TPM Reader NT poses an interesting question. What did Harriet Miers know about the White House plan to bulldoze Joe Wilson and reveal his wife’s identity?
Even more interesting, what does she know about what the president knew?
As we all know, the cognitive gears of official Washington have ground to a virtual halt waiting to hear just what prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is going to spring in the next two weeks. Karl Rove went back before the grand jury this morning for one final attempt to slip the noose. And we’re also told that Fitzgerald’s investigation has now ventured back well before Joe Wilson’s Times OpEd piece was published on July 6th, 2003.
Now, let’s line up Miers’ timeline with that one.
On June 27th, 2003 Ari Fleischer announced that President Bush was promoting Miers to the post of Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Prior to that she served as the president’s staff secretary.
According to a March 24th, 2003 profile in Texas Lawyer, Miers’ position gave her “more one-on-one contact with the president than nearly any other staff member in the West Wing” and made her “the ultimate gatekeeper for what crosses the desk of the nation’s commander in chief.”
From everything we know, the Joe Wilson matter provoked intense concern within the White House well before he went public on July 6th. It seems pretty likely the president would have heard or read something about what was going on. But proving it is another matter entirely.
Given her role at the White House at the time, Miers would seem uniquely placed to give some read on just what he knew and when he knew. Indeed, what she knew and when she knew it.
Has anyone asked her about this topic? Has she appeared before the Fitzgerald grand jury? Has she been asked whether she’s appeared before the Fitzgerald grand jury?
