Republicans are hailing this as an exoneration of Karl Rove. However, I don't think it is that clear.
This portion of the email from Rove to Stephen Hadley, then deputy National Security Advisor, was obtained by the Associated Press:
"Matt Cooper called to give me a heads-up that he's got a welfare reform story coming. When he finished his brief heads-up he immediately launched into Niger. Isn't this damaging? Hasn't the president been hurt? I didn't take the bait, but I said if I were him I wouldn't get Time far out in front on this."
As a reminder, here is how Cooper characterized that same conversation in an email to his editor:
it was, KR said, wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd [weapons of mass destruction] issues who authorized the trip.
So, if you are following closely, someone is lying. Either Cooper heard something that Rove didn't say or Rove said something that he isn't reporting to Hadley.
Either way, this isn't over.
Update: The media has learned more about the memo that may have been the source of Valerie Plame's identification and her link to Wilson's trip to Africa. According to the article, the memo may have been delivered to Colin Powell while aboard Air Force One on or around July 7, 2003. The question being asked by Fitzgerald is, "who saw the memo?" Likely viewers include Ari Fleischer and other top administration officials who were onboard the flying White House at the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment