

But I don't know if there is anything in the print version. Also, you have to scroll way down to find the very short blurb.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18684-2004Feb6.html

On edit: It is titled "Plame Watch".
"Cheney aides implicated in possible felony" would have been a more appropriate headline, imo.

[Dr Fate]

32. Will Cheney be put "under oath" in this matter?

???

[Butterflies]

33. Yes!

I had expected this one to disappear when bush said "we may never know who did it." This is awesome news!