Washington Week Show - #4518
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Opening"
Show host Gwen Ifill opens program. Composite footage (unclean) with Washington Week title and text: President George W. Bush walking alone; Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald; Chief of Staff to the Vice-President Lewis "Scooter" Libby walking on crutches; document of Grand Jury charges on Scooter Libby; Patrick Fitzgerald says, "Anyone who would go into a Grand Jury and lie, obstruct and impede the investigation has committed a serious crime"; crowd shot; White House Counsel and Supreme Court Justice nominee Harriet Miers walking, followed by female adult African American press photographer; unidentified middle-aged adult Caucasian man says, "Mr. President, we're with you; we want to support you; we want to help but you can't take us to a place that our conviction cannot go."
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Opening"
Composite footage (unclean) with Washington Week title and text: U.S. President George W. Bush speaking at podium, military seated on stage, sign behind the President Bush reads "Strategy For Victory"; President Bush says, "Thanks for the chance to get out of Washington"; exterior of White House; Chief of Staff to the Vice-President Lewis "Scooter" Libby; Supreme Court Justice Nominee, White House Counsel Harriet Miers; President Bush walking with Vice President Dick Cheney. Introduction of the week’s guests.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Commercial"
DO NOT USE—Commercial.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Show host Gwen Ifill introduces topic on the indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald speaking at press conference: "If it is proven that the Chief of Staff to the Vice President went before a Federal Grand Jury and lied under oath repeatedly, and fabricated a story about how he learned this information, how he passed it on, and we prove an obstruction of justice, perjury and false statements to the FBI, that is a very, very serious matter." Scooter Libby walking on crutches through parking lot.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Michael Duffy of Time Magazine discusses the indictment of and case against Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. Mention of the leaking of a CIA agent’s name. Discussion of Scooter Libby trying to cover up his actions during his initial case. Mention of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Discussion on how Scooter Libby is believed to have obtained Plame’s name.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Karl Rove"
Pete Williams of NBC News discusses the possibility of an indictment against Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. Spilt-screen footage of Karl Rove. Discussion of the investigation and case against Karl Rove. Williams says it is unlikely Rove will be charged.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Show host Gwen Ifill introduces press conference footage of Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald says, "That's the way this investigation was conducted. It was known that a CIA officer’s identity was blown. It was known that there was a leak. We needed to figure out how that happened. Who did it, why, whether a crime was committed, whether we could prove it, whether we should prove it. And given that national security was at stake, it was especially important that we find out accurate facts."
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Pete Williams of NBC News discusses the charges against Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. Discussion of how Scooter Libby is being charged with obstruction of justice, rather than leaking a CIA agent’s name (Valerie Plame).
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Show host Gwen Ifill interjects discussion to introduce more press conference footage of Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald says, "This indictment is not about the war. This indictment is not about the propriety of the war, and people who believe fervently in the war effort, people who oppose it, people who have mixed feelings about it should not look to this indictment for any resolution of how they feel or any vindication of how they feel."
Washington Week- WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Michael Duffy of Time Magazine discusses other facts that may come to light during Lewis “Scooter" Libby’s trial. Discussion of who may be called to appear: White House staff members, reporters, or maybe even Vice-President Dick Cheney. Pete Williams of NBC News discusses how Scooter Libby’s side of the story may be presented at trial.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Robert Novak"
Show host Gwen Ifill interjects to turn discussion toward the place of Robert Novak (journalist who revealed CIA agent Valerie Plame) in Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s case. Michael Dufy of Time Magazine discusses Novak’s involvement in Scooter Libby’s indictment. Discussion of unnamed officials in the indictment.
Washington Week Show - WW 4518 - "Valerie Plame"
Pete Williams of NBC News points out that Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald did conclude that CIA agent Valerie Plame’s cover was blown. Discussion of whether Plame was still under cover at the time. Michael Duffy of Time Magazine discusses whether national security was threatened when Plame’s cover was blown. Williams mentions it is still not clear if Fitzgerald could have made a case for blowing Plame’s cover to be illegal. Duffy discusses parts of Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s indictment that are still unclear.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Show host Gwen Ifill introduces press conference footage of Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald says, "Let's not presume that Mr. Libby is guilty, but let's assume for the moment that the allegations in the indictment are true. If that is true, you cannot figure out the right judgment to make whether or not you should charge someone with a serious national security crime or walk away from it or recommend any other course of action if you don't know the truth."
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Scooter Libby"
Michael Duffy of Time Magazine discusses possible defenses Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, may bring up in his trial. Pete Williams of NBC News discusses why Justice Dept. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald may not be able to pursue legal action against Scooter Libby for blowing the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Harriet Miers"
Show host Gwen Ifill introduces topic of White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrawing her own Supreme Court justice nomination. Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) speaking on the Senate floor: "I do regret that our Constitutional process was not completed. Instead of a hearing before the Judiciary Committee and a debate on the Senate floor, Ms. Miers' qualifications were subjected to a one-sided debate in news releases, press conferences, radio and TV talk shows and the editorial pages."
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Harriet Miers"
Jeanne Cummings of The Wall Street Journal discusses factors that may have caused White House counsel Harriet Miers to withdraw her Supreme Court nomination. Discussion of a “civil war” within the Republican party. Discussion of a religious test involving Supreme Court nominees. Mention of the abortion issue. Discussion of some Republicans not wanting to hold a hearing for Miers’ nomination. Discussion of what could have convinced President George W. Bush that he could nominate a member his own White House counsel to the Court. Discussion of the mistakes the Bush Administration made in rolling out Miers’ nomination.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Harriet Miers"
Jeanne Cummings of The Wall Street Journal discusses why U.S. President George W. Bush may have chosen to nominate White House counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. Discussion of the records for female Appellate Court Judges. Mention of Roe v. Wade. Discussion of other potential, Supreme Court candidates. Discussion of how the Court nomination may have ruined Miers' reputation. Discussion of what option President Bush has for making a new Supreme Court nomination.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "G.W. Bush"
Show host Gwen Ifill introduces topic of U.S. President George W. Bush’s current political standing. Todd Purdum of The New York Times discusses President Bush’s current political situation. Mention of casualties in Iraq, Harriet Miers withdrawing as a Supreme Court nominee, and Karl Rove (White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy). Discussion of the indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President. Discussion on how President Bush’s second term has been affecting him so far. Discussion on how President Bush is currently in a state of denial. Purdum makes comparisons between the Scooter Libby case and President Richard Nixon’s White House. Mention of Nixon’s “plumbers.”
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Bush Administration"
Todd Purdum of The New York Times discusses whether the indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby (Chief of Staff to the Vice President) influenced Harriet Miers withdrawing her Supreme Court nomination. Purdum speculates that Miers was going to have to withdraw regardless of the Scooter Libby case. Jeanne Cummings of The Wall Street Journal mentions the high potential for the Senate Judiciary Committee striking down the Miers nomination had it come to pass. Purdum discusses what options the Bush administration may have considering all recent news and controversy. Mention of President Bush’s resilience.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "G.W. Bush & Iraq"
Todd Purdum of The New York Times discusses how doubts about the war in Iraq are affecting the second term of U.S. President George W. Bush. Mention of casualties in Iraq and the Bush administration possibly manipulating evidence to justify a war in Iraq. Discussion of whether President Bush should keep playing into his current political base.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Rosa Parks"
DO NOT USE STILL PHOTOS OF ROSA PARKS. Show host Gwen Ifill pays tribute to civil rights activist Rosa Parks, who recently passed away.
Washington Week - WW 4518 - "Closing"
Show host Gwen Ifill closes show. End credits