Rove may not be out of the woods!
- From: inkyblacks@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: 29 Oct 2005 13:36:51 -0700
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Fitzgerald_expands_probe_believes_he_can_1028.html
Leak investigation not seen over
Jason Leopold
In one of the boldest moves yet in the 22-month investigation into the
outing of a covert CIA agent to a handful of top reporters covering the
White House, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is extending his
probe and pursuing much more serious charges against senior White House
officials, lawyers directly involved in the case told RAW STORY Friday.
While many people were left confused by news reports that said Rove
wouldn't be indicted Friday, the lawyers said that Rove remains under
intense scrutiny and added that Fitzgerald is betting on the fact that
he can secure an indictments against him or other officials on charges
of perjury, obstruction of justice, the misuse of classified
information, and possibly other charges, as early as next week.
"This investigation is not yet over," one of the lawyers in the
case said. "You must keep in mind that people like Mr. Rove are still
under investigation. Rather than securing an indictment on perjury
charges against Mr. Rove Mr. Fitzgerald strongly believes he can
convince the grand jury that he broke other laws."
The lawyers said that in the past month Fitzgerald has obtained
explosive information in the case that has enabled him to pursue
broader charges such as conspiracy, and civil rights violations against
targets like Rove. Rove could also provide information that would allow
Fitzgerald to target additional officials.
Specifically, the lawyers said Fitzgerald is focusing on phony
intelligence documents that led to the outing of Valerie Plame
Wilson's identity: the documents that claimed Iraq was attempting to
purchase yellow-cake uranium from Niger.
A court filing posted on Fitzgerald's website last week was the first
such confirmation that the prosecutor has in fact decided to pursue the
broader claims that intelligence the Bush administration used to build
support for the Iraq war was flawed and, as a result, the reason many
officials inside and outside of the White House went out of their way
to out Plame, whose husband was a vocal critic of the Iraq war who was
sent on a mission to Niger to investigate allegations that Iraq had
attempted to buy Niger from the African country.
"On August 12 and August 20, 2004, grand jury subpoenas were issued to
reporter Judith Miller and her employer, the New York Times, seeking
documents and testimony related to "conversations between Miller and
a specified government official occurring between on or about July 6,
2003 and on or about July 13, 2003, concerning Valerie Plame Wilson
(whether referred to by name or by description) or concerning Iraqi
efforts to obtain uranium." the filing made by Fitzgerald last year
states.
NATO sources told United Press International Monday that Fitzgerald's
team of investigators has sought and obtained documentation on the
forgeries from the Italian government.
This claim, which made its way into President Bush's State of the Union
address in January, 2003, was based on falsified documents from Niger
and was later withdrawn by the White House."
Fitzgerald will draw on another grand jury that is already empaneled.
Federal law says that a grand jury's term cannot be extended more
than once, which is the case with the grand jury that has been hearing
testimony in the case.
.
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