The BRAD BLOG

Many are now speaking of the '12-Hour Gap' between the time White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales was told by the Department of Justice about the official investigation into the unprecedented outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame and the time he "officially" notified the White House to preserve all documents relating to the investigation.

We now know, of course, that Gonzales first told White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card about the investigation the night before he gave "official" notice to the White House, thus giving them a full 12 hours heads-up before "shredding" evidence would be in official violation of the DoJ order.

Since that matter came to light on Sunday, we've also learned the '12-Hour Gap' was as likely a full '3-and-a-half Day Headstart', since MSNBC had reported on the investigation some 84 hours prior to Gonzales' giving "official" notice to the White House.

And today, we're now reminded, vis a vis a letter from several Judiciary Committee Democrats, that the DoJ had actually spent a total of 67 days before answering the official CIA request for an investigation into the matter!

Back in February of '04, Josh Marshall reported on a letter sent by the CIA on January 30, 2004 in reply to Rep. John Conyers' (D-MI) request for information related to the outing after he had requested the DoJ appoint a Special Prosecutor in the matter (eventually, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed to the case).

Today, Conyers and nine other Democratic members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the DoJ's Inspector General, Glenn A. Fine, asking for an investigation into both that '12-Hour Gap' and what appears now to have been a full 67 Day Gap between the time the CIA had first requested a DoJ investigation, and the time the DoJ actually began one!

In today's letter to DoJ Inspector General, Glenn Fine, the Congressional Democrats point out that Gonzales did not follow the practice for such matters (Jesse of Stakeholder has the full text of the letter):

For example, this twelve hour head start is a clear and troubling departure from Department practice. When White House contacts with Enron became essential to that investigation, then-Deputy Attorney General Christopher Wray immediately directed the White House to preserve all e-mails, memos, notes, letters and other documents from Enron employees or "any individual acting officially or unofficially, directly or indirectly on behalf" of the company. Less than an hour after receiving the directive, Mr. Gonzales issued an "administrative alert" directing officials to comply.

Equally as disturbing, however --- perhaps even more so --- is the information detailed in the letter concerning the DoJ's footdragging after being notified by the CIA of the outing of a covert agent! (A copy of the entire original letter from the CIA to Conyers from January 2004, detailing the following, is at the end of this article).

The key points on this are outlined in today's letter:

1. On July 24, 2003, a CIA attorney left a phone message for the Chief of the Counterespionage Section of the Department of Justice noting his concern with recent stories apparently exposing the identity of Valerie Plame, an employee of the agency working under cover. There was apparently no response from the Department.
2. On July 30, 2003, the CIA reported to the Criminal Division of the DOJ a possible violation of criminal law concerning the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. There was apparently no response from the Department.

3. The CIA again transmitted their concerns by facsimile on September 5, 2003.

4. On September 16, in accordance with the Agency's standard practice in these matters, the CIA advised the Department that it had completed its own investigation of the matter, provided a memorandum setting forth the results of the investigation and requested that the FBI undertake a criminal investigation of the matter.

5. Finally, on September 29, 2003-sixty-seven days after the initial concerns were expressed by CIA employees --- the DOJ responded and advised the CIA that the Counterespionage Division had requested that the FBI initiate an investigation of this matter.

Thus, it appears, that not only did DOJ personnel countenance a 12-hour delay in notifying White House staff to preserve all records (while the White House Chief of Staff was given a heads up of the existence of the investigation), but that the DOJ also appears to have ignored repeated entreaties from the CIA to initiate a law enforcement investigation into this matter several months before hand. We would therefore urge you to examine the extent that this course of conduct and other delays by the Department are consistent with standards of prosecutorial conduct and integrity.

And here is a copy of the original letter sent from the CIA's Director of Congressional Affairs, Stanley M. Moskowitz to John Conyers in response to his initial inquiry...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

Looks like the GOP bootlickers in the fake "conservative" "media" received their latest marching orders today sometime around 11am ET this morning.

With their backs against the wall vis a vis TreasonGate, they've been given some fresh smear ammo, apparently, to try and help the White House minimize and obfuscate their unprecedented outing of a covert CIA operative.

Since smearing Ambassador Joe Wilson and his wife have failed, it's time to go after those who have been standing up for them apparently. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, who testified at last Friday's joint House and Senate Democratic Hearings on TreasonGate (Republicans, apparently, being not particulary concerned about unprecedented breaches of National Security) is apparently the next target for the fake media operatives from the Right. Johnson, who voted for Bush in 2000, also gave Saturday's response to Bush's radio address.

First out of the closet to attack, naturally, was phony reporter Jeff Gannon at 11:40am ET:

But Johnson...did offer his opinions in July 10, 2001 article in the New York Times. In the piece titled, "The Declining Terrorist Threat," Johnson said that except for pursuing business interests in some dangerous places Americans "have little to fear" from terrorism.

And a scant 31 minutes later, Gary Schmitt of The Project for the New American Century (yes, PNAC) posted on Rupert Murdoch's Daily Standard:

On July 10, 2001--two months before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon--Johnson wrote an op-ed for the New York Times ("The Declining Terrorist Threat") in which he argued that Americans were "bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism" and, in truth, had "little to fear" from terrorism.

Seriously guys, can't you even try to act like actual reporters? Perhaps the Talking Points should come with a schedule or something, so everyone doesn't repeat them at once.

Anybody out there feel like sharing those Talking Points from which both Gannon and Schmitt were obviously cribbing with us here at The BRAD BLOG? We actually do respect the confidentiality of sources, so you can rest assured it'll be our secret whoever decides to email them to us.

Though, in truth, the only folks currently shilling the Smear Johnson line are deep deep inside GOP operatives of the lowest level, so they probably received a phone call instead of a piece of paper. Paper being all too traceable these days, and phonecalls requiring a subpeona from a Special Prosecutor before one has to lie about them.

First one to spot the attacks coming against Patrick Fitzgerald, please let us know. (Whoops, looks like Kos has already spotted it! Hat tip to David Edwards for finding it just before we hit the "publish" button!)

Oh, and here's a thought: Why not just hold those who have done things wrong accountable for their actions instead of smearing those who point it out?

Just a thought.

(Hat tip also to Crooks & Liars for pointing out Schmitt's attack!)

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