NationStates Jolt Archive


"CIA trial" underway in Washington

Ariddia
24-01-2007, 09:46
You probably all remember that, a few years ago, after a US ambassador had revealed that Iraq was not trying to buy uranium for weapons, he was subjected to a smear campaign... and the fact that his wife was a CIA agent was publicly revealed, ruining her career.


The trial of a former White House aide is under way in Washington which is likely to reveal how the Bush team acted in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby is charged with lying about the disclosure of a CIA agent's identity in 2003.

It has been alleged Valerie Plame was "outed" in revenge for her husband's attack on President George Bush's use of intelligence to justify the war.

The case is not about the leak itself but the alleged cover-up.

Deliberately revealing an agent's name is a serious offence in the US and the leak sparked a high-level criminal inquiry.

A grand jury looked into claims that leading White House officials set out to discredit former US ambassador Joseph Wilson, revealing his wife's identity in the process.

[...]

Mr Wilson had accused the Bush administration of insisting Iraq was trying to buy uranium for weapons long after it knew this to be untrue.

His wife's name and job appeared in a newspaper column shortly afterwards, thus ruining her career.

Full article here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6290877.stm).