Valerie Speaks

I’m watching Valerie Plame Wilson in C-SPAN; she is testifying to the House. She says she did not send Joe Wilson to Niger; nor did she suggest him or recommend him. She is saying that another CIA agent suggested sending Joe Wilson. She is saying she was ambivalent about sending him. The colleague made the suggestion to her supervisor, and the supervisor asked Plame Wilson to ask her husband to come in to discuss the trip.

Update: “Karl Rove clearly was involved in the leaking of my name, and he still carries a security clearance,” she said.

Update update: One rightie talking point that comes up frequently is that, when Wilson came back from Niger, he told the CIA that the Niger-uranium story was credible. They get this from a 2004 bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report. Plame Wilson says that another CIA employee’s testimony was twisted out of context. This employee asked the Senate to re-interview him, so he could set the record straight. The request was denied.

Update 3: See Think Progress.

Update 4: Here’s a transcript of Valerie Plame Wilson’s opening statement.