Libby's being sworn in for his second grand jury appearance, a week or two after his first one in March 2004.
F: You said you had some items in your earlier testimony you wanted to clarify or amend.
L: You had asked me about Marc Grossman, and I couldn't remember any conversations about Wilson's wife. But one of your questions was whether I asked if State Dept. had sent Wilson, which was so far from what I believed that it stuck in my head, and so I kept thinking why you might have asked that, and I now recall joking with Grossman about it.
F: Tell me about that.
L: (long story about Bush seeking UN resolution against Saddam in Fall 2002, whether and how to let inspectors back in to Iraq) We had meetings about this, and I was told Grossman wouldn't participate. He felt it was just an effort to prevent inspectors from going, and would end up in a newspaper leak embarrassing Colin Powell. Six months later, we were in a deputies' meeting, and to fill time I ribbed Grossman by saying "this guy who went to Niger was one of yours," and he said, "No he was one of theirs," pointing at a CIA official. I said, "But he was an ambassador, it's a sad state of affairs when the CIA has to get their own ambassadors to find things out," again just joking
F: When was this in regard to the Kristof and Pincus articles? (accidentally says Pincus both times, Libby corrects him)
L: I don't remember.
F: May or June, or earlier?
L: First half of June, I think.
F: Did you ever have a conversation asking Grossman for information?
L: Not that I recall.
F: Anyone say anything about Wilson's wife?
L: Not that I recall.
F: You said there was a second part you wanted to clarify/amplify?
L: Yes, Ari Fleischer lunch on July 7th, and gaggle that day. I couldn't remember then that gaggle had happened before lunch, and I did thank him for his statement on uranium during the gaggle.
F: No recollection of talking about Wilson's wife (asks in excruciating detail about all parts of Ari's story)
L: No.
F: Something we ask you before… your calendar shows a June 6th meeting with Richard Armitage. Did you ever talk to him about Wilson's wife?
L: No.
(Fitz and Libby establish that Libby/Armitage are not close, but have known each other since '82, and Libby once represented Armitage in a legal matter in '89.)
F: Do you remember receiving a fax from the CIA in June 2003 addressed to you and John Hannah? (paging Eriposte!)
L: Not specifically.
F: (shows Libby a document prepared by Hannah on Niger & uranium, summarizing an eight-page CIA memo faxed to OVP on June 9, 2003) Did you receive this when it was sent to Congress [by Hannah]?
L: I don't think so.
F: Did you attend any meetings or discussions about this document?
L: I don't recall any specific meetings. I remember talking about it and referring to it.
F: Did you discuss this with the VP around June 9th?
L: Do you know if you discussed the identity of the envoy sent to investigate Niger claims?
F: Yes, at varous times, don't recall exactly.
F: (shows another document) Do you recognize this?
It's 3:21pm ET.
F: You said you had some items in your earlier testimony you wanted to clarify or amend.
L: You had asked me about Marc Grossman, and I couldn't remember any conversations about Wilson's wife. But one of your questions was whether I asked if State Dept. had sent Wilson, which was so far from what I believed that it stuck in my head, and so I kept thinking why you might have asked that, and I now recall joking with Grossman about it.
F: Tell me about that.
L: (long story about Bush seeking UN resolution against Saddam in Fall 2002, whether and how to let inspectors back in to Iraq) We had meetings about this, and I was told Grossman wouldn't participate. He felt it was just an effort to prevent inspectors from going, and would end up in a newspaper leak embarrassing Colin Powell. Six months later, we were in a deputies' meeting, and to fill time I ribbed Grossman by saying "this guy who went to Niger was one of yours," and he said, "No he was one of theirs," pointing at a CIA official. I said, "But he was an ambassador, it's a sad state of affairs when the CIA has to get their own ambassadors to find things out," again just joking
F: When was this in regard to the Kristof and Pincus articles? (accidentally says Pincus both times, Libby corrects him)
L: I don't remember.
F: May or June, or earlier?
L: First half of June, I think.
F: Did you ever have a conversation asking Grossman for information?
L: Not that I recall.
F: Anyone say anything about Wilson's wife?
L: Not that I recall.
F: You said there was a second part you wanted to clarify/amplify?
L: Yes, Ari Fleischer lunch on July 7th, and gaggle that day. I couldn't remember then that gaggle had happened before lunch, and I did thank him for his statement on uranium during the gaggle.
F: No recollection of talking about Wilson's wife (asks in excruciating detail about all parts of Ari's story)
L: No.
F: Something we ask you before… your calendar shows a June 6th meeting with Richard Armitage. Did you ever talk to him about Wilson's wife?
L: No.
(Fitz and Libby establish that Libby/Armitage are not close, but have known each other since '82, and Libby once represented Armitage in a legal matter in '89.)
F: Do you remember receiving a fax from the CIA in June 2003 addressed to you and John Hannah? (paging Eriposte!)
L: Not specifically.
F: (shows Libby a document prepared by Hannah on Niger & uranium, summarizing an eight-page CIA memo faxed to OVP on June 9, 2003) Did you receive this when it was sent to Congress [by Hannah]?
L: I don't think so.
F: Did you attend any meetings or discussions about this document?
L: I don't recall any specific meetings. I remember talking about it and referring to it.
F: Did you discuss this with the VP around June 9th?
L: Do you know if you discussed the identity of the envoy sent to investigate Niger claims?
F: Yes, at varous times, don't recall exactly.
F: (shows another document) Do you recognize this?
It's 3:21pm ET.
More on the Libby trial.
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