Too Good To Not Post In Its Entirety
From the official White House transcript of a press briefing on July 12
(with White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan):
QUESTION: Scott, can I ask you this: Did Karl Rove commit a crime?
MCCLELLAN: Again, David, this is a question relating to a ongoing
investigation, and you have my response related to the investigation.
And I don't think you should read anything into it other than: We're
going to continue not to comment on it while it's ongoing.
QUESTION: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003, when you
were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby,
and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told
me they are not involved in this"?
QUESTION: Do you stand by that statement?
MCCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that, as part of helping the
investigators move forward on the investigation, we're not going to get
into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time
as well.
QUESTION: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to
stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and
tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk.
You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from
that podium or not?
MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I
will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate
time is when the investigation...
QUESTION: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?
MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.
QUESTION: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything.
You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And
now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you
owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he
not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did
indeed talk about his wife, didn't he?
MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the
time to talk about it.
QUESTION: Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?
MCCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.
QUESTION: Well, you're in a bad spot here, Scott, because after the
investigation began, after the criminal investigation was underway, you
said -- October 10th, 2003, "I spoke with those individuals, Rove,
Abrams and Libby, as I pointed out, those individuals assured me they
were not involved in this." From that podium. That's after the criminal
investigation began. Now that Rove has essentially been caught
red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect
for the sanctity of the criminal investigation?
Comments
That is, indeed, awesome. Who's the reporter and where did they finally find some balls? Were the balls hiding in the Daily Show greenroom?
Posted by: B. Alec | July 21, 2005 02:16 PM
Scuttlebutt has it that the press are donning their balls over this because it's so rare that they can actually come out and bust a member of the Bush administration on an out-and-out lie, as opposed to being used by the administration to simply restate their talking points over and over. Also, apparently (and this seems weird) they're mad at themselves- i.e. their bosses and press rooms- for dropping the ball on the Downing Street memo.
Posted by: Planetarium | July 21, 2005 05:29 PM