GoogleNews just featured a Voice of America story, White House on the Defensive Over Alleged Press Leak Exposing CIA Agent about the Bush White House which allegedly leaked to Rovert Novak, in a fit of pique against former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson (who was telling the media that he had not found any evidence of Sadaam Hussein attempting to purchase African uranium), the identity of his wife, an undercover CIA operative. Adding to the spiciness of the story is the 10 year potential prison sentence and $50,000 fine facing the person who uncovered the identity of a U.S. spy.
The Bush Administration response:
it has no evidence any of its officials were behind an alleged press leak that exposed the identity of a CIA operative.
If you think about this statement it appears to be a complete denial of the charge until you examine the language carefully. “It has no evidence…” Of course, it has no evidence…because it doesn’t want to know. It doesn’t want to know and it doesn’t want to do anything to find out as evidenced by the following quotation:
He [Scott McClellan] rejected calls from reporters that President Bush should be pro-active in questioning White House staff members.
In other words, the bastards want to be able to say they didn’t do it; but they also won’t do anything to find out whether they did. So of what good or value is the supposed denial above–none, of course.
So let’s really get down to it here. Did someone from the White House leak the story to right wing journalist hack Novak? Of course they did! Will anyone be held accountable for this crime? Doubtful. Can you imagine John Ashcroft’s Justice Department investigating and prosecuting such a potentially damaging incident? I can’t either. Many of us didn’t lose any sleep (or have any love lost) when Congress ended the independent prosecutor statute after Ken Starr destroyed the political viability of the statute for good. It’s starting to look like a pretty good law just around now, isn’t it?
I find delicious the allegation that Karl Rove might have been the leaker. I’d like nothing more than to have that bastard hoisted by his own petard. To have a master of dirty tricks (did you read Seymour Hirsch’s New Yorker article several months ago which detailed Rove’s Machiavellian machinations against his Young Republican political rivals during college days?) caught at his own game and mortally wounded (politically) would be too sweet!!