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Former intelligence officers: Republican Presidential Candidates Betray the Rule of Law and Our National SecurityBuzzflashRay Close, Directorate of Operations James Marcinkowski, Directorate of Operations Philip Giraldi, Directorate of Operations Michael Grimaldi, Directorate of Intelligence Ray McGovern, Directorate of Intelligence Melvin Goodman, Directorate of Intelligence Larry Johnson, Directorate of Intelligence David MacMichael, National Intelligence Council June 13, 2007 The Honorable Mel Martinez As former intelligence officers -- most of us have served the United States in undercover positions -- we are saddened and appalled by the recent public comments of former Senator Fred Thompson, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former Governor Mitt Romney -- one a potential candidate and the other two declared candidates for the Republican nomination for president -- with respect to the perjury and obstruction of justice conviction of Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. These men misrepresent the case against Mr. Libby and call into question the integrity of a respected Federal Judge and U.S. attorney. Their positions with respect to the just and fair punishment meted out to Mr. Libby raise serious questions about their commitment to the rule of law free of partisan bias. We are particularly concerned by the recent speech by Fred Thompson, who declared:
The factual errors in Mr. Thompson's statement are almost as egregious as his partisan view that perjury and obstruction of justice are not serious crimes. For example, Thompson states that there is something implausible about sending Ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger to investigate reports that Iraq was trying to buy yellow cake uranium. In fact, Ambassador Wilson was uniquely qualified for the mission. Having served as the acting Ambassador in Iraq and faced down Saddam Hussein, Ambassador Wilson also was the Director of Africa in the National Security Council and had served as an Ambassador in west Africa and monitored the uranium mining activity of the country where he was stationed. Former Senator Thompson persists with the lie that there was no "violation" of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (IIPA). But his claim is debunked by Federal Judge Reginald Walton and Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who, after reviewing the classified personnel file of Valerie Plame Wilson, stated that she was in fact covered by the IIPA when Robert Novak printed her name in July of 2003. It also is important to correct the record that Valerie Wilson did not suggest sending her husband to Niger. She responded to an inquiry from her supervisor and provided a memo laying out his capabilities. The decision to send Ambassador Wilson to Niger was made by a senior official in the Counter Proliferation Division of the CIA. Fred Thompson also is factually wrong by claiming that Joe Wilson returned from the trip, "and proceeded to publicly blast the administration." This is not true. Ambassador Wilson made no public statements critical of the Administration's claims about the alleged purchase of yellowcake uranium until May of 2003 -- more than 15 months after returning from the trip and only after the President made the specious claim in the State of the Union address. Our concern about Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney is narrower but important -- are these men committed to a rule of law free of partisan influence? During the last Republican debate Rudy Giuliani said that: he'd have to wait for the appeals process to play out to see if Libby met the criteria for a pardon. However, the former federal prosecutor said he believes the sentence imposed on Libby was "way out of line." Mr. Giuliani had a different standard for charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on September 11, 1987:
Mr. Romney's statement is more outrageous. He accused Patrick Fitzgerald of abusing "prosecutorial discretion." The case against Mr. Libby is straightforward. He blocked the efforts of Federal agents to investigate the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA officer who was covered by the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. Mr. Libby lied to Federal law enforcement officials investigating the leak. Most importantly, Mr. Libby was convicted in a fair trial of perjury and obstruction of justice. This is not an issue of Republican versus Democrat. The signatories of this letter include registered Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We believe that Republicans and Democrats alike must commit themselves to upholding the rule of law and refusing to use clandestine CIA officers as a political football. In this regard we find that the recent comments by Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney [are] sadly wanting and unworthy of the highest elected office in the United States. We are pleased, however, that the Republican Party is offering candidates who do believe in the rule of law. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and U.S. Congressman Ron Paul spoke boldly and reaffirmed the commitment of Republicans to uphold the rule of law. Both emphasized that the law must be applied to Mr. Libby, regardless of his social standing or wealth. We believe that Governor Gilmore and Congressman Paul reflect the values espoused by Ronald Reagan. Good intelligence should not be a partisan issue. It is a professional obligation of intelligence officers to provide politicians with the best information and their best judgment. And it is the professional obligation of politicians to uphold the rule of law and ensure that the Constitution of the United States is upheld and enforced. On this critical issue we believe that the statements by Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney do damage to the reputation of the Republican Party and undermine public respect for the judicial system. Respectfully yours, Ray Close, Directorate of Operations |
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