As we move toward the close of Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald's grand jury investigation, I'm still strong on the Wilsons as being targets of indictment. The mainstream press are stuck on reporting that it's about the outing of Valerie Plame, and they do this because it's really the only rationale for Administration officials to be considered guilty of something. If there's one thing has been about, it's been about finding some Administration official guilty of something -- anything. The only thing that's ever had a prayer of working is the revenge angle, and it's a pretty weak one at that.
Tom Maguire thinks Libby is ripe for an indictment. I disagree. It's possible that Rove or Libby actually committed a crime. I doubt it. Thinking that either of them would, is to giving credence to far left view of the Administration as inherently evil. I don't think Rove and Libby are evil and I certainly don't think they're that dumb.
It's quite possible that a Martha Stewart type of indictment will come down, but I don't think so. If Fitzgerald comes in with anything that's not a serious crime, he'll wind up with a reputation as a partisan hack. At the moment, he has a reputation as a hard nosed, ethical career prosecutor. For him to play gotcha with Administration chiefs of staff would be an unfortunate career move on his part. A charge of lying to the prosecutor as a last resort because nothing else will stick, wouldn't do much for his resume -- and then he would probably need a resume when it's all over and done.
Instead, I believe there are actual crimes. There is the disclosure of classified information. There are the forged documents that Ambassador Joe hyped. If the Senate Committee on Intelligence is to be believed, the knowledge of forgeries was classified information. Information about the forgeries was leaked to the press starting around May of 2003. We know now that Joe leaked it. We can guess where Joe got it. At the very least Joe and Val look to me like great candidates for the docket.
I agree with AJ Strata and MacRanger, that we're looking at a covert rogue CIA operation to destabilize the White House. The operation was a propaganda attack that began with Joe's trip to Niger, and continued with his leaks to the press, his Times article What I Didn't find in Africa, his charge that Rove would be Frog Marched out of the White House for revealing his wife's undercover status.
Fitzgerald may treat all of this as just politics, but I hope not. I think there will be a trial. I think it will be a high profile trial that will also be an airing of the justifications for invading Iraq. I think Joe and Val will need lawyers, as will some VIPS and maybe some reporters.
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