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Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators

by Open-Publishing - Monday 15 May 2006
11 comments

Justice Secret Services USA

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Saturday 13 May 2006

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove.

During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 business hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning.

Robert Luskin, Rove’s attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

It was still unknown Saturday whether Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to the case said Friday that it appeared very likely that an obstruction charge against Rove would be included with charges of perjury and lying to investigators.

An announcement by Fitzgerald is expected to come this week, sources close to the case said. However, the day and time is unknown. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the special prosecutor was unavailable for comment. In the past, Samborn said he could not comment on the case.

The grand jury hearing evidence in the Plame Wilson case met Friday on other matters while Fitzgerald spent the entire day at Luskin’s office. The meeting was a closely guarded secret and seems to have taken place without the knowledge of the media.

As TruthOut reported Friday evening, Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources.

Details of Rove’s discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House, where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee.

Speaking on condition of anonymity Friday night, sources confirmed Rove’s indictment was imminent. These individuals requested anonymity saying they were not authorized to speak publicly about Rove’s situation. A spokesman in the White House press office said they would not comment on "wildly speculative rumors."

Rove’s announcement to President Bush and Bolten comes more than a month after he alerted the new chief of staff to a meeting his attorney had with Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in which Fitzgerald told Luskin that his case against Rove would soon be coming to a close and that he was leaning toward charging Rove with perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, according to sources close to the investigation.

A few weeks after he spoke with Fitzgerald, Luskin arranged for Rove to return to the grand jury for a fifth time to testify in hopes of fending off an indictment related to Rove’s role in the CIA leak, sources said.

That meeting was followed almost immediately by an announcement by newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten of changes in the responsibilities of some White House officials, including Rove, who was stripped of his policy duties and would no longer hold the title of deputy White House chief of staff.

The White House said Rove would focus on the November elections and his change in status in no way reflected his fifth appearance before the grand jury or the possibility of an indictment.

But since Rove testified two weeks ago, the White House has been coordinating a response to what is sure to be the biggest political scandal it has faced thus far: the loss of a key political operative who has been instrumental in shaping White House policy on a wide range of domestic issues.

Rove testified that he first found out about Plame Wilson from reading a newspaper report in July 2003 and only after the story was published did he share damaging information about her CIA status with other reporters.

However, evidence has surfaced during the course of the two-year-old investigation that shows Rove spoke with at least two reporters about Plame Wilson prior to the publication of the column.

The explanation Rove provided to the grand jury - that he was dealing with more urgent White House matters and therefore forgot - has not convinced Fitzgerald that Rove has been entirely truthful in his testimony and resulted in the indictment.

Some White House staffers said it’s the uncertainty of Rove’s status in the leak case that has made it difficult for the administration’s domestic policy agenda and that the announcement of an indictment and Rove’s subsequent resignation, while serious, would allow the administration to move forward on a wide range of issues.

"We need to start fresh and we can’t do that with the uncertainty of Karl’s case hanging over our heads," said one White House aide. "There’s no doubt that it will be front page news if and when (an indictment) happens. But eventually it will become old news quickly. The key issue here is that the president or Mr. Bolten respond to the charges immediately, make a statement and then move on to other important policy issues and keep that as the main focus going forward."

Jason Leopold spent two years covering California’s electricity crisis as Los Angeles bureau chief of Dow Jones Newswires. Jason has spent the last year cultivating sources close to the CIA leak investigation, and is a regular contributor to t r u t h o u t. He is the author of the new book NEWS JUNKIE. Visit www.newsjunkiebook.com for a preview.
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Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Friday 12 May 2006

Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources.

Details of Rove’s discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources confirmed Rove’s indictment is imminent. These individuals requested anonymity saying they were not authorized to speak publicly about Rove’s situation. A spokesman in the White House press office said they would not comment on "wildly speculative rumors."

Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, did not return a call for comment Friday.

Rove’s announcement to President Bush and Bolten comes more than a month after he alerted the new chief of staff to a meeting his attorney had with Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in which Fitzgerald told Luskin that his case against Rove would soon be coming to a close and that he was leaning toward charging Rove with perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, according to sources close to the investigation.

A few weeks after he spoke with Fitzgerald, Luskin arranged for Rove to return to the grand jury for a fifth time to testify in hopes of fending off an indictment related to Rove’s role in the CIA leak, sources said.

That meeting was followed almost immediately by an announcement by newly-appointed White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten of changes in the responsibilities of some White House officials, including Rove, who was stripped of his policy duties and would no longer hold the title of deputy White House chief of staff.

The White House said Rove would focus on the November elections and his change in status in no way reflected his fifth appearance before the grand jury or the possibility of an indictment.

But since Rove testified two weeks ago, the White House has been coordinating a response to what is sure to be the biggest political scandal it has faced thus far: the loss of a key political operative who has been instrumental in shaping White House policy on a wide range of domestic issues.

Late Thursday afternoon and early Friday morning, several White House officials were bracing for the possibility that Fitzgerald would call a news conference and announce a Rove indictment today following the prosecutor’s meeting with the grand jury this morning. However, sources close to the probe said that is unlikely to happen, despite the fact that Fitzgerald has already presented the grand jury with a list of charges against Rove. If an indictment is returned by the grand jury, it will be filed under seal.

Rove is said to have told Bolten that he will be charged with perjury regarding when he was asked how and when he discovered that covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson worked for the agency, and whether he discussed her job with reporters.

Rove testified that he first found out about Plame Wilson from reading a newspaper report in July 2003 and only after the story was published did he share damaging information about her CIA status with other reporters.

However, evidence has surfaced during the course of the two-year-old investigation that shows Rove spoke with at least two reporters about Plame Wilson prior to the publication of the column.

The explanation Rove provided to the grand jury - that he was dealing with more urgent White House matters and therefore forgot - has not convinced Fitzgerald that Rove has been entirely truthful in his testimony.

Sources close to the case said there is a strong chance Rove will also face an additional charge of obstruction of justice, adding that Fitzgerald has been working meticulously over the past few months to build an obstruction case against Rove because it "carries more weight" in a jury trial and is considered a more serious crime.

Some White House staffers said it’s the uncertainty of Rove’s status in the leak case that has made it difficult for the administration’s domestic policy agenda and the announcement of an indictment and Rove’s subsequent resignation, while serious, would allow the administration to move forward on a wide range of issues.

"We need to start fresh and we can’t do that with the uncertainty of Karl’s case hanging over our heads," said one White House aide. "There’s no doubt that it will be front page news if and when (an indictment) happens. But eventually it will become old news quickly. The key issue here is that the president or Mr. Bolten respond to the charges immediately, make a statement and then move on to other important policy issues and keep that as the main focus going forward."

Forum posts

  • It is reasonable to describe the Clinton library as a virtual leper colony of memorabilia. Among the chipped and powdery artifacts there are a few thumbed over books. It is a reasonable supposition that there was more serious reading going on at the Mustang Ranch than at the Clinton Library. Indeed, any structure that bears Clinton’s name is enough to make the City of Little Rock into the Mogadishu of the Midwest. Clinton personally chose the location for his Library because it was conveniently located near universities - and brothels. Putting the Clinton Library in Arkansas is its own irony. One wonders what use is a warehouse for cockamamie bric-a-brac much less a library in that cultural moonscape. It is worth noting that a Curator was hired to organize the display of the artifacts of the much twittered about Clinton Legacy. In looking for an appropriate place for the Clinton Legacy, the Curator contemplated stuffing it down the toilet as logic suggests it is the first place visitors would look for it. In the end the Clinton Library will be remembered with less affection and respect than the Texas Book Depository.

    Here are some of the items listed among its so-called attractions:

    – an illustrated history of Arkansas called “A Trailer Park named Gomorrah”

    – the primitive artwork of young Bill’s days in kindergarten (most of which were drawings of stick figures copulating)

    – a book of translations presented to Clinton by Premier Zhao Ziyang so that Bubba could learn how to say “Show me the money!” in Chinese.

    – the charred Bible that had burst into flames when he was being sworn into office

    – the coin Nostradamus flipped to make his major political predictions

    – a wreath laid by Clinton at The Tomb of the Unknown Pervert

    – a length of rubber tubing Clinton used to siphon the gasoline out an entire Presidential motorcade in case the price of Chevron Supreme ever went through the roof

    – life size oil painting of Whitcomb Judson and Gideon Sundback – inventors of the Zipper

    – an email from an Internet server confirming Bill Clinton’s ownership of the domain name: pervert@treason.com

    – a projected Hollywood screenplay in which jazz great Charlie Parker comes back to life just long enough to drive a wooden stake through Bill Clinton’s saxophone

    – a complete set of Black and Decker designer sex toys

    – the table cloth Barbra Streisand reaches for when she feels a sneeze coming on

    – an affidavit from Hillary that Bill never used any mind-altering drugs, because there is no drug on Earth that can alter his mind the way she can

    – a photograph of Cindy Sheehan hugging the Reverend Jesse Jackson after he congratulated her on her religious conversion on becoming a born-again traitor

    – gardening tools Bill used to shovel together the manure to be piled up for his State of the Union speeches

    – Morocco bound copy of Hustler Magazine’s anniversary edition

    – Hillary’s framed diploma from the Wellesley School of Menace

    – a letter of appreciation from the Customer Relations Department of the Cali Cartel (with regards to Roger)

    – a CIA photograph showing Fidel Castro’s going through his closet to decide which one of his 2,000 identical fatigue uniforms to wear that day

    – the unpublished manuscript of a book by Alfred Kinsey called A Boy’s Guide to Casual Depravity

    – duplicate copies of Bill Clinton’s tax forms and other financial records - the originals are in the vault of an offshore bank called The Bermuda Triangle Savings and Loan)

    – the crash helmets he and Hillary wore to bed on their wedding night

    – transcripts of the Whitewater investigation in which Bill Clinton made over 500 denials to the Prosecutor’s first ten questions

    – Greyhound bus schedules for university students defecting to Canada

    – a bottle of Hillary’s favorite cologne - Venom No 5

    – the rhinestone shackles worn to Clinton’s Inauguration Ball by Susan McDougal

    – a bust of Bill Clinton that once occupied a niche in Oxford University’s Hall of Dropouts

    – an autographed photograph of a group of American citizens unable to coax George Bush and Vicente Fox out of The Tunnel of Love

    – a copy of Presidente Vicente Fox’s plan for making California into a Mexican theme park (George Bush already is convinced that California is a Mexican theme park)

    – a medical record of Bill Clinton’s circumcision (the doctor who performed the operation named the procedure a triviotomy)

    – Ron Brown’s autopsy report with the Cause of Death words crossed out and the word “accident” penciled in

    – a projected plan by the House of Representatives Committee on Illegal Alien Welfare to guarantee the survival of the un-fittest

    – a draft of Hillary Clinton’s Health Care Plan with a photograph of her loosening a safety cap on a bottle of strychnine

    – a Good Conduct Medal that a female soldier threw in Clinton’s face because he was not content to pin it to her chest but insisted on ramming it down her cleavage

    – a schematic of NASA’s only orbiting polygraph machine that tracks Bill Clinton’s lies by satellite

    – the NAFTA agreement Clinton signed with Mexico trading Pepto-Bismol for salsa

    – the actual coke bottle Bill used in the Oval Office playing Spin-the-Intern

    – a letter of commendation awarded posthumously to Vince Foster (the only true hero the Clinton Administration) who fell in The Battle of Fort Marcy Park

    – an economy size bottle of steroids autographed by Barry Bonds

    – the table stirrups Bill Clinton used as a child when playing doctor

    – Auto Club maps marking locations where Bubba “run out of gas” when driving his high school date home – romantic trysting places referred to as Molesters’ Lanes

    – the actual cup passed around by West Wing secretaries to take up a collection to buy their boss a gift certificate for a free gelding

    – a photograph of Bill Clinton at an orphanage reminding the pupils that in Arkansas any unwanted child can grow up to be an unwanted president

    – the towel thrown in by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to end his investigation of the Clinton Whitewater swindles

    – a foggy display case containing genuine Arkansas humidity

    – a shrunken head donated by a Haitian voodoo doctor which Hillary wants Bill to have made into her umbrella handle

    – a mason jar in which Bill Clinton intends to donate his prostate to Yale University. If nobody agrees to sign for it, arrangements have been made to have it airdropped - environmentalists having already rejected the proposal it be buried at sea

    – a jar of lubricant all politicians are given at the opening of Arkansas’s traditional Palm Greasing Festival

    – a collection of table lamps thrown at Bill by Hillary. It is as close as the Clintons ever came to reasoning together

    – a photograph of the Arkansas carwash in which Bill and Hillary exchanged their vows

    – 5000 presidential pardons signed by Bill Clinton and made out To Whom it May Concern

    – the actual bucket in which the North Vietnamese mixed Industrial Strength Lysol to scour an anti-aircraft gun muzzle after Jane Fonda straddled it

    – a section of the Little Rock gutter that Bill Clinton couldn’t keep his mind out of

    – a collection of dots Bubba failed to connect during his administration (he was more interested in connecting stains)

    – a video taken by Bill Clinton on his trip to Africa showing the animals stampeding across the Serengeti Plain. When he asked what started them running, his native guide explained that wildebeest get spooked when they see a crooked politician in the wild

    *

    Now that Bill Clinton has built a library in tribute to himself, Hillary will build a cathedral in tribute to herself. It will be called Our Lady of Spite.

    So much for the Clinton Library. In the words of Bette Davis, “What a dump!”

    • Bad Bill’s approval rating is at 72% while multiple members of the White House and the Greedy Oil Party are on their way to Club Fed. It should also be noted that Jr. has no way of getting his likeness carved into Mt. Rushmore.

      "If you don’t believe in Gwb, you might be a terrorist." — BAM

    • It is not on ANY American news station. BELIVE me THEY would LOVE the story!!! Left wingers they are.

    • Is this related to Rove being indicted , or is this the only defence arguements you can muster up ?

    • Who do you think even read your long rambling diatribe on the Clintons? You need to go to some Repuke site and trash it with your crap....no one here even reads garbage from Bu$h sycophants...get lost loser.

    • To 24.91: Start to use your ’spell check’ more often. Believe is spelled BELIEVE. You also need a brain check, 24.91, this long anti-Clinton diatribe is political satire, and not a story. You also need to grow intellectually, world politics isn’t a stupid football game where the Left wingers are doing constant battle with the Right wingers, that’s just a puppet show for the intellectually challenged, which, of course includes yourself.
      The US mass media is indeed a whorehouse, but like any whorehouse it goes to the the highest bidder, that is whoever is in power, whether its liberal or neonincompoop, doesn’t matter to them so long as they get their money. So long as they keep the population pacified into believing in a magical US economy that allows them to keep buying more and more toys on credit without any effort on their part, the mass media will have done their job in maintaining this illusion of prosperity. Alas, this illusion of false prosperity will not last forever, it will very soon come to an end. And a crashing, dispiriting end it will be.
      The US national debt is over $8.2 trillion, gold is now priced at $700 an ounce, oil is pushing $72 a barrel, as the US dollar begins its precipitous fall into oblivion and all you fake ’Conservatives’ are worried about is the Clinton legacy?? What a pack of fools all of you Repukables have become!

    • If he is guilty then he is. Where did you get the STUPID PICT? Just remember outing Plame was like outing a Jaintor. She was an pencil pusher non COVERT !!!!! So bar b que the CIA leakers that leaked REAL secrets during WARTIME. You bagless media show tunes dont want to say about that.

    • What a dumb ass....all he knows is his Faux talking points given to him from Herr O’Lielly......

  • It turns out that the Rove indictment is nothing more than a rumour. Check out this article. Rove rumor red meat to blue state audience Too bad it wasn’t true. What a drag!

  • Obviously, the GOP want to maintain all the cases before the midterms in November. Instead of investigating Rove about the Plume case, the IRS should make a case with him. Rove owns property about 10-12 million dollar, how could he buy this by himself by earning around 182.000 USD a year?

    They nailed Al Capone on Tax fraud, here is another possibility to put a bad guy away.

  • There is still a chance that Rove could get indicted. I would love to see that picture come true. Here is an article on yahoo about the possibility of an indictment. Wouldn’t it be great to see the guy do the perp walk?

    Static Brain