Overseeing the Leak

It's time for my grand, unifying post about Libbygate.

The House Committee on Oversight and Goverment Reform, back with a vengeance from its 6-year hiatus, is holding a hearing on Friday concerning the leak of Valerie Wilson's* identity as a CIA agent (for all you naysayers out there, my omission of the word "covert" before "agent" is deliberate--for now let's just stick to the facts that everyone will stipulate). According to the committee's website,

the Committee will receive testimony from Ms. Wilson and other experts regarding the disclosure and internal White House security procedures for protecting her identity from disclosure and responding to the leak after it occurred.

The reason I note these hearings (aside from the fact that it does tend to suggest that Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) is not uninterested in hearings) concerns the Committee's invitation to Pat Fitzgerald to testify.

Today, Fitz sent a letter of response. He said exactly what I'd hoped he would when I heard about this invitation: "No."

As Fitz notes, Libby's case is ongoing, in the sense that an appeal has been promised (though not yet filed). Moreover, grand jury secrecy rules prevent him from disclosing evidence not already presented publicly as part of Libby's trial.

Additionally, Fitz wrote that

I also do not believe it would be appropriate for me to offer opinions...about the ultimate responsibility of senior White House officials for the disclosure of Ms. Wilson's identity, or the sufficiency of the remedial measures that White House officials took after the leak. Prosecutors traditionally refrain from commenting outside the judicial process on the actions of persons not charged with criminal offenses.

There's more to the letter, but that's the gist.

Not exactly the rantings of a guy who has it out for the WH.

* I use the name "Valerie Wilson" because that is her legal name. For some reason, some folks call her "Valerie Plame", which name I understand that she has not used since she married Joe Wilson (except, of course, in her former capacity as a CIA agent). The Committee's website refers to her as "Valerie Plame Wilson", which is another common choice for whatever reason. Update: In her written remarks for her testimony to the Oversight Committee today, Ms. Wilson referred to herself as "Valerie Plame Wilson". Interestingly, key GOP witness Victoria Toensing referred to Ms. Wilson repeatedly in Toensing's written remarks as "Plame", not "Wilson". Is this some sort of new insult, like "Democrat Party".