Source to Stephanopoulos: President Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal

[zimv20]

link (http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/02/bush-directly-involved/)


Near the end of a round table discussion on ABC’s This Week, George Stephanopoulos dropped this bomb:


Definitely a political problem but I wonder, George Will, do you think it’s a manageable one for the White House especially if we don’t know whether Fitzgerald is going to write a report or have indictments but if he is able to show as a source close to this told me this week, that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of these discussions.
This would explain why Bush spent more than an hour answering questions from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. It would also fundamentally change the dynamics of the scandal. President Bush could no longer claim he was merely a bystander who wants to “get to the bottom of it.” As Stephanopoulos notes, if Bush played a direct role it could make this scandal completely unmanageable.
anybody watch This Week today? can you confirm this?

[mactastic]

Maybe that's why he changed his vow to getting rid of the culprit only if they were shown to have committed a crime. He wasn't afraid he'd lose Rove, he was afraid HE'D have to go!
;)

[Sayhey]

Unfortunately, only way he or Cheney goes is through articles of impeachment passed by the most partisan Congress in memory. If Stepanopoulos is correct and Fitzgerald feels he has enough to charge Bush or Cheney he would have to submit recommendations to the House, who -for the present - would throw them in the trash unread. Now, what that could mean for the 2006 elections would be fascinating.

More likely is the old "unindicted co-conspirator" tack taken in the Nixon days. If Fitzgerald does indict Rove and Libby, while naming Bush and/or Cheney as co-conspirators, he has the chance to lay out the crime in a non-political forum. Any convictions would place enormous pressure on Congress to act, especially if Congress changes its composition next year. We could be in for a very bumpy ride for a few years.

[mactastic]

I know, I know. The part about Bush stepping down was a joke. We all know he'd fight the charges. But some more indictments would do little to help the GOP's chances come Nov. '06.

[Sayhey]

I know, I know. The part about Bush stepping down was a joke. We all know he'd fight the charges. But some more indictments would do little to help the GOP's chances come Nov. '06.

Sorry, mac, I wasn't trying to lecture. I know you know. Just throwing my thoughts in about what could be explosive news and what it would mean.

[zimv20]

the clip is here (http://movies.crooksandliars.com/This-Week-Bush-Cheney-Plame-10-02-05.mov).

[IJ Reilly]

I don't understand, which "discussions" was Stephanopoulos referring to?

[leekohler]

Does anybody seriously think that this Congress would impeach Bush? Color me cynical, but I think if Bush himself said he was involved, they'd look the other way and let Rove spin him out of it.

[zimv20]

Does anybody seriously think that this Congress would impeach Bush? Color me cynical, but I think if Bush himself said he was involved, they'd look the other way and let Rove spin him out of it.
i cannot imagine that, if bush admitted culpability, that even this congress would let him off the hook easily. but then, bush would never do that, and any amount of denial would be good enough for a good half of the congress.

[leekohler]

i cannot imagine that, if bush admitted culpability, that even this congress would let him off the hook easily. but then, bush would never do that, and any amount of denial would be good enough for a good half of the congress.

You have more faith than I do.

[zimv20]

You have more faith than I do.
and i don't have much!