Tenet's Perjury & how his Resignation dooms Bush

[spooked]

http://progressivetrail.org/articles/040615Levey.shtml

Tenet's Perjury And Resignation
by Mark Levey
June 15, 2004

published by Democrats.com

Reporters for the major papers may have missed the first page of the biggest story since the 9/11 attacks. When his resignation becomes effective July 11, 2004, CIA Director George Tenet will no longer be covered by Executive Privilege. He may then be compelled to testify about what he as a Director of Central Intelligence told the President regarding several matters about which both he and Bush have thus far displayed a startling lack of candor.

Tenet will no doubt be pressed to truthfully answer what he said to George W. Bush in the weeks before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Owing to his perjury before the 9/11 Commission, Tenet has also forfeited his qualified immunity on topics relevant to his meetings with the President in August and early September 2001. This will give potential prosecutors enormous leverage. In exhange for his true testimony about this, and what he knows about the Bush White House's illegal outing of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame, we should expect Tenet to ask for and receive immunity from prosecution.

Tenet's perjury and resignation presents Congressional investigators and a special prosecutor with an unexpected opportunity later this summer to finally get to the truth of what the President was actually knew and when he knew it. This is also, of course, the Bush White House and the Republican's worst nightmare.

The widely-known but as yet unspoken truth in Washington is that Tenet committed perjury in his April 14 statements before the 9/11 Commission. The CIA Director raised his right hand and was sworn-in before that official inquiry. He stated repeatedly he had not met with President Bush in August 2001. When given several opportunities by Commission members to correct or retract his story during his sworn testimony, he did not do so. It wasn't a momentary memory lapse or slip of the tongue. Tenet lied repeatedly under oath. That is the very definition of perjury. But, within hours it was apparent that public records contradicted Tenet's statement about his meetings with Bush. CIA aides called reporters later that afternoon and offered that Tenet had "misspoken." The alternative explanation given was that Tenet had "temporarily forgotten," and that is what was reported in the newspapers. The story was all but buried.

[troublemaker]

1. Silly premise

re: "When his resignation becomes effective July 11, 2004, CIA Director George Tenet will no longer be covered by Executive Privilege."

Everything about that premise is simply wrong. Executive Privilege applies to information, not individuals. It also also asserted by the end-user of information, not by advisers.

[cmayer]

2. Sorry, it won't fly.

I watched it. To the best of my recollection, he said "to the best of my recollection." The correction was made close to within 1 hour of his testimony (enough time to check the records) and concerned (if I remember correctly) two brief meetings.

I don't see anything sinister about that particular exchange, unlike the Congressional testimony of others about Abu Grahib. The documents haven't surfaced yet, but that looked like it was probably a steaming pot of perjury to me.

There has been too much perjury going on to waste charges frivolously. Let's save it for things that really do count.

I think the article gets it wrong about Executive Privilege too. Anything he learns or says after he retires is "fair game."
Anything he learned or said before is still covered.

[JoePizz]

3. Not exactly

As I understand it, executive privilege ONLY applies to currently sitting members on the executive branch. If I understand it correctly, a former employee (such as Tenet) can CLAIM information cannot be revealed because of executive privilege, but he cannot be FORCED to claim that by King Bush The Lessor.

If you prefer, it means Bush cannot muzzle Tenet it Tenet really wants to talk.

[Eloriel]

4. Looks like this needs a

:kick: