Reporters’ Notebooks

This morning, I have a piece up elsewhere on NRO showing that The Nation’s David Corn–not syndicated columnist Bob Novak–was the first to reveal that Valerie Plame was an undercover operative. It further suggests that David did so based on information provided to him by none other than Joseph C. Wilson IV.

While working on that piece, I had an exchange with David and, with his permission, I thought I’d share that with you.

Dear David:

I have a question–one you may not be willing to answer but I’m curious so let me try:

Novak’s column said that Plame was an “Agency operative.” Novak claims he didn’t know–and didn’t mean to imply–that she was a covert agent.

Your piece, a few days later, says quite explicitly that Plame was “a US intelligence officer working covertly in a field of vital importance to nationally security.”

How did you know that?

– Cliff

David responded:

Come on, Cliff. I’m disappointed in you–especially as a former NY Times reporter. Here’s what I wrote:

Did senior Bush officials blow the cover of a US intelligence officer working covertly in a field of vital importance to national security–and break the law–in order to strike at a Bush administration critic and intimidate others?

You will note that this is a question, not a statement of fact.

David then quotes extensively from his piece, which I had already read several times and which you can find here.

I then sent him this message:

Dear David,

You’re too loyal to acknowledge that Wilson was your source.

You’re also too honest to deny it.

Allbest,

Cliff

David replied:

You wrote:

You’re too loyal to acknowledge that Wilson was your source.

You’re also too honest to deny it.

All I can say again is, nice try. When I spoke to Joe Wilson after the Novak leak, he would not tell me whether or not his wife worked at the CIA. He spoke only in hypotheticals. He said, imagine if she did, what would this leak mean, AND imagine if she did not, what would this leak mean. So I do deny that he told me because he did not. That’s the truth, the absolute truth. No spin. No parsing. No stonewalling. If you find any wiggle room in this response, let me know and I will unwiggle it. And you can believe it or not.

David

PS Mind if I write about our correspondence?

My final message to him:

Dear David,

You’re a good reporter. You know when a hypothetical is really a confirmation.

When Wilson told you: “So, hypothetically, here’s what it what it would mean if my wife were a top-secret agent–which I’m not saying she was; and here’s what it would mean if she had been on undercover on dangerous missions tracking WMD purchases abroad–which, of course, I’m not saying ever happened; and here’s what the consequence would be for her extensive network of sources if she were exposed, though I’m still not confirming anything…”–you knew exactly what he was telling you with a wink and a nudge.

Bob Novak did not know that Plame was or had ever been an undercover agent. His sources didn’t tell him that. He did not write that she was an undercover agent. If he had known she was a secret agent of any sort he says he would never have published her name.

Novak has maintained all that consistently. I’ve disagreed with Bob Novak on many issues and on many occasions. I’ve debated him publicly–on the war in Iraq, among other things, where he probably is more in agreement with Wilson than with me.

But one thing about Bob Novak: He’s been around this town about 50 years. He’s a patriot. He would not knowingly burn a spy. And he doesn’t lie. You don’t stay a major media figure for half a century if you’re a liar.

Let me say this clearly: Novak did not know and did not reveal that Plame had been an undercover operative.

You were the first to reveal that.

You did that hypothetically, of course. You were just asking a question, of course. You didn’t know whether she was or was not what you called “a top-secret operative”–but you thought it sure would be interesting if you raised that possibility.

And how much more interesting if you accused the Bush administration of purposely leaking that information as a way to punish Wilson–which has been Wilson’s allegation all along– since he claimed (falsely it turns out) Cheney’s office sent him to Niger.