Author: Larry Johnson

by Larry C. Johnson

The Republican spin machine is fully engaged and the word is out on the indictment of Scooter Libby: NO UNDERLYING CRIME WAS COMMITTED.

In other words, Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald did not file any charges against Libby for compromising a CIA officer’s cover under the Identities Protection Act. Nope. He just charged Libby with technicalities like perjury and obstruction of justice.

Ignore for a moment that Fitzgerald said at the start of his press conference that Valerie Wilson’s cover was blown. Cover your ears and pretend that he really did not mean to say that prior to Robert Novak’s infamous column her association with the CIA was known only in classified circles.

Here is a novel idea. Fitzgerald is proscecuting Libby because he has obstructed or blocked or hindered (you choose the word) the investigation. He, Libby, has refused to provide the evidence he has of the crime of helping finger Valerie as an intelligence officer. As a result, he gets an obstruction of justice charge and lying to a federal law enforcement officer. Just because Patrick Fitzgerald has not yet collected sufficient evident to charge Libby with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, because Libby has tried to cover up his crime, does not mean a crime was not committed.

So, let’s keep a list of all those who repeat this mantra, but especially keep track of the media luminaries who say it. At a mnimum we will see the names of William Safire, Andrea Mitchell, Pete Williams, David Brooks, Tim Russert, Chris Matthews, and Bob Woodward. Then, one day (hopefully sooner rather than later), Patrick Fitzgerald will file charges. At that point, all of these Administration apologists will have to come to grips with the fact that senior Bush Administration officials engaged in a conspiracy to expose the identity of an undercover CIA officer. Looks like the term “journalism” is in jeopardy of becoming a synonym for “administration cheerleader.”

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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world. Further bio details.

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by Larry C. Johnson (bio below)

How is it that one of the most revered investigative reporters of our generation is such a dunce when it comes to outing a CIA officer? If you had a chance to watch Woodward’s “dazzling” performance on Larry King Live this past Thursday, you would have been treated to the spectacle of incurious Bob dismissing the leaking of a CIA officer’s identity as gossip run amuck. Nothing more, nothing less. Yep, nothing to report here, move along.

Yet, for those more in touch with the inner workings of Washington, Woodward’s vain attempt to downplay this matter sure smacks of someone trying to protect his sources. In a recent Washington Post puff piece on Lewis “Scooter” Libby we are told that Scooter:

attends the weekly gathering of Bush’s top economic advisers and — according to Bob Woodward’s book “Plan of Attack,” about the Bush administration’s run-up to the Iraq war — was one of two non-principals who attended National Security Council meetings with the president after Sept. 11, 2001 (the other was Condoleezza Rice’s then-deputy, Stephen Hadley).

Isn’t that special? Is it possible that Scooter has been a source that helped Bob Woodward get his inside scoops?

Nah, I am sure it is a coincidence. A few years back our intrepid investigative reporter Bob Woodward was on the cutting edge of information about the Clinton Administration and China. In the spring of 1998 Bob broke the story that China was trying to influence the U.S. election through carefully placed campaign contributions. Don Lambro of the Washington Times said:

Continued below:

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by Larry C. Johnson

The level of disinformation being put out against Joe Wilson is amazing and appalling. What is really remarkable are the number of prominent journalists (Andrea Mitchell, Dana Milbank spring to mind) who are repeating conventional wisdom as truth without taking time to check out the facts.

The radical right is desperate and grasping at straws in the wake of Scooter Libby’s indictment. They are carrying copies to most TV interviews of the report by the Senate Intelligence Committee from July 2004 regarding what the intelligence community knew and reported on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. One poor soul on Wolf Blitzer the other day tried reading from it in a desperate bid to try to make Joe Wilson the focus of the story. Sorry guys, Joe didn’t get indicted for perjury, Scooter did. Let’s keep our liars list up to date. Okay?

That said, it is also worth noting that the Senate Intel report is an abomination. It is full of misleading information and was deliberately crafted to shield Vice President Cheney and his staff from scrutiny. Unfortunately, the Democrats rolled over and signed off on the report.

Despite the flaws in the report there are key tidbits that help blow the cover off of the White House scheme to cook the intel books. I am going to post up a couple of items on this matter in the next couple of days. For starters I wanted to ensure that everyone has had a chance to read Joe Wilson’s letter to Senators Pat Roberts and Jay Rockefeller.

One thing is clear–it ain’t Joe Wilson that’s doing the lying.

Joseph C. Wilson, IV

July 15, 2004

The Honorable Pat Roberts

Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

The Honorable Jay Rockefeller

Vice Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Dear Senator Roberts and Senator Rockefeller,

I read with great surprise and consternation the Niger portion of Senators Roberts, Bond and Hatch “additional comments to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee’s Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessment on Iraq. I am taking this opportunity to clarify some of the issues raised in these comments.

First conclusion: “The plan to send the former ambassador to Niger was suggested by the former ambassador’s wife, a CIA employee.”

That is not true. The conclusion is apparently based on one anodyne quote from a memo Valerie Plame, my wife sent to her superiors that says “my husband has good relations with the PM (prime minister) and the former Minister of Mines, (not to mention lots of French contacts) both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.” There is no suggestion or recommendation in that statement that I be sent on the trip. Indeed it is little more than a recitation of my contacts and bona fides. The conclusion is reinforced by comments in the body of the report that a CPD reports officer stated the “the former ambassador’s wife ‘offered up his name’” (page 39) and a State Department Intelligence and Research officer that the “meeting was ‘apparently convened by [the former ambassador’s] wife who had the idea to dispatch him to use his contacts to sort out the Iraq-Niger uranium issue.”

In fact, Valerie was not in the meeting …

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by Larry C. Johnson

What do you call a thousand lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean? A good start! That old joke is apropos in light of today’s indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice. The indictment makes clear, with no shadow of a doubt, that Valerie Wilson was an undercover officer until exposed by Robert Novak’s column.

According to the indictment, “Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson’s affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community.”

As the prosecutor said at today’s press conference, this ain’t over.

Some interesting tidbits that will need to be clarified:

On page 4 we read:

On or about May 29, 2003, in the White House, LIBBY asked an Under Secretary of State (“Under Secretary”) for information concerning the unnamed ambassador’s travel to Niger to investigate claims about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium yellowcake. The Under Secretary thereafter directed the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research to prepare a report concerning the ambassador and his trip. The Under Secretary provided LIBBY with interim oral reports in late May and early June 2003, and advised LIBBY that Wilson was the former ambassador who took the trip.

If you’re looking to guess who this is your likely choices are Marc Grossman and John Bolton. My money is on Bolton.

Also on page 4:

On or about June 9, 2003, a number of classified documents from the CIA were faxed to the Office of the Vice President to the personal attention of LIBBY and another person in the Office of the Vice President. The faxed documents, which were marked as classified, discussed, among other things, Wilson and his trip to Niger, but did not mention Wilson by name.

Somebody asked for these documents. Who? Probably Libby but not necessarily. Clearly the CIA person who sent the fax is cooperating.

From paragraph 7 on page 4:

On or about June 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke with a senior officer of the CIA to ask about the origin and circumstances of Wilson’s trip, and was advised by the CIA officer that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA and was believed to be responsible for sending Wilson on the trip.

Now it gets interesting.

Who is the senior CIA officer? There are several possibilities. For example, John Bolton’s Chief of Staff, Fred Fleitz is a CIA officer (no longer undercover) who was in a position to get information about Valerie. At the NSC there were several CIA personnel, including David Shedd, who is now on the staff of John Negroponte. It could also be someone from CIA Headquarters. We will probably have to wait for the trial to get some insight on this front.

A careful reading of the indictment shows beyond a reasonable doubt that there was an organized effort in the White House to go after Joe and Valerie Wilson. At a minimum, Vice President Cheney was witting of this effort. Too bad these guys did not work as feverishly in tracking down Osama Bin Laden. They only had time to attack two American citizens who were serving their country.

Finally, Patrick Fitzgerald, what a class act!

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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world. Further bio details.

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by Larry C. Johnson

Today on Wolf Blitzer’s show, The Situation Room, correspondent David Ensor brought up the criticism that has been circulated by folks like Cliff May saying that Valerie Plame compromised her cover by marrying a high profile diplomat like Joe Wilson.

I called David afterwards and had a pleasant conversation to clarify that this is a red herring. As I told David, I know of several CIA undercover officers who are married to so-called high profile people. The reality is that their identity is not known to the public and could only be made known to the public if they revealed their identity or someone else familiar with them did. One of these people is a friend of mine, happily married, and serving the United States as a spymaster overseas.

There is another reason to shoot down the silly and specious claim that Val essentially outed herself by marrying Joe. At no point prior to Bob Novak’s column is there a public reference to Valerie as a CIA officer. Moreover, Joe Wilson did not advertise the fact that he had done contracting work for the CIA (i.e., he had been sent on previous missions overseas). Val’s cover, while not heavily backstopped, was adequate to allow her to work overseas on sensitive missions.

It is slowly dawning on the American people that the Bush Administration attack on Valerie and Joe Wilson was part of a broader conspiracy to hide the fact that our political leaders fabricated a case for war in Iraq. Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, and Karl Rove, among others, apparently preferred to destroy a valuable intelligence asset rather than expose the truth the United States went to war in Iraq based on misinformation and deception. That is a crime deserving the most serious punishment.

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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world. Further bio details.

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