According to Thursday’s WaPo, Fitzgerald is “is expected to announce a final decision on charges in the two-year-long probe tomorrow [Friday]” after presenting his final summary to the grand jury on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, back at the WH ranch:
Even as Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald wrapped up his case, the legal team of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has been engaged in a furious effort to convince the prosecutor that Rove did not commit perjury during the course of the investigation, according to people close to the aide. The sources, who indicated that the effort intensified in recent weeks, said Rove still did not know last night whether he would be indicted.
Apparently, Wednesday was a “surreal” day at the White House. That’s what happens when lies meet reality.
Yesterday’s [Wednesday’s] three-hour grand jury session came after agents and prosecutors this week conducted last-minute interviews with Adam Levine, a member of the White House communications team at the time of the leak, about his conversations with Rove, and with Plame’s neighbors in the District.
Rove is spooked:
People close to Rove said he fears a perjury charge because he did not initially tell the grand jury that he had spoken with Time reporter Matthew Cooper about Plame before her name was publicly disclosed.
Update [2005-10-26 23:47:47 by catnip]:: More on Adam Levine:
There were signs that Fitzgerald was still trying to piece together the Rove case as recently as Tuesday. Peter Zeidenberg, a Justice Department prosecutor working with Fitzgerald, called Levine that day to discuss a conversation Levine had with Rove on July 11, 2003, the day Rove spoke with Cooper, according to Daniel J. French, Levine’s lawyer.
Levine, part of the White House communications team at the time of the leak, “was contacted as a witness,” French said. Levine told Zeidenberg that he and Rove did not discuss Cooper in that conversation, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
They may not have discussed Cooper, but did they discuss Plame? Did Levine learn about Plame from one of her neighbours and then pass it on to Rove? It’s been rumoured that someone “outside of the White House” leaked her name. Did Rove the tell Novak? Or Libby? Who said what to who??
I can’t wait til Friday!
[editor’s note, by catnip] As Chamonix pointed out in the comments, agents and/or prosecutors spoke to Plame’s neighbours. Adam Levine did not, according to the article.
Wow, another friggin ‘firsthand’ account from ‘sources close to the case.’ F*** this. I’m drinking all day tomorrow so that I can party if something happens or I can forget the entire day if nothing happens.
And then if the latter comes about I can cure my hangover Friday when something does happen, or if nothing does I can bite the dog that bit me the night before.
Only one Fitzmas shopping day left!
So…what was Adam Levine doing talking to Plame’s neighbours?
My take..that they discussed stuff with Adam Levine and with Plames Neighbors…I didn’t take it as Adam was talking to Plames neighbors. What do you think?
You’re right. Thank you!
great job…Rove is not only sweating bullits it seems like he may have schit in his pantaloons. I personally think he is Toast. He and his Reps are begging for his life. If he is not indicted this week, he will be in the future. I really don’t think he can get out of his web of lies he has come to believe are true. I think they should change the name in the WH Dining room from what was once French Toast then went on to be known as Freedom Toast and should forever be called ROVE TOAST.
Steve Clemmons (recovering from being hit by a car last night) has the info.
The Washington Note
He was hit by a car? A strange black one with tinted windows and no license plate? 🙂 Poor guy.
That’s a good sign – not Clemons getting hit by a car – Fitz’s investigation possibly expanding.
WaPo’s Mark Leibovich has a humourous column about the goings on in Washington.
Valerie Plame herself said that her neighbours were shocked to learn about her CIA job. Can’t find the article now. I remember it contained one of the first photos of Mrs. Wilson. Also Joseph Wilson has said that the leak exposed her to her neighbours who did not know she was a spook.
I have no cite, it was months ago.
The expose did more than hurt Mrs. Wilson’s career, the WH blacklisted Joe Wilson who worked as a consultant in Washington. Then when he went on a lecture tour, and wrote a book, in order to make a living, they smeared him for being flamboyant and seeking publicity. WHICH they continue to do up to this day.
interesting…
adam levine was one of the first bush aides called before the GJ back in the day…
.
~ Posted earlier in diary ::
Rhode – Wurmser – Larry Franklin – AIPAC – Abramoff ~
Very possible. What I’m told is typically, in a case like this, he could get the indictments and now he can go to the targets and say, you can plead to these or I’ll go back Friday and get more. You have 12 to 24 hours to think about it.
From the Los Angeles Times: “One grand juror was overheard telling another juror, ‘See you Friday,’ suggesting the possibility that the grand jury would continue to meet up to the last minute.”
The Washington Post‘s Jim VandeHei, who has some of the best sources in Washington, hinted on Hardball that Fitzgerald’s meeting with Hogan today did not involve extending the grand jury.
And Time‘s Mike Allen, who also has some of the best sources in Washington, strongly hinted that WH folks had been indicted, and that we’d learn about them soon.
According to my sources, the letters to “indictment targets” were received yesterday. According to my legal sources, the standard practice would be for the grand jury to send indictment requests via the judge — and these would be “filed” today. I have no idea how transparent that process is — but I was told that the indictments are sealed.
Lawrence Wilkerson’s talk at New America will be used, clips anyway, on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show”on Comedy Central.
— Steve Clemons
Cheney aide David Wurmser passed Plame’s name to Libby – Hadley
(RAW STORY) Oct. 26 — Those close to the investigation say that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has been told that David Wurmser, then a Middle East adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney on loan from the office of then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John Bolton, met with Cheney and his chief of staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in June 2003 and told Libby that Plame set up the Wilson trip. He asserted that it was a boondoggle, the sources said.
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
No kidding.
So can someone tell me why Skeletor is babbling all by herself to Matt Lauer on “Today”? Where is the “balance”?
I guess she needs to buck up the wingut for a bumpy ride…
Skeletor=Ann Coulter
I saw that…what a load of crap. They must be really desperate.
She should wear something with sleeves to cover up those anorexic arms…
No kidding.
And she should wear something with a muzzle to cover up that lying mouth.
I think a dirty sock would work…
Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman set the evening’s upbeat tone when he introduced Bush and said the president had had “an incredible fall.”
link
hat tip to will bunch
Hal C
Would that be from the mountain bike or the Segway?
That was when I knew that someone was very nervous, figured it was Rove……..then watched Tucker Carlson and he had the WaPo for today before his show ended and it said Friday for indictments and that Rove was scared. Hannity was the only one Fox though trying to smear Fitz last night.
Hannity is a bigger scumbag than Limbaugh. He and Coulter made we want to bash my TV screen in. I changed the channel though before the urge took over. The lies they tell and then accuse Wilson of lying and continue the nondialogue with the dem rep by screaming over her. Coulter’s nervous laugh is so arrogant. Like you people are fools for believing Joe Wilson. Well, we will see who is laughing tomorrow hopefully huh?
I didn’t think Coulter sounded very sure of herself at all. And her attempt to explain away Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s “perjury as a technicality” remarks.
Matt Lauer is a SCHMUCK, BTW.
The whole Today Show is a joke these days. It hasn’t been on here yet but will watch.
I stopped paying attention to Coulter …and Hannity a long time ago. Except for the occasional good laugh, of course. They are both waste products of a Republican party that is just as rotton as this presidency. Of course they will attack Fitz. I wouldn’t be very surprised if Fitz is out of a job by next week if things shake out by Friday. If they think that they can get away with it politically, they will try it. If Mother Teresa was the prosecutor, they would be calling her names as well.
This morning was really the first time I’ve ever seen her in action. Clearly, I haven’t been missing anything!
That’s what happens when lies meet reality
The old WH boast: “We make our own reality.”
Let’s see how well that works this time around.
You know that someone in the White House has had to keep track of all the lies spewed by this administration and we all know that someone is Karl. Yes, Bush wants us to think that Karl Rove, Minister of Lies, was accidentally “tripped up” in his testamony and is not guilty of lieing to the Grand Jury. This administration is pathological in it’s penchant for lies and I think that they actually believe some of them. Tough shit. Even if you believe your lies, perjury is perjury.
I just saw Jeff Greenfield (an arrogant know it all on his best days) talking about how the Bush White House is modeling their “scandal control” on Reagan’s response to Iran/Contra. Jeff blithely referred to a rocky second term for FDR and seemed to imply that Bush may survive this and come out smelling like a rose. He didn’t quite say that, but in his snippy arrogant way, I think he implied it. He dares to compare FDR’s Legacy of a champion of the people to Bush’s legacy of corruption, lies, stupidity, arrogance and incompetence? Jeff Greenfield is a pompous ass.
Breaking on CNN right now……
AAaawww, Dubya reluctantly accepted. She’s concerned with his well being.
It was the document searching and the fact that she would have to actually answer questions. Prepare yourselves… this could mean that Dubya will now nominate the worst piece of shit he can find to please his foam-at-the-mouth wingnut base.
Well. Surprise, surprise. Not.
I wonder what he’ll do. He’s used to getting his way and I wonder if he’ll give the wingnuts what they want when they so publicly defied him.
That is a very good point… I think Karl kept Dubya’s petulant nature somewhat under control for the sake of politics. Now that Karl is distracted, who will calm the baby down? Left on his own, Bush is liable to make blunder after blunder. CNN is reporting that there was a big pow wow on the hill last night, complete with Darth Cheney. Cheney was there to convince the senators that pushing Miers through was the appropriate thing to do. Apparently, it didn’t go too well.
Hmmm…well, Hill repubs are finally waking up the fact that Shrub doesn’t have to worry a/b re-election–but they do.
He may well give them who they want since he’s going to need their support to discredit Fitzgerald but he’s likely apoplectic that he was defied. Spoiled brats hate hearing “no.”
to school and heard about Miers on the radio so thought I would check in here again. Are we all out of bed bright eyed and bushy tailed today? No depressed forlorn Bootribers around here!
did anybody else catch Bush’s face yesterday when he was meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister and some reporter there asked him if he was preparing his staff for indictments? Oh My God, the look on his face…….when he left the room I swear he tore something up and beat a dog and kicked a cat! He’s fucking evil!
I saw that face. For a control freak, he has very little control over himself. I feel sorry for his staffers… I hear he treats them like dirt. Of course, the more they bow to him, the worse they are treated. Typical of a sick piece of shit like Bush.