Did I Speak Too Soon?
Karl Rove's lawyer insists that Rove didn't disclose Valerie Plame's identity, but merely spoke to Matt Cooper during the relevant week.
"Karl did nothing wrong. Karl didn't disclose Valerie Plame's identity to Mr. Cooper or anybody else,"
Robert Luskin told the Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig. "Luskin said the question remains unanswered: 'Who outed this woman? . . . It wasn't Karl.'"
What are we to make of this? I don't think we should automatically believe it. Rove, after all, is fighting for his career—or at least his White House job—and he surely knows it. He's not under oath, and even if he were, even presidents perjure themselves under oath sometimes. If Cooper's notes don't specifically finger Rove as the leaker, then even if it were Rove, he can deny-deny-deny. In part because Cooper isn't talking....
On the other hand, for Rove simply to lie would be a very big gamble, and I certainly wouldn't assume that.
So...we wait. And in the meantime, I'll do my best not to pre-judge Karl Rove regarding his role in this incident.
