FITZMAS REDUX

The Santa Pimp Hat. Patrick Fizgerald wears it to bitchslap Republicans

Via AMERICAblog, Reuters reports that Fitz is officially going to present evidence to a new grand jury:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a sign he may seek new or revised charges in the CIA leak case, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said on Friday his investigation would be going back before a grand jury.

It was the first time Fitzgerald said he would be presenting information to another grand jury since the indictment and resignation three weeks ago of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Lawyers in the case said the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame, which has reached into the highest levels of the White House, could be moving into a new phase that could result in charges against other top administration officials.

President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, was told by prosecutors last month that he remained under investigation and could still be charged, lawyers said.

Fitzgerald may also be pursuing new leads following Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's disclosure that he was told about Plame in mid-June 2003.

Fitzgerald has been investigating the leak for two years and the grand jury that indicted Libby expired after it charged him with perjury and obstructing justice on October 28.

"The investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which returned the indictment" against Libby, Fitzgerald said in a court motion, which spelled out a compromise with media organizations for access to some documents in the Libby case.

After appearing at a court hearing on the compromise, Fitzgerald said he would not elaborate on his plans for another grand jury.

Libby's attorney, William Jeffress, and Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to comment.

This is not unexpected, but it demonstrates for the PT neocons who came in gloating that the indictment of "merely" Scooter Libby was no big deal. Fitzmas ain't over, kids, and this is the latest reason why. Rove is not out of danger, and at least one other official, (possibly Steven Hadley or Dick Cheney, himself) is likely in jeopardy as well. I can't wait for PT morons to try and argue that an indictment of the National Security Advisor is meaningless.

It's getting to be like the Black Knight in Holy Grail. Conservatives are an armless, legless stump, still insisting, "It's just a flesh wound!" Sure it is. Just get out of the way when we frogmarch the VP out of his office, ok?

JC