Karl Rove May Face Civil Suit

June 15, 2006 | Filed under CIA | Posted by

After learning that Karl Rove will not be charged in the CIA/Plame case, we get news that he may still be facing a civil law suit from none other than Joe Wilson.

Ms. Plame’s husband, Joseph Wilson IV, who has alleged that his wife was exposed by White House officials in an act of political retaliation for his criticism of the Bush administration, hinted that he is considering filing a civil lawsuit against Mr. Rove and other officials.

“While it appears that Mr. Rove will not be called to answer in criminal court for his participation in the wrongful disclosure of Valerie Wilson’s classified employment status at the CIA in retaliation against Joe Wilson for questioning the rationale for war in Iraq, that obviously does not end the matter,” a lawyer for Mr. Wilson, Christopher Wolf, said in a statement. “The day may still come when Mr. Rove and others are called to account in a court of law for their attacks on the Wilsons.”

Ed Lasky at The American Thinker sees this as nothing but bluster because Mr. Wilson and his wife would be stupid to expose themselves to discovery:

Wilson would have to be really dumb to expose himself and his wife to the rigors of discovery in a civil action. I have always wondered how two civil servants were able to afford an expensive home in one of Washington’s finest neighborhoods, for example. Wilson has gotten kid glove treatment from the press. He may just be stupid enough to expose himself to an adversary equipped with subpoena power.

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Posted by on June 15, 2006.
Filed under CIA.
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  • Mary

    Liar Wilson is a narcissistic gasbag who is in love with the sound of his own voice. What he has gotten away with so far is breathtaking, and he’s emboldened, but he’s due for a major fall sooner or later. If Libby’s lawyers don’t get to him first, perhaps a misbegotten civil lawsuit will be the catalyst of his undoing.

  • steve

    At least we know that Ambassador Wilson is really p*ssed-off at Rove not being charged. And that’s good.

  • http://lawhawk.blogspot.com lawhawk

    I made that point a couple days ago, when I wrote that the far left needed to step away from the ledge.

    Last time I checked, truth is an absolute defense to the tort of defamation. Unless they’ve got some novel legal theory cooked up (and would be a dubious one at that), this is sound and fury signifying a big nothing. It’s a pandering to the holdouts on the Left hoping for some kind of legal action against Rove (and in effect Bush) for Plame’s ‘outing.’

    Can you imagine the circus surrounding any legal action taken by Plame or Wilson against Rove or Cheney or anyone else in the Bush Administration for that matter? Those folks would have a field day with a witness list that would include everyone from Matt Cooper to Judith Miller, Woodward to Russert, and that’s before getting into the likes of Armitage and Novak.

    No, this statement is nothing more than saving face – knowing full well that there will be no further legal action because it can’t possibly help their cause.

  • Steve

    Since there is another poster named “steve”, I am changing my post name to VagaBond.

    Question: Are the Wilsons the only people who can file a civil suit? Could Daivid Gregory? Kos?

  • George

    Heh. Lyin’ Joe Wilson’s lawyer thinks Rove is the one who has a problem.

    Maybe he should take the reward ($$$) challenge to name one thing, anything, Joseph Wilson found on his Niger trip that proved “false” President Bush’s 2003 State of the Union statement, “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

  • JohnMc

    The core problem for Wilson in such a suit is he would have to prove — 1) Intent on the part of Rove, 2) Malice in so doing the disclosure. The other issue I see is that the harm was not conducted between Rove and Novak but Novak and the press syndicate.

    And the post generally has it right. Why would Wilson be so stupid as to fall into this trap?

  • http://bullwinkleblog.com bullwinkle

    This is no different than speculation of John Kerry’s lawsuit against the Swifties. Neither of the prospective parties claiming that they may file suit ever want the truth to see light of day. They’d both be opening themselves to perjury charges if they claimed on the stand what they claim in front of the media. They’d both be proven liars if they told the truth so it’s all done for publicity value alone.

  • Scrapiron

    I don’t know Bullwinkle, Hanoi John and Wilson have shown they are willing to lie to the world under oath. One thing is right though, it would open an investigation of the slimeballs like the world has never seen. Withing 30 days we’d know if they both really were the result of a leaky condom.

  • Mark L

    Wilson and his wife would be ill-advised to press a civil suit against Rove.

    Why? Because they could be called to testify, and there is no 5th Amendment protection against testifying in a civil case. Once you are on the stand you HAVE to tell the truth — even if it implicates you in a crime — because the stakes in a civil suit are monetary, not penal.

    So, if there were any legal improprieties in choosing Wilson for the trip Plame could be FORCED to implicate herself. And testimony in a civil suit could be used in a subsequent criminal case.

    My bet is that Wilson is bloviating, and it will never come to a court case. But if we are re-e-a-al lucky. . .

  • Pavel

    Almost correct, Mark: You can plead the fifth in a civil suit, but the jury is allowed to draw negative inferences from doing so – unlike in criminal cases, where the jury is not supposed to consider the fact that a witness refuses to testify.

    Please please PLEASE let Wilson file a lawsuit. Good Lord, what fun that would be to watch as Lyin’ Joe gets caught over and over and over again. Not that the MSM would cover any of it . . .

  • virgo1

    Bring it on you filthy liar Wilson! Tom Hanks is counting on You.

  • ted

    Civil suit (for being exposed)??? That’s hillarious. Plame (with Wilson) had herself featured on the cover of Vanity Fair Magazine!!!

  • kbiel

    I’m sure Rove is, at this moment, saying, “BRING. IT. ON.”

  • jp2

    Fortunately, the trial won’t be about Joe Wilson. It will be about the WH releasing the name of a covert agent. It has nothing to do with Wilson.

    Any answer for why the WH lied about this for so long?

  • Zelsdorf

    jp2, are you an idiot? Some of these posts are from lawyers who know what would happen in court. Possibly because they have courtroom experience. Do you have any idea what happens during a cross examination? Wilson and Plame would be torn to ribbons. I think you are guilty of believing your own lies. Shame.

  • Zelsdorf

    Some of these posts are from lawyers who know what would happen in court. Possibly because they have courtroom experience. Do you have any idea what happens during a cross examination? Wilson and Plame would be torn to ribbons. I think you are guilty of believing your own lies. Shame.

  • http://thoughtsonline.blogspot.com steve sturm

    Since I doubt Wilson is stupid (or, as Keith Olbermann might put it, stupider) enough to file a lawsuit against Rove, perhaps we need to file the lawsuit ourselves. We can claim some type of mental distress, abuse of power, using White House telephones for personal calls… it doesn’t really matter what we claim just so long as it’s sufficient to allow Rove’s defense team to go after Wilson in discovery.

  • USMC Pilot

    This might be a perfect opportunity to get Novak on the stand also. Sure would be nice to find out where he got all of his information.

  • Big Mo

    The White House lied…because JP2 sez so.

  • jp2

    The WH lied – because the WH said so…

    “QUESTION: Has the President either asked Karl Rove to assure him that he had nothing to do with this; or did Karl Rove go to the President to assure him that he . . .

    McCLELLAN: I don’t think he needs that. I think I’ve spoken clearly to this publicly . . . I’ve just said there’s no truth to it.”

    Lies.

  • Big Mo

    “Lies” – because you say so, right?

  • Rowdy

    Typical of ALL Republicans…you are all Republicans FIRST, Americans LAST, as it suits your purpose. People in the WH commited treason?? So what, as long as it serves to push the GOP agenda. Back in the ’90′s, all we heard was…”rule of law this, and rule of law that”…to sue a sitting President over bull$hit 10 year old sex allegations was fine with you.
    What happened to your “rule of law,” now that one of your slimers was caught red-handed commiting treason???
    Like I said – Republican first, American when it is convienient. You are all CHICKEN$HIT$.

  • Big Mo

    Rowdy – um, yeah. Sure. Whatever. Who committed treason in the White House?

    I’ll give you a hint:

    NO ONE.

    But whose rhetoric mirrors that of our enemy, often word-for-word? Democrats, liberals and the mainsteam media.

    But keep adjusting your tin-foil hat. Perhaps you’ll tune in to reality some day.

  • Rowdy

    What part of “Exposing the identity of a covert United States govt. agent” do you goofballs not understand???
    Joe Wilson was non-partisan – Joe Wilson worked for Dumbya’s FATHER. Joe Wilson was looking out for the interest of the UNited States. Joe Wilson did not want to see thousands of American soldiers die and lose limbs over trumped-up BULLSHIT.
    Joe Wilson was CORRECT – the Niger – uranium nonsense was just that, nonsense. The so-called “documents” were proven to be poor forgeries. He had to be discredited, even if it meant exposing the identity of a CIA undercover agent…working on what??? Preventing proliferation of WMD!!!

    Republican FIRST, American when convienient.
    How can you breathe with your head so far up your ass???

  • Rowdy

    And FURTHERMORE – your own lying-ass President said that the Niger-uranium BULLSHIT should not have been in the State of the Union Address…
    I mean, come on, people – The GD ADMINISTRATION even said that the information was incorrect!!!
    Do you refuse to believe them??? Obviously, because that would impugn your precious GOP, to which you have undying allegience, even when THEY admit THEY were WRONG…
    By the way – why are you all sitting at your keyboards, and not in Iraq, spreading freedom and democracy???

  • Big Mo

    Rowdy – thanks for the laugh. I won’t even bother with any reasoned reply to you until you take your meds.

    Have fun over in Kos land where people actually believe all the bullshit you just spouted.

  • Rowdy

    Please feel free to dispute any of the following…

    Joe Wilson – Non-partisan public servant. Ambassador to Iraq for GHWB.

    Iraq-Niger-uranium deal proven to be a fabrication, admitted by Bush administration to be not reliable, shouldn’t have been in SOTU address.

    Undeniable conversations between Rove, Libby, and reporters for Time,NYT and Novak about the identity of Valerie Wilson.

    Scott McClellan lies to press corp about denials from Rove and Libby – “They assured me that they were not involved”…turns out they were, huh???

    Is there ANYTHING that the Bush administration could do that would cause you to question them??? I am asking you honestly – they have been thoroughly exposed in their dishonesty about the invasion of Iraq, they have been thoroughly exposed in their incompetence during Katrina.
    They are collectively the worst thing to ever happen to our country, and you guys defend them no matter what…WHY??? Help me understand???

  • USMC Pilot

    Rowdy:

    If you need help, try Valium.

  • Rowdy

    So – anyone who doubts the motives and competence of “W” is merely lacking proper medication??? Then I can only assume that you all are medicated well out of your rabbit-ass minds, obviously unable to percieve reality.

    With this post, I will leave you Republican pigs to wallow in your mudhole of ignorance…

  • O'Contraire

    Rowdy –

    Whatever. Who was this “covert United States govt. agent” you refer to?

    Whatever. Which “non-partisan Joe Wilson” do you refer to? You can’t be talking about Valerie Plame’s prom date. Must be another Joe Wilson. I mean, it’s a common name.

    mmkay, which “trumped up bullshit” are you referring to?

    mmkay, “Joe Wilson was CORRECT!” Actually, I don’t think that’s the case. Have you read the 9/11 commission reports? I don’t think they quite agree with you. But who am I to say?

    mmkay, “…exposing the identity of a CIA undercover agent…” – which one again? Not Valerie Plame. She had not been undercover or overseas in more than five years. She was an in-house analyst. A House Mouse.

    Or as the late Sam Kinneson might have said: “She was a F**KING DESK JOCKEY YOU MORON!!!” (Personally, I wouldn’t have said that. I never use all caps.) Outing Vallerie Plame is about as serious as leaking the name of the receptionist at the CIA’s front desk. Ya gotta tell me exactly which law was violated in little words so we all understand.

    And exactly which “lies” did our “lying ass president” tell? Ones that you can actually prove without quoting lengthy passages from The Little Golden Book of Humor by The Rude Pundit or the Collected Literary Works of Randi Rhodes ?

    In reply to your “chicken hawk” argument — I did my bit years ago, thanks. We do appreciate your gratitude.

    Rowdy, you’re more fun than a free pass to Disneyland, at least over here on the Angry Right. In fact, we’re seething with frustration because nobody can match your incisive and irrefutable evidence and your charming and convincing style.

    I do appreciate your Yosemite Sam imitation. It needs some work, but you’re close. Now please hit the Back button on your browser several times.

  • MyPetGloat

    Diddn’t Fred Goldman pull a civil suit stunt like this way back?

  • MikeSC

    Ahh, I shouldn’t — but what the heck?

    Please feel free to dispute any of the following…

    Joe Wilson – Non-partisan public servant. Ambassador to Iraq for GHWB.
    Former ambassador is immaterial. He is a partisan hack. Has been for years.

    Iraq-Niger-uranium deal proven to be a fabrication, admitted by Bush administration to be not reliable, shouldn’t have been in SOTU address.

    British intel stands by it.

    And Wilson’s report bolsters it — which is the biggest thing that makes it somewhat doubtable.

    Scott McClellan lies to press corp about denials from Rove and Libby – “They assured me that they were not involved”…turns out they were, huh???

    And Rove has been proven to be involved…where? Libby — in case you missed it — wasn’t indicted for leaking anything and is highly unlikely to be convicted.

    Is there ANYTHING that the Bush administration could do that would cause you to question them???

    Yes, because nobody here has questioned them.

    I am asking you honestly – they have been thoroughly exposed in their dishonesty about the invasion of Iraq, they have been thoroughly exposed in their incompetence during Katrina.

    Wishing something to be true does not make it so.
    -=Mike

  • Big Mo

    Joe Wilson – “non-partisan”

    ?!?!?

    That’s got to be the dumbest thing anyone from the left has ever posted here, oh, say, this week.

  • Son Of The Godfather

    Wow!

    MikeSC just totally pwned Rowdy!

    I think Rowdy wins in the excessive punctuation arena though, don’t you???

    Unhinged moonbats are a riot.