Post by Z on Jul 8, 2004 17:57:23 GMT -5
www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=8073
an update on the plame outing DOJ probe. key passage:
"The special counsel, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is also the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, was tasked to determine whether any Bush administration officials violated federal law in disclosing that Plame was a covert CIA officer to columnist Novak.
A recent flurry of activity by Fitzgerald has fueled speculation that the prosecutor is completing his work, either to bring criminal charges or close out his probe without seeking any criminal charges. On June 24, President Bush was interviewed in the Oval Office for more than an hour by Fitzgerald and several members of his staff. Vice President Cheney had earlier been interviewed at length by investigators. And on June 18, White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzalez testified for more than an hour before a federal grand jury empanelled to hear evidence in the case.
Despite these developments, Fitzgerald's intentions currently remain one of the most tightly held secrets in Washington. There have been scant leaks to the media as to the findings of his investigation so far, and senior White House officials are reeling from the implication that they know nothing more than rank speculation about a highly charged criminal investigation during an election year. In my article that appeared on Alternet.org first disclosing that Ashcroft was being briefed about the Plame investigation, Mark Corallo, the director of public affairs at the Justice Department, confirmed Ashcroft had received "status updates" regarding the probe from John Dion, a career Justice Department prosecutor. Corallo defended the briefings at the time, telling me: "The attorney general wants this to be investigated thoroughly and promptly, and to that end, he wants to be informed of the progress of investigators."
In a routine appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last October, Wray, the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, also confirmed that he had briefed Ashcroft regarding details of the Plame investigation. But during that appearance, Wray denied that Ashcroft's failure to recuse himself was compromising the integrity of investigators.
"I can assure you that it has been made painfully clear to everyone involved that no punches are to be pulled in this investigation and that anybody who thinks that we are going to be pulling any punches in this investigation doesn't know the lawyers and the agents working on the investigation very well," Wray told the committee."
with respect to the upcoming election, this appears to be the unmentioned 20 ton elephant in the middle of the room. if indictments implicating libby / rove / anyone else in the bush administration come down, it will be IMO a near-fatal blow to the bush-cheney re-election campaign.
an update on the plame outing DOJ probe. key passage:
"The special counsel, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is also the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, was tasked to determine whether any Bush administration officials violated federal law in disclosing that Plame was a covert CIA officer to columnist Novak.
A recent flurry of activity by Fitzgerald has fueled speculation that the prosecutor is completing his work, either to bring criminal charges or close out his probe without seeking any criminal charges. On June 24, President Bush was interviewed in the Oval Office for more than an hour by Fitzgerald and several members of his staff. Vice President Cheney had earlier been interviewed at length by investigators. And on June 18, White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzalez testified for more than an hour before a federal grand jury empanelled to hear evidence in the case.
Despite these developments, Fitzgerald's intentions currently remain one of the most tightly held secrets in Washington. There have been scant leaks to the media as to the findings of his investigation so far, and senior White House officials are reeling from the implication that they know nothing more than rank speculation about a highly charged criminal investigation during an election year. In my article that appeared on Alternet.org first disclosing that Ashcroft was being briefed about the Plame investigation, Mark Corallo, the director of public affairs at the Justice Department, confirmed Ashcroft had received "status updates" regarding the probe from John Dion, a career Justice Department prosecutor. Corallo defended the briefings at the time, telling me: "The attorney general wants this to be investigated thoroughly and promptly, and to that end, he wants to be informed of the progress of investigators."
In a routine appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last October, Wray, the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, also confirmed that he had briefed Ashcroft regarding details of the Plame investigation. But during that appearance, Wray denied that Ashcroft's failure to recuse himself was compromising the integrity of investigators.
"I can assure you that it has been made painfully clear to everyone involved that no punches are to be pulled in this investigation and that anybody who thinks that we are going to be pulling any punches in this investigation doesn't know the lawyers and the agents working on the investigation very well," Wray told the committee."
with respect to the upcoming election, this appears to be the unmentioned 20 ton elephant in the middle of the room. if indictments implicating libby / rove / anyone else in the bush administration come down, it will be IMO a near-fatal blow to the bush-cheney re-election campaign.
