After yesterday’s goof — I’m letting all know that all I have is an ongoing swirl of rumors.
But here is a note I received from a friend:
Steve:
First, I hope you’re feeling better. A conspiracy theorist would have a field day with this incident.
So, random story: I was speaking with a few friends, and I mentioned, “wouldn’t it be intriguing if Fred Fleitz was the link in the leak case?” Not surprisingly, since my friends don’t work in the foreign policy field, they’d never heard of Fleitz. I explained why he might be a logical link, but made the very serious disclaimer that it was not a prediction and that I had heard no suggestions, no evidence, no rumors even to support it.
Turns out one of those friends just got a rumor e-mail today saying Fleitz is being investigated. The sources are apparently two Senate staffers, a reporter, and aides to some of the people being investigated. I’m not saying this is happening, but I wanted to point out that the rumor that Fleitz is involved is now circulating. I’m intrigued because when the Bolton thing was going on, I was never comfortable with the Fleitz link.
So, that’s that.
But then, a short while ago — one of America’s top journalists called me to ask what I knew about Fleitz. He said rumors were swirling everywhere and that a “really wild rumor” was that Bob Woodward had a piece appearing in tomorrow’s Washington Post focusing on Fleitz. Realize — NOTHING substantiated here.
Part of the rumor is that Fleitz is on leave.
I just tried to track that down. I just called Fred Fleitz, but got his answering machine and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I then called Under Secretary of State Bob Joseph’s office and talked to a person who told me that Fleitz was on leave for two days but would return to the office Monday morning.
I know nothing more. But here is what I wrote on Fleitz and the possibility of a Plame connection a while back. . .plus if you use the search function on the site for “Fleitz”, you will find a lot of commentary on this website about him. He’s an interesting, swashbuckling, rough-and-tough character who kept his CIA WINPAC portfolio despite being seconded to the State Department.
If this were true — and Fleitz was in Fitzgerald’s cross-hairs, then what law was broken?? One must now wonder if Fleitz was Robert Novak’s source.
This is speculation, unsubstantiated. . .but really, really interesting.
I still think that there are a lot of reasons why the Fred Fleitz rumor might be very wrong — and why someone like then-Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley might be the guy.
But this is what it is: RUMOR.
Those in the know though, email me — or call.
— Steve Clemons
