|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
White House Official Charged in CIA Leak Case
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff I. Lewis Libby was indicted on five felony charges in connection with the investigation into the leaking of a CIA operative’s name, the New York Times reported Saturday (see GSN, Oct. 17). Libby was charged with one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of making false statements to FBI investigators and two counts of lying to the grand jury. He was not charged with leaking the name of CIA operative Valerie Wilson, who was outed in an attempt to discredit her husband former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Wilson was critical of the Bush administration’s use of nuclear weapon intelligence in the run up to the Iraq war. The indictment portrays the vice president’s office as very involved in an effort to discredit Amb. Wilson. Several weeks before his wife was identified in a column by Robert Novak, Cheney told Libby the operative worked in the CIA’s weapons proliferation division. If convicted, Libby could face up to 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines. He immediately resigned after being charged. President Bush said that he was “saddened” by the news but would “remain wholly focused on the many issues and opportunities facing this country.” Vice President Cheney said that Libby was “one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known” (Johnston/Stevenson, New York Times, Oct. 29). The investigation into the leak of Wilson’s name stems from the controversy over whether Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium from Niger to use in atomic bombs, USA Today reported. In February 2002 Wilson was sent to Niger at the Wilson’s suggestion to investigate the claim. Wilson found the claims that Iraq was trying to purchase uranium faulty. U.S. intelligence services also were not clear on the matter. However, Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address said, “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” In June 2003, three months after Iraq was invaded, the CIA formally stated that “we no longer believe that there is sufficient reporting to conclude that Iraq pursued uranium from abroad.” Chief weapons inspector Charles Duefler also said his team had “not found evidence to show that Iraq sought uranium from abroad” after reviewing Iraqi documents and speaking with Iraqi officials (John Diamond, USA Today, Oct. 31).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
