You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Home Front: Politix
Armitage Says He Was Source in LamePlameNameBlameGame
2006-09-08
Scoundrel. Why didn't you come forward when this whole affair blew up?
WASHINGTON (AP) - The former No. 2 State Department official said Thursday he inadvertently disclosed the identity of CIA employee Valerie Plame in conversations with two reporters in 2003.

Confirming that he was the source of a leak that triggered a federal investigation, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said he never intended to reveal Plame's identity. He apologized for his conversations with syndicated columnist Robert Novak and Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward.

For almost three years, an investigation led by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has tried to determine whether Bush administration officials intentionally revealed Plame's identity as covert operative as a way to punish her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, for criticizing the Bush administration's march to war with Iraq.
And according to various sources and analysts, including the indispensable Tom Maguire, Fitzgerald knew that Armitage was the first leaker almost from the start.
``I made a terrible mistake, not maliciously, but I made a terrible mistake,'' Armitage said in a telephone interview from his home Thursday night.

He said he did not realize Plame's job was covert.

Armitage's admission suggested that the leak did not originate at the White House as retribution for Wilson's comments about the Iraq war. Wilson, a former ambassador, discounted reports that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger to make a nuclear weapon - claims that wound up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
Wilson was demonstrated to be wrong on that, but you don't read that often or prominently in the NYT.
Armitage said he was not a part of a conspiracy to reveal Plame's identity and did not know whether one existed.
Weasel. There was no conspiracy, and that's never been clearer.
He described his June 2003 conversation with Woodward as an afterthought at the end of a lengthy interview. ``He said, 'Hey, what's the deal with Wilson?' and I said, 'I think his wife works out there,''' Armitage recalled.

He described a more direct conversation with Novak, who was the first to report on the issue: ``He said to me, 'Why did the CIA send Ambassador Wilson to Niger?' I said, as I remember, 'I don't know, but his wife works out there.'''

Armitage, whose admission was first reported by CBS News Thursday, said he cooperated fully with Fitzgerald's investigation. He was never a target of the investigation and did not hire a lawyer. He agreed to speak to reporters after Fitzgerald released him from a promise of confidentiality.
And why did Fitzgerald demand that?
Armitage said he considered coming forward late last month when a flurry of news reports identified him as the leak. But he said he did not want to be accused of trying to get the story out during the summer's slow news cycle.

``I did what I did,'' Armitage said. ``I embarrassed my president, my secretary, my department, my family and I embarrassed the Wilsons. And for that I'm very sorry.''
Posted by:Steve White

#15  Wrong, Besoeker. He kept quiet about it. Powell was told, and he kept quiet about it. Hence the freaking circus that distracted and damaged the war.

Being a veteran doesn't give you a pass.
Posted by: Pappy   2006-09-08 23:08  

#14  Armitage wouldn't make a good pimple on any mans' behind. This scumbag let the whole affair play out for over 3 years, then apologizes to his buddy Colon, his friends at State, and his family.

No where is there an apology to President Bush, VP Cheney, Scooter Libby, etc.

Remember the brillant job he did in Syria before leaving State, and the peek-a-boo testimonies he gave to the donkss on Congress
Posted by: Captain America   2006-09-08 22:54  

#13  Humbug! Contains only a partial reading of the facts. Armitage went to the Justice Department with this issue long ago, in fact almost at the time of the initial release. He was questioned by the Federal Bureau of Idiots and his testimony archived. No charges were ever brought because NO LAWS WERE BROKEN. Armitage owes nobody anything. He served his country with honor and distinction, a US Navy veteran with at least a couple of tours in Vietnam and later service to the State Department. Anybody that can stomach and survive that nest of diplo-verts, vipers, and feather merchants should treated with the upmost deference and respect. This was purely a media and democratic production. Had Val Plame been a Janet Reno look-alike, the story wouldn't lasted longer than a squirrels fart.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-09-08 20:51  

#12  Here we get to see the difference between 'democratic scandals' and 'republican scandals' over the last 30 years.

Dem scandals actually happened. Laws were broken, public trust broken, abuse of power and obstruction of justice actually occurred.

Rep scandals for the most part are made up out of whole cloth.

And the undiscerning lemmings in the general public get to say, "Ah, hell. See? Both parties are corrupt."
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-09-08 11:50  

#11  I'd like to see the principal targets sue Plame, Wilson, Fitzgerald, Armitage, NY Times, WaPo, the Democratic leadership. If nothing else, it will get plenty of news coverage (though NTY and WaPo will try to bury it) near the elections, much like the media frenzy during the 2004 elections.
Posted by: ed   2006-09-08 10:55  

#10  This mess goes deeper. Fitzgerald knew there was no crime committed, but he went along with the investigation. What did the close and constant companion Chuck Schumer have to do with this scam investigation ?
Schumer has no power to run an investigation. Fitzgerald had no power once he determined no crime had been comitted. These two should be 'detained'.
Attempting to undermine the president during time of war is treason. Make ready the firing squad.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-09-08 10:33  

#9  newc is right on this one! The media needs to be hauled out on the carpet (mostly NYTimes, not Novak or even Woodward). Even David Broder at WaPo has beat the MSM over the head with this and he's about as lib as they come. He demanded the media quit buying in to the whole black helicopters/conspiracy theories and JUST REPORT THE FACTS. How noble.

What I can't get is how completely obvious this now is. Everything to them is related to 2 issues they haven't gotten over....(1) domestic politicians (especially Repubs) all are masterminds (even though they're dumb as a brick) at conspiracies (so they see that in light of Watergate) and (2) ANY use of force is BAD (unless saving Muzzies under a Donk Prez), and they see any war in terms of Vietnam. Geez, I wish they'd quit reliving their "glory days" of the 60s/70s and just face the threat this nation now faces....Islamofacism.
Posted by: BA   2006-09-08 10:14  

#8  Regards my #5, my reasoning is simple, unlike anything else about this circus...

1) There was no crime committed. Plame was not covert, period, so she was not outted, period. This could've been established as fact within a couple of weeks at most, had Fitz been worth a shit or honest in his charge. We figured it out in the blogosphere damned quickly without his privileged access and powers. No crime = no investigation required. Draw your own conclusions from that.

2) Obviously, Armitage was, indeed, known to Fitz from Day One. Again, inadvertant equates to no crime = no investigation required.

Everything that followed was political circus, job security, and pure entrapment. All totally unnecessary and a sham, not to mention waste of public funds on the bitch at the center, heh - not Plame, Fitz. Fuck him.
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-08 06:45  

#7  But he said he did not want to be accused of trying to get the story out during the summer's slow news cycle.

Right. We all know how the press loves to question the timing of everything.

Like W's latest speech initiative. Whotta coincidence it starts just before the election!

It's not a coincidence, you morons; it's a plan.
Posted by: Bobby   2006-09-08 06:27  

#6  Yeah, Fitz. I heard Army this mornign on the radio, but no mention of him cooperating.

If, in fact. he did cooperate, then a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Fitzgerald.
Posted by: Bobby   2006-09-08 06:25  

#5  The more I read about this farce, the more I think that the real criminal, the real asshole of the entire episode, is Fitzgerald.
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-08 04:48  

#4  So what is happening to Libby? Is he still under indictment?

As far as being sorry, that does not cut it. If Armitage is the leaker, he should be nailed.
Posted by: Alaska Paul at Homer, Alaska   2006-09-08 02:34  

#3  REALCLEARPOLITICS related blog article > PLAME's job, fresh out of Penn State as a CIA NOC, was to recruit [covert]operatives for the CIA.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-09-08 01:22  

#2  I DEMAND an apology to the public for your actions media. Or, not. It is your pay, not mine. Think not that you have any moral standing right now, but I could sell ice cream for you. - PSYCHE.
Posted by: newc   2006-09-08 01:06  

#1  Is he going to attempt to make it "right" for Libby?
Posted by: 3dc   2006-09-08 00:29  

00:00