Murray Waas’ latest, from the National Journal: Bush threw Cheney under the train. Yes, I ordered the vice president to leak secret information, Bush told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in 2004. But I didn’t know how he’d do it, or who he’d have do it, or when he’d do it.
Not the greatest defense, but it’ll do in a pinch, I guess.
Waas writes:
Bush also told federal prosecutors during his June 24, 2004, interview in the Oval Office that he had directed Cheney, as part of that broader effort, to disclose highly classified intelligence information that would not only defend his administration but also discredit Wilson, the sources said.
But Bush told investigators that he was unaware that Cheney had directed I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff, to covertly leak the classified information to the media instead of releasing it to the public after undergoing the formal governmental declassification processes.
Waas traces the chain of command like a game of “Telephone”:
One senior government official familiar with the discussions between Bush and Cheney — but who does not have firsthand knowledge of Bush’s interview with prosecutors — said that Bush told the vice president to “Get it out,” or “Let’s get this out,” regarding information that administration officials believed would rebut Wilson’s allegations and would discredit him. . . .
A senior government official familiar with the matter said that in directing Libby to leak the classified information to Miller and other reporters, Cheney said words to the effect of, “The president wants this out,” or “The president wants this done.”
