Henry Waxman was digging for dirt. All he got was hot air. The Intelligence Identities Protection Act(IIPA), has several very specific requirements as to who is covered by the act.
Waxman was like a pitbull in asserting that the CIA considered Valerie Plame Wilson covert. Yet Waxman avoided like the plague the question of if Plame was protected by the IIPA
Read Victoria Toensing’s testimony [1](PDF). Toensing wrote the IIPA. Her testimony makes it clear that Plame was not covered by the IIPA, and the agency, itself and the Wilsons were not adhering to its provisions. Plame herself testified that she does not know, even as she testified, whether she was covered by the IIPA.
The CIA never instructed Plame to adhere to provisions of the IIPA. The CIA did not expect Plame to adhere to the act. The CIA never treated Plame’s identity as if were covered by the IIPA. Therefore, it is unreasonable for Waxman to expect the White House to adhere to IIPA with respect to Plame.
More: NRO – Corner [2], Just One Minute [3].
(H/T photo: Washington Blade [4] )