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Home Front: Politix
Leak Counsel Won't Charge Rove, Lawyer Announces
2006-06-13
Kos Kids go on mass suicide watch.
This had me clicking my heels in joy all morning.
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.

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.

In a statement, Mr. Luskin said, "On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove."

Mr. Fitzgerald's spokesman, Randall Samborn, said he would not comment on Mr. Rove's status.
RTWT, if only just to gloat. Oh, and that grinding sound you hear is the NYT's editorial board gnashing its teeth.
Too bad this didn't happen last week during Kos-Fest in Las Vegas, it would have made the Joe Wilson autograph signing something special.
Posted by:Slereth Whereque8037

#22  "It's beginning to look it's not like Fitzmas"
Posted by: DMFD   2006-06-13 23:32  

#21  Even before the depositions, you get what are called, 'interrogatories' -- a series of questions that you get to ask that the other side has to answer. The judge has to approve the questions, and the other side can propose different answers, etc., but it sure can be entertaining.

Additional points of fun include the inevitable and ubiquitous demand for documents. Which documents? All of them, counseler, including whole bunches that you didn't even know existed.

There is so much that could be done to ruin Joe Wilson before the depositions are collected that the deposition itself could be anti-climatic. Not that I'd ever let that happen, of course :-)
Posted by: Steve White   2006-06-13 18:28  

#20  The day still may come ...

Oh, horseshit. That's the kind of chest-thumping lawyers do when they're holding a pair of deuces. He's implying that the Wilsons will file a civil suit against Rove. But to prosecute the suit successfully the Wilsons would either (a) have to put their reputations at issue ("everyone thought highly of us until the evil Rove disclosed that Valerie worked for the CIA, which caused us to lose innumerable party invitations") or (b) claim mental anguish and emotional distress, in which case (bwahaha) their medical records become fair game. In either event, Rove's lawyers would get to depose the Wilsons about all this, and the Wilsons ain't about to let that happen.
Posted by: Matt   2006-06-13 16:21  

#19  From Wilson's lawyer:
We have become aware of the communication between Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Luskin concerning Karl Rove's status in the criminal investigation. We have no first-hand knowledge of the reason for the communication or what further developments in the criminal investigation it may signal. While it appears that Mr. Rove will not be called to answer in criminal court for his participation in the wrongful disclosure of Valerie Wilson's classified employment status at the CIA in retaliation against Joe Wilson for questioning the rationale for war in Iraq, that obviously does not end the matter. The day still may come when Mr. Rove and others are called to account in a court of law for their attacks on the Wilsons.
Posted by: Sherry   2006-06-13 15:41  

#18  From Roger Simon:

Now that the Big Game (Rove) has been taken off the table in the Beltway Night of the Long Knives, why don't we get back to the real mystery in the Plame Affair - just why did Joseph C. Wilson go to Niger? It doesn't take a rocket scientist - or even a crime writer - to see something fishy in sending the hubby of a hemi-semi-demi-out CIA agent for a week to drink tea in Africa to find out whether someone had been selling yellowcake to Saddam. And it doesn't take that same rocket scientist - or crime writer - to figure that the expected... and wanted... answer was "no." So what's the real crime here? Who sent Wilson and why? And who's the real Mr. Big?

Posted by: Steve   2006-06-13 14:18  

#17  The 'general' forum at Democratic Underground is in full meltdown. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
Posted by: Chinter Flarong9283   2006-06-13 14:01  

#16  Tomorrow's headlines:
Fitz indicts Cheney, Bush replaces Cheney with Karl Rove
Democrats jumping out of windows, in front of trains and buses. Film at eleven.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-06-13 13:30  

#15  Just saw this at TruthOut:

Okay, Rove may not be indicted in this universe, but what about in parallel universes? Somewhere on the planet Zargon in an unknown universe, there's a Karl Rove who's doing the perp walk right this minute. TO just got a little too far ahead of the universe cycle. No big deal.

Glorious!
Posted by: Mike   2006-06-13 12:17  

#14  
I dunno I'm figgerin' that Rove roughed up Rothlissberguer (sorry sp) because he was a potential witness.
Posted by: macofromoc   2006-06-13 11:24  

#13  Fitzgerald couldn't indict Rove because Zarqawi was his key witness. It all fits.
Posted by: Matt   2006-06-13 11:09  

#12  "Real sin," eh?

Screamer's trying to speak in red state fundie code.

Posted by: anonymous2u   2006-06-13 10:55  

#11  Does this mean there is no Fitzmas this year? A morning stroll in the fever swamp reflects one of three scenarios:
1)Karl Rove is under Double Secret Indictment
2)Karl Rove sold out Cheney
-In this scenario Cheney will resign and Bush will choose a successor and next Republican Presidential candidate.
3) The Bush-Hitler crowd got to Fitz and has leverage over him

Like the SeeBS Guard story, the overall scenario that Karl outed Plame is still true. Of course nobody has any evidence which lends itself to the many sub-conspiracies. If my prediction comes true and Fitz dismisses charges against Libby (for lack of evidence) you will really see the fur fly on the left.

P.S. I must have been good because Fitz gave me almost everything I wanted!
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2006-06-13 10:53  

#10  mike

isn't it cool that a dead terrorist is interested in the Rove investigation
Posted by: mhw   2006-06-13 10:16  

#9  "This land is Moonbatia . . . where it's always winter, but never Fitzmas."
Posted by: Mike   2006-06-13 09:46  

#8  Who's paying this phalking Fitzgerald ?
The only crime in this whole smoke screen is that asshole Joe Wilson inpersonating a human being.
Phalking Fitzgerald should give back all his pay that incompetent boob. He wouldn't know a fact if it bit him in the nuts.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-06-13 09:44  

#7  Bush has arrived in Baghdad overnite..
Posted by: Thavilet Gluger3137   2006-06-13 09:33  

#6  These are not the indictments you're looking for.
Posted by: Darth Rove   2006-06-13 09:31  

#5  Remember "TruthOut.Org," the "progressive" website peddling the "Rove has been secretly indicted!" story a month ago?

Here's the dicussion thread. Last two postings:

. . . We learned this morning that Karl Rove will not be indicted. . . .

by YellowDog (sam@samandeidreshow.com) on Tue Jun 13th, 2006 at 07:28:20 AM EDT
------------------------------------------------------------

TO and Jason: What is going on?
As soon as you guys can, please get back to us. You owe it to your readers.

by Z man on Tue Jun 13th, 2006 at 08:00:24 AM EDT

Might be interesting to pop in again later in the day and see what spin they come up with.
Posted by: Mike   2006-06-13 09:31  

#4  Slereth Whereque8037 is me (although that's a pretty cool handle). I heard this on NPR while commuting to work. The other drivers must have thought this middle-aged fat guy roaring with laughter was about to snap and go on a road-rage rampage.
Posted by: Jonathan   2006-06-13 09:21  

#3  This should really whip up the Koss Klan Kiddies meeting in DC today. Should get lots of quotes, heh.
Posted by: Steve   2006-06-13 09:12  

#2  Response from Yeeaaarrrgghhhh! Howard Dean:

DNC CHAIRMAN DEAN: ROVE HAS REAL SIN
Tue Jun 13 2006 08:29:32 ET

DNC Chair Howard Dean on NBC's 'TODAY': 'If Karl Rove had been indicted it would have been for perjury. That does not excuse his real sin which is leaking the name of an intelligence operative during the time of war. He doesn't belong in the White House. If the President valued America more than he valued his connection to Karl Rove, then Karl Rove would have been fired a long time ago. So I think this is probably good news for the White House, but its not very good news for America'...


Posted by: Frank G   2006-06-13 09:11  

#1  headlines on Drudge LOL....wailing and gnashing of teeth! No Fitzmas this year!
Posted by: Frank G   2006-06-13 09:10  

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