Libby Prosecution: Robert Grenier Testimony
The second prosecution witness is Robert Grenier, a former 27-year employee of the CIA who served as the Iraq Mission Manager from October 2002-2004. He was directly below the Deputy Director level and attended Deputies Committee meetings at the National Security Council as the “plus one” for his boss.
Live blog follows below the fold with breaking news also in separate posts.
Saw Libby “quite frequently” “at least twice a week and sometimes three times a week” at Deputies meetings involving Iraq. He was a “business acquaintance” with very little interaction.
“Do you recall a phone message from Scooter Libby on June 11?” He doesn’t recall on his own but has seen supporting documentation to that effect. “Exhibit 701 — A yellow ‘While You Were Out’ message from Scooter Libby.”
Did you often get calls from Libby? “First time it ever happened.”
What was the gist of the conversation with Libby? “CIA people had been complaining about the Office of Vice President.” Libby wanted to verify why Wilson was sent to Niger. “It was complete news to me. I had never heard of it before.”
When did he want answers? “From the context, as soon as possible.” “It was unusual for him to be calling me to begin with and he seemed serious.” Plus, he likely “wanted to get out in front of the story” since Libby had mentioned concerns over Wilson in the press.
He called “Kevin” at the counter-proliferation division (the #2 guy) and neither he nor the chief were available. He talked to someone else and left a message for Kevin. He got a response “probably within a couple of hours.” It was from someone he did not know but was “fully knowledgeable about what had happened.” He got confirmation that CIA had sent Wilson to investigate Niger uranium and went into some detail about the mission. Conveyed that State, Office of VP, and Defense had all “expressed interest” in the issue.
That person “mentioned” that Wilson’s wife worked in the division and was the impetus behind the trip. “I am certain the individual did not tell me the name, only that it was Amb Wilson’s wife.”
At the next Iraq meeting, with DCI, he was called out and handed a note to call Libby. He was “chagrined” thinking he had failed Libby.
He phoned Libby and told him that CIA had in fact sent Wilson and that OVP was not the main driver behind the trip but that State and Defense were also instigators. Libby asked whether “CIA would be willing to reveal that publicly.”
Did you tell him about the wife connection? “I believe I did.” He thinks he told him “something to the effect” that the wife was “why Wilson was sent” but mentioned it “only in passing.”
As to a public announcement about the State/DoD impetus, he told Libby he needed to talk to Bill Harlow, the CIA’s Director of Public Affairs. He went right to Harlow after getting off phone with Libby, got permission, and called Libby back saying “we can work something out” in terms of “language CIA would be able to use with the press.” Libby “seemed pleased” and said Harlow and a OVP press person should work it out. “I believe…the name was Cathy.”
During FBI testimony, “do you recall if you talked about the topic of Mr. Wilson’s wife with Mr. Libby?” He told them that “if I think back, I think I would have said something to Mr. Libby but could not say for certain.”
At the grand jury? “That I may have” but wasn’t sure.”
Since then, have you given it any more thought? Yes. “I’ve been going it over and over in my mind.” Eventually, he came to “feel guilty” thinking “maybe I had revealed too much,” eventually revealing the identity of a CIA officer.
Break at 1222 for lunch. Cross-examination after lunch.
Grueling series of questionings based on reading FBI testimony back to him and asking if he can recall saying that.
Ditto the grand jury. “Do you recall telling the grand jury that you did not recall hearing from CPD that you had not even heard about Mr. Wilson’s wife before meeting with Mr. Libby?” No, “just that I didn’t have a clear memory.” He was “surprised,” on appearing before the grand jury a second time a year and a half later that he had said that.
Even the defense attorneys are annoyed by the constant “I couldn’t tell you without looking at the documents” about even matters such as which dates he appeared before the grand jury. I must say, Grenier’s coming across as very incredible.
“Do you find that your memory improves the further away you get from the event?” “Not all the time.” “What improved was not my specific conversation with Mr. Libby but my recollection of how I felt afterwards.”
Did you at any time after remembering that you felt guilty go and ask Libby not to divulge the information? No.
“If the person at CMD didn’t tell you Wilson’s status was covert, why did you later feel guilty?” “The vast majority of those employees are undercover.”
Testimony ended and witness excused circa 3:15.
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do with it, that she recommended him and that she put it in a memo. WALLACE: So she was lying under oath? HUME: I think that there is reason to question her credibility on that point. Someone is committing perjury here – either Plame or these people. At this point I’m inclined to seek safety in numbers. But don’t take that to mean I have any desire to know for certain. I honestly don’t care what Plame and Wilson want to say in order to keep their names in the papers and their impecible hair in
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saying that his wife, a covert CIA agent, was the one who sent him on the fact-finding mission, and to try to paint him as some rogue radical on the left. The truth, however, has been coming out in the years since.  We discovered that Wilson was sent by the CIA after Vice President Cheney and others requested that someone be sent. The Bush Administration was knowingly lying about a number of things in the run-up to the war that they were told were not accurate (for anyone whose interested, there are
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There was no nepotism involved. I did not have the authority,†she said. That conflicts with senior officials at the CIA and State Department, who testified during Libby’s trial that Plame recommended Wilson for the trip. See, for instance, here and here. For those interested, a transcript of Plame’s testimony can be found here.
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has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed some light on this sort of activity.” Oh, my. Whom to believe? She also contradicts Robert Grenier who recently testified (under oath) against Libby and said that a CIA guy he contacted “mentioned” that Wilson’s wife worked in the division and was the impetus behind the trip. “I am certain the individual did not tell me the name, only that it was
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origin and circumstances of Wilson’s trip, and was advised by the CIA officer that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA and was believed to be responsible for sending Wilson on the trip. “Was believed to be” — that’s some hard evidence there. He also adds this from James Joyner’s account of CIA official Robert Greiner’s testimony at the trial: That person “mentioned†that Wilson’s wife worked in the division and was the impetus behind the trip. “I am certain the individual did not tell me the name,
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ambassador did not uncover any information about REDACTED during this visit to Niger, CPD did not distribute an intelligence report on the visit. Woopsie… And this testimony from Robert Grenier, a 27 year employee of the CIA, as reported by Outside The Beltway: He called “Kevin†at the counter-proliferation division (the #2 guy) and neither he nor the chief were available. He talked to someone else and left a message for Kevin. He got a response “
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That conflicts with senior officials at the CIA and State Department, who testified during Libby’s trial that Plame recommended Wilson for the trip. Yes, it does conflict – here is Grenier of the CIA, as liveblogged by Joyner and Wheeler. Or here is Special Counsel Fitzgerald’s indictment, point 7. And let’s note that I am setting to one side the State Department people who also thought Ms. Wilson was behind the trip because they may have been misinformed.
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OTB-Libby Trial: Libby Witness Grenier Has Reconstructed Memory OTB-Libby Trial: Libby Prosecution: Robert Grenier Testimony Just One Minute – Libby trial: The David Shuster Follies (Act Five) OTB-Libby Trial: AP and MBA Partner on Libby Trial Coverage Dean’s World- Libby trial: Scooter Libby, Ted Wells and the ethnic mashup trial
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(Very smart) JOM poster Cecil Turner observes:
“Libby calls Grossman for info on May 29th, but then waits two weeks to place the “first time ever” call to Grenier on June 11th? Don’t think so, Marc. Score that one for Libby as well: he asked Grossman once, on June 10th.”
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““Not all the time.†“What improved was not my specific conversation with Mr. Libby but my recollection of how I felt afterwards.—
How he “felt?” Aww, isn’t that precious!
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