Jason Leopold says Fitzmas is coming next Friday. And it looks like the charges are going to be stiffer on Rove than they were with Libby.

Despite vehement denials by his attorney, who said this week that Karl Rove is neither a “target” nor in danger of being indicted in the CIA leak case, the special counsel leading the investigation has already written up charges against Rove, and a grand jury is expected to vote on whether to indict the Deputy White House Chief of Staff sometime next week, sources knowledgeable about the probe said Friday afternoon.

Luskin was informed via a target letter that Fitzgerald is prepared to charge Rove for perjury and lying to investigators during Rove’s appearances before the grand jury in 2004 and in interviews with investigators in 2003 when he was asked how and when he discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the CIA, and whether he shared that information with the media.

…In the event that an indictment is handed up by the grand jury it would be filed under seal. A press release would then be issued by Fitzgerald’s press office indicating that the special prosecutor will hold a news conference, likely on a Friday afternoon, sources close to the case said. The media would be given more than 24 hours notice of a press conference, sources added.

If Leopold has his facts right, I will feel pretty vindicated. Last week, my analysis was that Rove was planting spin that the issue was really about Viveca Novak’s testimony and that he might avoid charges if he could convince the grand jury of his version of the timeline. I said that he was being questioned over more serious matters, that he had no hope of avoiding charges of perjury and making false statements, and that his purpose for giving more testimony was to try stave off obstruction of justice charges.

It looks like my analysis was correct.










…meetings between Luskin and Fitzgerald which took place on several occasions a few weeks ago were called to discuss a timeframe to schedule a return to the grand jury by Rove to testify about, among other things, 250 pages of emails that resurfaced February 6 from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office and the Office of President Bush in which Rove wrote to former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card about strategizing an attack against Wilson, sources familiar with the case said.

So, beyond discussing Viveca Novak, Fitzgerald wanted to discuss a failure to turn over emails and evidence within those emails that showed that Rove perjured himself when he testified about his role in the Wilson smear campaign.

The rescheduled grand jury appearance by Rove took place Wednesday afternoon and hinges on whether Rove’s testimony about the reasons he did not disclose the emails during his previous testimony will convince Fitzgerald not to add obstruction of justice to the list of charges he intends to file against Rove, sources said.

As of Friday afternoon, sources close to the case said, it appeared likely that charges of obstruction of justice would be added to the prepared list of charges.

This is really going to happen. Karl Rove is going to be arrested and charged with obstruction of justice, and multiple counts of perjury and making false statements. Most likely, it will happen next Friday. I am anxious to see what Cliff May, William Bennett, Bob Woodward, and all the rest of Cheney’s flacks have to say about that.