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Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:00 AM

What they did, what they said, why it matters

The timeline in the Plame investigation stretches on for years. Here are the dates that may matter most.

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Tuesday, October 25, 2005 10:54 AM

The only entry I'm interested in in the timeline...

involves arrests dates, jail time and impeachment hearings.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:05 AM

February 6, 2004

James Comey of the Department of Justice wrote a letter to Fitzgerald, stating that his delegation of authority to Fitzgerald included the "authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal crime laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure, as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses." This gives Fitzgerald the latitude to investigate not only the leaking of Plame's name in violation of the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act (IIPA), but also any attempt to cover up the affair.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:15 AM

Triggering Event

The June 12 2003 WashPost article probably belongs at the top of the timeline. It preceded Libby's conversation with Cheney on that day and may prove to have been the triggering event.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:25 AM

One more item

July 7, 2003: A SECRET State Department memo, making reference to Wilson's trip and its origins, and noting Wilson's wife (identified as a covert agent working for the CIA), is transitted via secure fax to Colin Powell on Air Force One. Powell circulated the memo among White House officials on the plane, which was on its way to Africa for a Bush visit -- but it is not clear who that included.

[This is my characterization culled from various sources. Corrections and clarifications welcomed!]

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:52 AM

June 10, 2003: Classified State Dept. Memo Identifies Plame

A State Dept. memo dated June 10, 2003, identifies Plame as a CIA agent. While the memo did not indicate that her identity was protecteted or that she was undercover, the paragraph with this identification was labeld S[ecret].

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 11:52 AM

Cheney's Lies

As Defense Secretary under Bush 41 Cheney would certainly have known Joseph Wilson & his wife's occupation, ( surely that would have been mentioned in his security vetting when Wilson took over as Ambassador to Iraq which Cheney hopefully read ). Also, how is it Tenet wasn't aware of what she did for the CIA? Nothing the Bushies have claimed in their defense, so far, has any hint of truth. Why has no one in the MSM questioned any of this?

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:03 PM

March 14, 2003

David Ensor on CNN cited sources that accurately described Joseph Wilson regarding the forged Niger documents; bloggers I don't recall have alleged Cheney-Libby meetings about Wilson subsequently in March.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:14 PM

Why it matters

What matters about the timeline is that well before my son and other Marines and soldiers crossed the border from Kuwait into Iraq in '03, everyone in the oval office knew the story given to America to justify the action was untrue

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 12:19 PM

Forged Documents

What do you make of ?

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 02:14 PM

Kristof column

The Kristof column on May 6 2003 in the New York Times seems to have brought Wilson closer to the center of the radar screen, though he wasn't named. It belongs on the time line.

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