CIA-Leak Timeline October 20, 2005 11:26 a.m. A timeline in the case of Judith Miller, a New York Times reporter jailed for nearly three months after refusing to divulge her sources to a prosecutor investigating the Bush administration's role in leaking a CIA officer's identity:
February 2002: Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson is asked by the Bush administration to travel to Niger to check out an intelligence report that Niger sold yellowcake uranium to Iraq in the late 1990s for use in nuclear weapons. Jan. 28, 2003: In the State of the Union address, President Bush states that "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" but does not mention that U.S. agencies had questioned the validity of the British intelligence. June 23: Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby, discusses Wilson's activities with New York Times reporter Judith Miller and places blame for intelligence failures on the CIA, according a description of the conversation by Miller given in October 2005. July 6: In a New York Times op-ed piece, Wilson writes that he could not verify that Niger sold uranium yellowcake to Iraq. July 8 and 12: According to Miller, Libby "played down the importance of Mr. Wilson's mission and questioned his performance" in conversations with her on those days. Ms. Miller adds: "My notes indicate that well before Mr. Wilson published his [July] critique, Mr. Libby told me that Mr. Wilson's wife may have worked on unconventional weapons at the CIA. My notes do not show that Mr. Libby identified Mr. Wilson's wife [Valerie Plame] by name." July 9, 2003: According people briefed on White House aide Karl Rove's testimony to the grand jury in mid-October 2005, Rove said that on this date columnist Robert Novak told Rove he was writing a column that would report that Plame worked for the CIA, and Rove told the columnist he had heard similar information. July 12: Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus had a conversation with an administration official who said that Wilson's trip to Niger "was set up as a boondoggle by his wife, an analyst with the agency working on weapons of mass destruction," according to an account two years later by Pincus of the conversation. July 14: Columnist Robert Novak identifies Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as "a (CIA) operative on weapons of mass destruction." Novak cites "two senior administration officials" as his sources. July 17: Matthew Cooper writes on Time.com that government officials have told him Wilson's wife is a CIA official monitoring WMD. Another article appears in the magazine's July 21 print issue. Sept. 29-30: The Justice Department informs then-White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales that it has opened an investigation into possible unauthorized disclosures concerning the identity of an undercover CIA employee. Gonzales informs the president the next day. Bush tells reporters: "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." Dec. 30: Chicago U.S. attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald is named special counsel to investigate whether a crime was committed. May 21, 2004: A grand jury subpoenas Cooper and Time Inc., seeking testimony and documents. Time says it will fight subpoena. Aug 9: U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan's rejects claims that the First Amendment protects Cooper from testifying and finds them in contempt of court. Time magazine appeals the ruling. Aug 12 and 14: The grand jury subpoenas New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who gathered material for a story but never wrote one. The New York Times says it will fight subpoena. Aug 24: Cooper agrees to give a deposition after Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, personally releases Cooper from a promise of confidentiality. Sept 13: According to court documents, the grand jury issues a further subpoena to Cooper seeking additional information relating to the case. Cooper and Time move to quash the subpoena. Oct 7: Miller held in contempt. Oct. 13: Cooper and Time held in contempt. Feb. 15, 2005: Appeals court rules against Miller and Cooper. Both Time magazine and The New York Times appeal to the Supreme Court. June 27: The Supreme Court refuses to intervene. July 1: Time magazine agrees to comply with a court order to turn over Cooper's notes, e-mail and other documents. Cooper and Miller continue to refuse to divulge sources. July 6: U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan sends Miller to jail for refusing to divulge her source. Cooper agrees to name his source after receiving permission from the source to do so. Sept. 29: After 85 days behind bars, Miller is released from the city jail in Alexandria, Va., after agreeing to testify before a grand jury. She says in a statement that her source has "voluntarily and personally released me from my promise of confidentiality." Sept. 30: Miller testifies at the federal courthouse in downtown Washington, ending her silence in the investigation. Oct. 14: Karl Rove testifies for the fourth time before a grand jury investigating the potentially illegal leak of a CIA agent's identity. Rove spent about four-and-a-half hours inside the federal courthouse, in what was likely his final attempt to answer questions and clarify prior responses. Oct. 15: It is reported by the New York Times that notes by Judith Miller that were turned over in a criminal investigation contain the name of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, but the reporter has told prosecutors she cannot recall who disclosed the name. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:177599 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
