Another Cheney Aid Flips For Fitzgerald

Yesterday Raw Story broke the news that John Hannah, a senior national security aide on loan to Vice President Dick Cheney from the offices of then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, John Bolton, had flipped and was giving information to the Prosecutor. Now today, they have beat the competition to the punch once again with more excellent investigative reporting. In today's news, Raw Story is reporting: Now, those close to the investigation say that a second Cheney aide, David Wurmser, has agreed to provide the prosecution with evidence that the leak was a coordinated effort by Cheney’s office to discredit the agent's husband. Her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, was one of the most vocal critics of the Iraq war. Wurmser, Cheney’s Middle East advisor and an assistant to then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John Bolton, likely cooperated because he faced criminal charges for his role in leaking Wilson's name on the orders of higher-ups, the sources said. Does anyone else see a pattern here? If this entire episode was not created and managed by the Vice President's office and approved by Dick Cheney himself I would be very surprised. First we have Cheney's chief of staff "Scooter" Libby implicated, and now we have two other individuals (not surprisingly, who were originally from John Bolton's staff) Hannah, and Wurmser. There is no way these three would carry out this leak and the over-all move to discredit Joe Wilson without, at the very least, the implicit approval of Dick Cheney. If that is the case, it lends even more credence to the rumour about him being indicted on conspiracy charges and leaving office. Raw Story also went on to say According to those familiar with the case, Wurmser was in attendance at several meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), a little-known cabal of administration hawks that formed in August 2002 to publicize the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Those who say they have reviewed documents obtained in the probe assert that the Vice President was also present at some of the group’s meetings. [snip] The sources say that Hannah and Wurmser were given orders by senior officials in Cheney’s office in June 2003 to leak Plame’s covert status and identity in an attempt to muzzle Wilson. The former ambassador had been a thorn in administration’s side since May 2003, when he began questioning claims that Iraq was an imminent threat to the U.S. and its neighbors in the Middle East. Kudos to Raw Story for once again being on top of this story. Their coverage has been second to none, and I would urge everyone to visit their website and read the entire story HERE...