Start your weekend in the know! We’ve broken down the components of this complicated story so we can better understand the chain of events, and hopefully you will, too.
What’s happening?
The case of who leaded the name of former undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame came to a head last week in the last couple weeks as a reporter was jailed and Karl Rove admitted to indirectly confirming her name to the syndicated columnist, Robert Novak. So who leaked the name and why? The investigation is unfolding.
Who are the players in this story?
Just before the war in Iraq began, President Bush said in his 2003 State of the Union address that Saddam Hussein had tried to obtain uranium, a nuclear ingredient, from Africa. Bush used this information as part of the justification for the war in Iraq.
Joseph Wilson IV, a former ambassador to Iraq, had earlier investigated whether the Saddam Hussein had indeed tried to buy uranium from Africa and concluded that he had not. After the State of the Union Address, he said so publicly.
About a week after Wilson debunked the uranium theory, the name of his wife, Valerie Plame – then an undercover CIA agent, was leaked to the press. Robert Novak ran her name in a column. Speculation arose that this disclosure was a direct retaliation against Wilson, since his wife’s “outing” effectively ended her career.
As it is a crime to knowingly disclose the identity of an undercover agent, a federal investigation opened into who leaked the agent’s name. Two reporters were subsequently asked to turn over their files and disclose confidential sources to a grand jury: Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine. For months, both refused to comply with the federal orders. Karl Rove, Bush’s main political strategist and closest advisor, became an immediate suspect as the source of the leak.
What’s happening now?
The investigation into who first leaded Plame’s name ensues. Here’s a look at the events of the last couple of weeks:
July 15: Karl Rove says he confirmed in a call with Novak that Wilson’s wife was an undercover agent, but not her name.
July 13: Time Inc.’s Matthew Cooper was spared jail time after his confidential source gave him the go-ahead to testify before the grand jury (now known to be Karl Rove). Cooper testified because Time Inc., concluded that the press is not above the law, and turned over Cooper’s notes and files to the federal prosecutor.
July 6: Refusing to disclose her confidential sources, reporter Judith Miller was sent to jail for four months, for being in contempt of court.
June 1: Valerie Plame returns to work at the CIA, and is raising twins in Washington with Wilson.
The Big Picture
The implications of this story are potentially quite significant – for the press, for the public, and for the Bush Administration.
> The Press: Will the media’s generally accepted “right” to protect confidentiality be upheld? Will the press be able to break big stories like Watergate without the protection of sources?
> The Public: Since reporters rely on confidential sources to break most major news stories, the public is at risk of no longer being the beneficiaries of uninhibited news.
> The Administration: With Rove emerging as a primary suspect, will Bush follow through on his previous promise to fire the individual involved in the leak, even though Rove is arguably his right-hand man? Did Bush know about Rove’s role?
What do you think about all of this chaos? Should the press have the right to protect sources no matter what? Let's discuss!
Do you have more questions that need clarifying? Email me: olsen_brittany@yahoo.com
