A LEAKY PRESIDENT RUNS AFOUL OF 'LITTLE RICO'

From GregPalast.com:

OK, let's accept the White House alibi that releasing Plame's identity was no crime. But if that's true, they've committed a bigger crime: Bush and Cheney knowingly withheld vital information from a grand jury investigation, a multimillion dollar inquiry the perps themselves authorized. That's akin to calling in a false fire alarm or calling the cops for a burglary that never happened -- but far, far worse. Let's not forget that in the hunt for the perpetrator of this non-crime, reporter Judith Miller went to jail.

Think about that. While Miller sat in a prison cell, Bush and Cheney were laughing their sick heads off, knowing the grand jury testimony, the special prosecutor's subpoenas and the FBI's terrorizing newsrooms were nothing but fake props in Bush's elaborate charade, Cheney's Big Con.

On February 10, 2004, our not-so-dumb-as-he-sounds President stated, "Listen, I know of nobody -- 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. And this investigation is a good thing. ...And if people have got solid information, please come forward with it."

Notice Bush's cleverly crafted words. He says he can't name anyone who leaked this "classified" info -- knowing full well he'd de-classified it. Far from letting Bush off the hook, it worsens the crime. For years, I worked as a government investigator and, let me tell you, Bush and Cheney withholding material information from the grand jury is a felony. Several felonies, actually: abuse of legal process, fraud, racketeering and, that old standby, obstruction of justice.

Click here for the rest.

I haven't linked to him very much lately, but Greg Palast of the British newspaper the Observer is one of my favorite reporters. Palast worked for some years for the Department of Labor, investigating labor law violations, after he had done essentially the same thing for labor unions. He's old school: unlike most American reporters, and Palast is an American, forced to work in Britain because no mainstream US paper would dare to employ a muckraker like him, he doesn't depend on official statements and relationships with high dollar politicians and executives, which is why he doesn't have to worry about offending anyone in power, thereby losing the all important "access" that super-star reporters like Bob Woodward have. Instead, he digs like a private eye, cultivating relationships with whistleblowers, and makes gratuitous use of the Freedom of Information Act to get good dirt in writing. Consequently, Palast is able to tell some very different stories than what we usually get in, say, the New York Times or the Washington Post, both of which are wildly dependent on the official line.

And the above linked story is a good example. I haven't read any mainstream report yet that calls this new Plamegate info what it actually is: if Bush really did authorize Libby's leak of an undercover CIA agent's real name, and then told everybody that he had no idea what was going on, then he's definitely guilty of obstructing justice at the very least. This is no joke. You don't fuck around with a grand jury. You don't pretend ignorance when you know. And even though, if I recall correctly, Bush didn't testify under oath before the grand jury, it doesn't matter. You can't make false statements to federal investigators whether you're under oath or not. If what Libby said turns out to be true, Bush should be packing his bags.

Yet another impeachable offense.

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