by emptywheel
You may recall a theory I postulated a few weeks back that when Libby called Robert Grenier on June 11, 2003, he asked questions he already knew the answers to. He wasn't really looking for information. Rather, he was hoping to get the information from a source he could use publicly; he was trying to get certain information about the Wilsons out while hiding Dick Cheney's original source for the information (I'll return to what I suspect was one of Cheney's original sources for the information soon). Well, as I suggested in my first post on what Jeff Lomonaco and I found in the CIPA filings, there is further evidence of such an attempt to launder information. Before I show you one of three documents we found, let me remind you of the chronology:
QUOTE
June 8, 2003: Condi gets beat up on George Stephenopolous' show when she claims no one knew the Niger claims were bunk
June 9, 2003: Libby relays to Cheney that Bush is interested in the Kristof article; that same day, Libby requests information from Craig Schmall on the intelligence, and Schmall sends three reports to Libby and John Hannah, to be delivered ASAP
Unknown day, almost certainly this week: Cheney shares information on the trip with Libby, telling Libby that Wilson's wife works at CPD
June 10, 2003, late afternoon: The email below sent, along with a response
June 11, 2003, 12 PM: Libby in meeting with Marc Grossman where he probably gets a response on his inquiry about Wilson's trip,
June 11, 2003, also 12PM, Cheney meets with John McLaughlin on Wilson trip
1:05 PM: Libby, Cheney, and Cathie Martin meet; during that meeting, Libby calls Robert Grenier to--he claims--gather preliminary information on Wilsons trip
The email below makes it almost certain that Cheney knew the information they said they were seeking from Grenier when they called him. That is, they were looking to use him to launder information about the Wilsons. The information Libby elicited from Grenier? That Plame worked at CIA and that State and DOD were interested in the Niger intelligence, as well as OVP.June 9, 2003: Libby relays to Cheney that Bush is interested in the Kristof article; that same day, Libby requests information from Craig Schmall on the intelligence, and Schmall sends three reports to Libby and John Hannah, to be delivered ASAP
Unknown day, almost certainly this week: Cheney shares information on the trip with Libby, telling Libby that Wilson's wife works at CPD
June 10, 2003, late afternoon: The email below sent, along with a response
June 11, 2003, 12 PM: Libby in meeting with Marc Grossman where he probably gets a response on his inquiry about Wilson's trip,
June 11, 2003, also 12PM, Cheney meets with John McLaughlin on Wilson trip
1:05 PM: Libby, Cheney, and Cathie Martin meet; during that meeting, Libby calls Robert Grenier to--he claims--gather preliminary information on Wilsons trip
The email below was sent late on June 10, among people at the CIA, in an attempt to answer very specific questions Cheney had asked, presumably of John McLaughlin. [Note, there are some transcription errors here; I'll correct the obvious ones, and leave the ones I'm unsure about; I should have an actual document to link to in a few days.]
QUOTE
6/10/03 4:30 PM, Executive Assistant to the ADDO PS [forwarded at 4:57]
Good afternoon, folks. The DDCI asked Iraq Mission Manager [redacted] several specific questions today on behalf off the Vice President’s relating to the old story that Niger sold Iraq Uranium.
Good afternoon, folks. The DDCI asked Iraq Mission Manager [redacted] several specific questions today on behalf off the Vice President’s relating to the old story that Niger sold Iraq Uranium.
Context from the Trial
I'm going to interrupt here to explain. This is an email written by Robert Grenier's Executive Assistant. The DDCI mentioned is John McLaughlin and the Iraq Mission Manager is Robert Grenier. Jeffress mentioned it at the trial, in an attempt to show that Grenier had already looked into the Niger trip when Libby first called Grenier on July 11.
QUOTE
J Do you recognize this document
G I believe it was described by the Prosecutor and he may have seen me
J Did you have an assistant
J Was your title the ADDOPS
J This email was sent by your executive assistant
G I believe it was, there are no names.
J It is agreed that this is your executive assistant
J Do you recall asking your EA to gather information on the story that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa
But Grenier responded definitively that he did not ask his EA to gather information on Joe Wilson.G I believe it was described by the Prosecutor and he may have seen me
J Did you have an assistant
J Was your title the ADDOPS
J This email was sent by your executive assistant
G I believe it was, there are no names.
J It is agreed that this is your executive assistant
J Do you recall asking your EA to gather information on the story that Iraq had sought uranium in Africa
QUOTE
G There is reference in this to Joe Wilson. I KNOW I didn't ask her [should be "him"] about that.
J Did Deputy Director ask you questions regarding whether Iraq sought uranium?
G I can say absolutely not
J where would your EA get information that the DDCI had asked you about Joe Wilson
J You have every confidence that you did not tell your EA that the DDCI had asked you about the Wilson trip
G I have no such recollection
J Do you have a recollection about SSCI asked you questions about the same issue
J Did Deputy Director ask you questions regarding whether Iraq sought uranium?
G I can say absolutely not
J where would your EA get information that the DDCI had asked you about Joe Wilson
J You have every confidence that you did not tell your EA that the DDCI had asked you about the Wilson trip
G I have no such recollection
J Do you have a recollection about SSCI asked you questions about the same issue
When Zeidenberg questions Grenier, he leads Grenier to suggest that the references in this email may refer to requests between EAs, presumably McLaughlin's EA asking for information directly from Grenier's EA.
QUOTE
Z you were asked about an email from your EA, whether he'd make inquiries on your behalf. Did he ever get taskings from other EAs?
G I believe he did–they'd be asked questions by their other principals' EAs.
So that's how the defense wanted to use this document--to suggest that Grenier's memory of his interaction with Libby was unclear. But Grenier's story holds that this email was sent by his EA without his knowledge, and he wasn't in the loop in this particular request. Note, the discrepancy is interesting for the sake of the trial--it goes to Grenier's already-dubious credibility. But for the sake of my issue today--what Cheney, at least, knew before the called Grenier at 1:15 on June 11, the issue is irrelevant.G I believe he did–they'd be asked questions by their other principals' EAs.
Cheney's Inquiries
Now, back to the email:
QUOTE
The VP apparently heard the below story and had questions on it. The DDCI needs a response before his noon meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) with the VP, so if you could get back to me by 1000 or 1100 tomorrow, I’d appreciate it. Thanks a million.
Story: In February 2002, CIA received an initial report of a shipment of uranium from Niger to Chad. Former Ambassador to Cameroon Joe Wilson (an old friend to the Agency and former Charge d’Affaires in Baghdad) was supposedly sent by CIA to Niger to investigate the story. He did so, and he concluded that there was no truth to it. Wilson said that he was debriefed by a CIA case officer who flew in (to where is unclear) [redacted].
VP Questions: Is this story true? Do we have a chronological account of the above events? What is the nature of Wilson’s relationship to the CIA? What exactly did Wilson report to us? Was this in a reporting cable [redacted] (if it was can somebody send me a copy of it? Will you also send me a copy of the Intell? [redacted] Didn’t the Brits come out with a similar report detailing a Niger-Iraq uranium connection? [redacted]
More story: Wilson told State Department Deputy Secretary Marc Grossman “recently” that when the British report his the press, he “called the CIA” to tell us that the information was bogus. When President Bush reiterated the information in his State of the Union address earlier this year, Wilson again called his CIA contact.
More Question: For WINPAC, when exactly did you analysts conclude that information was bogus? Did anybody in WINPAC tell the White House that our analytic conclusion was that the information wasn’t true? Who at the White House was told? How was the information conveyed? Did WINPAC play a role in the State of the Union address? If so, did that role include providing information on Niger? [my emphasis]
I know that the above sounds crazy, but fingers are beginning to point and Congress is becoming interested. Besides the VP asking the DDCI about the above, the SSCI already has asked both DDCI and [redacted] to comment. Both so far have declined, saying that they are not fully informed on the issue.
Story: In February 2002, CIA received an initial report of a shipment of uranium from Niger to Chad. Former Ambassador to Cameroon Joe Wilson (an old friend to the Agency and former Charge d’Affaires in Baghdad) was supposedly sent by CIA to Niger to investigate the story. He did so, and he concluded that there was no truth to it. Wilson said that he was debriefed by a CIA case officer who flew in (to where is unclear) [redacted].
VP Questions: Is this story true? Do we have a chronological account of the above events? What is the nature of Wilson’s relationship to the CIA? What exactly did Wilson report to us? Was this in a reporting cable [redacted] (if it was can somebody send me a copy of it? Will you also send me a copy of the Intell? [redacted] Didn’t the Brits come out with a similar report detailing a Niger-Iraq uranium connection? [redacted]
More story: Wilson told State Department Deputy Secretary Marc Grossman “recently” that when the British report his the press, he “called the CIA” to tell us that the information was bogus. When President Bush reiterated the information in his State of the Union address earlier this year, Wilson again called his CIA contact.
More Question: For WINPAC, when exactly did you analysts conclude that information was bogus? Did anybody in WINPAC tell the White House that our analytic conclusion was that the information wasn’t true? Who at the White House was told? How was the information conveyed? Did WINPAC play a role in the State of the Union address? If so, did that role include providing information on Niger? [my emphasis]
I know that the above sounds crazy, but fingers are beginning to point and Congress is becoming interested. Besides the VP asking the DDCI about the above, the SSCI already has asked both DDCI and [redacted] to comment. Both so far have declined, saying that they are not fully informed on the issue.
Okay, let me point out a few interesting points that aren't central to my argument here:
- Wilson is described as "an old friend to the Agency," suggesting that the 1999 Khan trip may not have been his only previous work for the Agency (and that his relationship to the CIA may predate his relationship with Valerie)
- Wilson is said to have called the CIA to get them to correct BushCo's use of the Niger intelligence (this information comes, in part, from a Valerie Wilson email that I should be able to link in a few days)
- There is no reference here to one of the key tidbits Cheney passed on to Libby--that DOD and State were also interested in the information
But here are the two key pieces of information here. First, McLaughlin had a meeting with Cheney at 12:00 PM on June 11 at which he was to be prepared to give answers to Cheney's questions. This is before the call to Grenier, which was presumably made in the presence of Cathie Martin and Cheney. Thus my argument that Cheney, at least, knew the answers to the questions they asked Grenier before they called him.
Now, look at the questions. They are precisely the questions that would elicit the information that appears in Libby's note regarding Plame:
QUOTE
Is this story true? Do we have a chronological account of the above events?
Cheney already had a chronological account of the above events on a macro level. What he may not have had were the details about when briefings took place--details contained in Libby's note based on his conversation with Cheney.QUOTE
What is the nature of Wilson’s relationship to the CIA?
Cheney already had two details about Wilson's relationship to CIA. One document described him as "a sensitive source," whereas another described CIA dispatching its "clandestine sources [plural] with ties to the Nigerien Government and consortium officials." At the very least, Cheney knew that Wilson had some ties to the clandestine services when he asked this question. Of course, such a question would also prompt the news that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA (of note, it is effectively the same question that Woodward and Novak asked Armitage to elicit the information that Plame worked at CIA).
QUOTE
What exactly did Wilson report to us? Was this in a reporting cable [redacted](if it was can somebody send me a copy of it? Will you also send me a copy of the Intell? [redacted] Didn’t the Brits come out with a similar report detailing a Niger-Iraq uranium connection? [redacted]
Cheney already had several pieces of intelligence that reflected the contents of Wilson's cable, including the detail about Mayaki. But the questions about the briefings would elicit some of the details included in Libby's note, particularly that Wilson's debriefing took place here.
Wildarsed Speculation
Now, presumably what happened after this note got sent is that CIA collected information for McLaughlin, he met with Cheney at 12PM the following day, and gave him the information. If so, that would provide much of the information in Libby's note: about the briefings, Plame's identity, and that the trip had been a response to a Cheney inquiry. The simplest explanation would then be that after the McLaughlin meeting, Cheney passed on what he had learned from McLaughlin to Libby. There are just two tricky issues with that. First, Libby said Cheney had called him to tell him this information--he was pretty certain about that. But why would Cheney call him to tell him that information, if he had a meeting with Libby scheduled directly after his meeting with McLaughlin?
But if he passed on the McLaughlin information to Libby at the meeting, presumably he passed it on to Cathie Martin at the same time, since she also attended the meeting. Yet Martin says she learned about Plame from Harlow.
There is one less elegant explanation: That Cheney already knew the answers to these questions, before he asked McLaughlin. After all, he almost certainly had Libby call Grenier (the first time Libby had ever called Grenier) to get him to repeat information that McLaughlin had just given him. So it's possible he was doing the same with McLaughlin.