Libby Was Eager to Reveal CIA’s Role in Niger Trip
Robert L. Grenier, former CIA Iraq mission manager, testified yesterday in the perjury and obstructiontrial of former Dick Cheney aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. Grenier said on the stand that Libby “was eager to make public that the CIA, not Vice President Dick Cheney, sent a former ambassador to check on Iraq’s efforts to obtain nuclear material.” (AP)
Sherwood Refusing to Make Settlement Payments
Former Pennsylvania rep Don Sherwood is refusing to pay his ex-mistress more than half of the $500,000 he promised her in exchange for silence, claim two people familiar with the situation. “Sherwood contends he’s no longer bound by the settlement because, he charges, the ex-mistress violated its confidentiality clause.” (The Politico)
Foreign Relations Committee Criticizes Buildup
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee pointedly rejected President Bush’s troop surge yesterday, describing the plan as “not in the national interest” of the United States. The committee’s party-line vote went 12-9, but Democrats weren’t the only ones expressing frustration with the strategy. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) described the current war effort as “a pingpong game with American lives.” (AP)
Election Staff Convicted
“Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio’s most populous county.” (AP)
FEC Announces Contribution Limit Increases
“The Federal Election Commission this week announced mandatory double-digit political contribution limit increases for House, Senate and presidential elections, which likely will add to an already frenzied fundraising cycle.” (Roll Call)
Does Katherine Harris Have a Future in Politics?
A photographer caught former Florida rep Katherine Harris shmoozing on the floor prior to the start of the Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. Harris, who in 2006 ran what many consider to be one of the more bizarre, disastrous senatorial campaigns in recent memory (more than a dozen staffers quit), is working on a book and “mulling her future ventures.” (U.S. News & World Report)
Byrd Circulates Dire Spending Warning
“In an apparent attempt to head off conservative Republicans intent on restraining Congressional spending, Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) is circulating a memo warning that without increased funding for some programs the federal government may have to lay off or furlough thousands of key homeland security, consumer safety and health care personnel.” (Roll Call)
Correction: The correct number for the Sherwood settlement was $500,000, not $50,000 as we originally wrote.
