Judge Threatens "Gag Order"

JP5 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-14-2006, 06:52 PM

"The federal judge presiding over the pending trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby threatened yesterday to impose a gag order barring statements or disclosures to the news media by Libby's defense team or by the special prosecutor investigating alleged wrongdoing by the former White House official."

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walston did not explain exactly what provoked his pique, but he wrote in his order that "on several occasions information has been distributed to the press by counsel, which has included not only public statements, but also the dissemination of material that had not been filed on the public docket."

"He made the threat a week after special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is investigating leaks to the media by administration officials about a CIA operative, wrote in a court filing that President Bush and Vice President Cheney had authorized Libby to release information to the media from a classified intelligence report."

Oops. More trouble for Patrick Fitzgerald and his cae. Or lack therof.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...041301687.html

SenaxFlatulus · #2 (**permalink**) 04-15-2006, 10:14 PM

Mark Levin has a few interesting things to add to the debate over the relevance of the charges:

Quote:

Since Patrick Fitzgerald refuses to inform the Libby defense team, the Court, or the country whether Valerie Plame was, in fact, an undercover CIA operative, here's a suggestion to Libby's legal team: Seek the deposition of Valerie Plame, force Fitzgerald's hand (he will oppose it as irrelevant to his case), and explain to the Court that the deposition relates directly to Fitzgerald's October 28, 2005 public statement to, among others, potential jurors when he brought the charges. Fitzgerald said, in part:

... Before I talk about those charges and what the indictment alleges, I'd like to put the investigation into a little context.

Valerie Wilson was a CIA officer. In July 2003, the fact that Valerie Wilson was a CIA officer was classified. Not only was it classified, but it was not widely known outside the intelligence community

... The fact that she was a CIA officer was not well-known, for her protection or for the benefit of all us. It's important that a CIA officer's identity be protected, that it be protected not just for the officer, but for the nation's security.

Valerie Wilson's cover was blown in July 2003. The first sign of that cover being blown was when Mr. Novak published a column on July 14th, 2003.

In October, Fitzgerald felt this "context" was very important, even though his charges had nothing to do with it. The defense team should hammer this now, through the trial, and in its closing argument. Not only is Libby's credibility at issue, but so too is Fitzgerald's.

Fitzgerald made another point at his press conference which we now know to be inaccurate. He said, in part:

... Mr. Libby was the first official known to have told a reporter when he talked to Judith Miller in June of 2003 about Valerie Wilson.

http://levin.nationalreview.com/

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