Two GOP attack dogs (who are regular pundits on FOX and have been published by Regnery, the nutty GOP publishing arm) are now trying to spread a lie about Joe Wilson, saying he revealed to them in a casual conversation in the Green Room at FOX News in 2002 (a year before Novak outed Valerie Wilson) that Valerie worked at the CIA.
Amb. Wilsons says categorically that this never happened - liked he'd blare this to two total strangers, at FOX News no less - but the two FOX News pundit-authors, who of course suddenly appear out of nowhere two years into the investigation once Scooter is indicted and the Bush White House is falling apart at the seams, are now intent on spreading their suddenly rediscovered "memory."
Coincidence? I report, you decide.
The phony report was first published at WorldNetDaily, then it was repeated tonight on the convervative talk radio John Batchelor Show. Batchelor received but refused to include the statement, below, by Amb. Wilson's and Valerie Plame's lawyer Christopher Wolf.
This is yet another clear effort by the pro-treason wing of the Republican party to resurrect Swift Boat Veteran tactics as a counter-offensive in RoveGate. I hope Wilson sues their asses off.
And lest these guys forget, it was the same Christopher Wolf, Wilson's lawyer, who sued USA Next for $25 million for stealing the wedding photo of the gay couple and using it in a homophobic anti-AARP ad. You haven't heard squat from USA Next after that little suit was filed (the suit is still ongoing). Here's hoping Wolf does an equally good job ripping these bozos.
Here's the letter from Wolf that the conservative stations don't want you to hear:
Dear Mr. Batchelor:
We have seen your posting which states thatLt. General Tom McInerney, USAF (ret), West Point '59, will join his colleague Maj. General Paul Vallely, USA (ret), West Point '61, on my show Monday 7 November (1005 pm Eastern Time on ABC Radio Network) to repeat and expand upon Vallely's memory that Joe Wilson more than once in 2002 in the green room at Fox New Channel in Washington D.C. boasted about his wife the "CIA desk officer." McInerney has the same memory and more, since both he and Vallely were on FNC between 150 and 200 times in 2002 each.Please be advised that the proffered allegations are utterly false and are intended to defame our client Ambassador Wilson. Broadcasting such statements will subject you to liability as the statements are knowingly false or made in reckless disregard of the trust or falsity.
We note that you have not invited any representative of Ambassador Wilson to appear on your program in order to allow the record to be corrected. Accordingly, if you insist on broadcasting the scurrilous allegations, as you threaten to do, we ask that the following statement be read in its entirety on the air:More than two years after the start of the investigation into who leaked the identity of Valerie Wilson's secret CIA identity, Thomas McInerney and Paul Vallely, FOX News commentators and co-authors of a book published by right-wing Regnery Publishing, reportedly have come forward to falsely claim that Ambassador Joseph Wilson told them of his wife's role at the CIA before the July 2003 column by Robert Novak -- the column which revealed for the first time that Ms. Wilson was a CIA operative. It is reported that they claim Ambassador Wilson casually and repeatedly disclosed his wife's status in the waiting area at the FOX News studio in Washington, DC. Those allegations are utterly false and are defamatory. At no time did Ambassador Wilson disclose his wife's CIA employment to these people. The statements appear to be invented solely to discredit Ambassador Wilson in the wake of the indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.Thank you for your cooperation.
The fact that these persons have not come forward with these reported recollections until now, more that two years after the start of the highly-visible, nationally-watched investigation into who revealed Ms. Wilson's secret CIA identity, is strong evidence by itself that their alleged recollections are invented, and false. Moreover, since Ambassador Wilson never disclosed his wife's status to anyone, including close friends, it is preposterous to suggest that he would have shared the information with strangers in a waiting room. Their allegations are similar to that of the Washington Times newspaper which in an editorial claimed "that numerous neighbors were aware that she worked for the agency", when there was no basis whatsoever for that claim, as demonstrated by a news article written by the Washington Times own reporter.
It has been reported that an individual named Victor Davis Hanson also has said that Ambassador Wilson told Mr. Hanson in a waiting room that Valerie Wilson worked at the CIA. In a telephone call initiated by Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media today to counsel for Ambassador Wilson, Mr. Kincaid reported that he has spoken with Mr. Hanson, and that Mr. Hanson denies that Ambassador Wilson spoke to him about Valerie Wilson's CIA employment. Mr. Kincaid also said that while his organization, in his words, "has had its differences with Mr. Wilson", it is not proper to make things up and he intended to correct the record in an upcoming edition of Accuracy in Media's Web Site.
To suggest that Ambassador Wilson breached his own wife's secret CIA status is inexcusable and is a further attempt to smear Mr. Wilson. While one is tempted not to dignify such attacks with a response, the willingness of others to republish the scurrilous statements by these persons requires this response.
