Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has announced that Karl Rove will not be indicted for his part in L’Affaire de Plame:
The prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case on Monday advised Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, that he would not be charged with any wrongdoing, effectively ending the nearly three-year criminal investigation that had at times focused intensely on Mr. Rove.(HT: STACLU)The decision by the prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, announced in a letter to Mr. Rove’s lawyer, Robert D. Luskin, lifted a pall that had hung over Mr. Rove who testified on five occasions to a federal grand jury about his involvement in the disclosure of an intelligence officer’s identity.
Unfortunately, that “pall” which was lifted from Mr. Rove has descended like the cone of silence over internet fabricator and noted liar Jason Leopold who as recently as last night wrote this for Truthout.org still trying to justify his article last month that stated flatly Mr. Rove would be “indicted within 24 hours.” And what is truly unbelievable is the contrast with how Leopold presents his evidence. Here is Leopold’s article from last night:
Four weeks ago, during the time when we reported that White House political adviser Karl Rove was indicted for crimes related to his role in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, the grand jury empanelled in the case returned an indictment that was filed under seal in US District Court for the District of Columbia under the curious heading of Sealed vs. Sealed.As of Friday afternoon that indictment, returned by the grand jury the week of May 10th, remains under seal – more than a month after it was handed up by the grand jury.
The case number is “06 cr 128.” On the federal court’s electronic database, “06 cr 128” is listed along with a succinct summary: “No further information is available.”
We have not seen the contents of the indictment “06 cr 128”. But the fact that this indictment was returned by the grand jury hearing evidence in the CIA leak case on a day that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald met with the grand jury raised a number of questions about the identity of the defendant named in the indictment, whether it relates to the leak case, and why it has been under seal for a month under the heading Sealed vs. Sealed.
Now contrast the above caveat-laden article with this piece from last month that had Rove doing the perp walk from his office in the White House straight into the slammer:
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove.During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 business hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning.
Robert Luskin, Rove’s attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.
Note how the story has morphed from Fitzgerald actually serving Rove with an indictment to some unknown indictment in an unknown case being handed down by an unknown prosecutor for an unknown crime.
Great reporting, Jason.
It will do no good to point out Leopold’s foibles to our friends on the left who seem to have a curious soft spot for this misanthropic serial fabricator. Maybe it is the fact that he is an admitted drug addict (a state that lasts a lifetime whether one uses drugs or not) or perhaps it is, as Jeff Goldstein points out, that he speaks truth to power and therefore is forgiven his many sins of omission and commission.
Whatever reason the left will not abandon him, I am happy to report that we will indeed have Jason Leopold to kick around some more thus curing conservative bloggers of writers block whenever an article of his makes an appearance. Since Truthout.Org is probably the bottom of the barrel as far as internet publications go, one would expect Leopold to continue trolling the depths of stupidity and loutishness in his quest to see how many prevarications he can get away with before the decent left gives him the permanent heave-ho.
As for the story of Rove’s non-indictment, this development makes one wonder about Fitzgerald’s case against Libby. Will Rove testify against his former aide? And could that have been the price for his reprieve?
I have my own ghosts to expunge here because for the last year I have been predicting that Rove would be indicted. Clarice Feldman at The American Thinker tried knocking some sense into me several times by telling me that Fitzy didn’t have a thing on Rove and that I was making way too much of press coverage of the story.
Clarice was right. I was dead wrong.
I will be following this story today by reading Tom McGuire and Clarice Feldman who I’m sure are busy at the moment gathering their thoughts so that they can tell us “what it all means.” Check back here for updates on this breaking story.
UPDATE: NO ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE THIS KIND OF IRONY
Mark Ash, Executive Director of Truthout.Org penned an article last night that is one of the saddest examples I can remember of an editor standing behind a writer and then being betrayed by the march of events.
Now for what we believe: We believe that federal criminal indictment “06 cr 128” (Sealed vs. Sealed) is directly related to the Fitzgerald/Plame investigation. That’s based on a single credible source and the information discussed above. We believe that Karl Rove is cooperating with federal investigators, and for that reason Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is not willing to comment on his status. That is based, again, on a single credible source, and background information provided by experts in federal criminal law. We believe that the indictment was returned and filed “on May 10 2006.” Same single credible source, and details from the filing records. We believe that if any of the key facts that we have reported were materially false or inaccurate some statement to that effect would be forthcoming from Fitzgerald’s staff. That is based on the same single credible source.
No mention of the person being indicted was Karl Rove which at least relieves Mr. Ash of the ignominy of being proved wrong less than 24 hours of assuring his readers that the “key facts” of the article written last month by Leopold was accurate.
One has to admire Mr. Ash’s loyalty but at the same time, question his judgment in supporting someone who has made him look like a fool.
UPDATE II: McGUIRE WEIGHS IN
Tom McGuire tells us what it all means and acknowleges his erroneous prognistication regarding Rove’s indictment:
Two quick guesses as to why there was no indictment:
(a) The Libby indictment looks very much like a failed attempt to force Libby to cooperate, presumably by testifying against Dick Cheney. Evidently, the prospect of a second failed attempt held little appeal for Fitzgerald.
(b) The Armitage angle made a Rove indictment problematic except as a package deal…
And Clarice Feldman emails me with her immediate thoughts:
You might want to simply quote Tom Maguire who’s getting punched around on his own site because he always thought Rove would be indicted. (I bet Fitz wishes he could take back the Libby indictment, tt.) C
He may yet.
And what update would be complete without an update from the man who invented the update…or maybe he just popularized it. Or not:
Did someone here order the crap sandwich?
Update: Har. When you click the “Mr. Fitzgerald calling†graphic on Truthout’s front page, it takes you to this.
Soooo… When do they frogmarch Jason Leopold off the office premises?
Update: Leave your predictions below about how Truthout will spin this. Given their track record, ain’t no way no chance no how they’re going to apologize forthrightly.
Actually, I’ll refine my request. Leave your predictions below about which members of the administration they’ll inevitably accuse of being involved in the conspiracy to “silence Fitzgerald.â€
Michelle Malkin calls it “Rove Derangement Syndrome” Day. She has some good links as usual with Mark Coffey’s “Top Ten” lefty reactions absolutely priceless.
Check out Pat Curley’s “Twas the Night before Fitzmas.”
7:39 am
But but but….Truthout said…!
Rove – you magnificent bastard!
7:45 am
Rove Won’t Be Charged in C.I.A. Leak Case
Just wanted to post this news real quick: NY Times:
The prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case on Monday advised Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, that he would not be charged with any wrongdoing, effectively ending the nearly three-year crimina…
7:49 am
[...] Jason Leopold is gonna catch an epic dose of mockination today… it’s gonna be downright biblical, the wave of shit that’s gonna hit this twit…. Brace yourself, son; the pain’s about to come! [...]
7:51 am
Jason Leopold Misses The Boat
Memo to Jason Leopold: I’m pretty sure that comment about baseless speculation was generally aimed at you. Stop listening to the voices. Get help.
8:08 am
Jason Leopold, Call Your Office
Truthout.org, June 12 2006: Four weeks ago, during the time when we reported that White House political adviser Karl Rove was indicted for crimes related to his role in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, the grand…
8:32 am
Plame Game – Rove Cleared (of course) DU on suicid
Well it’s official – although your’s truly told you all along – Rove won’t be frog-marched.”WASHINGTON – Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald h …
8:39 am
Rove Cleared – Moonbats Sad
Fresh from DRUDGE:
“On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove.
“In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the s
9:50 am
Cleared and No Charges for Karl Rove
Another bad day or should I say week for liberals, boo hoo!! (smiling) President Bush’s Adviser Karl Rove will not be indicted or charged in the “Valerie Plame Case.” Oh let us not forget the liberal media has to report it with their teeth grindi …..
9:58 am
This isn’t all bad for Leopold…I read somewhere the NYT is looking for correspondents with his kind of experience.
10:03 am
No Charges For Rove Means He Focuses Full Attention On Political Role
A lot of the news and weblog assumptions of the past few months have been swept away with news that White House political guru Karl Rove will not be indicted in the Plamegate case — a case that many reports had suggested had distracted Rove from …
10:24 am
[...] Right Wing Nut House [...]
10:48 am
Rove Won’t Be Charged in CIA Leak Case
Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won’t be charged with any crimes in t
11:26 am
Karl Rove Cleared, Leopold Weeps
From CNN:WASHINGTON (CNN)—White House senior adviser Karl Rove has been told by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald that he will not be charged in the CIA leak case, according to Robert Luskin, Rove’s lawyer. In deference to the pending
11:51 am
You’re a better man than I, Rick. I must admit that whenever I see the true believers’ posts in the sinesphere, it takes enormous restraint not to proceed with some plan to scam them out of house and home.
11:56 am
[...] Right Wing Nut House [...]
2:32 pm
Just anopther reminder of the merciless lens that has become the internet. When you f*** up, it’s forever…
3:19 pm
Wow. So Jason Leopold’s Rove “indictment” turns out to be a fantasy.
Drug habit. Plagarism. Serial lying. Bouts with mental illness.
But that’s not the worst of it- he used to work for the LA Times.
8:20 pm
I noticed at blog: MIGHTY GREEK WRITING MACHINE, AND IT HAS A REAL SMEAR CAMPAIGN BEGINNING ABOUT JASON LEOPOLD. I GUESS JASON CAN PRETEND TO KNOW, BUT CAN’T TAKE IT IN THE END. THE SITE IS HTTP://MIGHTYGREEKWRITINGMACHINE1.BLOGSPOT.COM.
JASON LEOPOLD ACCORDING TO ONE SOURCE DOES NOT ANSWER E-MAILS. IF SO, HE SHOULD TAKE HIS ADDRESS OFF HIS PRETEND WEBSITE.
5:32 am
Rick – Doesn’t it strike you as odd that we are discussing this as if the guy had just been aquitted by a jury? Prosecutors always say that a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich, so many of us, I guess, had just been guessing, based on emotion.
11:23 am
Rove helped out plame. President stated publically, he wanted to know, those involved would be held accountable. Not charged… whatever. Incompetence, no accountability. Same old song and dance. You all can flog this straw man all night long. Does not change the fact, this Administration outed an agent. Congratualtions on your big “win”.
11:55 am
This is all quite simple, really. There are undisputed facts on the table, all we need do is look at them.
Karl Rove testified to the grand jury and did not tell the truth.
When evidence emerged that revealed that, he claimed he “forgot”.
Given how unbelievable this is, Fitz investigated to find a way to nail him.
Rove decided to cooperate from that point on, and Fitz was unable to amass sufficient evidence to disprove a defense of forgetfulness.
We can all reach our own conclusions about the plasuability of the defense, and the character of Rove.
Oh, and as for the “left” and Leopold, it would certainly behoove Mr. Moran to actually read some of the lefty blogs and comments to see how they are reacting to Leopold, before making baseless charges.
1:04 am
If I were you I would be very, very careful about calling Leopold a serial fabricator unless you can back it up with proof. Leopold has been known to sue—and win—for libel and defamation. Just a warning. There’s a truckload of material available for you to use to make your case but I don’t think you should start making things up like calling him a serial fabricator when you have no proof. I’m just sayin’. Could get very expensive for you and very ugly.
1:07 am
Also, you’re lovely president is a coke head and your radio hero, Rush Limbaugh, is a pill popper. That’s the thing about the right, you’re all such a bunch of hypocrites. You call homosexuality an abomination and then take it up the ass when you go home.
2:15 pm
The Shirts Get Browner
The saga of the self-destruction of Jason Leopold continues with Larry Johnson threatening legal action against me for things I did not do.
11:14 am
Now I’m confused. Is johnson strummers a Jason Leopold sock puppet, or a Larry Johnson one?
11:37 pm
Hi boys!508cfb1207e8abeb2417e890715eaaae