You read it here in March 2004. They were looking at John Hannah from the beginning:
The special counsel appointed in late December 2003 to investigate the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson found out the identity of the Bush administration official who disclosed her undercover status to syndicated columnist Robert Novak just two months after the probe began.
But in early February 2004, a month after he started the investigation, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald shifted gears and started to build a perjury and obstruction of justice case against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby according to several attorneys close to the investigation.
That month, Justice Department investigators working on the leak case approached a senior official in the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney who had been identified by witnesses as having played a major role in the Plame Wilson leak.
The Bush administration official was given an ultimatum: either cooperate with the special counsel’s probe or face criminal charges for his involvement in the leak, attorneys close to the case said.
The senior official decided to cooperate with the investigation and told Fitzgerald that Libby and Rove spoke to reporters about Plame Wilson, the attorneys said.
The official has been identified by attorneys and four current and former White House officials as John Hannah, a senior national security aide on loan to Vice President Dick Cheney from then-Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John Bolton.
It’s the start of the baseball season, and you can’t tell the Washington players without a scorecard.
Ex-DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty in Lobby Case…
Tony C. Rudy, a former deputy chief of staff to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), pleaded guilty yesterday t…
Man, up to now I don’t think I’d ever heard of John Hannah/.
Very nice scoop there, young lady!
I just wanted you to know that the article you orignally linked to is now in premium content land at Insight Mag Online, and your original link is bloggered. Not surprising, but interesting to note.
As it is also interesting (at least to me) that, while you weren’t the original source, you were one of the few to notice the story. I have my doubts that any of the MSM picked it up at the time. That is one of the things that the blogsphere brings to the journalistic table - often (as in this case) when the two spheres overlap. And it is needed - especially when the MSM is so clearly pushing its’ own agenda.
I also wanted to say thanks and congrats on the near Koufax (and the writing that got you the nomination). And get better. Ciao fer now!