Plame testifies she was covert operative

Valerie Plame testified before a Congressional panel this morning that she was deliberately "outed" as a covert operative for political reasons. From the AP:

Plame also repeatedly described herself as a covert operative, a term that has multiple meanings. Plame said she worked undercover and traveled abroad on secret missions for the CIA.

But the word "covert" also has a legal definition requiring recent foreign service and active efforts to keep someone's identity secret. Critics of Fitzgerald's investigation said Plame did not meet that definition for several reasons and said that's why nobody was charged with the leak.

Also, none of the witnesses who testified at Libby's trial said it was clear that Plame's job was classified. However, Fitzgerald said flatly at the courthouse after the verdict that Plame's job was classified.

Which begs the question of how conservative pundits would know whether her job was classified or not, since you know, that sort of thing is classified. She just told Congress she was a covert operative. Unless someone has evidence to the contrary, it's just more Republican hot air. You can imagine what would have happened had a Democratic administration been accused of unmasking a CIA covert operative.

Also interesting is the testimony of one James Knodell, the White House security director. Editor and Publisher posts an article revealing that nothing was ever done about the leaking of Plame's name.

Dr. James Knodell, director of the Office of Security at the White House, told a congressional committee today that he was aware of no internal investigation or report into the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The White House had first opposed Knodell testifying but after a threat of a subpoena from the committee yesterday he was allowed to appear today.

Knodell said that he had started at the White House in August 2004, a year after the leak, but his records show no evidence of a probe or report there: "I have no knowledge of any investigation in my office," he said.

Rep. Waxman recalled that President Bush had promised a full internal probe. Knodell repeated that no probe took place, as far as he knew, and was not happening today.

---snip---

Democrats challenged his assertion that no probe was necessary since a criminal investigation was underway. They said that the criminal probe was narrowly focused, started well after the leak -- during which the White House apparently did nothing -- and that in any case, the White House was required to carry out its own probe and deny security clearances to anyone who had leaked classified information.

They demanded to know why Rove's security clearance had not been revoked.

Indeed. Well, we know why Rove is still in the White House: the rules don't apply to Republicans, and if he goes down, he's enough of a squirmy little worm that he'll probably be sure to take everyone else with him.

There were hints yesterday that the White House will try to keep Rove from testifying by claiming "executive privilege." Which is what Republican administrations always do. We'll likely find out from the noise machine that Andrew Jackson or someone did it too, proving once again that's it ok to be crooks because all politicians are crooks, so leave us alone.