Scott McClellan Admits He Lied About Rove and Libby

By: Lowell
Published On: 11/20/2007 4:41:10 PM

We've known for a long time that the Bush White House is filled with lying scoundrels, but even so, this is stunning (bolding added for emphasis):

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan names names in a caustic passage from a forthcoming memoir that accuses President Bush, Karl Rove and Vice President Cheney of being "involved" in his giving the press false information about the CIA leak case.

[...]

"I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the seniormost aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby," McClellan wrote.

"There was one problem. It was not true."

McClellan then absolves himself and makes an inflammatory - and potentially lucrative for his publisher - charge.

"I had unknowingly passed along false information," McClellan wrote.

"And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself."

Wow.  This makes lying about "not having sexual relations" with Monica Lewinsky look like nothing.  If Clinton could be impeached for that...well, 'nuff said.

Comments



Lying is endemic to Bush and the Republicans' personalities... (Dianne - 11/20/2007 4:55:36 PM)
Impeachment proceedings should have begun long ago.  This info doesn't surprise me at all.  Bush and Republicans lie about anything.  That's the fact.

As to Scott McClellan, he's not any better than the other scoundrels he outs. 

I sure hope this helps Valerie Plame's civil suit!



We need a new Table!!!! (The Grey Havens - 11/20/2007 6:40:57 PM)
This whole thing with Pelosi keeping impeachment "Off the Table" is officially BULLSHIT!

It is time to hold these criminals accountable and protect the constitution of the United States of America.

If they get away with this, the next president, or the next or the next will use this all as precedent and drive a rusty blade through the heart of America.



Personally (Gordie - 11/20/2007 9:12:14 PM)
I feel it is too late. Any move to empeach anyone this late could cost the Democrats the election next year.
I hate operating on fear, but I feel this type of fear is justified.
What I really hope is Pelosi or Reid do not give amnestry to any of them and I certainly hope the next President does not give any of them amnesty.
Keep the door open for any and all crimes they have committed. Send them all to jail, the heck with empeachment.


I wasn't sure how much traction this would get (TheGreenMiles - 11/20/2007 11:22:56 PM)
But it's getting a lot.  The Associated Press is connectingn the dots straight to Bush.


Maybe Patrick Fitzgerald would enter the picture (Dianne - 11/21/2007 7:52:37 AM)
John Dean, on Keith Olberman's Countdown last evening, said that there was the possibility that Fitzgerald might have a reason to continue his investigation of the Plame outing with this news, at least subpeona the McClellan manuscript.  Seems Fitzgerald has never formally "closed" the case/investigation.


Faux News (Newport News Dem - 11/21/2007 11:13:38 AM)
I bet they were all over this story last night, huh!


Tonight (Gordie - 11/21/2007 11:09:40 PM)
I got the impression from the Olbreman show, that Fritzgerald is another pansy of Bush's that was built up by the media to make him sound beyond being bought  out, But it appears he is just another Bush/Cheney croney.


McCllelan Publisher Now Backpedaling (PM - 11/21/2007 6:42:12 PM)
http://www.talkingpo...

But a day later, the publisher has now clarified in a new interview what the book is actually going to tell us about the President's role in this. Check out this little nugget buried in  Bloomberg News' new piece on this whole affair:

  McClellan doesn't suggest that Bush deliberately lied to him about Libby's and Rove's involvement in the leak, said Peter Osnos, founder and editor-in-chief of Public Affairs Books, which is publishing McClellan's memoir next year.

  "He told him something that wasn't true, but the president didn't know it wasn't true," Osnos said in a telephone interview. "The president told him what he thought to be the case."



Did Scotty testify? (demdiva - 11/22/2007 5:10:22 AM)
If he did -- then couldn't his then-testimony be in conflict with his current recollection of what happened back then?  If he didn't -- then how did Fitzgerald miss calling him as a witness?

How does Peter Osnos know what the POTUS knew or didn't know?

Not that I would buy Scotty's sucky book anyway.