As CIA Leak Investigation Concludes, Critics Say Probe Should Examine Possible Presidential Crimes Around Iraq War

Interview with John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney, conducted by Scott Harris

The federal probe into who in the White House leaked the identity of a covert CIA agent to news reporters is drawing to a close. During his investigation, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald questioned President Bush's senior advisor Karl Rove four times, confirming, despite early public denials, that he was at least one of those in the White House who revealed the identity of the CIA officer. Fitzgerald also succeeded in pressuring reluctant Time reporter Matt Cooper and the New York Times' Judith Miller to testify before the grand jury hearing the case. Although Miller initially refused to testify, and was jailed on contempt charges for 85 days, she recently changed her mind and made a deal with Fitzgerald to be released after agreeing to speak before the grand jury.

In Miller's own account of her testimony published in the Times, she confirms -- as did with Cooper -- that Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a senior adviser to Vice President Cheney, was a source from whom she had received information about the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. Plame is the wife of former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson who had publicly debunked President Bush 's pre-war declaration that Saddam Hussein was attempting to obtain uranium from the African nation of Niger for an Iraqi nuclear weapons program.

As the nation awaits the conclusion of Fitzgerald's case, which could end in the indictment of Rove or Libby on charges of violating the espionage act or perjury, more important aspects of this affair are being overlooked by much of the corporate media. Central to the case is the Bush administration's use of dubious evidence to justify the Iraq war. The subsequent outing of CIA agent Plame appears to have been part of a larger White House effort to silence and punish the president's critics. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney and co-founder of the group Afterdowningstreet.org, who explains why he believes this investigation must be broadened to include the false pretext under which the nation went to war with Iraq, and the impeachable offenses that may have been committed by President Bush.

Visit John Bonifaz's group's website at www.afterdowningstreet.org

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

http://www.btlonline.org

*

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: http://www.btlonline.org

*

"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

*

betweenthelines@snet.net

*

http://www.squeakywheel.net/

*

Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions

©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.