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October 30, 2009

Dick Cheney speaks, but not happily

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is getting his two-cents in, or whatever it's worth, as he blasts the Obama administration for one dither after another.

Now, thanks to a successful lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, another kind of Cheney-speak is available. On Friday, CREW made public the notes from a law enforcement interview with Cheney conducted as part of the investigation into the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame's name.

This is not a transcript, but rather a 28-page, single-space memo recounting Cheney's answers. As noted by CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan, Cheney's memory seemed sketchy. Many recitations of "could not recall" occur throughout.

Still, a quick glance offers tidbits; like, the use of Mary Matalin, the old GOP warhorse, even after she left the vice president's official employ. As the notes state, Cheney said it was "possible" he had discussed the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson affair with Matalin. Presumably, "possible" means "certain." The notes state:

"The Vice President advised that after Ms. Matalin left her full-time position with the White House, he continued to consult with her on a variety of issues and it was not uncommon for him to reach out to her for advice."

Assignment Desk: Find out what Mary Matalin said in public. Assignment Accepted!

From Fox's Hannity & Colmes show of July 11, 2006, after Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby was indicted:

Mary Matalin: "(Libby) did not commit a crime. He had a mis-remembrance of when it was that he heard about it, but clearly he's not one of the guys that revealed it in the first place, which the revelation of such was not a crime."


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mike

"Suits & Sentences" is a legal affairs blog written by Michael Doyle, a reporter for McClatchy's Washington Bureau. He was a Knight Journalism Fellow at Yale Law School, where he earned a Master of Studies in Law; he also earned a Masters in Government from The Johns Hopkins University with a thesis on the Freedom of Information Act. He teaches journalism as an adjunct instructor at The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs.

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