Former CIA operative Valerie Plame and husband Joe Wilson filed a sweeping federal civil lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney and other top Administration officials for what they claimed was a conspiracy to reveal her identity, following Mr. Wilson questioning the rationale behind the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war against Iraq. Mr. Wilson, a former ambassador, was sent to Niger to find out whether Iraq was trying to buy yellowcake uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons, from the African nation.



The husband, wife duo alleged the plot to unmask Valerie’s classified job as a CIA officer to reporters in 2003 was meant to punish Mr. Wilson. Besides Mr. Cheney those named in the suit, filed in the US District Court in Washington, are Mr. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, Mr. Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, and White House political strategist Karl Rove.



Plame said she and her former colleagues were proud to have served the country, adding that they trusted the government to protect their identity. As they performed their duty. However, a few reckless individuals betrayed the trust. Ms. Valerie said she would have preferred to continue her career as a public servant rather than be a plaintiff in a lawsuit. However, she felt strongly and justice demanded that those who jeopardized the security of the country should answer for their shameful conduct in the court.



Mr. Wilson opined that both he and his wife were well aware how tough the fight would be. He was of the view that those government officials should be held accountable and responsible for their vindictive attitude.



After Mr. Wilson expressed doubts to reporters in May 2003 over the Bush Administration’s claims that Iraq tried to buy uranium in Africa, Mr. Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and other unnamed White House officials started a whispering campaign aimed at discrediting and injuring the Wilsons and deterring other critics from publicly speaking out, the suit alleges. The conspiracy, which culminated with the unmasking of Palme and destroying her career with the CIA, was motivated by an invidiously malicious animus towards those who had publicly criticized the Administration’s stated justifications for invading Iraq.



The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges the Administration officials violated the Wilsons’ right to freedom of speech, equal protection and privacy, deprived them of their civil rights, and impaired their ability to seek employment.



Mr. Rove’s spokesperson, Mr. Mark Corallo dismissed the allegations as utterly and absolutely without merit while Mr. Cheney and Mr. Libby’ spokespersons refused to comment. Ms. Plame’s exposure is already subject of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The only person to be indicted is Mr. Libby He has been charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators about conversations he had with journalists about Ms. Plame though he has not been charged with deliberately leaking Ms. Plame’s status as a CIA agent which is a federal crime. Syndicated columnist, Mr. Robert Novak who at that time was also a CNN contributor also, first disclosed Ms. Plame’s identity on July 14, 2003.



The column concerned a trip Mr.; Wilson made to Niger in 2002, at the suggestion of his wife, to probe the yellowcake story. This was one of the reasons, which the Administration put forward to attack Iraq.



Citing two senior Administration sources Mr. Novak reported That Ms. Plame was a CIA operative on weapons of mass destruction. The disclosure came just two weeks after Mr. Wilson rubbished the Administration’s yellowcake claims to which Mr. Bush referred to in his State of the Union address. The White House also conceded that those claims could not be verified and should not have been included in the speech.



However Mr. Novak says that neither does he believe that the senior Administration official, whose identity he still refuses to reveal, leaked the information to discredit Mr. Wilson nor was it an attempt at manipulating him.



While Ms. Palme and Mr Wilson insist that the information being put forward by senior Administration officials that Ms. Palme initiated her husband’s trip is wrong, a Senate Intrelligence Committee has concluded that Mr. Wilson’s trip was at the behest of his wife.



Via: CNN