In February 1999, Wissam al-Zahawie, Iraq’s ambassador to the Vatican, travelled on a multinational trip to Africa. While in Niger, he met with the President. Many intelligence agencies were aware of the trip, and I am sure his movements were monitored.
In the fall of 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the Italian intelligence service, SISMI, contacted the United States and said they had evidence that the purpose behind al-Zahawie’s visit was to pursue the purchase of uranium oxide, a substance used in some nuclear weapons.
That evidence was a rank, obvious forgery. Sources that saw the documents told Seymour Hersh they were “amateurish and unsubstantiated”. The CIA briefed Dick Cheney on their assessment but were told to take a second look.
In February, the CIA decided to send Wilson to Niger to check into the allegations. It is obvious that the CIA chose to send someone to Niger, not because they thought the documents were real, but to satisfy Cheney’s demands.
Cheney didn’t ask for Wilson, he asked for a second look. The CIA chose Wilson, not the VP. But they wouldn’t have chosen anyone without the VP directing them to follow-up.
Therefore, Wilson was not lying when he said, “In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney’s office had questions about a particular intelligence report.”
Nor was he lying when he said, “The vice president’s office asked a serious question. I was asked to help formulate the answer. I did so, and I have every confidence that the answer I provided was circulated to the appropriate officials within our government.”
The GOP talking points are deceptive.
They are also making a big deal out of the fact that Valerie Plame Wilson may have recommended her husband for this trip. Even if she did, a fact she denies, someone else agreed and authorized Wilson for the mission. Niger is not a wonderful vacation spot. It’s a horribly impoverished country. It’s absurd to suggest that Wilson was looking for a cheap vacation.
The Rove machine is also trying to minimize the damage done to national security, and to Wilson’s wife, from the disclosure of her identity. To do this, they are suggesting that she was not a non-official cover (NOC) operative at the time of her outing. And they are using her presence at CIA headquarters as evidence in support of that theory.
This morning I contacted an ex-CIA intelligence analyst. He told me that NOC’s come and go from headquarters all the time. NOC’s work at Langley at desk jobs. Her presence at Langley is not an indicator that she was not a NOC.
Moreover, he told me, thousands of employees come to work at Langley everyday that are undercover. Most have official cover. But some have non-official cover. It’s wrong, and possibly illegal, to blow any of their covers.
Lastly, he pointed out, that Plame could have resumed her career with official cover by taking a diplomatic position overseas. Perhaps she could have been made a Chief of Station in a foreign capital. The leak destroyed that possibility. It severely damaged her career.
Taken all together, there is no legitimacy to the GOP talking points. It’s all bullshit.
