Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has been revealed as the original source of the information about Valerie Plame that made its way into Robert Novak's column about the Niger affair. It appears Armitage discussed it casually without knowledge of whether her status was covert, and without any malicious intent, as "inside Washington" gossip. As CNN notes, this news "... is somewhat anticlimactic for Bush administration critics who had used the story as a weapon in Washington's partisan battles." Plame 's husband Joseph Wilson , however, continues to claim that the administration intentionally used the leak to retaliate against him for his criticism of the war on Iraq. According to ABC News, when Armitage realized he was the source of the leak early on in the affair, he "went straight to the FBI and told them the straight story." This confession was kept secret by the FBI and special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald throughout the investigation. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in contrast did not disclose his involvement, and ended up indicted for obstruction of justice, proving again that "the cover-up is worse than the crime."
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has been revealed as the original source of the information about Valerie Plame that made its way into Robert Novak's column about the Niger affair. According to sources, Armitage discussed it casually and it is not clear whether he had knowledge of her classified status. Plame and her husband Joseph Wilson have filed a civil lawsuit alleging that the administration intentionally used the leak to retaliate against him for his criticism of the war on Iraq. According to ABC News, when Armitage realized he was the source of the leak early on in the affair, he informed the FBI of it.
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without knowledge of whether her status was covert, and without any malicious intent, as "inside Washington" gossip. As CNN notes, this news "... is somewhat anticlimactic for Bush administration critics who had used the story as a weapon in Washington's partisan battles."
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"went straight to the FBI and told them the straight story." This confession was kept secret by the FBI and special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald throughout the investigation. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in contrast did not disclose his involvement, and ended up indicted for obstruction of justice, proving again that "the cover-up is worse than the crime."
informed the FBI of it.