Ashcroft Recuses Himself From Leak Investigation

[Chewbacca]

Good show Ashcroft. I must respect people like Ashcroft and Justice Scalia(re: SCOTUS pledge case), both of which I have idealogical differences with, but both of them show integrity by getting out of the way when a conflict of interest puts them at odds with their duties as public servants.

I do still wonder if we will ever get to the bottom of the leak....


Link

Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has decided to recuse himself from a widening Justice Department investigation into the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity, sources said today. The probe into the disclosure of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name to a columnist will be overseen by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald of Chicago, who will report to new Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, sources said. The decision will be formally announced by Comey at Justice Department headquarters this afternoon. The recusal of Ashcroft marks the latest twist in the ongoing saga of Plame, whose identity as a CIA officer was disclosed by unidentified senior administration officials to columnist Robert D. Novak, who published her name July 14. Disclosing such information may be a violation of federal law. Several Democratic lawmakers have been calling for Ashcroft to remove himself from the case for months, arguing that the former Republican senator from Missouri has a conflict of interest because of his close ties to senior White House aides. FBI agents have questioned top figures in the administration, including senior advisor Karl Rove. Plame is married to former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, a prominent critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policies who concluded during a 2002 mission to Africa that there was little evidence that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium there. Wilson has said he believes his wife's identity was disclosed in retaliation for his public discussions of those findings.

[ 12-30-2003, 02:05 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]

I agree. I think he did the right thing. As for the leak. I see no reason it won't become apparent if the investigating body is honest and works on it. Someone knows who said what to whom.

Unfortuantely there always exists the back door political deal making...Ill give you this for that stuff.....so we shall see.

[khazadman]

This is such a waste of time. Everybody in DC knew Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. And she hasn't done field work since the CIA felt her cover was blown by one of the FBI traitors.

I didn't know hehehe ok...yes it is a fabricated issue and thats what Im hoping will eventually come clear in the investigation.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by khazadman: This is such a waste of time. Everybody in DC knew Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. And she hasn't done field work since the CIA felt her cover was blown by one of the FBI traitors.

Really? You wouldn't happen to have a source to back up this opinion would you?


And if this is true, does "Everybody in DC" knowing make the WH leaking it to the press any more or less a crime?

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: quote: Originally posted by khazadman: This is such a waste of time. Everybody in DC knew Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. And she hasn't done field work since the CIA felt her cover was blown by one of the FBI traitors.

Really? You wouldn't happen to have a source to back up this opinion would you?


And if this is true, does "Everybody in DC" knowing make the WH leaking it to the press any more or less a crime? [/QUOTE]Khaz made this same 'statement' a couple of months ago and never backed it up with a followup post. I wouldn't hold my breath...

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: quote: Originally posted by khazadman: This is such a waste of time. Everybody in DC knew Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. And she hasn't done field work since the CIA felt her cover was blown by one of the FBI traitors.

Really? You wouldn't happen to have a source to back up this opinion would you?


And if this is true, does "Everybody in DC" knowing make the WH leaking it to the press any more or less a crime?[/QUOTE]Actually, Chewbacca, it would make the White House actions less criminal if "Everybody in DC" already knew she worked for the CIA....because then her cover would have already been effectively compromised.

I'm not backing khazadman nor his unsubstantiated claim that her employment with the CIA was common knowledge. I would also like to see evidence offered to back up that claim, because her employment and "cover" were not "common knowledge" according to what we've heard so far.

All I'm saying is that, if her employment with the CIA was common knowledge, then that would - indeed - make the "leak" of this common knowledge by the White House less criminal.