by Katie Fretland and Mark Silva and updated at 9:45 pm
Scott McClellan, the president's former spokesman who wrote a tell-all book about the White House's "culture of deception," will testify next week before a House committee about the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity.
McClellan will testify under oath about whether Vice President Dick Cheney told him to mislead the public about how Plame's identity was leaked to several journalists. The hearing is scheduled for June 20 before the House Judiciary Committee.
"I'll tell them what I know,'' McClellan said tonight on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
In his book, the former press secretary has written that he made public statements to the press asserting that Karl Rove had not been involved in the leak of Valerie Plame's name after Rove personally told him he hadn't.
But then Andrew Card, the president's chief of staff at the time, called on McClellan to make the same assertion about Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, McClellan writes. He tells of planting that denial with informal talks with members of the White House press corps, as opposed to his statement from the press briefing podium about Rove.
Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice in the federal leak investigation.
McClellan has also said that Bush and Cheney "directed me to go out there and exonerate Scooter Libby."
During the Libby trial, witnesses said that Cheney, Libby and other officials tried to discredit Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, for his criticism off the Iraq war.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., invited McClellan to the hearing. Earlier today, Conyers sent a letter to McClellan requesting his testimony, the Huffington Post reports.
"I have extended an invitation...after discussions between Committee staff and his attorneys," wrote Conyers, according to the Huffington Post. "In his book, Mr. McClellan suggests that senior White House officials may have obstructed justice and engaged in a cover-up regarding the Valerie Plame leak. This alleged activity could well extend beyond the scope of the offenses for which Scooter Libby has been convicted and deserves further attention."
At the end of May, Conyers office issued this statement about the McClellan book :
"I find Mr. McClellan's revelations about attempts to cover-up the Valerie Plame leak extremely troubling. Particularly disturbing is McClellan's assertion that he was specifically directed by Andy Card to 'vouch' for Scooter Libby after the investigation had begun, which, if true, could amount to obstruction of justice beyond that for which Mr. Libby has already been convicted.
"I believe this issue may require closer examination so I have instructed my counsels to begin discussions with Mr. McClellan to determine whether a hearing is necessary and to secure his possible cooperation."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments
Pursue the Bush administration beyond January 20 until they are brought to justice.
Direct Democracy
Posted by: Marc Schlee | June 9, 2008 7:34 PM
Tonight, somewhere in the White House someone has just wet their pants.
Hmmmmm, I wonder why we haven't heard much from this guy about all the lies that were told leading up to the Iraq invasion?
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http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/InsultComicDog/?action=view¤t=mcjokerdd8.jpg
Pass the Popcorn, GOPer's!
Posted by: John E | June 9, 2008 7:48 PM
It'll be fun to watch the pit chihuahuas who post here defend outing a CIA agent.
It'll be even more fun to watch John McCain tap dance as he tries to see how far he can beat up on Team Dubya without alienating the 26% dead-enders.
Posted by: Doug Zook | June 9, 2008 7:54 PM
Whoa, wait just a minute .... this is big news! Congress is going to DO something? Was McClellan taking steroids?
Glad to see that Pelosi is focusing Congress' resources toward such timely things. Perhaps next the Democrats can re-open the Lincoln assassination investigation.
Posted by: Ben R. | June 9, 2008 8:28 PM
Finally! The opportunity for it ALL to come out into the open. It will be interesting to see what happens once the finger of guilt points all the way to the top. THANK YOU to John Conyers.
Posted by: Emmy | June 9, 2008 8:34 PM
He will be under oath now!....watch him start to back pedal with all his false accusations! His book was all speculation....what is he even going to say..."I wasn't in the meeting, but I think they said blah blah blah." If anyone might end up going to jail... it just might be Scott "Judas" McClellan for lying under oath!! Before you lib's go nutty...try to remember that Patrick Fitzgerald already spent millions of dollars investigating the Valerie Plame case and only "created" one BS charge against Scotter Libby. Try Try Try to remember it was Richard Armitage who leaked Plames name. I know that does not fit into your agenda...but it's one of those many stubborn facts that lib's just can't seem to understand!!!!!
Posted by: joe | June 9, 2008 8:35 PM
Give em hell Scott!
Posted by: Anton Chigurh | June 9, 2008 8:56 PM
It's sad. Some people just can't get used to the idea that the GOP plan for a permanent one-party rule is over. Karl, Grover, Rummy, on and on -- maybe they can develop new careers with Faux News. Oh yeah, some of them already have!
Posted by: Emmy | June 9, 2008 9:19 PM
Let's remember that Patrick Fitzgerald's appointment as a Special Prosecutor is still in effect. The CIA outing case has not yet been closed.
Let's also remember that there is no statute of limitations for a high crime like treason.
Posted by: danny | June 9, 2008 9:19 PM
Is it possible that Fitzgerald KNEW that McClellans book was going to surface?
Very interesting.
Give it up Joe.
Posted by: kmc | June 9, 2008 10:42 PM
This is nuts!!! Who cares about this "leak" now, for God's sake! If ever there was a case of "he said, he said, she said", this is it. Anyway, Bob Novak, who doesn't have ANY ax to grind, has revealed whatever pertinent info is necessary in this matter. For heaven's sake, with the sort of misallocation of time & resources, no wonder the USA is going into the toilet!
Posted by: terry dudas | June 9, 2008 10:51 PM
Another joke and waste of time, to say nothing of taxpayers money. If anybody should be investigated, it's the people who are doing the investigating. The leaker was Richard Armitage, who happened to be, in fact, an opponent of the Iraq War. This is by now a well known fact, and has been for some time. So why even have this investigation? Political grandstanding, of course.
Posted by: Patrick Kelley | June 9, 2008 11:33 PM
Another joke and waste of time, to say nothing of taxpayers money. If anybody should be investigated, it's the people who are doing the investigating. The leaker was Richard Armitage, who happened to be, in fact, an opponent of the Iraq War. This is by now a well known fact, and has been for some time. So why even have this investigation? Political grandstanding, of course.
Posted by: Patrick Kelley | June 9, 2008 11:33 PM
Tell that to Valerie Plame and the 4000+ dead American soldiers, you clown!
And by the way, if we continue to let our "leaders" , (and in this case as in most, a bunch of crooked Republicans)get away with TREASON then we might as well just go ahead and burn up the Constitution while we're at it.
Posted by: John E | June 9, 2008 11:45 PM
Leaking classified information for any reason, least of all political gain, cannot be tolerated. Those responsible for this must be held accountable to make sure that it does not happen again.
This is not a political issue. It is unfortunate that it is being framed that way. This is about maintaining integrity in our government.
Posted by: Ben | June 10, 2008 12:29 AM
Another joke and waste of time, to say nothing of taxpayers money. If anybody should be investigated, it's the people who are doing the investigating. So why even have this investigation? Political grandstanding, of course.
Posted by: Patrick Kelley | June 9, 2008 11:33 PM
Yes, it's so much more important to waste the American taxpayers time and money when it's a Republican Congress investing a Democratic President (Clinton) over a bj, huh?
All of this Treason stuff is ok because it's just some good ol' boy Republicans who are doing it, right Pat?
Nothing To See Here, Move Along!
Posted by: Dr Evil | June 10, 2008 12:42 AM
In other news, Tom Brokaw has finally stated the obvious and revealed that he thinks Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann are the biased POS' that everyone else knows them to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/09/tom-brokaw-slams-press-co_n_106003.html
Posted by: Jeff | June 10, 2008 1:01 AM
This is all the DEMOC"RAT"IC congress is good for.
They took control in 2006 promising to make things "BETTER" well they have FAILED.
They need to be sent packing in 2008
Elected Republicans and throw out the DEMOC'RATS' they have become the PARTY OF THE RICH ELITES AND THEY ARE THE SPECIAL INTEREST. Make no mistake they have RAISED OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS SINCE 2006 FROM THE RICH ELITES AND SPECIAL INTERESTS.
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.com
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | June 10, 2008 3:08 AM
this is not a waste of time. it is way too late coming. these criminals are not above the law no matter where they live. like in the white house.
Posted by: everhart | June 10, 2008 7:07 AM
Very sad that he didnt raise the flag when W, Rummy, Cheney and Condi were pushing their BS agenda for war.....maybe our nation would be better off if he did. Just yet another reason that American badly needs a change in the White House.
Posted by: RJinchi | June 10, 2008 8:58 AM
John Conyers is just looking to bash Bush and Cheney. Scott McClellan is a Benedict Arnold and a Jumpin Jim Jeffords rolled into one. He is a snitch and a liar.
Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame are shameless partisan hacks. Richard Armitage was the leaker and Fitzgerald admitted no crime was found.
In order to justify his special prosecution which took a lot of taxpayer money from the Treasury he went after Scooter Libby for obstruction of justice. End of story. Actually Novak says he found Plames name in Joe Wilsons Marquis Who's Who in America biography. So Wilson leaked his own wifes name.
Scott McCleelan is looking for a job in the Obama White House. But, Scott don't bet the farm in Texas that Obama will be elected! Jerry White, Springfied, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | June 10, 2008 9:38 AM
Dick Cheney has already told the American people that he cannot be prosecuted for any action he did or will do.
He and his second in command George Bush will do whatever they want.
Got a problem with that?
26% of the American voters don't.
Again: IMPEACH CHENEY!!
Posted by: thomas | June 10, 2008 10:42 AM
Does anybody remember B. Clinton talking about weapons of mass destruction or is it just jump, on whoever is in office, at the time.Dem's cannot admit to anything.
Posted by: George McNatt | June 10, 2008 7:55 PM