If outing Valerie Plame as a CIA covert operative was such a big deal, why was no one charged?

Question

If this were a real crime, someone would have been charged with revealing her identity under the federal statute. Yet no one has been charged with that specific crime. All smoke, no fire, as usual with the libs. They hate the CIA, yet are all too willing to use it to their political advantage when they want.

Answer 1

What are you talking about Libby was convicted on these charges, which he is now appealing?! Do you live under a rock? He is just the sacrificial lamb of course, Cheney and Rove are the real culprits here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/06/AR2007030600400.html

Answer 2

If you are going to charge someone with a crime, you have to have some proof. All the people involved covered for each other. So the prosecutor had no evidence to work with. Libby just slipped up an perjured himself. If everyone had told all they knew, the story would be a little different.

This all sounds so much like the beginning of Watergate. Remember (probably not, most of you are too young) the Nixon administration's depiction of the break-in as a "second rate burglary"? Then when people started facing serious prison time, the truth began to emerge.

As to the ridiculous stereotypes about liberals and the CIA, did anybody catch the fact that Valerie Plame admitted under oath that she is a Democrat? Certain conservative elements of the body politic are going to continue to drift into irrelevance until they can realize and admit simple little truths such as the fact that it is possible to be both liberal and patriotic.

Answer 3

If it's for the crime of treason (which some say should be charged against Novak), the standard established by both article III, Section 3, Clause 1, of the constitution and case law say that in order to be charged with treason, one must have "treasonous intent", not merely commit an overt act. much like any criminal charge, you must intend the activity to be criminal. Intent is hard to prove.

According to the 1992 law, it is a federal crime to reveal the identity of a covert operative. However, the information has to be classified; Cheney declassified it.

Answer 4

it rather is astounding that the guy that wrote the regulation overlaying the "day out of covert operatives" stated that Ms. Plame's responsibilities on the CIA did no longer fall under the status of "covert". 2nd, if she became a covert operative, why wasn't Armatige prosecuted. And third, why did Fitzgerald proceed the examine whilst he KNEW withing the 1st month of the examine that it became Armatige that had leaked the guidance to Novak and Woodward. Novak reported that he had instructed Fitzgerald on the commencing up of the examine that it became Armatige that had leaked him the guidance. BTW, while you're so worried approximately government leaks, the place is your outrage approximately each and every of the secret government operations in the process the conflict against terrorists? the place is your outrage with regards to the leaks on how we've been amassing intelligence on terrorists via taping THEIR telephone conversations? Your indignation approximately this seems somewhat hollow.

Answer 5

Its just the left trying to do anything they can to make the administration look bad.

If she was really a covert operative, then most likely nobody in the White House knew about it. They don't provide the President and Vice President and staffs with lists of all the covert operatives. There is a handful of people at CIA who know who the covert operatives are, that's it.

For Rocky R who also answered this question, I guess you were alright with Hillary Clinton having FBI files on key Republicans so she could smear them, while Bill was president?

Answer 6

How does the CIA classify her as "covert?" That was her own description, yet the CIA does not classify her as covert by their own definition. She was a desk jockey, and she and her husband are looking for attention and gain at our country's expense. If she was so "covert," Why would Joe Wilson, her own husband, write an OpEd in the NY Times, bringing the whole crapstorm to light, essentially "outing" his own wife to the entire world? What a big distraction for the sheople to latch on to! Wake up and open your eyes

Answer 7

You are right in a way, but wrong also. The administration used Ms. Plame to discredit her husband, and that was wrong, no matter if it was not technically against the law. This shows that the Bushies and White House smear machine will do anything to push their rightist agenda. They are the ones who ought to be on trial now.

Answer 8

Libby was convicted of lying to the grand jury, not "outing" a covrt agent. If she had been covert, he (and others) would have been charged with that statute.

Answer 9

It's smoke and mirrors of the liberal left.
She was no covert agent. No more than I was when I worked as government contractor. I had the clearances and saw plenty of interesting stuff, but if I was "covert" then I would not have had business cards with my name and company on it.

Answer 10

Rove and Cheney colluded to reveal her identity and placed her life in danger.