POLITICS: Special Prosecutor Investigating Rift Between The CIA And VP Dick Cheney

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has interviewed Vice President Dick Cheney over the outing of CIA covert agent Valerie Plame. The Special Prosecutor has also questioned Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, over the leaking of secret information to the press. Both men have been highly critical of the CIA for at least a decade. Vice President Cheney has long harboured doubt and disdain with regards to the CIA due to what he perceives as the agencies failings. The Vice President views the CIA's failing to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union and of the Indian nuclear programme as the signs of an inept agency.



I covered the interviewing of Vice President Cheney by Fitzgerald earlier in the week. It might not be known to many just how deep seated Dick Cheney's and Libby's loathing of the CIA is. This adds yet another dimension to the whole Plame affair.

Not only had the White house been publically undermined by what it viewed as a CIA operatives husband on the matter of Iraq's attempts to acquire nuclear material from Africa. But they also suspected the CIA of trying to set the White house up to take the fall for faulty Iraq intelligence.

Both these reasons seem to suggest the outing of Valerie Plame was a warning to the CIA. As far as the Vice President is concerned the CIA is a worthless agency. If they dared to meddle in affairs of the state or question its political leaders they needed to be taught a lesson. "Hey look CIA, we can arrange the public naming of any CIA operative we like". Basically it was a "shut your mouth" stunt.

Related News Links:
Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: CIA Leak Prosecutor Probes Cheney Connection

[edit on 21/10/05 by subz]

[edit on 21-10-2005 by Nerdling]

[edit on 24-10-2005 by Nerdling]

Dick Cheney can go to hell. The guy really boils my blood, just seeing him on TV makes me want to smash the thing up. We already know what's going to happen here, nothing will come out of it, who the hell has the power to do anything to Cheney and his boys?

I dont know about Dick Cheney. He seems to have a lot of revenge in him. However I dont really care for the CIA. I have not seen where they help or better any situation. If they (CIA) were undermining the whitehouse and trying to be sneeky snakes, I really cant say I blame Cheney for fighting dirty. I am not saying what he did was right, but I can see why he did it. Though, a person in his position needs to have more class, and self controll.

When political advisors are also intelligence advisors, as is the case for Libby, there is an increased likelihood of biased, or filtered, reporting to political principals. It would appear that faulty intelligence analyses came from Libby through the Vice President to the President. Libby of course would have been trying to please his boss who he knew did not especially trust the CIA. It is almost equally probable though that Libby was under pressure from his boss to find fault with the intelligence reports coming out of Langley and to look for alternative analyses that supported his boss's viewpoints. I think its a bit extreme though to imply the Vice President or his aide might have deliberately outed Wilson's wife just to make a statement--on the other hand, stranger things have happened in the past.

[edit on 21-10-2005 by Astronomer68]

Interesting surmising by Fox.
Guess we'll know next week.

One indication that charges might loom is a new Web site from Fitzgerald's office that holds some documents related to the investigation.

News reports have speculated that the charges could be related to either false information or to an illegal identification of Plame, although the illegal identification charge requires a fairly involved set of precursors.

Libby did not at first tell the FBI or the grand jury about conversations with New York Times reporter Judith Miller, in which he discussed Plame, though not by name. Libby later explained the omission under oath, saying he forgot.

Likewise, Rove at first did not tell the FBI about his conversations with Time magazine's Matt Cooper. Rove, too, testified that he forgot.

www.foxnews.com...

Fitzgerald Office Web Site w/some Investigation Documents
www.usdoj.gov...

[edit on 21-10-2005 by Vajrayana]

I've heard some reports that Fitzgerald is going much farther than his original investigation. According to these reports, He may be investigating not only who released Plame's identitiy to the press, but the the case for the war itself, including the origin of the now proven forged documents about Iraq seeking Uranium for Nukes that prompted Wilson's trip for the CIA in the first place. Come some time next week this prosecutor could blow us all away with charges that could strike at the very heart of the Bush Administration's justifications for war.

There are a few stories on here that I really want to comment at length on but I have spent some time trying to figure out a way to word them that doesn't break about half a dozen site rules especially when related to political discussions. Would a moderator/admin care to give a brief list of what they will and won't let slide in this particular topic? Its hard to add anything into this topic without breaking a rule as I interpret them to be. If anyone can provide any suggestions please U2U me.

Well if you can rise above the usual partisan rhetoric and discuss the individuals involved. Without badmouthing every single republican or democrat, then you should be fine.

As with all posting on ATS, as long as members stay within the T&C, don't insult other members and don't just cheerlead for one side of the partisan divide (a mainly US phenomena) to the exclusion of all other viewpoints they should be fine.

The only difference in ATSNN is the original submission and particularly the intro paragraph.

So don't worry too much and post like you would in any other ATS forum!
.

You know what. Heck with it. Because this isn't about republican versus democrat. This is about the people of this country electing a couple of people with absolutely no spine. I ask myself every day how these criminals got in office. What where the people thinking? Were they thinking? I'm guessing no. Then again it could simply be a lack of choices. Cheney does whats best for him and his personal interests. He doesn't care about you or I. He never will. People can make it about politics all they want. The man is simply evil. He doesn't care if he outs someone for example. Doesn't matter to him if that puts the person's life in danger so long as Cheney gets revenge. He acts like a spoiled little child.

I've always been confused as to why Cheney has accused the CIA of intell failure when they themselves refused to listen to them whence 9/11 occured; who failed there?

I do hope criminal charges are laid against Mr.Cheney if he is found to be responsible for bringing out in the open the name of a covert CIA agent. This is very serious and detrimental to this persons life hereafter, and she must be reimbursed.

Luxifero

[edit on 22-10-2005 by Luxifero]

I really like this Fitzgerald guy, he is making sure the case is 100% solid and their is no doubt when the final inditments come forth.

Dick Cheney is the one that was in charge of finding a sutible VIce-president for George Bush when he won the nomination, naturally he picked himself. This is also the same person taht was quoted on TV saying "There is no doubt that Iraq has WMD" yet when questions are asked the blame is passed to the CIA along with the replacment of its head with a pratisan lackey who is best known for allowing Conta Death commandos free reign and the resignation of several of the CIAs top leaders.

The White hosue administration has shown its arrogance with its "We can do anything we want becasue we won the election" attitude that helps lines the pockets of the backers who got them there.

I am so looking forward to the 2006 election ad the following Impeachments and witchhunt of corrupt and unethical GOP leaders that will follow.

Btw, I love my country, and that makes me a patriot.

Leak Case Renews Questions on War's Rationale NYT

That fight has preoccupied the White House for more than three years, repeatedly threatening President Bush's credibility and political standing, and has again put the spotlight on Vice President Dick Cheney, who assumed a critical role in assembling and analyzing the evidence about Iraq's weapons programs.

The combatants' intensity was underscored this week in a speech by Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin L. Powell while he was secretary of state, who complained of a "cabal" between Mr. Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld when it came to Iraq and other national security issues and of a "real dysfunctionality" in the administration's foreign policy team.

"The real anomaly in the administration is Cheney," Mr. Scowcroft told Jeffrey Goldberg of The New Yorker. "I consider Cheney a good friend - I've known him for 30 years. But Dick Cheney I don't know anymore."

When the fog of war clears, then we may look back to see the plan for this PNAC Perle Harbor was only hawked by Dick the Veep Puppet.

Who's Yo Daddy, Cheney?

[edit on 23-10-2005 by Regenmacher]

Cheney is a traitor if what he did is proven...He should go to jail for a long time ....than will all see who really runs this thing....why can't we get any leaders that are not thieves,liars,murders,and just war mongers