Bush Spokesman Defends Leak

[Neil D]

[:"blue"] If Bush leaks information regarding a CIA Agent for political purposes, that means the President of the US is in violation of his oath of office. Defending the people of the US.... IF Bush leaked the name of the CIA Agent, and passed this information down the line as cleared information when it was not, then Bush is a traitor to the US and should not be holding office. Just my opinion... [/]

WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- A White House spokesman said President Bush approved a leak of classified information because it served a 'public interest' and didn`t compromise security.

Press Secretary Scott McClellan was responding to a filing by a special prosecutor that 10 days before Bush released a declassified version of a CIA report he authorized a leak of the information.

The Los Angeles Times reports the information was meant to counter claims that the administration cherry-picked intelligence data to push the case that Saddam Hussein was trying to get weapons of mass destruction.

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has charged I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby -- Vice President Cheney`s former chief of staff -- with lying to a grand jury and investigators looking into the retaliatory leak of a covert CIA official`s name.

That official -- Valerie Plame -- is the wife of Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was sent to Niger to find any link between that country and Hussein.

He went public denouncing Bush`s Iraq claims that Hussein had sought nuclear weapons materials from Niger.

Fitzgerald alleges the release of covert agent Plame`s name to the media was retaliation against Wilson.

[Bravus]

The leak was not illegal, and doesn't seem to have compromised security (unlike the leak of Valerie Plame's name, which this particular revelation only bears on indirectly). But, as Shane has often said, the cover-up is worse than the crime (or in this case, I guess just bad decision to use leaks for political purposes). Bush's strong statements about how bad leakers are, and Scott McClellan's statement that if they found the leaker in the administration that person would no longer be in the administration, are now coming back to haunt them.

Bottom line - Bush's argument has always been that he's strong on security. The revelation that he leaked security information for political purposes (and, true to form, is now out there (via McClellan) defending it rather than apologising) has to hurt him, even (and maybe especially) with the True Believers.

[Neil D]

Quote:

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The leak was not illegal, and doesn't seem to have compromised security (unlike the leak of Valerie Plame's name, which this particular revelation only bears on indirectly)

---

My understanding is that , at the time of the leak, the documents containing Valery's name were top secret and not 'un-classified', meaning that any leaking of information is construed to be illegal. These same documents were un-classified only 8 days later, after the name was leaked.

This whole affair only reinforces the belief to me that, at the very least, the man is NOT fit for office and is a danger to the country as a whole. Not only does he place in danger the wife of an ambassador, he make public a CIA agent. He needs to be removed from office.

[olger]

I have a roofing company, maybe we could fix that leak. If not, my brother owns a plumbing business.

olger

[Bravus]

Heh, wasn't it plumbers that got us in all that trouble in the Nixon era? <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Dr. Shane]

To me this is a story about the media. During the Clinton years the media was very successful at getting people in the Administration to leak information. During this Administration they have not been so successful because of a significant amount of loyalty in the Administration.

It really comes down to what a "leak" is. The leaks that upset the President are when a White House source gives information to the media without the President's approval. Other leaks would be when the Administration confides something confidencial with members of Congress and the congressional members leak it.

To me it is just something else for the anti-Bush crowd to get upset about. I doubt the history books will even mention it.

[Nicodema]

Quote:

---

Bravus said:

...[T]he cover-up is worse than the crime (or in this case, I guess just bad decision to use leaks for political purposes). Bush's strong statements about how bad leakers are, and Scott McClellan's statement that if they found the leaker in the administration that person would no longer be in the administration, are now coming back to haunt them.

Bottom line - Bush's argument has always been that he's strong on security. The revelation that he leaked security information for political purposes (and, true to form, is

now out there

(via McClellan)

defending it rather than apologising

) has to hurt him,

even (and maybe especially) with the True Believers

.

---

Are you kidding, Bravus? Hey, I'd like to be optimistic too, but let's face it. Those who have already drunk the Kool-Aid are NOT coming back, no matter how painful the prolonged onset of the poison. They're "done for."

[Dr. Shane]

I am not sure what to think of this "leak" yet. I am very impressed with Bush as a person although I disagree with him on a number of political issues. I am just not ready to jump on a band wagon on this one.

I am not aware that this "leak" did any damage to national security. I believe it was to drum up support for the war in Iraq. If drumming up support for a war is unethical, every wartime president has been guilty of it.

[Neil D]

Quote:

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It really comes down to what a "leak" is. The leaks that upset the President are when a White House source gives information to the media without the President's approval. Other leaks would be when the Administration confides something confidencial with members of Congress and the congressional members leak it.

---

[:"green"]

"...we are not going to comment on an ongoing investigation..."

-- Scott McClellan, April 7th, 2006

Roll Over George

"If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."

--Scott McClellan, September 29, 2003 [/]

click here to see a video regarding words from Bushes own mouth that he 'wants to know' and Scott McClellon say that the leaker would not be a part of the administration.

[Neil D]

[:"green"] This just out. [/]

Lawyer: Bush Left Leak Details to Cheney

Staff and agencies

08 April, 2006

By JENNIFER LOVEN, 28 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush declassified sensitive intelligence in 2003 and authorized its public disclosure to rebut Iraq war critics, but he did not specifically direct that Vice President Dick Cheney ‘s former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, be the one to disseminate the information, an attorney knowledgeable about the case said Saturday.

It is not known when the conversation between Bush and Cheney took place. The White House has declined to provide the date when the president used his authority to declassify the portions of the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, a classified document that detailed the intelligence community‘s conclusions about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The new information about Bush and Cheney‘s roles came as the president‘s aides have scrambled to defuse the political fallout from a court filing Wednesday by the prosecutors in the complex, ongoing investigation into whether the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame was disclosed to discredit her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, an Iraq war critic.

Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in the filing that Libby testified before a grand jury that he was authorized by Bush, through Cheney, to leak information from the intelligence estimate.

Fitzgerald did not say in the filing that Cheney authorized Libby to leak Plame‘s identity, and Bush is not accused of doing anything illegal.

But by suggesting that the leak of Plame‘s name may have been set in motion by the president, however indirectly, the documents reverberated much more broadly. Democrats unleashed a storm of criticism against Bush, saying he appeared to have misused the declassification process for political gain.

[:"green"] There's another paragraph to read if you would like to view the whole article....[/]