Plame Affair — LLMpedia

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Plame Affair. The Plame Affair was a political scandal that involved the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the George W. Bush administration, including Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby. It centered around the outing of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative, by Robert Novak and other journalists, such as Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller. The scandal also involved Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame's husband, who had written an op-ed piece for The New York Times criticizing the Bush administration's justification for the Iraq War, which was supported by Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi.

Background

The Plame Affair began with the Iraq War and the Bush administration's claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which were also supported by Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld. In 2002, Joseph Wilson was sent to Niger by the CIA to investigate claims that Iraq was attempting to purchase uranium from the country, a claim also made by Saddam Hussein and Mohamed ElBaradei. Wilson found no evidence to support this claim, which was also disputed by Hans Blix and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2003, Wilson wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times, criticizing the Bush administration's use of this claim to justify the Iraq War, a war also supported by John McCain and Lindsey Graham. The Bush administration, including Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, was upset by Wilson's piece, which was also read by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

In July 2003, Robert Novak published a column in which he revealed that Valerie Plame was a CIA operative, citing Karl Rove and Scooter Libby as his sources, who were also in contact with Ari Fleischer and Dan Bartlett. This leak was a felony under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, a law also supported by Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Novak's column was followed by other journalists, including Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller, who also wrote about Plame's CIA status, which was also known by Richard Armitage and Paul Wolfowitz. The leak of Plame's identity was widely condemned by Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and Republicans, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

The FBI launched an investigation into the leak, led by Patrick Fitzgerald, who was appointed by Deputy Attorney General James Comey, with the support of John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales. The investigation led to the indictment of Scooter Libby, who was charged with obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements, crimes also prosecuted by Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. Libby's trial began in 2007, and he was found guilty on all counts, a verdict also supported by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison, but his sentence was commuted by President Bush, a decision also criticized by Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer.

The Plame Affair had significant consequences for the Bush administration, including damage to its credibility and reputation, which was also affected by the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse and the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The scandal also led to a decline in public support for the Iraq War, a war also opposed by France, Germany, and Russia. The CIA also suffered damage to its reputation and morale, which was also affected by the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror. Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson also suffered personal consequences, including the loss of their privacy and security clearance, which was also a concern for Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.

The Plame Affair was widely condemned by Democrats and Republicans, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who also criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War. The scandal was also criticized by journalists and media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, which also covered the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate scandal. The Bush administration's response to the scandal was also criticized, including its handling of the investigation and its treatment of Scooter Libby, which was also a concern for Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. The Plame Affair remains a controversial and polarizing topic, with many questioning the motives and actions of the Bush administration, including Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Category:Political scandals in the United States