Just Another Casualty Of The Imperial Presidency

by Deacon Blues

After eight years of a Nixonian imperial presidency and rampant illegality by the executive branch, I am not shocked by this at all:

Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a still-highly confidential FBI report, admitted to federal investigators that he rewrote talking points for the press in July 2003 that made it much more likely that the role of then-covert CIA-officer Valerie Plame in sending her husband on a CIA-sponsored mission to Africa would come to light.

Cheney conceded during his interview with federal investigators that in drawing attention to Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s Africa trip reporters might also unmask her role as CIA officer.

Cheney denied to the investigators, however, that he had done anything on purpose that would lead to the outing of Plame as a covert CIA operative. But the investigators came away from their interview with Cheney believing that he had not given them a plausible explanation as to how he could focus attention on Plame’s role in arranging her husband’s trip without her CIA status also possibly publicly exposed.

Cheney wasn't just delegating or directing the pushback and retaliation effort involving a CIA asset, he was personally involved in it. Given his broad background in national security, he cannot plausibly say her outing was just an unforseen outcome.

We'll see if Bush pardons him or Libby over the Plame matter, which would make any subsequent congressional hearings or DOJ actions quite interesting.

Hat tip to Murray Waas at Crooks and Liars