FITZGERALD: WH 'RECENTLY LOCATED' 250 PAGES OF EMAILS IN CIA LEAK

[kpete]

Fitzgerald: WH 'recently located'250 pages of emails in CIA leak inquiry

Fitzgerald discloses White House recently turned over 250 pages of emails in CIA leak inquiry
John Byrne
Published: February 24, 2006



Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a court hearing Friday that the White House "recently located and turned over" 250 pages of emails from the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney, according to an article filed by the Associated Press Friday evening.

The AP article focused primarily on the fact that U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton told Vice President's former chief of staff I. Lewis Libby that he was not entitled to know the name of the individual who "outed" CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson.

Libby was told, however, that he could have copies of notes he took during 2003 and 2004 while he served as Cheney's chief of staff.

...........

In October 2003, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales told all White House employees to turn in copies of numerous documents relating to the CIA leak investigation. It was sent after the Justice Department told the White House to hand over all records that could be relevant to investigators. According to an article at the time, the deadline was Oct. 10, 2003.

The newly-turned over emails could indicate that not all information had been divulged when the Justice Department first required the information be delivered. It could, however, also signify that Fitzgerald is seeking additional email correspondence based on information he obtained during the probe.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Fitzgerald_discloses_White_House_recently_turned_0224.html

[Quakerfriend]

1. WOW! kpete, what a news dump!!!!!!

Thx, that makes my weekend!

[bleever]

2. "...recently located..."

Yeah, email is hard to find. Sometimes it escapes from your computer like a greyhound at an airport and hides behind boxes in unidentified buildings.

Maybe they need pet psychics over at the White House.

[spuddonna]

22. LOL!

My email is always leaking out the mouse port onto the floor...

I'm always finding little 1's and 0's all over the desk...

Yeah, how exactly do you find "250 pages" of emails??!

Gads, I'd love to meet the sys admin that works in this nuthouse...

"I archive all the emails on post-its..."

[Catherine Vincent]

3. KPete I must say.....

You're awesome! :thumbsup:

[dave29]

4. 250 PAGES

thats P A G E S

That's a lot of "missing" emails.

Perhaps it's all jokes forwarded by my Grandmother

[TahitiNut]

9. Yep. A half a ream of paper ... after 2.4 years of editing it.

Dump it in the Friday night news black hole - don't want folks talking about it at the office, after all.

I was in MIS/EDP for 35 years. The last I heard, email volume was measured in messages or kilobytes, not 'pages.' I gotta wonder how it looked on the mail server - headers and all.

[linazelle]

17. "2.4 years of editing"...you got that right. Scrub a Dub Shrub. nt

[H2O Man]

26. The White House

did not "dump" this in the Friday night news ..... Mr. Fitzgerald said it in open court. There is more going on behind the scenes right now that is not being made public. Fitzgerald had a good reason to make the statement when he did. These e-mails are going to show the structure of the WHIG operation against Plame.

[babylonsister]

43. WHIG, as in Matalin, et al, who were involved

in 'framing' why we should go to war, right? Oh, be still my heart! I truly hope a patriot is doing the right thing! Could this be our 'Deepthroat'?

[H2O Man]

45. Yes.

This might also ease some of the concerns about the judge. Keep in mind that the White House had refused to turn over the e-mails for some time. There are a number of things going on in the pre-trial positioning that are off the record. At this point, the judge is going by the ule of law, and that is putting the WHIG on a very hot seat.

[babylonsister]

46. Thanks, H2O Man, with hope in my heart! nt

[MuseRider]

11. Ha Ha

Your Grandmother or my friend who sends me everything!

"missing" I have over 500 saved emails just from one committee and that is from the last 2 months. Pages, that is a lot of email.

[bahrbearian]

5. Friday Night ?

[TexasLady]

6. thanks for this Kpete!

good job posting!

[TexasLady]

10. oop0s!

[Sperk]

7. Is there any way Fitz can check and make sure that they weren't

edited?

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. Yes,

I believe he has copies of at least some of these emails from the people who received them. That's how he knew they existed and was able to pressure the WH to release them. All he has to do is compare the emails sent, to the ones received, to see if there has been any 'editing'.

[Qutzupalotl]

52. Wow, that's good to know!

If anybody is thorough enough to check that, it's Patrick Fitzgerald.

I almost hope there HAS been editing, just so he can nail them again.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Is there any way to prove ...

that these emails are authentic.. and not forgeries created by the White House??


on edit: I see Sperk has the same concern.... we posted simultaneously.

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. Riiiight. Now that Roberts and ScAlito are seated on the SCOTUS.

I'm sure the WH will do a HUGE document dump.:grr: rat bastards.

[Rose Siding]

13. Weird- I'd posted the AP article in LBN, from the WP wire site, but

changed- to a much edited Saturday paper article.

Here's the new WH document info in the AP piece on the MSNBC site:

snip>
Documents delivered in pouch with key
Walton denied a defense request to stop Fitzgerald from filing information that only the judge can review, such as strategy memos and classified information that he wants withheld from Libby’s legal team. Walton said he needs to see what Fitzgerald is withholding from the defense to ensure the prosecutor is making the correct call.

The defense was told that the White House had recently located and turned over about 250 pages of e-mails from the vice president’s office. Fitzgerald, in a letter last month to the defense, had cautioned Libby’s lawyers that some e-mails might be missing because the White House’s archiving system had failed.

The 2½-hour hearing not only kicked off the battle over how much classified information a jury will hear when Libby’s case goes to trial, but also showed how cumbersome it is to deal with such secret evidence.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11548045/

[spuddonna]

21. Check this out...

"'Everyone knows'
Libby’s lawyers and Fitzgerald disagreed over whether the unidentified government official — who does not work at the White House — was referring to Plame or her husband when he said, “Everyone knows,” during a taped interview with investigators."

Any guesses who this unidentified govt official is? Do we have lists of who the Grand Jury talked to?

[babylonsister]

14. Holy moly! First I've heard of this; the wh must be

scared or intimidated. They actually did the right thing? And 'recently located'?' Puhleeze!

[H2O Man]

25. It is reason

for DUers to be confident that evertything is okay on the Plame front.

[stepnw1f]

55. Man... What An Unbelievable Yet Real Time We Live In

There is so much info circulating my head feels at times like a spinning top. So much material for art and just not enough time...

[stellanoir]

15. He is our only hope

Bless him

[Tin Man]

16. Maybe * ready to dump Cheney and hand-pick successor for '08?

The missing email was suddenly found... Hmmmm... So maybe * finally decided to throw Dead-eye under the bus?

[FreedomAngel82]

18. Are these the real Emails?

[Oilwellian]

19. If memory serves me well...

Fitzgerald's 30 page letter to Libby's attorneys mentions emails from the WH that weren't submitted due to an archive problem. But he also hinted that he had them anyway. The WH probably freaked and reluctantly turned them over to avoid obstruction charges.

[spuddonna]

20. I love this gem!

"The newly-turned over emails could indicate that not all information had been divulged when the Justice Department first required the information be delivered. It could, however, also signify that Fitzgerald is seeking additional email correspondence based on information he obtained during the probe.

In a letter to Libby's lawyers last month, Fitzgerald signaled that not all emails during the period in question were properly archived -- indicating that some documents may have been lost." (Lemme guess, it wasn't just all his "Cialis!" emails...)

Now, this seems to read that Fitz is telling them that he KNOWS not all the emails were archived. How does he know this? There must be a mail server log or some backup evidence that shows these messages were delivered. I wouldn't be surprised if there were backup copies of the actual emails somewhere!

And 250 "pages"? wtf? When do they count emails in "pages"?! They handed them over as a stack of paper? How about on CD or a flash memory key? So bizarre...

ETA: I just read the AP article and noticed something interesting...
"The defense was told that the White House had recently located and turned over about 250 pages of e-mails from the vice president's office. Fitzgerald, in a letter last month to the defense, had cautioned Libby's lawyers that some e-mails might be missing because the White House's archiving system had failed."

The archiving system had 'failed'. Really. How conveeenient! I'd love to know what kind of 'archiving' systems they had...

Hmm, so what does Fitz have on Libby? This is so confusing... or maybe I need more coffee... :)

[H2O Man]

27. In many bureaucracies

there are one or two quiet people who gather information of wrong-doing. Put this in its proper context, right alongside of JL's other release, about the DoJ moving a few people who had provided the grand jury with information.

[tblue37]

29. The Rosemary Wood Archiving System. (eom)

[spuddonna]

57. lol Exactly.... :) n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

23. I bet these are a selective set of more emails that will help the WH

and others that don't have likely been destroyed. They've had these in reserve in case they were needed - that's my guess.

Will be interesting if they make Cheney look bad - would be more evidence that they really do want to check his power.

[H2O Man]

28. "selective"

I will provide a clue of the selection: in December 2003, a senior WH official was quoted in the Financial Times gloating, "We have rolled the earthmovers in over this one." The buried treasure has come to the surface.

[kpete]

31. READ MY NEW POST - BY JASON LEOPOLD!!!

[Nothing Without Hope]

58. I had forgotten that, but I bet Fitz didn't. Wonder who that was.

But somehow, I doubt that ALL the buried evidence implicated ONLY Cheney. There's still buried treasure, that is, if it hasn't been vaporized by now. My suspicion is that they deliberately kept some bombshells under wraps just in case they ever had to control Cheney or bring him down. In fact, his knowledge that they had them may have been a rein all this time.

:tinfoilhat:

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. WOW! Jason Leopold's article on the emails says they're EXPLOSIVE and show

Cheney had direct involvement and lied to the investigators:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2131403
thread title (2-25-06 LBN): White House 'Discovers’ 250 Emails Related to Plame Leak
Article by Jason Leopold posted at Truthout Friday 24 February 2006.
Excerpt: “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."

[NewJeffCT]

32. How good a reporter is Leopold?

He's had some pretty good stuff the past few weeks, but is he legitimate & accurate?

Not questioning his veracity, but if I send that on to a RW friend, I don't want to get the response that this guy started out at the Weekly World News or similar.

[H2O Man]

33. The information reported

by Mr. Leopold on the Plame case is valid and accurate.

[NewJeffCT]

36. Thanks

It's hard to tell who is good & bad in the media these days without a scorecard.

[DemReadingDU]

34. I think Cheney will resign due to '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

[H2O Man]

35. I understand

he has been using his cane more frequently in the past couple months.

[DemReadingDU]

37. Maybe it's his gout acting up

using a cane would help alleviate pressure on the joints afflicted with the gout

[H2O Man]

38. Yep.

I think that, removing the distain we feel for Cheney, it is still important to recognize that shooting someone in the face takes a toll on a person. It is more disturbing if you shoot a friend. Watching the victim of your reckless "error" lie bleeding on the ground, unable to communicate, adds to that. That is a huge factor, along with the other stress that VP DC is dealing with.

[DemReadingDU]

39. McCain is setting himself up to replace Cheney

McCain supports Bush on anything lately.

McCain backs Bush on U.S. seaport deal
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/0224wvmccain0222Z1.html

[H2O Man]

40. I agree. n/t

[kohodog]

47. With Friends like Cheney...

According to reports, he went back to the Ranch and poured himself a stiff one. Personally, I think I'd have gone to the hospital to see how my friend was doing.

No punsihment is too strong for this creep. Then again he has to get up every day and look in the mirror.

[WinkyDink]

49. Yes, YOU would have. But Cheney didn't want to be CONNECTED

to this story AT ALL.

[Mme. Defarge]

50. I still wonder

if he really WAS the shooter. Here's why:

1) The White House is undoubtedly divided into two camps -- Cheney vs. Bush-Rove.

2) Because of the Plame affair, Cheney has got to be a HUGE liability to the administration, but is also way too powerful.

3) The accident wasn't reported by Cheney, but by Katherine Armstrong, and wasn't reported until the next day.

4) While Cheney and family have a relationship with the Armstrongs, Katherine Armstrong has stated that Mr. Karl Rove is one of her very best friends in the whole wide world.

5) It was apparently Rove and Bush who insisted that Cheney go public with his mea culpa.

6) The timing of and uproar over the shooting incident served to obfuscate the secret port deal that the administration was undoubtedly hoping would stay under the radar screen.

Question. Is it possible that Cheney could have been set up for a fall and coereced to confess to the shooting?

[pdxmom]

42. Agreed. With the way the polls are going, they are going to need

the boost of having an "incumbent" running. Cheney will be gone before the end of Bush's term, so that the Repugs can crown an heir apparent.

[Nothing Without Hope]

59. Exactly. "Health reasons." n/t

[spanone]

41. Thanks kpete. Makes my weekend.

[npincus]

44. MSM covering this yet?

[indie_voter]

53. CNN is stuck on Ricin. I haven't heard it mentioned on the others. n/t

[kpete]

48. White House 'Discovers' 250 Emails Related to Plame Leak

White House 'Discovers' 250 Emails Related to Plame Leak
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Friday 24 February 2006

......................

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.

............

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.

lots more at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022406Y.shtml

[Jersey Devil]

51. This means Fitz already had some of them from other sources

probably the recipients of the mail. It was either "discover" them or get charged with destruction of evidence for the White House.

[Babel_17]

54. K&R: Much as they must hate it ....

I think it's no easy task to scrub the system of these e-mails or any others that might later come to light. I'm guessing that the measures used to ensure data integrity would allow a computer forensic expert to eventually detect any such funny business.

Needless to say, technology cuts both ways and some truly skilled "plumbers" once given the go-ahead could make it very hard even for experts to detect a small amount of deletions here and there.

But that would involve a much broader conspiracy and introduces new risks to being discovered.

Thankfully, this is a case where the arrogance and willful ignorance of many in the administration means they haven't a clue as to how their own tools work and thus they are left vulnerable once their inner sanctum is penetrated.

If only this issue could get raised to a level that would force Gonzales to truly cooperate. Or better yet, if Gonzales could be forced out of the loop and in this instance be replaced with a no nonsense non-partisan official.

It all comes down to getting pieces to a puzzle. The climate in Washington and elsewhere that has been enabling this administration might be changing for the better. This administration has excelled at damage control. They appear to be getting overwhelmed and if we can keep the pressure up things might really break loose in favor of the american people.

[BelgianMadCow]

56. K&R for hope and justice

let them be served!

This is good news, even if it won't be reported in the "news".

[foreverdem]

60. Thanks kpete!

You made my weekend with this!