Editor and Publisher
- From: "kathleen" <kathleen.dickson@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: 2 Jul 2005 16:03:08 -0700
MSNBC Analyst and a Newsweek Reporter Say Karl Rove Named in Matt
Cooper Documents
By Greg Mitchell
Published: July 02, 2005 1:00 PM ET
NEW YORK Now that Time Inc. has turned over documents to a federal
judge, revealing who its reporter, Matt Cooper, identified as his
source or sources in the Valerie Plame/CIA case, speculation runs
rampant. Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, now claims
that at least two authoritative sources have confirmed that one name is
top White House mastermind Karl Rove.
This afternoon, Newsweek's Michael Isikoff confirmed that Cooper did
indeed talk to Rove for his story, but Rove's lawyer denied he was the
key leaker in the case.
"The e-mails surrendered by Time Inc., which are largely between Cooper
and his editors, show that one of Cooper's sources was White House
deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to two lawyers who asked not
to be identified because they are representing witnesses sympathetic to
the White House," Isikoff writes on the Newsweek web site. "Cooper and
a Time spokeswoman declined to comment. But in an interview with
Newsweek, Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove had been
interviewed by Cooper for the article. It is unclear, however, what
passed between Cooper and Rove."
According to Isikoff, Luskin told Newsweek that Rove "never knowingly
disclosed classified information" and that "he did not tell any
reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA." Luskin declined,
however, to discuss any other details. He noted that Rove had testified
before the grand jury "two or three times" and signed a waiver
authorizing reporters to testify about their conversations with him.
"He has answered every question that has been put to him about his
conversations with Cooper and anybody else," Luskin said. But one of
the two lawyers representing a witness sympathetic to the White House
told Newsweek that there was growing "concern" in the White House that
the prosecutor is interested in Rove.
MSNBC's O'Donnell first offered the Rove revelation Friday night on the
syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show. Today, he went beyond
that, writing a brief entry at the Huffington Post blog:
"I revealed in yesterday's taping of the McLaughlin Group that Time
magazine's e-mails will reveal that Karl Rove was Matt Cooper's source.
I have known this for months but didn't want to say it at a time that
would risk me getting dragged into the grand jury.
"McLaughlin is seen in some markets on Friday night, so some websites
have picked it up, including Drudge, but I don't expect it to have much
impact because McLaughlin is not considered a news show and it will be
pre-empted in the big markets on Sunday because of tennis.
"Since I revealed the big scoop, I have had it reconfirmed by yet
another highly authoritative source. Too many people know this. It
should break wide open this week. I know Newsweek is working on an
'It's Rove!' story and will probably break it tomorrow."
Here is the text of what O'Donnell said on Friday:
"What we're going to go to now in the next stage, when Matt Cooper's
e-mails, within Time Magazine, are handed over to the grand jury--the
ultimate revelation, probably within the week of who his source is.
"I know I'm going to get pulled into the grand jury for saying this but
the source of...for Matt Cooper was Karl Rove, and that will be
revealed in this document dump that Time magazine's going to do with
the grand jury."
Other McLaughlin Group panelists then joined in discussing whether, if
true, this would suggest a perjury rap for Rove, if he told the grand
jury he did not leak to Cooper.
Besides his career at a TV journalist, O'Donnell has served as a
producer and writer for the series "The West Wing."
According to published reports, Patrick Fitzgerald, the special
prosecutor in the case, has interviewed President Bush and Vice
President Cheney and called Karl Rove, among others, to testify before
the grand jury.
"The breadth of Fitzgerald's inquiry has led to speculation that it has
evolved into an investigation of a conspiracy to leak Plame's
identity," the Chicago Tribune observed on Friday, "or of an attempt to
cover up White House involvement in the leak."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Mitchell (letters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) is editor of E&P.
Links referenced within this article
letters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mailto:letters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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