The Wilson SSCI Part Three: Or, Cheney's Black Hole

This is the third of a series of posts dealing with the Additional Views written on the Wilsons. Part One and Part Two show how the minority of the minority membership of the SSCI intervened to prevent Henry Waxman from receiving documents that he and Tom Davis requested, and proceeded to publish the report Davis wanted, but not the one Waxman wanted. In this post, I’m going to look at Dick Cheney’s Black Hole which, wingnuts claim, proves that Dick Cheney’s inquiries into the Niger intelligence had nothing to do with Joe being sent to Niger.

It all has to do with the chronology that emerged after the introduction of the CIA briefing pertaining to this issue at trial. Cheney's CIA briefing from February 13, 2002 shows that Dick inquired into the Niger intelligence.

The VP was shown an assessment (he thought from DIA) that Iraq is purchasing uranium from Africa. He would like our assessment of that transaction and its implications for Iraq’s nuclear program. A memo for tomorrow’s book would be great.

From this, the minority of the minority claims, it is clear that CIA was discussing the Niger intelligence before Cheney asked about it.

…a tasker from the Vice President to his CIA briefer … indicates that after being shown a DIA assessment about the February 5, 2002 DO report, the Vice President asked for CIA’s assessment (nb: not an investigation) of the matter. The date of the briefing is noted as February 13, 2002, the day after Mrs. Wilson’s memo to her superiors.

While it may be possible that the Vice President’s query is what led to the ultimate decision to use Ambassador Wilson to attempt to uncover additional information about the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal, it is clear from the dates of these two documents that CIA/CPD was discussing … the possibility of using Ambassador Wilson to look into the deal, before the Vice President asked about the reporting.

The minority of the minority further uses a cable Valerie sent overseas on July 13 to claim that Cheney could not have asked about the intelligence before Valerie’s July 12 memo.

In addition, Mrs. Wilson drafted a cable that was sent overseas requesting concurrence with Ambassador Wilson’s travel to Niger. While Ambassador Wilson suggested in his letter to the Committee and in his book that the question of him traveling to Niger was first broached during the February 19, 2002 meeting, the cable drafted by Mrs. Wilson was sent nearly a week earlier, on February 13, only one day after Mrs. Wilson’s memo suggesting that her husband might be willing to look into the Niger matter. Interestingly the cable states that “both State and DOD have requested additional clarification [of the Niger-Iraq uranium report] and indeed, the Vice President’s office just asked for background information …” The cable was dated and time stamped 132142Z Feb 02, which is February 13, 2002 at 3:42 pm DC time. If the Vice President’s office “just asked” it could not have been before Mrs. Wilson’s e-mailed memo to her superior suggesting her husband for the Niger inquiry which was sent February 12, 2002.

Now, I will agree that CIA was clearly considering sending Wilson before February 19. But it is not clear that Joe Wilson—as distinct from Valerie—knew CIA had already taken steps to send him. Given the hesitation Valerie expressed in her February 12 memo about CIA’s past sloppiness, she may have insisted that all preparatory work be done before Joe even be asked. And I presume Joe did not consider the decision to have been made until he agreed to the trip after February 19.

As to the relationship between Dick’s questions and Valerie’s memos, here is the chronology surrounding the reports:

February 5: CIA’s DO issues a report on the Niger intelligence

Dick Cheney’s Black Hole: In which it is unclear when he learned of the Niger intelligence and whether he asked any questions about it

February 12: DIA issues a finished intelligence report on Niger allegations

February 12: Valerie’s memo to (apparently) the Deputy Chief of Counter-Proliferation

February 13, early AM: Dick Cheney, after already having “been shown” an assessment but not knowing for sure whose assessment it was, asks Craig Schmall for more information

February 13, 3:42 PM: After having received inquiries from DOD, State, and OVP, Valerie writes a cable requesting concurrence on sending Wilson overseas

February 14: Cheney briefer David Terry tells him that:

In response to your request on the possible sale of uranium from Niger to Iraq and its implications for Baghdad’s nuclear program:

We have asked our clandestine sources with ties to the Nigerien Government and consortium officials to seek additional information on the contract. We are also working with the Embassy and the defense attaché’s office in Niamey to verify their reports.

Let me be clear—it is clear that Cheney’s CIA briefing took place after Valerie wrote her first memo. But it is not proven that Valerie wrote her memo before Cheney asked about the report … only that she wrote the memo before Cheney asked his CIA briefer about the report. By the time she wrote her memo, he may well have been shown a report (the DO raw intelligence, a draft of the DIA report, or the final report itself). And we have no information on what happened when he was shown it.

See, we still have no idea what happened in Dick Cheney’s Black Hole. We have no idea (and Cheney was either forgetful--or unwilling to reveal) who had shown him the report. Or even what report it was. We have no idea when Cheney was shown the report. We have no idea whether Cheney told that person to follow-up. And we have no idea whether as part of the follow-up they asked for more information—though an agency like the DIA.

Furthermore, we know of at least one other case where—when OVP wanted information—it pursued every available channel to get that information. When Libby and Cheney wanted to find out information on Joe and Valerie Wilson, they asked a source at CIA (Grenier), another at State (Grossman), as well as whatever person actually informed Dick Cheney that Valerie worked at CPD. Three sources, three different channels, over the course of at least two days (and possibly weeks, if we are to believe Grossman’s story that Libby asked about Wilson on May 29).

So it is possible that Cheney was the source of all three inquiries into the intelligence, once through a DIA briefer or through Dougie Feith, once through Bolton, and once through his CIA briefer. That may not be the case--but we don't know. And apparently the minority of the minority has little motivation to look into it.

It is certainly possible that Cheney’s inquiries were not the first thing that led to Wilson being sent. But we don’t know that, because we don’t know what occurred in Cheney’s Black Hole.

Comments

[marksb]

Ah, man, Cheney's black hole is on my birthday!

[Jeff]

Small correction: Terry was the briefer on February 13 who wrote up the briefer's tasking; not Schmall.

[emptywheel]

Shit, I meant to go back and double check it, but Typepad is being so postitively evil I got distracted.

Thanks, Jeff.

[emptywheel]

Sorry Jeff--I think chemo brain is catching. How do we know the Feb 13 briefing is Terry? I don't see a name (I do see a name on the Feb 14 one). Are you looking at the other version of this that was submitted into evidence?

[Jeff]

I'm looking at DX66, and it's right there on p. 2, on the February 13 2002 briefer's tasking, just above where it names Richard Cheney as the principal.

[emptywheel]

Yes you are--looking right there, where I'm overlooking.

[marksb]

So EW allow me to be simple for a minute. Based on your part II and III, it would seem that the minority of the minority of SSCI did some work when it was in fact a minority of the majority, and now we are stuck with the oversight they've reported and the documents they feel comfortable releasing. Did I get that right? So,

Why does the new majority not revisit this issue? Does it take a formal process to revisit previous testimony and documents?

Do the former minority (now majority) not have access to the documents? Why not? Is this a case of 'classified' documents released only to certain members, and if so, why do those trusted members not include members of the majority? That's weird.

In part II, you state the CIA sees the SSCI as it's specific oversight committee ("...according to the CIA, SSCI is the CIA's oversight committee. And if that interview is going to happen, then SSCI is going to have to do it.") Since when does a department get to chose who oversees their activities and decisions? Does this really mean that they will not respond to Waxman's committee if they choose to, um, investigate the investigation?

The details make my head swim and, daring to mix metaphors, it looks like we're all getting snowed here. (Or screwed.) Thanks for all your amazing work digging into this and keeping it all straight for us.

[dotsright]

Ahhh, I was taking Cheney's black hole to be that orifice from which his "last throes of the insurgency" and other atrocities had come. My bad.

[emptywheel]

marksb

No, I think they could get docs. But that gets you into my shopping trip for a new SSCI chair, because the one we've got gets rolled so often.

They got just the docs they had to do pre-empt Waxman, and then stopped. PResumably, the Dems could get all the docs I'm talking about... but they don't.

[Jodi]

Perhaps they don't want the documents because it doesn't do their politics any good. Now that would assume they have a glimmer of what they might say!

I guarantee that if the current majority thought they could get something on Cheney or Rove they would be working very hard and very publicly.

Therefore I assume that the (whatever there is) documents that are undisclosed are in the same or even a worse category of the one that we have just seen which seems to make the ground tremble in Wilson-Plame land.

[readerOfTeaLeaves]

The subtleties elude me, but having just started Kevin Phillips' "American Theocracy," let me toss in a few odd bits for added context:

2001 - Cheney's Secret Energy Task Force pored over maps of 'Mesopotamia', thought to contain the world's largest remaining oil reserves.
2002 - oil was selling for $30 barrel.
-- the world's five largest major oil companies made **profits** of $36 billion.
-- the **estimated annual profits** of Iraqi oil were estimated at $95 billion.
By spring 2006, oil was selling for $75 barrel

Numerous published sources explain long term relationships between Michael Ledeen and Italian SISMI (intelligence). The bogus Niger yellowcake documents appear to have an Italian/SISMI provenance. Raw Story and other sources suggest the Niger forgeries came to Cheney's attention via Ledeen --> John Bolton (at State Dept)--> OVP.

Cheney needs a 'cover' for how he found out about the Niger forgeries, and Plame is his convenient lie. Cheney got punk'd by the forgeries (or else he used them to punk Bush and Congress). Plame didn't get punk'd.

Surely, Waxman will surely note with interest the excessive efforts to cloud the trail of Cheney's interest in the Niger forgeries. This is an interesting little dustcloud on the trail.

[MayBee]

But it is not clear that Joe Wilson—as distinct from Valerie—knew CIA had already taken steps to send him. Given the hesitation Valerie expressed in her February 12 memo about CIA’s past sloppiness, she may have insisted that all preparatory work be done before Joe even be asked.

At the Waxman hearing, she said:

My colleague suggested this idea, and my supervisor turned to me and said, "Well, when you go home this evening, would you be willing to speak to your husband, ask him to come into headquarters next week and we'll discuss the options? See if this -- what we could do" Of course. And as I was leaving, he asked me to draft a quick e-mail to the chief of our Counterproliferation Division, letting him know that this was -- might happen. I said, "Of course," and it was that e- mail, Congressman, that was taken out of context and -- a portion of which you see in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report of July 2004 that makes it seem as though I had suggested or recommended him.

How do you square the information from 2 sources that Plame facilitated the Feb 19th meeting with Wilson's previous:
"The meeting was not convened by my wife," the former ambassador said. "She had, as it now turns out, the misfortune of having escorted me into the building. ... She left before the meeting started." He also said that the subject of his going to Niger did not arise until halfway through the session.

[p.lukasiak]

I guarantee that if the current majority thought they could get something on Cheney or Rove they would be working very hard and very publicly.

ah, the wingnuts have shown up in force.

1) You are projecting. Not everyone thinks like wingnuts do, and believes that treating sensitive intelligence as a political weapon is appropriate.

2) Smart people are capable of logic. Getting at the truth of this matter doesn't "get Cheney", it merely embassses people like you.

*************
How do you square the information from 2 sources that Plame facilitated the Feb 19th meeting with Wilson's previous:

non-wingnuts know that the word "facilitated" means "helped make it happen", and "convene" means to "call people together" for a meeting.

***********

If the minority of the minority was serious, there are three fact witnesses they would have interviewed based on Valerie's sworn testimony-- the "junior officer" who got the call from Cheney's office, the "colleague" who passed Valerie's desk and suggested Joe, and Valerie's superior who asked that she write the memo.

These are the people who can verify if Valerie's story is true. Yet the minority of the minority (and wingnuttia) insists on taking one document out of its described context, and drawing conclusions.

We already know that Cheney was interested in "unfiltered" Iraq intelligence. We know that Bolton (at State) and Wolfowitz (at Defense), two key allies of Cheney, were also interested in unfiltered intelligence. And we know from Valerie's memo that "state" and "defense" were well aware of the content of the original DO report. The idea that Cheney was NOT aware of the DO reporting prior to Feb 13, of course, completely absurd -- but it is on this absurdity that wingnuts like Jodi and Maybee rest their beliefs.

BTW Maybee.... will you NOW admit that every word of the bullshit you and the rest of your buddies over at Maguire's have been saying about Valerie was not covert was complete and absolute crap?

[readerOfTeaLeaves]

p.lukusiak -- thanks for brightening my day. Nicely phrased, and your logic is impeccable. Between you, Wm Ockham, John Caspar, lhp, Mimikatz, marksb, bmaz, and so many other remarkable commenters here (I could go on but...), EW sure does run a fine pub.

Thank you.