The Answer Is...Armitage Not Rove

Ex-Colleague Says Armitage Was Source of CIA Leak

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 29, 2006; Page A06

The leak of information about an undercover CIA employee that provoked a special prosecutor's investigation of senior White House officials came from then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, according to a former Armitage colleague at the department.

Armitage told newspaper columnist Robert D. Novak in the summer of 2003 that Valerie Plame, the wife of a prominent critic of the Iraq war, worked for the CIA, the colleague said. In October of that year, Armitage admitted to senior State Department officials that he had made the remark, which was based on a classified report he had read.

Novak collected what he considered to be a confirming comment from White House political strategist Karl Rove, then wrote a column in July 2003 that cited Plame's CIA employment as a reason to question the credentials of the critic, former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.

In 2002, the CIA sent Wilson to Niger to determine whether Iraq was seeking nuclear material there. He subsequently accused the White House of distorting intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.

So now we know. It was not Rove (the malevolent master of all Democrat nightmares). We also know that Prosecutor Fitzgerald has been on a witch hunt. He knew in the first few days who the source of the leak was, yet instead of folding up his tent and going home, he has pursued an inquisition apparently with the sole goal of making a name for himself.

If he already knew who was involved, why did he feel it necessary to set the FBI out to entrap Scooter Libby into committing perjury?

I know the Libs just hate this revelation because Armitage was one of their heroes in this administration.

Full Story: Should We Frog-March Armitage?

What do you think?

To leave your opinion click on the word "COMMENT(S)" below