Libby Defense Casts Doubt on Case
Feb. 12, 2007 — -- Journalists were called to the stand Monday in the perjury trial of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, testifying that Libby did not disclose the identity of outed CIA officer Valerie Wilson.
Famed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward testified that in June 2003, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage mentioned several times in an interview that Valerie Wilson, wife of outspoken war critic and former Ambassador Joe Wilson, worked as an analyst for the CIA.
Woodward said that prior to the interview with Armitage he had not known that Valerie Wilson worked at the CIA. The leak investigation was launched after columnist Robert Novak published Valerie Wilson's name in a July 14, 2003 column on the controversy surrounding administration claims that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from Niger.
Jurors heard an audio excerpt of a June 13, 2003 interview in which Armitage openly identifies Valerie Wilson.
"His wife works in the Agency and is a WMD analyst," Armitage said.
According to Woodward, Armitage didn't portray Valerie Wilson's status in the CIA as covert. "It was just the opposite … what [Armitage] said specifically was Joe Wilson's wife was a WMD analyst at the CIA," Woodward testified.
In the audio excerpt, redacted to omit Armitage's colorful language, Armitage also said that everyone knew Ambassador Wilson had been sent to Niger to investigate uranium claims.Libby is facing trial on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice as to how he learned that Wilson's wife was a CIA operative. Libby told the FBI and a federal grand jury that he learned her identity from NBC News' Tim Russert, a point Russert refuted from the witness stand last week.
Woodward was the second defense witness; his colleague, Walter Pincus of the Washington Post, was the first.
Pincus, a veteran national security reporter, testified that he first learned about Valerie Wilson's position on July 12, 2003, from then-White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. At the time Pincus was writing a story on weapons of mass destruction Pincus recalled that Fleischer asked him, "don't you know his wife works at the CIA?"
Pincus' testimony casts serious doubt on Fleischer's testimony. The former press secretary testified that he learned of Valerie Wilson's identity from Libby over lunch, and that he leaked the information to reporters during a presidential trip to Africa. Fleischer, who made a deal not to be charged in exchange for his testimony, didn't mention Pincus' call when he testified as a government witness.
This afternoon the defense is expected to call Novak to the stand.
It is still unclear if Libby will testify at his own trial. The defense will argue that Libby was so busy with pressing national security issues that he cannot adequately remember details from conversations he had with reporters.