“He doesn’t have to disclose every goddamn thing he knows.”
Or so says Ben Bradlee. It seems that Bob Woodward was before the Grand Jury, testifying in the Valerie Plame Case.
Former Washington Post Executive Editor Ben Bradlee today defended Bob Woodward, who revealed in a story Wednesday that he waited more than two years before disclosing to current Post editors a conversation he had in 2003 with a White House official about CIA Agent Valerie Plame.
“I don’t see anything wrong with that,” said Bradlee, who ran the Post during the turbulent Watergate coverage that made Woodward famous. “He doesn’t have to disclose every goddamn thing he knows.”
Woodward had shown Bradlee a copy of his statement on Tuesday before it was published. And he explained: “Woodward never has ‘no involvement’ because he is who he is.”
Bradlee, who retired in 1991, but still maintains an office at the paper, made his comments following a story in today’s Post about Woodward’s recent testimony before special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. The story revealed that Woodward testified Monday in a two-hour deposition before Fitzgerald, in which he disclosed that “a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed.” The story also revealed, however, that Woodward did not disclose this conversation to Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr., until last month.
“People are surprised that they didn’t know this information sooner,” a Post newsroom staffer told E&P today. The person also said Woodward’s failure to reveal the conversation earlier is the result of his unusual relationship with the paper, as an assistant managing editor who spends most of his time writing books.
“There is this constant tension in the newsroom about Woodward’s role and that he does reporting for his books and has agreements with sources to use information for his books,” the staffer said.
My, my, my, said the spider to the fly!
November 16, 2005 - 05:03 PM on November 16th, 2005
what a joke, how sad it is but it is for the show!