With all that’s been going on, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the Bush White House is still under a criminal investigation for the trivial matter of leaking the identity of an undercover CIA agent in order to help cover up its lies about the war in Iraq.
Reuters is reporting, however, that the investigation may be nearing its end game.
[L]awyers close to the investigation say there are signs that the 20-month-long inquiry could be wrapped up within weeks in a final flurry of negotiations and legal maneuvering. […]
Several lawyers involved in the case say Fitzgerald was likely to wrap up his inquiry this fall, if not sooner, though they say they have not heard from his office in weeks.
The outcome could have political implications for Bush, whose approval ratings are already the lowest of his presidency.
The crux of the piece dealt with the plight of the NYT’s currently-incarcerated Judith Miller, who, according to her attorney, remains “resolute” about not speaking to the grand jury about the White House leakers. Arianna Huffington, however, has heard rumors to the contrary.
[A]ccording to a source with inside knowledge, it’s because there are definitely negotiations under way. “Reuters buried the lede,” said my source. “But it’s there if you read between the lines… Abrams says that Miller ‘made a promise and, unless properly released from her promise by her source, she has no choice but to continue to take the position that she’s taking.’ He’s giving her more outs than an extra-inning baseball game. ‘Unless properly released from her promise…’ In other words, she’s bargaining. All this time she’s theoretically been standing on principle, and now she’s come down from her principled perch and is bargaining.”
The question is, if what Miller wanted was to be “properly released” by her source why didn’t she properly ask for it?
That might be a little more complicated than it sounds. Call it a hunch, but if Miller were to send word to Rove, Libby, & Co. that she sure would appreciate it if they’d let her tell the grand jury about the laws they broke, they might be a little slow to respond.