Mathew Cooper Tells More on PlameGate

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 01:41:00 AM EST
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Former Time reporter Matthew Cooper has been busy with a new venture called Portfolio. Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz has seen a copy of Cooper's first article for the new publication and it has some revelations about PlameGate:

Now it can be told: Matt Cooper thought that Time magazine's strategy in the Valerie Plame leak investigation was "insane." He was unhappy when his lawyer wanted to simultaneously represent I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the man whose identity Cooper was risking jail to protect. And Judith Miller got on his nerves.

More...

Cooper says he realized early on that he would probably lose the subpoena battle over his refusal to testify about his 2003 discussions regarding Plame with White House aides Libby and Karl Rove. But Time rejected Cooper's plea to compromise by seeking waivers of confidentiality from the officials. "Behind the scenes I desperately wanted to make a deal that could get us out of this mess," he writes.

As to Olson, Libby and Cooper:

Norman Pearlstine, then Time Inc.'s editor in chief, decided to hire conservative lawyer Ted Olson. But Cooper's opinion of the former solicitor general declined when Olson asked if he could also represent Libby, which Cooper saw as a conflict since "Libby's defense ultimately involved my word against his." Olson quickly backed off.

Go on over to Howard's column to read the rest, including what Cooper said about Judith Miller.

As to why he would write this all up now, Cooper's answer was:

"I guess it was cathartic for me to just put it down," Cooper says in an interview. "And I'd already done the reporting."

I just hope he didn't rely on those sloppy notes again.

Portfolio, "The glossy business magazine from Conde Nast" debuts today.

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Mathew Cooper Tells More on PlameGate | 3 comments (3 topical)

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Good for Cooper on Olson (none / 0) (#1)
by hellskitchen on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 09:29:05 AM EST

I'm not a lawyer and I always get edgy when a lawyer, of all people, doesn't seem to "get" conflict of interest. Seems to be a problem for the 'Pubs doesn't it?

the leak versus political dirty tricks (none / 0) (#2)
by diogenes on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 09:59:30 AM EST

Libby was convicted of perjury, so the jury presumably thought he told someone about Plame. Safire said that Armitage told him about Plame. If there is a "leak", don't people usually get indicted for it? And if it's not a chargable crime, then why call it a "leak" for the purpose of blogs, TV movies, etc. You can call it political dirty tricks if you prefer; no one would dispute that.

: Valerie E. Wilson was identified . . . (none / 0) (#3)
by walt on Mon Apr 16, 2007 at 12:42:38 PM EST

. . . as a classified CIA operative to Novak by Armitage. Prosecutor Fitzgerald knew this from almost the beginning of the investigation. The act of exposing her job, real employer, false front employer & field of specialty was a crime--but Armitage convinced the FBI, CIA, DoJ & the grand jury that he did not KNOW her status was classified information. And the IIPA requires both knowledge & intent, so Armitage was not prosecuted.
HOWEVER:
Someone provided Armitage & Fleisher with the information about Ms. Wilson & her work. Dick Armitage claims that he got his information from an e-memo by Carl Ford, and this document is in the grandjury exhibits. It does not contain her Plame identity or Brewster-Jennings, so Armitage got that info. from some other source--contra his "believed" claims. Fleisher got his info. from a message circulated aboard Air Force I on its way to Africa. It contains all but the Plame name.
Libby lied to the FBI, Fitzgerald & the grand jury about how that information moved from inside the CIA to a fool at the State Dept. & a White House press flak. There was an internal crime, and Libby fabricated a very weak fantasy to hide it. The story unraveled very easily. But . . . he sticks to it, so the investigation cannot go forward. Many people see Libby as the fall guy between Karl Rove & Dick Cheney.
Most of the observors, especially the grand jury members, perceived this as the work of Dick Cheney. Libby concealed that. Some of his lies are in his own handwriting on documents that FBI Agent Deborah Bond turned over to the grand jury, so his perjury conviction was reasonably obvious.
He's going to appeal.