We’ve heard from more reporters. From Glenn Kessler [Washington Post], we learned that he has three children, that he is a Pulitzer Prize winner, that he talked to Scooter Libby from the Elephant House in the Washington Zoo on June 12, 2003 about something other than Valerie Plame, and that he occasionally yells at children. Then there was Evan Thomas [Newsweek] whose Pultitzer status wasn’t addressed and who didn’t get any phone calls from Scooter Libby on June 12, 2003 [me neither].
I had been trying to get appointment with Armitage since 2001, he had declined to see me, had indicated he just didn’t want to see me. After 9/11 I tried again, got rebuffed. At the end of June, last week of June, his office contacted me, said he’d see me. Made appointment for July 8, afternoon, his office, State.
Ted Wells: Describe your recollection of your conversation.Robert Novak: I was trying to find out more information about Wilson’s mission to Niger and VP’s connection. Most memorable about call, I asked Libby if he might be helpful to me in establishing timeline in 16 words. When they came in, who proposed it, sort of a consecutive account that I could put in column. I interpreted him as saying he could be helpful.Ted Wells: In context of talking to Libby did Wilson’s wife come up.Robert Novak: I don’t remember exactly, I might have raised that question, I got no help, and no confirmation on that issue. The reason I’m fuzzy is that I talk to a lot of people in govt an politics everyday and a lot of them are not very helpful and I discard unhelpful conversations in my memory bank.Ted Wells: You have a clear recollection he gave you no info about it.Robert Novak: I’m sure he gave be no info about it.Ted Wells: You might have asked if he knew that "the wife" worked at the CIA.Ted Wells: Timeline, on July 8 you talked to Armi, then July 9, you talked to Rove, and also on July 9 you talked to Libby.
Walton: Without relating what someone would have said in response to what you said. Did you, once you learned about Wilson’s wife and the fact that she worked at the CIA, did you discuss it with anyone prior to your article.Robert Novak: Yes, I spoke to Bill Harlow.Patrick Fitzgerald: Just the names.Judge Walton: HarlowRobert Novak: Spokesman for CIA. I testified that I might have asked Libby about, but I don’t have a clear recollection bc I don’t have a clear response.Judge Walton: Rick Holt. Who is Rick Holt.Robert Novak: A lobbyist and a close friend. I talk to him every day.Judge Walton: did you have conversations with him about it. Did you give him a draft of the article.Robert Novak: Yes.Judge Walton: Mr. Holt had the article in his hand by 4:00 that day. And Holt is a lobbyist about town. Would you describe him as a gossip.
Robert Novak: He talks to a lot of people, even me, he’s a good news source.
Judge Walton: He talks to a lot of media people.
Patrick Fitzgerald: Did you have an understanding about what he could do with the copy of the article.
Robert Novak: No sir. I didn’t have an understanding with him. I had assumed he would not share it, there was not an agreement made between us.
Patrick Fitzgerald: one moment.
Patrick Fitzgerald: Did he ever tell you he had shared it
Robert Novak: Vague recollection that he had told the WH that there was an interesting piece coming out.
Robert Novak: In those conversations I had with him on Friday.
Patrick Fitzgerald: Your belief is that he told the WH on Friday that an interesting piece coming out.
Robert Novak: Yes
Then we heard from Carl Ford who was working for Grossman at the C.I.A. during that time. These days, he has a one man consulting firm, Ford and Associates[?]. He was the one who Grossman had look into Wilson’s trip at Libby’s bidding. I’m not sure why he was there. The only thing that he said was that his original report was not returned for more information as Grossman reported in his testimony.
It was a tedious day in court. I presume that such days are common in criminal trials. The defense is picking at details. [drum roll] There were reporters Libby didn’t tell. There were minor things in previous testimony that don’t quite fit. It all sounds like blah, blah, blah to me. If Judge Walton lets it, it’s going to get worse. The defense wants to call people to testify how busy Libby was [without, it seems, ever calling Libby]. A very procedural day. Little wonder that lawyers are so expensive – combat pay fore ennui. At issue, will they ever mount a real defense?
JL chimes in.
…According to Libby’s March 2004 grand jury transcripts, he said that Vice President Cheney discussed with him getting Wolfowitz to contact the Journal to leak the NIE as a way of undermining Wilson.
“After July 14, in that week, the Vice President thought we should still try and get the [NIE] out. And so he asked me to talk to the Wall Street Journal. I don’t have as good a relationship with the Wall Street Journal as Secretary Wolfowitz did, and so we talked to Secretary Wolfowitz about trying to get that point across [to the Journal], and he undertook to do so,” Libby testified.
Wolfowitz faxed the Wall Street Journal a set of “talking points” about the former ambassador that the paper’s editors could use to discredit him in print, according to Libby’s grand jury testimony, and then leaked to the paper a portion of the then-still-classified NIE that claimed Iraq did in fact attempt to acquire uranium from Niger. The Journal printed, verbatim, Wolfowitz’s talking points in an editorial in its July 17, 2003, edition and then misled its readers about the source of the information.
According to the editorial, “Yellowcake Remix,” the Journal said the data the newspaper received about Iraq’s interest in uranium “does not come from the White House,” despite the fact that Libby testified that he personally lobbied Wolfowitz to leak the NIE to the Journal, and that arguably Wolfowitz’s position as Undersecretary of Defense made him a senior member of the Bush administration.
A spokeswoman for the Wall Street Journal said Saturday she was unfamiliar with the issue and was not interested in responding.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021207A.shtml
dc
Maximal sleaze -Cheney/Libby/Wolfowitz/WSJ! I’m surprised that the Weekly Standard didn’t get into the act to make it a grand slam!
Oh they will.
They will.
~won’t be long now…
: )
I heard there was another good Craig Unger in Vanity Fair/ have yet to check.
His ‘previous’ “THE WAR THEY WANTED THE LIES THEY NEEDED” is a repeatable reference..
XO
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