AP News ALert:
WASHINGTON (AP) A judge has dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit accusing members of the Bush administration of leaking her identity.
More
here:
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments. Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Will someone tell these people that Plame was not a covert agent and that revealing her name was not a crime in any event? This is as close as we've seen thus far...
"The alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility may have been highly unsavory, " Bates wrote. "But there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials."
Not a crime...
