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Outed CIA agent was working on Iran
On Chris Matthews' Hardball Monday evening,
MSNBC correspondent David Shuster confirmed what RAW STORY first
reported in February: that outed CIA officer Valerie Plame
Wilson was working on Iran at the time she was outed.
05/02/06
Raw Story
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RAW STORY's Larisa Alexandrovna broke the story
earlier this year, which went unnoticed by the mainstream media
(Read
our full story).
According to current and former intelligence officials, Plame
Wilson, who worked on the clandestine side of the CIA in the
Directorate of Operations as a non-official cover (NOC) officer,
was part of an operation tracking distribution and acquisition
of weapons of mass destruction technology to and from Iran.
Reports Shuster in this rush transcript: "INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
SAY VALERIE WILSON WAS PART OF AN OPERATION THREE YEARS AGO
TRACKING THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS MATERIAL INTO
IRAN. AND THE SOURCES ALLEGE THAT WHEN MRS. WILSON'S COVER WAS
BLOWN, THE ADMINISTRATION'S ABILITY TO TRACK IRAN'S NUCLEAR
AMBITIONS WAS DAMAGED AS WELL."
MSNBC transcript follows (we apologize for the caps; they were
in the original).
#
Matthews: Ever since the White House/CIA leak scandal erupted,
the nation has seen photographs here and there of Valerie
Wilson, the CIA operative whose identity was blown. Now, thanks
to a black tie event Saturday night, we have some video.
Hardball correspondent David Shuster brings it to us and has the
latest on the CIA leak case.
(David Shuster)
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS REVEALED
HER UNDERCOVER IDENTITY AND RUINED HER CAREER --- FORMER CIA
OPERATIVE VALERIE WILSON... ACCOMPANIED BY HER HUSBAND JOE
WILSON, STEPPED IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION CAMERAS. AND THEIR
RED CARPET APPEARANCE SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT'S DINNER COULD NOT HAVE COME AT A MORE DRAMATIC
MOMENT IN THE CIA LEAK INVESTIGATION ITSELF.
PROSECUTOR PATRICK FITZGERALD IS WEIGHING WHETHER TO INDICT TOP
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR KARL ROVE, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS BUSH'S BRAIN.
AND, WHITE HOUSE SUPPORTERS ARE STEPPING UP THEIR ARGUMENT THAT
UNVEILING WILSON'S IDENITY WAS NOT A CRIME. JOE WILSON'S
RESPONSE?
Wilson: "Well the CIA I think has responded first by asking the
Justice Department to open an investigation and my judgment the
leak of national security information is a betrayal a minimum of
one's security clearance and certainly of the public trust and I
for one can't understand how Mr. Rove remains on the payroll of
the US Government."
EARLY IN THE CASE, ROVE ADMITTED TO INVESTIGATORS THAT HE OUTED
VALERIE WILSON'S IDENTITY TO COLUMNIST ROBERT NOVAK -- NOVAK WAS
THE FIRST JOURNALIST TO PUBLISH WILSON'S IDENTITY AND THE FIRST
TO TALK ABOUT IT TO INVESTIGATORS.
AND LAST WEEK, KARL ROVE TESTIFIED AGAIN HE MAY HAVE SPOKEN
ABOUT THE WILSON'S WITH TIME MAGAZINE'S MATT COOPER.
ROVE SAID HE DENIED THAT UNDER OATH FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF THE
INVESTIGATION BECAUSE OF MEMORY PROBLEMS. A CASE OF BAD MEMORY
IS SCOOTER LIBBY'S DEFENSE.
BUT IN REGARDS TO KARL ROVE, LAWYERS IN THE CASE SAY PROSECUTOR
FITZGERALD IS STILL TROUBLED BY THE TIMING OF ROVE'S ROLLING
DISCLOSURES: IT SEEMS THAT ROVE'S MEMORY PERKS UP WITH EVERY NEW
INDICATION SOMEONE ELSE WILL EXPOSE HIM. WHEN ROVE FINALLY BEGAN
TO UPDATE HIS TESTIMONY IN OCTOBER 2004... IT WAS JUST DAYS
AFTER COOPER WAS FIRST HELD IN CONTEMPT FOR REFUSING TO DISCLOSE
CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES. AND ROVE DID NOT GIVE COOPER A CLEAR
WAIVER TO TESTIFY UNTIL AFTER COOPER'S APPEALS HAD BEEN
EXHAUSTED 9 MONTHS LATER.
IN ANY CASE, AS PROSECUTOR PATRICK FITZGERALD CONSIDERS WHETHER
TO CHARGE KARL ROVE WITH PERJURY, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, OR
WORSE... MSNBC HAS LEARNED NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE DAMAGE
CAUSED BY THE WHITE HOUSE LEAKS.
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES SAY VALERIE WILSON WAS PART OF AN OPERATION
THREE YEARS AGO TRACKING THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
MATERIAL INTO IRAN. AND THE SOURCES ALLEGE THAT WHEN MRS.
WILSON'S COVER WAS BLOWN, THE ADMINISTRATION'S ABILITY TO TRACK
IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS WAS DAMAGED AS WELL.
THE WHITE HOUSE CONSIDERS IRAN TO BE ONE OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST
THREATS.
President George W. Bush: "the Iranians should not have a
nuclear weapon, the capacity to make a nuclear weapon, or the
knowledge as to how to make a nuclear weapon. And now that we've
got the goal in mind, we're working on the tactics."
BUT THE TACTICS ARE NOT AS CLEAR IN THE MIDST OF RECORD LOW
APPROVAL RATINGS AND A DIPLOMATIC AND MILITARY PLAYING FIELD
LIMITED BY THE U-S WAR IN IRAQ.
Madeleine Albright: "The world is in total turmoil right now.
Worst I've ever seen it. (reporter) How do we get out of it?
Whats the number one issue as far as whats related to that
turmoil? (Albright) Iraq. (reporter) What do we do about it?
(Albright walks away)
THE IRAQ WAR IS THE BACKDROP FOR THE CIA LEAK CASE. JOE WILSON
HAD CRITICIZED THE ADMINISTRATION'S CASE FOR THE IRAQ WAR... AND
THE WHITE HOUSE TRIED TO UNDERCUT HIM BY LEAKING, AMONG OTHER
THINGS, INFORMATION ABOUT HIS CIA WIFE.
Shuster: THE WILSONS SAY THEY'VE SPOKEN TO PROSECUTOR PATRICK
FITZGERALD TWICE SINCE THE CASE BEGAN... AND THE LAST TIME WAS
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. SO, THEY ARE WAITING, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE,
FOR SOME SORT OF ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FITZGERALD'S OFFICE ABOUT
ROVE. KARL ROVE'S ATTORNEYS SAY THEY'VE
BEEN TOLD BY FITZGERALD THAT NO DECISION WILL BE MADE FOR AT
LEAST ANOTHER WEEK. CHRIS?
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