Can those who question perjurers commit it themselves.

From yesterday’s Garbo show, this quip from Democrat Elijah Cummings:

“CUMMINGS: On Wednesday night, I know that Mr. Waxman, our chair, and Congressman Reyes, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, spoke personally with General Hayden, the head of the CIA. And Mr. Waxman told me that Gen. Hayden said clearly and directly, ‚ÄúMs. Wilson was covert.‚Äù There was no doubt about it. By the way, the CIA has authorized us to be able to say that. In addition, I understand that Chairman Waxman sent his opening statement over to the CIA to be cleared and to make sure that it was accurate. In it, he said, ‚ÄúMs. Wilson was a covert employee of the CIA.‚Äù ‚ÄúMs. Wilson was undercover.‚Äù The CIA cleared these statements. I emphasize all of this because I know that there are people who are still trying to suggest that what seems absolutely clear isn‚Äôt really true and that you weren‚Äôt covert. And I think one of the things we need to do in this hearing is make sure there isn‚Äôt any ambiguity on this point. Just three more questions, did you hold this covert status at the time of the leak? Did you ‚Äî the covert status at the time of the leak?”

I found this statement to be unique in that it wouldn’t be appropriate for Hayden (who wasn’t on the helm at the time) to comment on even confirm her status – especially since she’s been on the outs for a while now. So I picked up the phone

First, if they called General Hayden on Wednesday night there is no record on the log of such a call (and all such calls are logged). Secondly the spokesperson told me that it would be highly unlikely that it would be a ‘verbal’ confirmation would be given, rather coming in the written form that would have been introduced into record, and subsequently (as is their habit) waved it in front of the cameras.

Now Cummings was relaying what Waxman was telling him, so to Waxman spouting on his opening:

“I have been advised by the CIA that even now, after all that has happened, I cannot disclose the full nature, scope, and character of Ms. ‘Wilson’s service to our nation without causing serious damage to our national security interests.

But General Hayden and the CIA have cleared these following comments for today’s hearing.

During her employment at the CIA, Ms. Wilson was under cover.

Her employment status with the CIA was classified information prohibited from disclosure under Executive Order 12958.

At the time of the publication of Robert Novak’s column on July 14, 2003, Ms. Wilson’s CIA employment status was covert.”

This is amazing, because as you remember, at the time the CIA couldn’t even give a decisive answer. Bob Novak wrote of his conversation with then CIA spokesperson Bill Harlow:

“Harlow said to the Post that he did not tell me Mrs. Wilson “was undercover because that was classified.” What he did say was, as I reported in a previous column, “she probably never again would be given a foreign assignment but that exposure of her name might cause ‘difficulties.’” According to CIA sources, she was brought home from foreign assignments in 1997, when Agency officials feared she had been “outed” by the traitor Aldrich Ames.

I have previously said that I never would have written those sentences if Bill Harlow, then CIA Director George Tenet or anybody else from the Agency had told me that Valerie Plame Wilson’s disclosure would endanger herself or anybody.”

Ok, aside from the fact that Plame committed perjury by saying she had been overseas in the last five years prior (it’s bogus), this has always been a facinating exchange. Because as you will remember Harlow had hung up the phone without saying anything about her status and then had to call Novak back. Which was ridiculous as all he had to do was punch her name in a computer. The fact is at the time there was a flury of activity at the Agency over Plame’s Game and Harlow and the bunch were in a full scramble.

As I wrote at the time:

“If Plame was covert/protected (and both have to be in place), either Harlow or some senior administration official picks up the phone and calls Novak’s editor – that is SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Harlow’s vague reference was not a confirmation of Plame’s status, in fact, I believe Harlow was stalling and not trying to protect Plame as a covert -per se, but the fact that the doors were coming off the motivations behind the Wilson trip. In otherwords – coverup.”

But that’s the rest of the story yet to be told.

But for now I would say unless Waxman can show a clearance document from the agency, signed by Hayden or a representitive, or some other tangeable proof it’s extremely possible he’s lying through his nostrils.