Reporter: Libby Confirmed Wilson CIA Link

Matt Cooper Testifies About 2003 Phone Conversation With Scooter Libby

(CBS)  By CBSNews.com's Jennifer Hoar

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Former Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper testified Wednesday that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby told him in 2003 that he had “heard” that Ambassador Joe Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA. While he didn’t ask Libby where he had gotten that information, Cooper said, he took it as fact.

On direct examination by the prosecution, Cooper deconstructed his July 12, 2003 conversation with Libby. The reporter said he had reached out to the then-top aide to Vice President Cheney for a story that was going to press that night.

Cooper said that Libby reached him at home and gave him an on-the-record statement that Cheney did not know about Ambassador Wilson’s trip to Niger which subsequently engendered Wilson’s claim that Iraq had not purchased uranium for nuclear weapons from the African country. This claim, of course, rebutted President Bush’s argument for invading Iraq in the 2003 State of the Union address.

Cooper described the conversation as one in which Libby was eager to get off the phone. It seemed that “Libby really only wanted to give the on-the-record statement” and that was all. However, Cooper said he kept Libby on the phone long enough to confirm, off the record, what he had heard about Wilson’s wife working for the CIA. Libby did not mention the terms “covert” or “classified” during that conversation, Cooper said.

During his testimony, Cooper also laid out how he had initially heard about Wilson’s wife in a conversation with Karl Rove on July 11, 2003. Once he was connected to Rove by the White House switchboard, Cooper said he told Rove he was interested in the controversial “16 words” in the State of the Union address that "the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

Cooper said that Rove said, “Don’t go too far out on Wilson,” explaining that the vice president had not sent Wilson to Niger but that Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, had. Rove also had mentioned “the agency,” referring to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in the discussion of Wilson’s wife, according to Cooper.

On cross examination, defense attorney Bill Jeffress asked Cooper if he recalled Libby “dissing” Wilson in their July 12 conversation.

“Only as far as distancing [the Vice President’s office] from his [Wilson’s] trip,” Cooper replied. He added that “Libby raised questions about Wilson’s methodology” on the trip in Niger.

In a bizarre bout of cross-examination choreography, Jeffress fixated on Cooper’s note-taking, asking if he had often made the mistake of typing “r” when he meant to type “n.” Citing a few examples from Cooper’s notes where he had made such an error, Jeffress then focused on a line from Cooper’s notes of the Libby conversation that said: “about the Wilson thing and not sure if it’s ever.” Jeffress asked Cooper if perhaps he had intended to write “even” instead of “ever,” possibly modifying Libby’s sentiments. It appeared that no definitive conclusion was reached on this point.

Towards the end of Cooper’s testimony, he explained that he had been “struck by the contradiction” that the Bush Administration would concede that the controversial “16 words” about uranium shouldn’t have been in the State of the Union, yet Wilson, whose work precipitated that admission, was then discredited.

“I find it implausible,” Cooper said, that the Bush Administration would have regretted using the fateful “16 words” in the speech if Wilson had not gone public with his Niger trip findings in a New York Times op-ed column and an appearance on Meet the Press in 2003.

FBI agent Deborah Bond is due to take the witness stand next. The prosecution’s case is slated to conclude next Monday or Tuesday.

[long_rider]

" Copies of handwritten notes by Vice President *** Cheney, introduced at trial by defense attorneys for former White House staffer I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, would appear to implicate George W. Bush in the Plame CIA Leak case.
But Cheney's notes, which were introduced into evidence Tuesday during Libby's perjury and obstruction-of-justice trial, call into question the truthfulness of President Bush's vehement denials about his prior knowledge of the attacks against Wilson. The revelation that Bush may have known all along that there was an effort by members of his office to discredit the former ambassador begs the question: Was the president also aware that senior members of his administration compromised Valerie Plame's undercover role with the CIA?
Further, the highly explicit nature of Cheney's comments not only hints at a rift between Cheney and Bush over what Cheney felt was the scapegoating of Libby, but also raises serious questions about potentially criminal actions by Bush. If Bush did indeed play an active role in encouraging Libby to take the fall to protect Karl Rove, as Libby's lawyers articulated in their opening statements, then that could be viewed as criminal involvement by Bush."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013107Z.shtml

[rsoxfan1123]

Libby probably should walk, he's the patsy. Cheney and Rove should do serious time, Libby should roll over on them.
Posted by dallison7 at 10:33 AM : Feb 01, 2007

he's like Ollie North 2006

[newsjeff-2009]

At least Vice President Richard Cheney has stated that he will not run for president in 2008 and if nominated he would not run, if elected he would not serve. This at least, spares America from having Cheney as a president even if Cheney and his rich friends like Libby and Rove get away with breaking laws and covering up the truth. I am not personally wanting Cheney and Bush impeached, but remember people that lots of democrats and numerous other people a few decades ago, wanted Richard Nixon impeached and got their wish, and Nixon won his elections with a much larger percentage than Bush and Cheney did, heck Richard Nixon even won in the state that was McGovern's home state: South Dakota, no I am not slamming the state of South Dakota, if I had been alive in 1974, seeing Nixon impeached would have been more fun than seeing him loose the 1972 election. I say let Bush and Cheney clean up the mess they have started, if they can't in the next two years, find a good democrat president that can at least clean up maybe half of their mess.

[ramos937]

Amb. Wilson has consistently said the following:
(1) the Office of the VP made the inquiry. Cheney never was advised who the CIA would send beforehand. (2) Mrs. Wilson worked in the area involved and knew that her husband had expertise in the area, (3) Mrs. Wilson so advised her superiors, (4) Mrs. Wilson's boss asked her to invite her hustand in for an interview, (5) at the beginning of the interview, Mrs. Wilson introduced her husband to the people interviewing him and then left the room, (5) sometime later, Amb. Wilson was hired for the assignment. He never stated that Cheney had sent him to Africa.

Upon through investigation, Wilson determined that the claim of nuclear capability was false and said so in his report to the CIA. The CIA accordingly notifed The Office of the VP who chose to disregard the report. Question: Why did the Office of the VP chose to disbelive the report? Amb. Wilson was a Republican who had supported Bush for President.

[frankly6]

Where's janem4? This is her favorite story.

[dallison7]

Libby probably should walk, he's the patsy. Cheney and Rove should do serious time, Libby should roll over on them.

[changeit4]

Yep, Libby will walk, and the administration will claim exoneration, but the damage is being done daily. Where before we thought Cheney is a slime, he's shown it now. Eenee, meenee, miney, moe, catch a liar by his toe... Whom shall we choose next?

Of course, a conviction of a former administration official would be great for further revelation to the nation. But the longer this goes on, the more we achieve the same effect.

[skyk-2009]

When you look at what Cheney and his Gestapo have done it makes you shutter. How could we allow this kind of slime to run our nation? Someone needs to start looking at and to the Supreme Court, who at the end of the day, are responsible for Sir Lies-A-Lot and his dictatorship. When our leaders start totally ignoring We the People that's a Crime. When our leaders start "Outing" Citizens who are protecting We the People, that's a crime. When Our Leaders LIE and do the kinds of things Cheney did to this nation it's a crime. HE, Cheney, is responsible for the MURDER of over 3000 American's. IF We the People KNEW what he knew and if WE the PEOPLE had the Truth when this pathetic Nazi, sent our kids off to war, we do NOT allow it. Thus he sent them to their deaths based on Lies and deception... that's MURDER and if we do NOT seek justice from this slime dog then we do not deserve what was left for us... we do not deserve a Government OF the PEOPLE and BY the People.

[dallison7]

Cheney and Rove are guilty of treason... hang them!!

[hillaryin08]

bluestardad

If you voted for the Democrats that helped start this war, the blood is on your hands as well as theirs.