Citizen Spook Wednesday, Oct 27, 2005
Citizen Spook is rather pissed off today. My favorite blog on
TreasonGate up until yesterday was Jane Hamsher's "Firedoglake".
I linked to
Firedoglake earlier this
week. That blog has been great fun, cool pictures, well written,
insightful, and interesting legal analysis by Hamsher's colleague
Reddhead as well. But yesterday Hamsher really pissed me off.
WHY DOESN'T JANE GET "IT"?
QUESTION: Why didn't Joe Wilson
publish his OP ED, "What I Didn't Find in Africa" before our
soldiers were sent off to Iraq? Why was Wilson sitting on this
analysis before our soldiers were sent off to the slaughter? I'll
answer that later, but it's the big question.
I truly thought Jane was a good candidate for understanding the
"Joe Wilson is in cahoots with Bush
crime family"
scenario.
Boy was I wrong. Yesterday she implied that such thinking was from
"Wingnutia":
Wingnutia may want to impugn Wilson shamelessly, but Poppy called
him a "true American hero" and raised him to the rank of Ambassador
for the skillful way he handled himself in the midst of a very
delicate and dangerous situation during the first Iraq war.
She's falling right into the neocon trap that's been set from the
start -- Poppy Bush doesn't approve of Junior's neocon cabal so now
he's coming to the rescue.
POPPY BUSH DOESN'T APPROVE OF JUNIOR'S NEOCON CABAL AND NOW HE'S
COMING TO THE RESCUE.
It's Iran Contra all over again. W will feign ignorance, and who's
going to argue with that? Poppy's pals will come in, Scowcroft et al
are already sounding the trumpet. The new age neocon perps, Libby,
Rove, Cheney and others indicted will make a deal where they resign
and are pardoned. Then W will restock the liquor cabinet with
Poppy's old school cronies who have been running the show all along.
Get ready for it blogosphere. It's going to be everywhere, just like
the "anatomy of a smear" mantra Joe Wilson has been putting out. You
know, the "let's bitch slap Joe Wilson and subject ourselves to the
death penalty under the Espionage Act" crowd.
And Jane's drank the "smear" Kool Aid big time:
"If Bush wasn't in on the "smear
Wilson" campaign and didn't care about it, I have to believe he
would've told Ari to put a sock in it and focus instead on all the
great photo ops this current trip was affording him."
Jane has now moved to the town of Wingnutia. Wingnutia is the town
that only houses two kind of folk:
- Those who have Aspen roots (co-conspirators with Bush CrimeCO)
- Those who truly believe Joe Wilson is a hero.
A few months ago I broke the Espionage Act to the blogosphere as the
controlling law of Treasongate in a two part series on
18 USC 793 and
18 USC 794. Up until I
published these articles, the MM and blogosphere was focused
EXCLUSIVELY on the IIPA.
Firedoglake was right there with everybody else lapping it up from
Joe Wilson and David Corn, the two cheerleaders who were charged by
the Bush cabal with disseminating disinformation about the IIPA
indicating that it was the controlling law.
But since Citizen Spook broke the news that the Espionage mandates:
- life in prison or death
- is easier to prosecute
- was the motivation for the ridiculous shift from GWOT to GSAVE
the whole world has caught up and the Espionage Act is in play
everywhere.
Doesn't it bother you, Jane, that the man who is supposed to have
been hurt the most by the outing of Plame -- her husband Joe
Wilson-- was the main culprit in directing the world's attention
to
the IIPA?
In his book, interviews and newspaper articles, Wilson never once
mentions the Espionage Act, although he did say that the outing of
his wife was just like the outing of Aldrich Ames -- who was in fact
prosecuted and sentenced to life -- under the Espionage Act. Yet Joe
Wilson preferred to ignore that act which provides for a slam dunk
conviction under these facts and instead he cleverly tied you and
the rest of the country up with the minutiae of details necessary to
find guilt under the complicated IIPA.
"Naming her this way would have
compromised every operation, every relationship, every network with
which she had been associated in her entire career. This is the
stuff of Kim Philby and Aldrich Ames."
That is a direct quote given by Joseph Wilson to David Corn for the
infamous
report published on July 16,
2003, in The Nation wherein Corn exposed Plame's "undercover" status
as a CIA officer.
"This is the stuff of...Aldrich Ames."
Now that the Espionage Act is squarely in play, doesn't it seem odd
that Joe Wilson and David Corn were solely responsible for whoring
the IIPA to the world as the controlling law?
Doesn't it seem odd that Wilson wrote in his book that he didn't
think anybody at the White House would be prosecuted?
After all, Valerie was a NOC and she was outed.
AN AMERICAN SPY WORKING ON WMD AND HER ENTIRE DIVISION WAS OUTED BY
OTHER AMERICANS.
How can this not be espionage?
HOW CAN THIS NOT BE ESPIONAGE?
Joe Wilson, how can this not be espionage?
David Corn, how can this not be espionage?
Both of them never even mentioned the Espionage Act in two years of working this to the public.
Now the Espionage Act is on the tip of everybody's tongue, but not
back in July 2003 and not until July 28, 2005 when Citizen Spook
broke the story which was miraculously followed days later by
indictments in the AIPAC investigation -- under what law?
Give that blog junkie a cigar -- The Espionage Act.
The AIPAC indictments
returned by McNulty's grand jury came under 18
USC 793, The Espionage Act.
Ln Wilson's book, "The
Politics of Truth", he tells us that David Corn was out in front of
the pack by writing about the IIPA. From The Politics of Truth, page
4:
"David Corn, from The Nation magazine, had alerted me and later
written the first article pointing out that the disclosure by way of
the Novak article might have violated the 1982 IIPA. But whether
illegal or not, it was still an unwelcome intrusion into my wife's
private life..."
Whether illegal or not?
YOUR WIFE WAS A NOC WHO WAS OUTED, DUDE.
These people make me sick.
They really must believe they are invested with magical powers of
hypnosis.
C'mon, Jane. You're not zoning in on this shtick? Really?
So David Corn was the first pawn used to disseminate the spin that
the IIPA was the controlling law. And look at Wilson sew the subtle
innuendo "whether it was illegal or not." On page 349 of TPOT,
Wilson explains Corn's purpose:
"Corn then
published a detailed exploration of the law to ensure that other
journalists, as well as regular readers of The Nation, understood
all of the legalities involved."
That's some damning evidence right there. Because we know that statement is a bold faced lie
carefully designed to continue the illusion that the IIPA was the
controlling law.
ALL OF THE
LEGALITIES INVOLVED?
This is like, give me a damn
break, it's so cheesy... Does anybody reading this actually believe
Wilson and Corn were interested in educating people as to "all" of
the legalities involved?
Wilson and Corn, pied pipers
of the IIPA.
Wilson's book references the
IIPA on pages; xxxviii-xxxix, xl, 4, 346, 349, 350-351, 358-360,
384-385, 388, 395-396, and 445. Do you know how many times 18 USC
793 and 794 are mentioned? None, nada, zero. Why do you think that
is? Because Wilson never heard of these laws? No. This CIA couple
know the law inside out.
And they know the carnage that outing Plame caused to the operations
and operatives she was overseeing, people that trusted her whose
lives were in her hands.
From page 446 of Wilson's book:
"We worry about our personal security, but there is little we can
do."
You could have stayed off the over of Vanity Fair, that would have
been a start, Joe.
Nobody dared publish a photo of Plame...until she posed with her
husband for the January '04 issue of Vanity Fair. Wasn't it bad
enough that her name got out, that her front company was exposed?
Why would she follow through by mugging for the camera in Vanity
Fair? Isn't that just putting her in more jeopardy? Isn't that
making it even easier for enemy agents both here and in foreign
lands to reconcile her likeness?
You'd think, out of respect for her fellow agents she'd lay low and
stay out of the spotlight, but "Valerie was always a star in her
profession". (page 446)
Now more than ever.
It's open season on the NOCS she supervised, the NOCS out there in the field gathering evidence
on who?
Who do you think?
From page 447 of Wilson's
book:
"We had assumed that on the day the Novak article appeared, every
intelligence office in Washington, and probably all those around the
world, were running Valerie's name through their databases. Foreign
intelligence services would not attack us, but they might as well
threaten any contacts Valerie might have made in their countries,
and they would certainly be eager to unearth operations she might
have been involved in.
International terrorist organizations were a different story,
however. There was a history of international terrorists attacking
exposed officers."
So they go on the cover of Vanity Fair like this was a bad episode
of Jane Bond.
And Wilson goes on the Daily
Show for jokes with Jon Stewart. From page 358:
"Jon was
so humorous that I found myself laughing heartily right along with
the audience..."
From page 384:
"An
officer had been exposed, an act that threatened many intelligence
professionals."
It's hilarious, isn't it, Mr.
Wilson?
In "The CIA at War", by Ronald Kessler, the Vanity Fair photo was
discussed on pages 344-345:
"Their claims to have been victimized by the Bush white house were
destroyed when they agreed to be photographed sitting in their
Jaguar for the January issue of Vanity Fair. Wilson claimed that the
fact that his forty-year old wife wore sunglasses and a scarf
disguised her. But anyone she dealt with overseas could clearly
recognize her..."
'They risked undermining any possible prosecution by their public
statements and appearances,' said John L. Martin who, as Chief of
the Justice Department's counterespionage section, was in charge of
supervising leak investigations. 'The scarf and the sunglasses worn
in the Vanity Fair picture was a sham.' "
In fact, the CIA never would have given permission to appear in a
photograph. No doubt because of that, she never asked. Agency
officials were stunned."
...Not only had Wilson and Plame subverted their own posturing as
victims of the Bush White House, they had undermined the integrity
of the CIA's clandestine program to collect intelligence using
covert officers. If a CIA officer took her duty to remain in a
clandestine role so lightly it could make agents leery of risking
their lives to provide intelligence to other CIA officers."
Wilson and Plame behaved as if they were trying to make the Bush
administration's case for a defense to the IIPA.
Read that again.
I don't believe you read it again, so here it is in big bold
print...
Wilson and Plame behaved as if they were trying to make the Bush
administration's case for a defense to the IIPA.
By showing up in public as they have done, they lend credence to the
Bush talking points which argue that Plame's status at the CIA was
not covert and that blowing her cover was no big deal. Their gambit
was based on the arrogant self belief they could trick the nation
into believing its laws against espionage don't exist.
Under 18 USC 794, it doesn't matter if she was covert, it only
matters whether her name and position were "related to the public
defense". Don't forget that State Department memo though. The
paragraph her name appeared in was marked "(S)" for secret, and
according to a Bush Executive order, that meant her name and job
were classified info.
The memo is prima facie proof of her status.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT MEMO IS PRIMA FACIE PROOF OF PLAME'S STATUS.
Wilson certainly can't claim ignorance of the law. He's issued
detailed analysis of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, on
the record, during a public Q&A at one of his glorious book
signings, recorded by William Kaminsky, wherein Wilson discussed the
intricacies of the IIPA and explained in great detail that
convictions under that act were unlikely. He exhibited a great
knowledge of that law while forwarding the diversionary spin started
by his pal, David Corn.
From
Kaminsky's blog :
Meeting Joe Wilson (Part 1 of 2)
On Thursday night, the venerable
and most definitely left-leaning Harvard Book Store held a
lecture/question and answer session/book signing event with
Ambassador Joseph Wilson...
First of all, Ambassador Wilson has
every confidence in the dedication and prosecutorial skills of
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.
However, Wilson concedes a point
many of the Administration's defenders make: it will be extremely
hard to convict anyone of violating the most serious (and most often
discussed) of the applicable laws, namely the Intelligence
Identities Protection Act of 1982 (United States Code, Title 50,
Sections 421-426). Rather, Wilson thought that a prosecutor wanting
a winnable case would have to settle for the weaker charge of
disclosure of classified information (United States Code, Title 18,
Section 798)...While technically disclosure of classified
information can be a felony carrying the same maximum penalty of a
fine and 10 years imprisonment as violation of
the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, it apparently can also
be prosecuted as a misdemeanor charge, and this is what Wilson
thought likely...
I guess it's a real good thing for the American people that Patrick
Fitzgerald is the special prosecutor and not Joe Wilson.
More from Kaminsky,
Wilson offered two reasons for his
pessimism:
1. The Intelligence Identities Protection Act explicitly says that it is a valid defense versus
prosecution to claim an operative's identity has previously been revealed...
It is clear that the
Administration's defenders intend to use this defense...
But anyways, when all is said and done, this isn't the main reason why Ambassador Wilson is
pessimistic about the prospects of a successful prosecution under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. Instead, his main reason
is:
1. Right at its outset, the Act qualifies that disclosing a covert operative's identity is illegal only if it is done intentionally and in the knowledge that the government is still actively maintaining a cover for operative...
Wilson said he believed that anyone accused under the Act thus could successfully mount the defense that he or she knew only that Valerie Plame was employed by the CIA and not that the CIA actively maintained a cover (or covers) for her as an operative in the Clandestine Service who was active in the last 5
years.
His book does start with a section called, "Anatomy Of A Smear". And
that's the talking point. We've exposed it, but they're still
holding on with their teeth.
The "smear" Kool aid.
It breaks my heart that Hamsher has bought into this bullshit, or
"fucking bullshit" as she might say. Don't get me wrong, her dirty
mouth is refreshing and I'm a huge "Natural Born Killers" fan. And
this is why I give her the benefit of the doubt. I don't put Hamsher
in the same zip code of Wingnutia as David Corn. Corn is an Aspen,
Hamsher has simply been deceived.
The Espionage Act is spreading fear throughout the neocon land of
Aspen and the wingnutia brigade has been given its Espionage talking
points. The spin on the Espionage Act has been laughable, totally
ridiculous. I'll take a microscope to some of the recent discussion
from the Bush wingnuts about the Espionage Act in a follow up blog.
But for now, let me leave you with the following two anomalies
emanating from Joe Wilson's actions:
1. Why didn't Joe Wilson publish his OP ED, "What I Didn't
Find in Africa" before our soldiers were sent off to Iraq?
Why was Wilson sitting on this analysis before our soldiers were
sent off to the slaughter?
ANSWER: He would have developed the same devoted following
he has now before the war started, and this would have seriously
damaged the chances of the Iraq war resolution form being passed.
Wilson could ahave been a genuine hero and stopped the war by
speaking up about what he didn't find in Africa before the troops
were sent there to die.
2. How the hell can you give Wilson a pass as to his misleading
statements given to Walter Pincus about the forged Niger documents?
Back on July 20, 2004
The Daily Howler
did an excellent analysis of this issue and the
Senate Intelligence Report
it pertains to:
According to the Committee report, Wilson misstated to Walter
Pincus of the Washington Post, in an interview for a 6/12/03
report-an interview conducted at a time when Wilson was still
anonymous. According to the report, Wilson told Pincus that he had
determined, as part of his trip, that the famous Niger documents
were forged. The problem: Wilson had never seen these forged
documents. Indeed, the documents weren't even in US hands when he
took his trip to Niger. According to the Committee report, Wilson
"told Committee staff that he was the source" of the Pincus article.
Here's the way the Senate report recorded Wilson's explanation for
his apparent misstatement:
SENATE INTELLIGENCE REPORT (page 45): The former ambassador said
that he may have "misspoken" to the reporter when he said he
concluded the documents were "forged." He also said he may have
become confused about his own recollection after the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in March 2003 that the names
and dates on the documents were not correct and may have thought he
had seen the names himself.
Since that idea is clownish and absurd on its face, one would surely
want to hear Wilson's fuller response to this allegation. Sadly, he
only pretended to respond in his letter to the Committee; as anyone
can see, he gives a groaning "non-response response." He offers
irrelevant, meandering points, basically noting that, on other
occasions, he didn't claim to have seen the forged documents.
(Please note: In the letter, he never denies that he misstated this
matter to Pincus.)
Liars get caught. Joe Wilson was trying to get caught. Wilson has
been given the role of multitasking. The OP ED started the fire.
Then he douses it with the IIPA. He lies to Pincus knowing he'll get
busted which gives his Aspen cronies the ammunition to attack him.
THIS IS ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS. Look over here at the IIPA. Look how
tough it is to get a conviction. Look at all the different
diversions we can hit you with.
But don't look behind this curtain, the one hiding the Espionage
Act. No no no. Don't look over there, nothing to look at.
They failed and now they are really sweating. This was an elaborate
game they were playing. Multi levels of deceit to expose Plame's
network, Brewster Jennings etc. They were onto something big which
had to be stopped. Outing Plame and BJ must have been the only way
to make sure they were stopped.
Don't believe in double agents, Jane? C'mon. What world are you
living in? Wingnutia. Sell your home there and move.
http://citizenspook.blogspot.com/
citizenspook@hotmail.com
The Controlling Law - Big Trouble
For The White House Staff
The Controlling Law, Part 2: THE DEATH PENALTY, 18 USC 794
and the shift from GWOT to GSAVE
Total Media BLACK OUT of 18 USC 794, Federal Espionage Statute
How The White House, Wilson, Novak,
Corn & Plame Conspired
The Federal Grand Jury, FOURTH BRANCH
of the US Government
The US Attorney General's Office AND President Bush
Have NO
LEGAL AUTHORITY To Remove Patrick Fitzgerald As Special Counsel
The Challenge of 18 USC 794...
Prior High Profile Convictions Under 18 USC 794
US Court of Appeals: Special Counsel's Showing Decides
The Case
Iraq War fraud could lead to State court prosecutions for murder of
American soldiers
NIGER DOCUMENT FRAUD --Wilson and Plame May Be on
Fitzgerald's Radar for Treason Related to the Niger Document Conspiracy
Wilson Is In Cahoots With Bush Crime Family
Project Perfect Storm:
Citizen Activism against Felony Murder Resulting
from Fraud that Led to the Iraq War
July 18th Chicago Subway/Dirksen Federal Courthouse
Bomb plot
involving British MI6 assets -Part 1:Chicago Police Implicated in Cover
up?
July 18 Chicago Subway/Dirksen Federal Courthouse
Plot
Involving British MI6-Part 2: CTA Officials Deny Chicago Police Accounts
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