Cheney Discussed Inquiries Into Plame Leak, Obama Administration Trying To Keep Details Secret

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney talked with top White House officials about how to respond to reporters' inquiries into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative, according to a court filing.

Cheney told the FBI about his recollection of discussions with his former top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and other White House officials on the media's questions. But the Obama administration is fighting in court to keep the substance of what Cheney revealed to the FBI from the public.

The FBI interviewed Cheney in 2004 as it was investigating the leak of former CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to reporters the year before. Her name was revealed after her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration's prewar intelligence on Iraq.

The leak touched off a lengthy inquiry that led to Libby being convicted on charges of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators about his conversations with reporters. Libby told the FBI it was possible that Cheney ordered him to reveal Plame's identity to the media.

The liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit last year seeking records related to Cheney's FBI interview.

In a court filing Wednesday, Acting Assistant Attorney General David Barron argued that parts of Cheney's interview should be kept secret because they involve confidential deliberations among White House officials. Barron said their disclosure could limit frank and open discussion about matters of national importance in the White House in the future.

He said Cheney's recollection of discussions with Libby, the White House communications director and chief of staff about media inquiries into the Plame leak were among those portions that should be protected. He also included Cheney's discussions with the CIA director about Wilson's trip and his role in resolving disputes about declassifying "certain information" in that category.

Barron's filing was first reported Thursday on The Washington Post's Web site.

Comments

[Derelict outlaw]

So he was SecDef when he took us into the first oil war on the side of the corrupt despotic regime that so alienated its patriots that ten years later they flew aircraft into our buildings in New York, then fabricated an excuse for another war, and suspended all of the constitutional guarantees we used to enjoy, and then committed treason by outing a working NOC CIA agent to protect hmself from disparaging remarks about his motivations for enabling the biliions and billions in no bid contracts given to his friends and former employers, so what now what?

President Obama thinks its best to protect the office and the principle of executive privilege?

You never know when we might want to do similar things or worse in the future in the intersts of national security, right?

[amessenger]

very sad part of this is Obama's group fighting to keep the most critical documents secret, under some nauseous justification of future presidents losing confidence.
This is the Transparent Government he promised us;
THIS -- is the change you can believe in. A metamorphosis into Bushism.

[Gib]

Metamorphosis, yes.

[WierdWookie]

We are learning who in Senate and Congress is against healthcare, and have know about Chenney for ages. We learn all these deeds, both good and bad and have a right to know. This is our Government, isn't it? I am like all of you-makes me sick.

[jimmy2shoes]

No one in Congress is against health care. Some just don't see the constitutional authority of the Federal government to deal with it. Health care would fall under the Tenth Amendment. National health care is not constitutional. It is a state issue.

[vietveter]

If you are a skunk you do everything in your power to make sure that

there is never open season on skunks.

[WierdWookie]

Are they afraid we silly Americans will finally learn what Government does behind closed doors.
Good grief, sounds like 1940's Germany to me. Chenny's deeds shoud be public and will eventually become public, no matter. You can't keep secrets even between two people. Obama is wasting time and money on this one.
I just don't get it. Every one knows. Just what do they think we are, dummies?

[alainv]

Now theres change we can believe in . NOT ! By the time America wakes up to the fact that we are beeing hosed again we will officially be a third world country . That's asumeing that we eventually will wake up witch is probably giving us to mutch credit considering our sordid history . Beem me up Scotty . No intelligent life here .

[ATRE]

Wow. I've never seen someone spell "much" wrong.

[Gib]

You doent get out mutch, doe yoo?

[Pupadup4oBama]

not just mutch, but asumeing, witch which is he referring to? and Beem me up.
Sheesh...not someone I can take too seriously.

[BritishAmerican]

Where have you been for the past eight years? Obviously not getting enough education judging from your English grammar and spellings. Get a life.

[PUAAN]

Aw, give it a rest, spelling nazis. English spelling makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and either you can spell or you can't. Means nothing about the quality of your brain, and alainv's comment is a good one.

[AAKAlan]

First, let me say that I have been an Obama supporter, Contributor and voter.

That said, is it possible that Obama is actually a black-version of George Bush?

[squee127]

It wouldn't limit frank and open discussion, but it might limit ILLEGAL discussions (and actions) about matters of national importance.

And wouldn't that be a *good* thing?

[CopeNagin]

The more things change we can believe in, the more they remain the same.

[sosi]

The O is becoming secretive like Cheney... BTW, people can handle the truth, and better...

[AngieMom57]

What r u saying about the Obama-man Superhero? and can your words be sung to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." please let us know...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/06/watch-jibjabs-parody-of-superhero-barack-obama.html

[beachsandshuffle]

Hiding under cover does not equate with security

[AngieMom57]

Oh Mutten of a Man, Cheney, get thee to a vegan camp and embrace the vegetable state....BTW your eyes tell the story of a pharmaceutical, meat eating, demonic presence, yet I could be wrong...yet I think not ;-)

[paulalex]

LOL

[hotbytes]

It puzzles the he!! out of me that Ob ama is trying to PROTECT the most ev!l man alive: Dic k Che ney.

WHY? Why is O bama doing this? What's in it for him? The public ALREADY KNOW that C heney is ev!l. What is there to cover up?

[patrickmcdougal]

precedence

[paulalex]

Obama has a thousand fingers in a thousand leaks in the dam. He wants NADA to get in the way of fixing this huge mess.

The repo men have set so many booby PR traps for him it's untrue, so stop wondering why he doesn't do this that and the other and focus on the big picture already:

ECONOMY

PUBLIC HEALTH PLAN

[Mikeeee]

I believe it has to do with the same mindset that would give more power to the FED. That is more than willing to give trillions of dollars to banks, but a mere 400 billion to create jobs for the middle class. That won't bring to justice what every other country in the world recognizes as war criminals.
I really believed he was sincere about change. Sadly I think I was duped as were we all.

[paulalex]

"Sadly I think I was duped as were we all."

Classic

[labman57]

Cheney's actions and political decisions had absolutely nothing to do with making America safer. It had more to do with making America more powerful, but mostly it had to do with making a small subset of Americans richer and more powerful by any means necessary.

Cheney had once said that the only mistake that Nixon made was allowing his people to get caught. That pretty much sums up his Machiavellian mindset.

[Mikeeee]

We know that and so does O, but O is going to let him n GW off the hook.

[Bigunsmom]

I love Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz. True Americans

[iceage7]

Nope. True Rethugs. Send other peoples kids to war but not theirs and speak with authority on how to fight wars. keep them in iraq as long as possible. Heck i got nothing to lose. None of my kids are there.

[underoath]

You and you alone

[Mum]

At first I thought you were joking, but, given the subject of the article and the fact that your comment has nothing to do with it, I began to think otherwise. So, when you say that Cheney and his daughter are true Americans, I can only guess that you are thinking of Benedict Arnold or Timothy McVeigh or Aldrich Ames or Robert Hanssen.

[homerun]

True war criminals.

[Opygollopy]

You must be a Buddhist monk then, otherwise you are as insane as they are.