John Dean- Why Did Ashcroft Remove Himself...(New witness?)

[Rose Siding]

Why Did Attorney General Ashcroft Remove Himself From The Valerie Plame Wilson Leak Investigation?
Signs that a Key Witness May Have Come Forward

Recently, Attorney General John Ashcroft removed himself from the investigation into who leaked the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. Since the announcement, there has been considerable speculation as to why this occurred, and what it means.

Some think the move suggests the inquiry will be scuttled -- and Ashcroft is ducking out early to avoid the heat. But that seems unlikely. The new head of the investigation, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, is a high profile, well-respected U.S. Attorney, who runs one of the more important offices in the country, Chicago's. Fitzgerald is also a close friend of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who announced his appointment. It seems unlikely that Fitzgerald was brought in merely to kill the case.

Others believe that Ashcroft's decision to remove himself suggests that the investigation must be focusing on people politically close to Ashcroft, and that Ashcroft thus pulled out because he knew he would be criticized whatever he did. That is certainly possible.

But as I will explain, I have a slightly different take on what has occurred and why. Here is what the latest positioning of the tea leaves tells me.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20040106.html

[hedda_foil]

1. Oh boy!!!!

John Dean is my hero. I watched his entire Watergate Committee testimony while pregnant with my second child, who's now pregnant with her first.

[sonias]

2. Glad to see the heat is still on

Both John Dean and Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo pointed to Victoria Toensing and a possible defense for the perps -"we didn't know she was covert' legal strategy". I would really like to see things speed up here so we could get some good news for once.

I like Dean's description of the bu$h WH culture "an ugly little sore that is festering and spreading."
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20031010.html Sounds a little like the Nixon WH to me.

Sonia

[louis-t]

12. findlaw is a great site!

I've used it before.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

3. good stuff

im so glad this thing isnt going away. this guy is amazing, what's his deal - ive never read him before?

[nightperson]

9. Just Google John Dean's name, Watergate, etc.

and you'll get plenty of info on who he is. He's still a Republican, and he has thought this story was Watergate-esque for a while. Remember, Watergate was full of leaks, CIA rumors and bipartisan opposition to the President. Kevin Phillips is another iconoclastic Republican survivor of the Nixon years who is speaking out to this day.

[bobbieinok]

13. I remember him testifying before the committe

I think Dean was either Nixon's lawyer or a WH lawyer

He's the one who told Nixon 'there's a cancer growing on the presidency'

Dean was the one who named names and dates.

I bet at times he wishes the Nixon WH had had a lock on the media like W does ...... no media stories, no investigation, no time in jail, etc, etc.

[aquart]

14. Dean is the one who added "at this point in time" to the language.

There were essays all over the place deploring the redundancy of it.

[Punkingal]

4. I love John Dean.

He seems so honest and straightforward.

[madfloridian]

7. I remember him in the hearings in the 70's

A lot younger then, but every bit as courageous. I really admire him.

[mike_c]

5. interesting analysis....

I hope they let Novak twist in the wind very publicly for a while, preferably before they lock him up. If I were the prosecutor, I would argue that since the CIA doesn't publicize its covert operatives names, there is a reasonable expectation that any CIA agent might be protected from exposure under the covert operatives law. Knowingly divulging the identity of any agent will always run some quantifiable risk of identifying a covert agent. No laws broken if you guess right. Novak was apparently willing to take that gamble, and he lost.

Bet's on who ultimately takes the fall (if anyone)? Libby? Somebody's going to have to fall on their sword, not only to stop the investigation but also to divert it away from junior.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. I hope it means Novak's career is in the crapper.

But then again, a lack of credibility was never a negative quality for a Republican. Look at Oliver North and Gordon Liddy.

[BigLed]

6. Dean's take

is more optimistic (from a DU perspective)than many I have seen here and elsewhere. I didn't know the U.S Attorney would be able to work so independently of Ashcroft, particularly the ability to grant immunity to witnesses. This is certainly a more threatening scenario for Bush than any other I have read.

He finishes with:

"If this case does not make headlines in 90 to 120 days, it will be quite surprising. There has been too much high level action and Comey, a presidential appointee, knows that politically it would be better for Bush & Company to have the matter flushed out within the next few months, than to have it arise just before the November election. Needless to say, this could be an interesting year for the White House, with more than reelection to worry about."

I'm waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed.

[demgrrrll]

8. For some reason I am really drawn to this story. I hope he is

right. Interesting analysis.

[dennis4868]

11. Sorry Mr. Dean...

This story is not about Clinton and a BJ....not going to get alot of media attention....media is going to say toa ll of us, "move along, there is nothing to see here."

[kskiska]

15. You might have known diGenova & Toensing would be in the mix

…the usual suspects.

They were the ones responsible for spreading the false rumor that Clinton and Monica were spotted together in the White House screening room. When diGenova blabbed the story to the Dallas Morning News, Toensing called them to kill the story, knowing it was most likely false.

[grannylib]

16. I am so glad to see that the heat is still on with this issue

Thanks for sharing the link to the story. Hope it smoothes out the little bump Georgie got from "his" capture of Saddam...