SubscribeAP Pretends The Plames Have A Real Case
From those champions of truth and justice at the Associated Press:
CIA leak case moves on to civil court
By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The CIA leak saga did not end with I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s conviction this week. On top of his lengthy appeals, he and senior Bush administration officials face a lawsuit for their role in the exposure of a former CIA operative.
Valerie Plame believes the administration violated her constitutional rights by leaking her identity to reporters in 2003, and she is demanding compensation. Her attorneys believe the case could reveal more about the inner workings of the Bush White House than surfaced during Libby’s monthlong trial.
Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove and former State Department Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage are named in the case. So far, it has been a matter of dueling legal briefs. Lawyers are due in court this May for a hearing on whether it should be thrown out.
Plame’s attorney acknowledges he has to clear some tall hurdles to persuade a judge that she and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had their free speech, due process and privacy rights violated.
Several Bush administration officials leaked Plame’s identity to reporters after Wilson began criticizing prewar intelligence on Iraq. Nobody was charged with the leak, which would have been a crime only if someone had knowingly given out classified information. Libby was convicted Tuesday of obstructing the leak investigation and lying about how he learned about Plame.
“The Libby trial makes abundantly clear there was wrongdoing going on at the highest levels of our government, and that’s what this case is about,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a Duke University law professor who will argue Plame’s lawsuit.
Though Libby’s criminal case and Plame’s civil suit involve a similar background, his conviction won’t bolster her case because they involve different charges.
In the wake of Libby’s conviction, lawyers for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal watchdog group that also represents Plame and Wilson, quickly began talking about gathering evidence and putting officials under oath.
“The civil case may provide the American public with its only opportunity to hear directly from Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and Mr. Armitage about what really took place behind the scenes after Joe Wilson (news, bio, voting record) exposed the truth about the administration’s justification for the Iraq war,” said attorney Melanie Sloan, CREW’s director.
But that’s a long way off, and the hearing in May is only the first challenge they must meet to get there.
“It’s an uphill battle,” said constitutional lawyer Sheldon H. Nahmod, a Chicago-Kent College of Law professor who wrote a book on these types of lawsuits.
Plame’s lawyers have to show that Cheney and the other defendants aren’t immune from such lawsuits. To do that, her attorneys have to show the administration clearly violated the Constitution.
Cheney, Libby, Rove and Armitage have all said the case should be thrown out.
“Although the plaintiffs have a great deal to say — a grab bag of speculation, innuendo and newspaper clippings — they do not manage to state a valid claim for relief,” Rove’s attorneys wrote in court papers.
The Justice Department has also stepped into the case and asked that an invasion of privacy count be dropped because government officials cannot be held personally responsible for such claims when acting in their official capacity.
Legal scholars who have read the lawsuit say the immunity issue will be the biggest challenge and, because it involves an automatic appeal, one that could drag the case out. The underlying legal arguments, they say, are creative but not impossible to prove.
“If you can prove the government acted with ill will, you’ve basically made an equal protection argument,” said Mark R. Brown, a professor at Capital University Law School in Ohio who has written a book about suing government officials for constitutional violations.
Plame and Wilson believe the Bush administration retaliated against them for Wilson’s statements, thus violating his First Amendment rights. Libby testified before a grand jury that, while the White House was eager to reveal several flaws in Wilson’s argument, outing his wife was never the goal.
Chemerinsky, Plame’s lawyer, said the May 17 hearing will focus on constitutional law and the scope of prior Supreme Court cases. It won’t be a political debate. Still, he said he understands the case is tinged with political intrigue.
“No one can ignore the fact that it’s a lawsuit against the vice president, his top aide, the political adviser to the president and a key person at the State Department,” he said. “It’s the most important scandal in the administration and it’s also tied to the war.
“The context couldn’t be more political,” he continued, “but the lawsuit is about two people who were injured.”
Let’s see. Fawning media attention. Huge speaking fees. Two multi-million dollar book deals. A multi-million dollar movie in the works.
We should all be so “injured.”
And, lest we forget, it was Mr. Joseph C. Wison, IV, who told everyone in the media that his wife worked at the CIA. Because nobody would take him seriously:
Woodward: Well it was Joe Wilson who was sent by the agency, isn’t it?
Armitage: His wife works for the agency.
Woodward: Why doesn’t that come out? Why does that have to be a big secret?
Armitage: (over) Everybody knows it.
Woodward: Everyone knows?
Armitage: Yeah. And they know ’cause Joe Wilson’s been calling everybody. He’s pissed off ’cause he was designated as a low level guy went out to look at it. So he’s all pissed off.
And of course nobody should have ever taken this blowhard seriously.
The man is a pathological liar.
(Thanks to Voice of Reason for the heads up.)
Related Articles:
- WP Has Second Thoughts About Libby Case
- Instant Revisionism - "Leak" Book Rushed Out
- WaPo Reporter, Spy Author... Lewis Libby Juror?
- Shocker: Valerie Plame Movie In The Works
- AP Gets In Their Last Licks On Libby Perjury Case
- Armitage: Wilson Told Everyone About Plame
- Joe Wilson Fights Having To Testify In Libby Trial
- Plames Decide They'd Better Sue Armitage Too
- Armitage Admits Being Plame Leaker, Apologizes
- Plamegate - Dems' Weapon Of Mass Deception
- NY Times Opines On The End Of "Treasongate"
- WaPo Finally Admits "Plamegate" Was A Fraud
- Plame Book: Armitage Leaked, Fitzgerald Knew
- Plames Want Cheney, Rove To Testify In Suit
- Plames Sue Cheney, Rove, Libby, Their Moms
- Fitzgerald Knew Valerie Plame "Leaker" All Along
15 Responses to “AP Pretends The Plames Have A Real Case”
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March 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Like I told Steve when I sent him this laugher……I especially like the comment from the harpy at CREW…..
“The civil case may provide the American public with its only opportunity to hear directly from Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and Mr. Armitage about what really took place behind the scenes after Joe Wilson (news, bio, voting record) exposed the truth about the administration’s justification for the Iraq war,” said attorney Melanie Sloan, CREW’s director.
I hope it doesn’t get thrown out simply to see Joey the Toilet Monitor on the stand under oath get torn to pieces by anyone of the defendents lawyers.
What a gas!!!
VoR
March 8th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
So, when will Valerie sue Armitage?
Or that jackass of a husband? She should sue him for entering her name in “Who’s Who in America”.
They are still going to have to prove some damages in this case and, insofar as I know, there’s no presumed damages, statutory or otherwise.
March 8th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
“So, when will Valerie sue Armitage?”
He is part of the suit, as the article notes.
But if you check the related links above, in one of the articles you can read how they only added Armitage after they took a beating about it from the right.
March 8th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
And why don’t any of these conservatives return the favor?
I’d love to see Bush grab a couple lawyers to get their hooks into Moore, Soros, Wilson, and all the rest of the slanderous idiots, and just soak them for all they’re worth.
March 8th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Something I’m not clear on: does Plame still work at CIA? If not, was she fired, or did she quit? I should already know this, I’m sure, but I expect y’all will edify me right quick.
March 8th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Has anyone noticed the uncanny resemblance of Val(Secret Agent 007) and Ann Coulter. Maybe Ann is the “Covert Agent”….:}
March 8th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
This is only the beginning folks - like SG and other conservative vocalists have warned in the past, let the Stalin show trials begin.
Not only are the Plaming liars and their allies the sycophantic lapdog mouthpieces the drive by media claiming they have a case . . . on March 16 Ms Outed herself will testify before lawmakers sitting on Chairman Henry Waxman’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee looking for answers as to how the White House dealt with her identity. Also invited is Patrick Fitzgerald, who this week won conviction of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby of obstruction and perjury in the case.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....k_congress
With an all Bush bashing lineup like that all they need now is John Murtha, Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan, and Al Frankin and I am sure the liberal leftists will hear all the lies they need to hear to confirm that conservatives need to be banished from this country.
You better get ready to fight the political fight of your lives folks! If Hittlery gains control of the White House in 08 this country will cease to exist as we know it!
March 8th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Of the Republican members of Waxman’s committee, I’ve heard of Burton and Shays, but don’t know much about them. Issa is soft, and might be lured to the dark side on this issue. Bilbray is the representative from my district, and while I expect that he will ask Plame and Fitzgerald the tough questions about the truth of this whole sham, he’s going to get an earful from me about it to make sure he knows what’s expected of him.
March 8th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
does Plame still work at CIA?
Plame works for anyone with $5 in cash….
March 8th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Let the circus begin.
From the AP:
March 8th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Waxman proposed a meeting with ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia to discuss the terms of any testimony.
How about the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth under penality of law?
March 8th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
“Something I’m not clear on: does Plame still work at CIA? If not, was she fired, or did she quit? I should already know this, I’m sure, but I expect y’all will edify me right quick.”
She left the agency a while back, so that she could join Wilson on his book tour.
She thought she had put in enough time to get her pension. But she doesn’t meet the age requirement yet.
Luckily the Democrats are going to pass a special bill to give her her pension ahead of time anyway:
Bill To Give Plame Pension Despite Age Requirement | Sweetness & Light
http://www.sweetness-light.com.....sion-early
To reward her for her steller contributions to the good of the country.
Moreover, Plame dropped out of the agency for a year or so, even prior to all of this business about her name being leaked.
She claims it was because of having “post partum depression” after giving birth to twins.
But since it seems to have been leave without pay, so who knows?
And I bet you anything that wasn’t taken into account when she was counting up her time of service for benefits.
March 9th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Fred Barnes said it best the other night……
As a result of all this crapola the Wilsons get:
2 Multi million dollar book deals
a Multi million dollar movie
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees
Now I’m not sure what they are paying low level analysts at the CIA or embassy toilet paper monitors at the State Department….but I am going to be hard pressed to discern any damamges they could claim real or imagined.
Circus SG?? I think I see the dancing bears……
VoR
You notice they want to talk to Val but Joey got no such invite…..they know if he has to pontificate under oath…..game over. And Henry “Ferret Face” Waxman hasn’t had nearly enough fun with his bully pulpit yet.
March 9th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Actually, I recall almost two months back legislation was making its way through Congress to allow Plame to retire with her full benefits since she was “forced” to leave before she was fully vested. Boo hoo.
Here’s the S&L page on the story:
March 9th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Yeah, open the floodgates for every crack pot who ever worked for the Fed. Gov.. Good move.