Captain Future's Log

Nobody Knows

The Plame Game continues, as reporters await whatever action the special prosecutor and his Grand Jury are going to take.

Today's news on the subject is dominated so far by the New York Times report that:

I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby's testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said.

The notes, taken by Mr. Libby during the conversation, for the first time place Mr. Cheney in the middle of an effort by the White House to learn about Ms. Wilson's husband, Joseph C. Wilson IV, who was questioning the administration's handling of intelligence about Iraq's nuclear program to justify the war.

Lawyers involved in the case, who described the notes to The New York Times, said they showed that Mr. Cheney knew that Ms. Wilson worked at the C.I.A. more than a month before her identity was made public and her undercover status was disclosed in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak on July 14, 2003.

Just what does this mean? Nobody knows. It could mean perjury charges, depending on who said what to the Grand Jury. It could mean more, or less.

That's about where the speculation is. Raw Story claims their sources say Fitzgerald is preparing at least one indictment probably for perjury, maybe for conspiracy. Lawyers for Rove and Libby have reportedly been told their clients are in serious jeopardy.

Others are expecting 10 or 20 indictments (and will be damn disappointed if they don't get them), ranging from perjury to conspiracy to treason and impeachable offenses. It's known that Fitzgerald was looking into the forged memo that seems to have been the basis for the wrong information about Iraq acquiring the makings of nuclear weapons, but no one knows how far that went or if it will result in indictments.

Still others, like John Dean, are expecting very little, because the claim of national security can trump successful prosecution for many charges. Dean thinks there will be no indictments at all.

But the bottom line at the end of the day (there must be at least one more cliche for this): nobody knows.

How about when will we know? Normally the Grand Jury meets on Wednesday and Friday, so maybe tomorrow or maybe the end of the week, when this grand jury must be discharged.

But if I'm Patrick Fitzgerald, I'm busy reading all these reports in the media and on the Internet. Lawyers in the case are leaking like sieves, there's informed speculation that Karl Rove himself leaked portions of his own testimony, and reporters are finding other sources suddenly willing to talk about events under investigation. There seems to be a game of tumbling dice involved in the main event. Rove may have turned on Libby, Libby on Cheney and/or vice-versa, Mr. Vice-President. Bush loyalists are vainly trying to insulate their guy against Cheney loyalists.

There's even relevant news coming out of Italy (don't ask). So fresh information (at least to us) as well as all this turmoil and speculation about what Fitzgerald is going to do may be pointing his investigation in new directions, or at least confirming information they have. So the case may still be changing, and Fitzgerald has the power under law to ask for a new Grand Jury, and keep everybody in suspense for several more months.

Who leaked the Plame name to Robert Novak, the first "journalist" to print it? What did Novak tell Fitzgerald? Are officials once or now in Cheney's office cooperating with the investigation---i.e. informers? Are they tattling about Libby, or is Libby tattling about Cheney? Or vice-versa, Mr. vice-president.

I can almost hear David Brinkley's voice saying it, because he said it often: Where is all this leading? Nobody knows.


UPDATE: At least in terms of rumor, on Tues. evening CBS News and other media are reporting that Fitzgerald will seek up to five indictments Wednesday, with some kind of announcement on Thursday. However, some are saying they will be "sealed" indictments, which apparently means that the persons indicted may not be named. There's also a rumor that Fitzgerald will seek an extension. Some investigatory activity was allegedly going on Tuesday at the White House and in Valerie Plame's neighborhood. What does it all mean? David?