2008 Woodie Awards
Indictment mixes politics with national security
Andrew Madsen
Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Critics and Bush administration supporters debated whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) before the Iraq war and during the days after U.S. troops entered Baghdad. Three years later, it's clear Iraq did not have WMDs. The Bush administration's defense of WMD intelligence has come under investigation.
In 2002, former ambassador Joseph Wilson was sent to Niger to verify an intelligence report that said Niger sold yellowcake uranium to Iraq in the 1990s.
In his 2003 State of the Union Address, Bush said British intelligence had learned Iraq had purchased the yellowcake from Niger, even though U.S. intelligence agencies had questioned the quality of the intelligence.
Wilson responded on July 6 of that year by writing a New York Times op-ed piece, in which he said he could not confirm that Iraq had bought yellowcake from Niger. On July 14, columnist Robert Novak identified Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative on "weapons of mass destruction."
He cited two senior administration officials as his sources. The Justice Department, on Sept. 29, opened an investigation into possible unauthorized disclosures concerning the identity of an undercover CIA operative.
Four months later, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was named special counsel, assigned to investigate whether or not a crime had been committed. The investigation led to journalists Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of the New York Times being forced to reveal their sources.
A grand jury presiding over the leak investigation issued an indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, on five charges, primarily obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements. Libby has since resigned.
The investigation has not been closed at this time. Fitzgerald has yet to discover who leaked Plame's identity.
While I understand Fitzgerald has to make sure he finds the exact person (or persons) who leaked Plame's identity, a two-year investigation that only results in perjury and obstruction of justice charges is somewhat disheartening.
In 2002, former ambassador Joseph Wilson was sent to Niger to verify an intelligence report that said Niger sold yellowcake uranium to Iraq in the 1990s.
In his 2003 State of the Union Address, Bush said British intelligence had learned Iraq had purchased the yellowcake from Niger, even though U.S. intelligence agencies had questioned the quality of the intelligence.
Wilson responded on July 6 of that year by writing a New York Times op-ed piece, in which he said he could not confirm that Iraq had bought yellowcake from Niger. On July 14, columnist Robert Novak identified Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative on "weapons of mass destruction."
He cited two senior administration officials as his sources. The Justice Department, on Sept. 29, opened an investigation into possible unauthorized disclosures concerning the identity of an undercover CIA operative.
Four months later, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was named special counsel, assigned to investigate whether or not a crime had been committed. The investigation led to journalists Matthew Cooper of Time and Judith Miller of the New York Times being forced to reveal their sources.
A grand jury presiding over the leak investigation issued an indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, on five charges, primarily obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements. Libby has since resigned.
The investigation has not been closed at this time. Fitzgerald has yet to discover who leaked Plame's identity.
While I understand Fitzgerald has to make sure he finds the exact person (or persons) who leaked Plame's identity, a two-year investigation that only results in perjury and obstruction of justice charges is somewhat disheartening.