It’s Not the Crime It’s the Cover-Up

TreasonGate Moves Up the Food Chain to Bush...

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As reports on the TreasonGate matter expectedly climb up the food chain from Rove and Libby to Dick Cheney, NY Daily News is reporting today that George W. Bush knew of Rove’s involvement a full two years ago concerning the unprecedented outing by a White House of a covert CIA agent.

The Daily News story comes from their D.C. Bureau Chief, Thomas DeFrank, who — as Josh Marshall points out — has a unique relationship to senior Bushies as co-writer of James Baker’s autobiography. Marshall suggests that because of that insider relationship “this article carries more weight than it would with another byline.”

We’re told that CNN is reporting — to the surprise of absolutely nobody — a denial by the White House of the entire story. We’ve yet to see the specifics of that denial, but we can well imagine it, and we’ve all learned that White House denials at this point are completely meaningless.

More newsworthy, however, is that David Corn points out that the Daily News report now seems to place Bush smack-dab in the middle of a classic “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up” scandal. You know, of the type that brought down Nixon and damn-near brought down Clinton:

Waitaminute! Two years ago, the White House–via McClellan–definitively declared that Rove was not “involved” in the CIA leak. But if Bush at some point upbraided his guru about the leak that means (a) Bush knew that Rove was involved and (b) Bush countenanced McClellan’s dissemination of a false cover story. This is evidence that Bush was a party to the attempted White House cover-up and that Bush might have directly lied about the issue. On September 30, 2003, he was questioned by reporters about the leak investigation. Here’s an excerpt:

See Corn’s full story for the exchange.

For BRAD BLOG readers and those who have been able to see through the desperate smokescreens from the right none of this now comes as a surprise.

Back in July the question of “What did the President Know and When Did He Know it?” had already surfaced in such places as Washington Post and even from David Gergen, advisor to three different Republican Presidents. This was the exchange we quoted from Gergen on July 24 (Windows Media Video version here):

GERGEN: I think this is a big, serious story and the interesting thing about this week…I think the story also started to move toward the President. What did Karl Rove know, what did Scooter Libby know, in the President’s and Vice-Presidents office? But…in turn what did the President know and when did he know it?

[Stephanopoulos uses the opportunity to show the Scott McClellalan Oct 7, 2003 press briefing where he says that he spoke to Rove and Libby and can assure the media that “they were not involved.” After discussion on things, it then come back to Gergen…]

GERGEN: There are two things about this. One about the President…If Scott McClellan was misled by Scooter Libby and by Karl Rove, was the President misled?…

STEPHANOPOULOS: Exactly…

GERGEN: …Or if he was not misled and he was told the truth, how do they let Scott McClellan go out there with that statement?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Or does he think this is okay?

GERGEN: Yeah…Or does he think it’s okay?…So I think…that’s why I think this is increasingly gonna be about the President over time.

And now it’s beginning to look like Gergen may have been exactly right…

Um…DEVELOPING…We’d say…

UPDATE: Arianna tracks the food chain as it moves out sideways to John Bolton. Perhaps the real question should be: Who wasn’t involved in either the crime or the cover-up in this White House?!

FURTHER SOMEWHAT RELATED UPDATE: The Dems make an interesting point concerning a story from AP today reporting that:

Security clearances were taken away from two federal anti-terrorism employees as investigators look into allegations they warned family and friends about the threat against the New York City subway system three days ahead of the official announcement.

The perfectly appropriate question the DNC is asking:

If two lower-level federal officials can have their security clearance stripped two weeks after it was revealed that they shared confidential information, why do Libby and Rove still have their security clearance 96 days after it was clear they leaked Plame’s identity? And, two years after Plame’s identity was leaked, when will Bush hold his team accountable and follow up on his pledge to fire anyone involved in the matter?

STILL FURTHER UPDATE: Reuters reports on inquiry by Democrats into what Bush knew and when he knew it.

P.S. Additional red meat to be completely ignored by wingnuts: Warrant Issued for DeLay’s Arrest

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Reader Comments on

It’s Not the Crime It’s the Cover-Up

42 Comments

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42 Responses

  1. 2)
    MrBlueSky said on 10/19/2005 @ 12:30pm PT: [Permalink]

    OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE!!!!

    (I don’t know about the rest of you all, but I’ve got everything crossed now… fingers, toes, eyes…. whatever it takes!!!!)

    Perhaps we are seeing the hell that began Dec 2000 starting to completely rectify itself????

    I tell you all what…. I’ve been waiting a LONG 5 years for this to come!!!!

    Bye Bye Bastard… erm…. I mean, Mr. (ex) President.

  2. 3)
    bluebear2 said on 10/19/2005 @ 12:45pm PT: [Permalink]

    Mr Blue,

    I just keep checking Raw story about every 1/2 hour these days. It’s getting so good. The anticipation is a bitch though!

  3. 4)
    bluebear2 said on 10/19/2005 @ 12:49pm PT: [Permalink]

    Hey Brad – Just went to your first link " NY Daily News is reporting today" and got this:

    "The requested page could not be found.
    Page not found – /nydailynews.com/front/story/357107p-304312c.html"

    WTF

  4. 6)
    Floridiot said on 10/19/2005 @ 1:11pm PT: [Permalink]

    In the words of Scotty to Kirk,
    "She’s cummin apart Captain, I don’t know how long I can keep her together"
    He He

  5. 7)
    MarkH said on 10/19/2005 @ 1:13pm PT: [Permalink]

    And yet amazingly the evening television news has NOTHING about any of this. How are they going to break it to their audience one day that all this has been brewing and they never reported on it?

    Does the media’s lack of reporting on all these scandals count as part of the cover-up?

  6. 8)
    MrBlueSky said on 10/19/2005 @ 1:32pm PT: [Permalink]

    MarkH (Post #7):

    You are correct.

    I expect that the media will be eating some serious crow here soon (maybe sooner than we all expect.)

  7. 9)
    Brad said on 10/19/2005 @ 1:33pm PT: [Permalink]

    Not sure what’s wrong w/ the link to the Daily News story. The link from Josh’s also appears to be broken for the moment. Have a feeling the traffic may be pretty high on that story right now 🙂

  8. 11)
    bb said on 10/19/2005 @ 1:49pm PT: [Permalink]

    Wayne Madsen (www.waynemadsenreport.com) has a new interesting story speculating about a motorcade this afternoon.

  9. 13)
    bluebear2 said on 10/19/2005 @ 2:14pm PT: [Permalink]

    BVAC #12

    Ya, but then the boss is looking over my shoulder – he is a staunch Repug. I don’t argue politics with him – learned that long ago. He has the closed mind we see in most of them. But he signs my paycheck!

    Here’s one for you all: (Wrong finger though!)

  10. 20)
    dialo said on 10/19/2005 @ 4:54pm PT: [Permalink]

    #2 crossing everything up like that is the reason you can’t find love within your own species

  11. 21)
    MarkH said on 10/19/2005 @ 5:34pm PT: [Permalink]

    BLUEBEAR2 #13, More likely they’ll ignore Bush & Cheney altogether and just do a story about a new era of Republican leadership under President Denny Hastert. The public won’t be given a clue of what’s happened. It’ll be like a changing of the guard in the old Soviet Union where the public is simply informed of who their new leader is.

    Or, maybe after their prison sentences begin the press will say, "We have breaking news of a scandal brewing in Washington."

    Naturally they’ll never give credit to the 6 or 7 who’ve been screaming for some time now about criminal behavior in the Bush administration.

    BTW, how many of us don’t dare to talk politics with those who boss us or have some power in our lives? It’s censorship of the worst kind.

  12. 22)
    Robert Lockwood Mills said on 10/19/2005 @ 5:45pm PT: [Permalink]

    Bush to Karl Rove: "Suppose I say, ‘I am not a crook?’"

    Rove: "That line’s been taken, Mr. President."

    Bush: "Oh, yeah. Shit."

  13. 23)
    Paula Bushkoff said on 10/19/2005 @ 7:21pm PT: [Permalink]

    Sorry but much as I’d like to think Bush knew and covered up – I think it more likely that Rove, et. al. just lied to Bush if he even asked them. Why would they tell him? They’d want to reassure him all was okay. Think about Bush’s personality. It is not reality based, so why bother him with "unimportant" facts.

  14. 24)
    Robert Lockwood Mills said on 10/20/2005 @ 1:00am PT: [Permalink]

    Bush to Rove: "Suppose I say, ‘I wasn’t in the loop on Plamegate.’ It worked for my father with Iran-Contra, didn’t it?’"

    Rove to Bush: "But it was bullshit. You know it and I know it."

    Bush to Rove: "What’s your point?"

    Rove to Bush: "I guess you’re right, boss. By the way, are you going to help me out of this mess?"

    Bush to Rove: "What mess? I’m out of the loop."

  15. 25)
    Doug Eldritch said on 10/20/2005 @ 1:45am PT: [Permalink]

    Bush is a little too dumb to know all the details…..I have a feeling they are smearing him but its amazing to watch. I am sure he was involved in fact there’s evidence of it, but he probably wanted to be kept out of the loop and only knew they were trying to silence certain critics.

    Either way….RICO.

    Doug E.

  16. 27)
    Lemmethink_not said on 10/20/2005 @ 3:30am PT: [Permalink]

    RICO RICO RICO 42 USC 1983,1985,1986…its just too bad it isn’t a hanging offense………or possibly 18 USC 241,242……..we can only hope !!!

  17. 28)
    Lemmethink_not said on 10/20/2005 @ 3:33am PT: [Permalink]

    TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242

    Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

  18. 29)
    bluebear2 said on 10/20/2005 @ 4:58am PT: [Permalink]

    This morning on the Stephanie Miller show it was revealed that Collin Powell was in posession of the memorandum regarding Wilson etc. which had the mention of Wilson’s wife. This is the paper circulated on Air Force 1. It was stated that Powell testified to the Grand Jury that he only shared it with Bush and Cheney.

    Unfortunatly the source of the information wasn’t given, or if it was given it was before I tuned in.

    Another potential bar in the prison!

  19. 30)
    Grizzly Bear Dancer said on 10/20/2005 @ 5:58am PT: [Permalink]

    THE LYING MURDERER IS COMING TO LA TODAY AND THEY’RE CLOSING OFF THE 405 (FREEWAY).

  20. 32)
    bluebear2 said on 10/20/2005 @ 8:06am PT: [Permalink]

    Regarding my post #29.

    Here is a source of the story regarding Powell, but if you scroll down to the comment Posted by: TalkLeft on October 19, 2005 04:23 PM it appears that the story is false.

    Onegoodmove.org

  21. 37)
    Lemmethink_not said on 10/20/2005 @ 10:10am PT: [Permalink]

    Bluebear2 ………
    Yeah it does need more texture, so it will resemble what bush and msm throw our way daily, huh ?

  22. 40)
    Ridgerunner said on 10/21/2005 @ 6:28am PT: [Permalink]

    BVAC 12
    Bluebear 3

    I would read the privacy policy very carefully before signing up. They can take your most intimate private info (including SSAN) and "distribute" it to other "trusted" parties – that is where the real trouble can begin.

  23. 41)
    Dredd said on 10/21/2005 @ 7:47am PT: [Permalink]

    John Dean was hit by the watergate thingy. He was the president’s lawyer.

    Now, many years later, he is wiser.

    He has written an able article, (link here).

    He says "My guess is that, in different ways, all four [Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby] likely were involved in the exposure of Plame’s covert identity."

    Remember, he was there inside during watergate and he, knowing how it works from the inside, says Bush knew. Like Nixon knew.

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