A question about Plame and Cheney's alleged declassification defense

[Hamlette]

as I understand it, Libby told Fitzgerald (or the Grand Jury) that his superiors told him Plame's name had been declassified, or at least that he could give that info to the media.

Cheney says he had the power to declassify classified information. Did he actually say he declassified the report with Plame in it? I think we do know (correct me if I'm wrong) that Libby says Cheney told him he could/should call reporters and tell them Wilson's wife worked for CIA and sent him on the trip.

If Cheney declassified the info, why did Bush tell us he would fire anyone involved in releasing classified info and he was going to get to the bottom of the issue. Why didn't Bush just say "her identity was declassified so there is no need for an investigation"?

If Cheney didn't tell Bush, why not? This was a huge new story right after it happened. It's not like he forgot.

I'm sick of the story too, so maybe I haven't followed it carefully lately. But the defense that Cheney declassified the info makes NO sense to me. Or did I miss something?

[Mandate My Ass]

1. Nah. You didn't miss anything. Of course it doesn't make sense

It's a desperate move by a desperate sleazebag. There is a process involved in declassifying information and I'm sure that would include justification and potential fallout of declassifying it, just to begin with. I'd bet you dollars to donut holes that there isn't a shred of evidence backing up Cheney's claim that he was within the letter of the law, even with the Executive Order he keeps talking about.

Libby is singing to Fitz to save his own ass and now Cheney is making up stories to cover his. Both of their asses are hanging in the breeze, AFAIC, and they know it.

There are members who are much more knowledgeable on this topic than I am and I'll wait for them to weigh in with more.

[MadMaddie]

2. Nope you got it right...

The question I have is declassifying certain information I could see...

but is outing a CIA agent the same thing....I have a feeling that he broke the law...an act of Treason......

[leveymg]

3. Cheney never had the power to declassify either Plame or any CIA secret

Under Executive Orders in place, the Vice President may only classify or declassify materials from his own office. This is like the Secretary of Agriculture claiming the right to declassify DoD materials. When Scooter revealed a classified CIA document to Judy Miller at Cheney's behest in June 2003, ten days before the Agency desclassified it, the VP and his Chief of Staff committed federal felonies. See, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/16/12759/5214

Plame's identity is also protected by law under the Intelligence Agents Identity Disclosure Act.

It's not going to hold up in court.

[MadMaddie]

4. Thanks for the clarification...

Alberto Gonzalez must be prosecuted to when this is all said and done!!

[Hamlette]

5. So, if he DID declassify it, it was illegal and that's why Bush

pretended to "find the leaker and fire them"?

If he declassified it (legally or illegally) he did it right before the story broke. Why is it we are only hearing about it 3 years later? Why didn't Bush tell us?

[Garbo 2004]

6. No, Libby did NOT testify that he was authorized to leak Plame info or

that it was declassified. (Think about it: if Libby had fessed up to the grand jury, would he be under indictment for lying for claiming he first learned of Plame from the media and asserting that he wasn't an original source of the info to the media?)

What Libby DID testify to, as noted in Fitz's letter to his attorneys (which is the source document from which some misleading headlines and conclusions have been perpetuated), is that he was authorized to disclose to the media info from a classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). Purportedly his reason for his meetings with Judy Miller: to discuss the NIE on Iraq WMD. That's not the Plame info.

At this point, Libby's defense against the charges of lying and obstruction to the feds/grand jury is that he was perpetually confused and simply forgetful when he repeatedly claimed he first learned of Plame's identity from Tim Russert and that he wasn't an original source for the media. He forgot that he was repeatedly told about her identity by Administration sources. He forgot that Russert didn't tell him, and Russert claims they didn't discuss Wilson/Plame at all. And then I guess he got all confused and forgetful about his meetings/dicussions with Judy Miller too.

His defense against the charges against him is selective amnesia and confusion. Was he in fact authorized by superiors to leak the Plame info? Undoubtedly. BUT the Fitz letter doesn't say that Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose her identity and Libby is not claiming that as part of his defense. He's claiming he was so busy he simply got confused and was consistently mistaken in his repeated statements to fed investigators and then to the grand jury. Which is precisely why his attorneys are throwing so much dust in the air: his defense doesn't pass the laugh test.

[Hamlette]

7. thanks for the clarification Garbo

seems the media made the same "leap of faith" (re: Cheney's statements he can declassify) as I did.

Thanks for paying better attention than I did and setting me straight without calling me a bozo.