Victoria Toensing is one of the most annoying right wing pundits. Because she is a lawyer, she milks that as a patina of credibility. The lazy DC press corps is always quoting Toensing or her annoying husband, Joseph DiGenova. Last week, Toensing was quoted in Reverend Moon's paper downplaying the treasonous act of outing a spy:
"There is not one fact that I have seen that there could be a violation of the agent identity act," said Victoria Toensing, a lawyer who helped draft the 1982 act.Today, over at TPM Cafe, former CIA agent Larry Johnson really lets her have it:
Ms. Toensing is wrong. Let us pray that Ms. Toensing is not practicing law these days because, if her comments in this article reflect her abilities as an attorney, clients could be in serious trouble. Valerie Plame was a "covert agent" as defined by the law. In her cover position as a consultant to Brewster-Jennings, Ms. Plame served overseas on clandestine missions. Just because she did not live overseas full time does not mean she did not work overseas using her status as a non-official cover officer.Thanks, Larry, not that it will help. Toensing and her right wing pals should heed this from Johnson, too:
The important point is not that a law was broken, but that our country is in the hands of a President who is willing to tolerate people in his Administration who are admitted liars and who played a direct role in compromising our nation's security. President Bush is sending a clear message--it is more important to protect cronies than protect this country.
