As Twitchy told you, CNN analyst — and former FBI special agent — Asha Rangappa got called out for this bogus claim about Scooter Libby:
https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/984633308607807489
It pains us to say this, but the looseness with facts seems to have spread to her CNN colleague Jake Tapper. After Donald Trump tweeted this earlier today:
James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2018
….untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst “botch jobs” of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2018
Tapper shared his thoughts on the matter:
Calling @Comey a “proven LEAKER & LIAR” while you’re about to pardon Scooter Libby, who leaked the identity of a covert CIA employee and was convicted for lying about it to the FBI — well, that’s quite a thing.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
Buck Sexton jumped in to set the record straight:
Your statement is false.
Libby was never even charged with leaking an identity.
He was charged and convicted of perjury and obstruction.Please check your facts.
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) April 13, 2018
Tapper didn’t appreciate Sexton’s correction:
Read my tweet again. I never said he was convicted of leaking.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
OK, but:
You said he leaked, which is a crime- but he was not charged for that. So how do you know he leaked?
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) April 13, 2018
Are you changing the subject now after you accused me of saying something I didn’t? Delete your prior tweets containing falsehoods and I’m happy to continue the conversation.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
You wrote scooter Libby “leaked,” which is a crime
I would like proof that Libby engaged in criminal leaking, and then I will absolutely delete some tweets.
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) April 13, 2018
Sexton never did get his proof.
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) April 13, 2018
Yep — Armitage leaked it too. But he didn’t lie.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
Ok. Libby was not charged or convicted of leaking. Your statement is false.
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) April 13, 2018
Reading comprehension is clearly not a strong suit for those accusing Jake of lying here. He clearly wrote "convicted for lying about it", not for leaking. I know… details and comprehension can be hard!
— Pilumnus (@Cubbies108) April 13, 2018
He wrote "who leaked the identity of a covert CIA employee." Do we know that's true?
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) April 13, 2018
The prosecution argued it and the jury believed it — they just also didn’t think it was enough to convict for the leak. Though it was for the perjury.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
They did not charge leaking, they did not convict on leaking. Therefore, we cannot definitively say Libby leaked.
Are we now going to label people for crimes that they were not charged for, but people think they might be guilty of?
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) April 13, 2018
That could get a bit messy.
Jake, you're being disingenuous and you are honestly better than this. Armitage leaked Plame's name.
— WhichWitch (@JeffersonTeaPar) April 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/984788662566162433
Armitage leaked it too — and first I think
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
That raises a question:
https://twitter.com/JmyersMwoF/status/984794923127001088
How do you leak something after it's already been leaked?
— Currently between fraudulent suspensions (@jtLOL) April 13, 2018
First is what counts. How can you be the second leaker?
— Dan Sobes (@dansobes) April 13, 2018
Seems like a fair question.
Then, in fact, Armitage was the leaker. See how that works? Once someone tells a secret, it’s no longer a secret. Even kids know this.
— biggie1 (@rightmom65) April 13, 2018
Well anyway, Tapper continued to attempt to justify his argument:
Armitage leaked Valerie Plame's name to the press, not Libby. But Libby shouldn't have lied to the Feds about engaging in subsequent conversations about the matter w/Judith Miller. That's how they nailed him, not for "leaking." https://t.co/K6KBK67NcX
— Esoteric Jeff (@EsotericCD) April 13, 2018
Armitage leaked the name, yes. So did Libby. Review the court materials, it’s all there.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
Why say definitively Libby leaked Plame's identity if you concede it could never be proven?
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) April 13, 2018
The prosecution said he leaked and the jury believed it — but per news reports the jury didn’t convict because they didn’t understand why he was being accused of leaking when other top WH officials were off the hook.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
So … Sexton’s point still stands, then.
Soooo Sexton was right you did say Libby leaked.
— Nikki Richard (@Nikkki_R) April 13, 2018
Tapper elaborated in a series of tweets:
1/Some confusion out there about Libby leaking to the press. Yes, Armitage leaked as well. And neither was convicted of leaking, though Libby was convicted of lying about it. Here's the indictment:https://t.co/3kUDz7SmzW
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
2/ Please note — July 8 2003: "LIBBY advised Miller of his belief that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA."
That's Judith Miller of the NYT
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
3/ "On or about July 12, 2003, in the afternoon, LIBBY spoke by telephone to Cooper, who asked whether LIBBY had heard that Wilson’s wife was involved in sending Wilson on the trip to Niger. LIBBY confirmed to Cooper, without elaboration or qualification, that he had heard this"
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
4/(That's Matthew Cooper then of TIME)
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
5/ "On or about July 12, 2003, in the late afternoon, LIBBY spoke by telephone with Judith Miller of the New York Times and discussed Wilson’s wife, and that she worked at the CIA."
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
6/ For context: the Robert Novak oped that first outed Plame was July 14, 2003. Libby does not appear to have been a source for this –though Armitage was.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
7/ The jury ultimately convicted Libby for lying not leaking. The jury, per this WaPo story, was convinced Libby leaked — they just didn't understand why he would be punished for it while others in WH and admin weren't. https://t.co/SbCjGS1are
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/984814457946861574
Maybe there’s “some confusion out there” about what Libby did because journalists aren’t laying out all the facts before weighing in.
So if Armitage leaked it first, that made it known. Any subsequent "leak" would merely be restatement of fact. You were correct about the lying conviction, but dead wrong with your leak comment it. Admit it and move on.
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) April 13, 2018
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional text and tweets.
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