1 Boring Old Man

Libby Live: Novak One

Ted Wells: Week of July 7 2003.

Robert Novak: Change of counterterrorism aide, Ms. Townsend, and several small stories ran in item, working on Amb Joe Wilson’s mission to Niger which he had written about.

Ted Wells: How did you come to be working on Wilson column

Robert Novak: Previous Sunday, alleged attempt by Iraq to buy yellowcake from Niger, he had written op-ed, he was on MTP, I happened to be on roundtable and came in contact with him, had been interested in story, became more interested in it, and whether Pres had ignored report in opting for invasion of Iraq.

Ted Wells: introduces the column.

Ted Wells: Focuses on the key paragraph of the column. Two SAOs told me. WRT statement about 2 SAOs, who were the two?

Robert Novak: Both of those officials have signed waivers I’m free to give their names, then Dpty SOS Armitage, and Senior WH Aide, Karl Rove.

Ted Wells: Start with how you came to speak with Armitage.

Robert Novak: 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: What you recall about conversation.

Robert Novak: The only people in room were Armi and me, no aides, no tape recorders, I did not take notes, it was by tacit agreement rather than by stipulation, a background, I assumed I could write what he said, but I wouldn’t be able to identify him, I also got to the point, I had decided by then I was going to write a column about Wilson’s mission to Niger.

Ted Wells: What he told you WRT Wilson’s wife.

Robert Novak: After we talked about mission, I asked why in the world they named WIlson when he had been staffer in Clinton NSC, he was believed to be critical of Bush, no experience in policy, had not been in Niger since 1970s, so Armi said he was suggested by wife Valerie who was employee in CPD at CIA.

The Man Who Said Too Much

The disclosures about Armitage, gleaned from interviews with colleagues, friends and lawyers directly involved in the case, underscore one of the ironies of the Plame investigation: that the initial leak, seized on by administration critics as evidence of how far the White House was willing to go to smear an opponent, came from a man who had no apparent intention of harming anyone.

Several things continue to bother me. First, Armitage called Novak "out of the blue" at the end of June, a time when the Administration was abuzz about Wilson [As a matter of fact, I’m suspicious of anything Novak is vague about – "end of June"]. Second, if one were to pick a Washington columnist to leak to who would publish it, Novak is the man – bumbling gossip to bumbling gossip. Third, Powell had been sacraficed at the U.N., why not sacrafice his assistant?

It just sticks in my craw. Why actively call Robert Novak? Why let a bomb that big out of the hat to Robert Novak unless you wanted him to use it? Why did it take until October for Armitage to realize he was the source [or did he realizet he was going to get busted]?

It just doesn’t add up…