Supreme Court Won't Revive CIA Leak Case

Valerie Plame Wanted Court To Overturn Ruling That Threw Out Lawsuit Against Cheney And Other Officials

(AP)  The U.S. Supreme Court will not revive a lawsuit that former CIA operative Valerie Plame brought against former members of the Bush administration.

The court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.

A lower court last year threw out the lawsuit in which Plame and Wilson accused former Vice President Dick Cheney and several former high-ranking administration officials of disclosing her identity to reporters in 2003. Plame and Wilson said that violated their constitutional rights.

The lawsuit named former presidential adviser Karl Rove; Cheney's former top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby; and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

The U.S. Court of Appeals said that Plame and Wilson did not meet the legal standard for constitutional claims, in part because the lawsuit hinges on alleged violations of the Privacy Act - a law that does not cover the president or the vice president's offices.

Armitage was the original source for a 2003 newspaper column identifying Plame as a CIA officer. At the time, her husband was criticizing the Bush administration's prewar intelligence on Iraq and had become a thorn in the side of the White House. Rove also discussed Plame's employment with reporters.

The leak touched off a lengthy investigation that resulted in Libby's conviction for obstruction and lying to investigators. Jurors found that he told reporters about Plame and lied about it to the FBI and a federal grand jury. President George W. Bush commuted Libby's sentence before he ever served a day in prison.

Nobody was ever charged with the leak itself and Plame's lawsuit is one of the last remaining legal issues associated with the case.

[dwilson59]

Plame as a CIA officer!!!! What did she do for the CIA? Was she undercover?

[starleo146]

What did she do for the CIA? If she told that then it would not be covert would it. Why would a grand Jury be summoned for a law that had not been broken, c'mon I appreciate your loyalty, but really Cheney is guilty of this and he let his friend take a fall, and thought he would get pardoned,,,, but Bush knew Cheney was guilty and would not completely pardon him just kept him out of prison, It is still on his record.Cheney was livid with Bush about that.

[abbe91]

Actually, much worse than that. What Cheney ended up outing was not just Plame but Brewster-Jennings, an important part of our intelligence gathering on WMD proliferation with a focus on ... (suspense) ... Iran.

[lambor59]

People should protest on the streets the way the Iranians do...

[earlysaid]

No surprise with this ruling since republicans control the Supreme Court. Bush was their boy in the whitehouse you should recall. It is disgusting that justice can be denied for heinous acts of treason and corruption that took place under Bush and Cheney.

[dwilson59]

Heinous acts!!!!! Get over it

[lambor59]

The U.S. Court of Appeals said that Plame and Wilson did not meet the legal standard for constitutional claims

What a joke. This supreme court is full of thugs.

[pauldia-2009]

she was not covert and the leaker was Richard Armitage. But I guess facts don't matter.

[toldyouso29]

We should all out agents or break any other US law. As long as the law does not mention us specifically by name or job title--we all should get off, scott free.

[toldyouso29]

"The U.S. Court of Appeals said that Plame and Wilson did not meet the legal standard for constitutional claims, in part because the lawsuit hinges on alleged violations of the Privacy Act - a law that does not cover the president or the vice president's offices."

..so when people continually say "no man is above the law" they forgot the second verse? "..except the President or Vice President"?

[toldyouso29]

Congress, White house, SCOTUS--all peopled by lawyers or former lawyers. Lawyers and the system always works to protect each other.If they prosecute an errant judge or attorney--it is NOT because that person is simply bad or corrupt--it is because that person has run afoul of their club and as a member of the club --NOT in good standing--is "allowed" to be punished. Cops, Lawyers and Judges have always been above the law--no matter what form their next office is in.

[TheMasses0004]

Inequality and injustice for all ..............

[DocD--2008]

"If the law in question does not pertain to the President and Vice-President then no law has been broken."

If a law is passed pertaining to all the people of the US, and not to the President and Vice-President, then the law in itself is a violation of the Constitution.