Scott McClellan: "I passed along false information"
George W. Bush:
"If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of...If somebody did leak classified information," (September 2003)
"If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration," (July 2005)
Well, the truth comes to light at last, as if there were any doubt. In a book by former White House
spokesman, Scott McClellan sheds light on the Valerie Plame affair and those responsible for her outing as a CIA covert operative.
McClelllan's book, WHAT HAPPENED: Inside the Bush White House and What's Wrong with Washington, is scheduled
to be released in the spring of 2008. Its publisher, Public Affairs, has an excerpt on its web site. McClellan writes:
"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.
"There was one problem. It was not true.
"I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."
Geez, this tidbit is a little late, isn't it Scotty? Here's the thing "What should'a Happened".Labels: Bush, Cheney, Karl Rove, Plamegate, Scooter Libby, Scott McClellan
Scooter Libby is not off the hook yet.
Let's not forget the Wilson's ongoing civil suit against Libby, Vice President Cheney, and presidential advisor Karl Rove and 10 unnamed defendants. Melanie Sloan of the the watch-dog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) serves as legal counsel for the couple.From the lawsuit:On April 26, 1999, at the dedication of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) facility named for him, former President George H. W. Bush said: "We need more protection for the methods we use to gather intelligence and more protection for our sources, particularly our human sources, people that are risking their lives for their country....I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious of traitors." George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, Remarks at the Dedication Ceremony for the George Bush Center for Intelligence (Apr. 26, 1999).
You should have told that to your kid, Poppy!Here is the complete text of the lawsuit. (4M PDF) So folks, buck up. The fun ain't over yet. Could there be further chances of perjury charges? Don't know, I ain't a lawyer. This will be interesting regardless.If you desire to help, check out http://www.wilsonsupport.org/.Labels: Bush, Cheney, Plamegate, Scooter Libby
We shouldn't be surprised.... but, we are.
Bush brings further disgrace to his Administration by
commuting Scooter's sentence and thumbing his nose at the rule of law.
CNNMelanie Sloan, legal counsel to Joe and Valerie Wilson “First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is anadministration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and presidential candidate “This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.”Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York “As Independence Day nears, we are reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle.”Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada“The President’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter ofnational security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California “The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, presidential candidate “Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law. It is time for the American people to be heard — I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.”Former Sen. John Edwards, presidential candidate“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, presidential candidate“It’s a sad day when the President commutes the sentence of a public official who deliberately and blatantly betrayed the public trust and obstructed an important federal investigation,” said Governor Richardson. “This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners.
There is a reason we have laws and why we expect our Presidents to obey them. Institutions have a collective wisdom greater than that of any one individual. The arrogance of this administration’s disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking.
Will the President also commute the sentences of others who obstructed justice and lied to grand juries, or only those who act to protect President Bush and Vice President Cheney?”Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, presidential candidate“Today’s decision is yet another example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law. This case arose from the Administration’s politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House’s efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice.”Stash, The Northwest, resident muck throwerWTF?!?! Everyone expected a pardon near the end of the term. But, this? Now? The goddam ink isn't dry on the judges decision.Labels: Bush, Hillary, Obama, Plamegate, Scooter Libby
Well, the truth comes to light at last, as if there were any doubt. In a book by former White House
Geez, this tidbit is a little late, isn't it Scotty? Here's the thing "What should'a Happened".
