The editors of the Wall Street Journal are still rooting for the unpatriotic scoundrels who revealed the identity of a deep-cover CIA officer to get away with it. No suprise there.
And they’re trying to promote that outcome by misstating the law and implicitly impugning the integrity of the prosecutor (a Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney). That, too, is par for the course.
But when Jane Galt lets herself be taken in, it’s time to call the meeting to order.
It’s quite possible that whoever outed Plame managed to avoid violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, or at least managed to avoid doing so in a way that could be proven to a jury beyond reasonable doubt. But IIPA is not the only statute in play. The Espionage Act is still good law, and the Espionage Act case is open and shut as soon as Fitzgerald squeezes the name out of one of the reporters.
From one perspective, the WSJ op-ed is actually good news. It suggests that the Rethuglicans (not Republicans in general, but those prepared to use, or approve of, thuggery in the GOP cause) are worried that Fitzgerald is closing in on someone important. May their direst fears be entirely fulfilled.
Charmingly Naive
Via Jane Galt, we find a WSJ piece puzzling over the question of whether the Plame leakers could ever be prosecuted under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act.