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CNN LIVE SATURDAY
Claims That Bush Administration Putting Squeeze On Whistleblower
Aired July 26, 2003 - 18:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: We have a story of intrigue and maybe political hardball too. It's about a senior agent of the CIA, a spy, and how her name became very publicly known. Two weeks ago, she was mentioned in a newspaper column. Her name was leaked by, quote, "two administration officials."
Now, if you're asking why, it might have something to do with her husband. He's the former U.S. ambassador who investigated the claim that Iraq was trying to buy uranium in Africa. He told the CIA there was no basis to that claim. And since he went public, he says there are people in the administration who are out to make him and his family examples.
Joining us now from Washington is one of the reporters who broke the story, Timothy Phelps, the Washington bureau chief of "Newsday." Thanks for joining us.
TIMOTHY PHELPS, NEWSDAY: I'm pleased to be here. Thank you.
CHOI: So critics are going to say that this administration can't handle dissent, and they will do anything they can to stop dissenters. And then there's the other side that, say, you know, these things happen from time to time. Have you gotten to the bottom of who leaked her name in the first place?
PHELPS: No, and that's not really my job. I simply reported that two senior administration officials had blown the cover of a obviously undercover CIA officer, and revealed that Victoria Plame worked at the CIA.
CHOI: Well, do you think this will have a chilling effect in terms of others who may want to come out and criticize the administration?
PHELPS: Well, Ambassador Joe Wilson, who is Ms. Plame's husband, said that that's what he feels is exactly the point behind this. He said it was not so much an attempt to get back at him, but an attempt to keep other people from coming forward about what has been a very large controversy about intelligence.
CHOI: What kind of ripple effect do you think this will have in terms of Mrs. Plame's work? She was an undercover agent, and now her cover is blown.
PHELPS: Well, obviously she can't continue to do what she was doing at the agency, and probably can't continue to work at an undercover capacity at all.
So, the CIA has a reputation for taking care of its own, and my understanding is that she will certainly have a job there, and probably a good job, but maybe not one as interesting and rewarding as what she was doing.
CHOI: What about the ripple effects in terms of her work, though? You know, people that she had associated with as an undercover agent. What will happen to those contacts?
PHELPS: Well, there is some concern from former CIA agents and current, actually, who we talked to that her contacts could be in some trouble, depending in what countries they were in and how hostile they are to the United States.
CHOI: Any comments yet from the administration on all of this?
PHELPS: Well, the administration absolutely denied that it had authorized anybody to do this, but of course, that begs the question as to whether anybody did it or not.
CHOI: Where does this go from here? Will there be an investigation, perhaps a lawsuit?
PHELPS: Well, several senators, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee have said that they intend to look into it. In addition, Senator Chuck Schumer from New York said this week that he was asking the FBI to conduct an investigation into who revealed this woman's name.
CHOI: Timothy Phelps of "Newsday," thank you so much for joining us. It's an interesting article.
PHELPS: Glad to be here.
CHOI: Thanks.
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