BLOGGING THE INDICTMENTS (Wednesday Edition)

By: Greg Mitchell Tension and its journalistic adjuncts -- speculation, informed rumor and outright gossip -- continued to build Wednesday, as the federal prosecutor in the Plamegate scandal appeared to wrap up his work (for now) and possibly already made his pitch for indictments to the grand jury in Washington, D.C.

Starting Wednesday, we will be presenting the latest news, legal leaking and opinion here, with frequent updates, so return often during the day. Latest posts at the top.
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7:00 AM ET (Thursday), a bit of parody, we hope, from "DC Insider" at the conservative Red State blog:

"My sources are relaying to me information that may be very good news re: the Plame Case. Although I cannot substantiate this info 100%, I am receiving this from sources very close to the investigation and grand jury:

"No indictments for Rove, Libby or any member of the administration. Probable indictments for Vallerie Plame, Joseph Wilson and one as yet unknown high ranking Congressional Democrat.

"No wrong doing or misuse of intelligence on the part of the administration. Possible criminal conduct in an attempt to smear the White House on the part of Congressional Democrats, Plame and Wilson.

"Again, take this with a grain of salt but this is what I am hearing from my sources and the D.C. grape vine."
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11:55 PM ET, from The Washington Post: "Even as Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald wrapped up his case, the legal team of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has been engaged in a furious effort to convince the prosecutor that Rove did not commit perjury during the course of the investigation, according to people close to the aide. The sources, who indicated that the effort intensified in recent weeks, said Rove still did not know last night (Wednesday) whether he would be indicted."

The Post also reported a Gallup poll finding that 8 in 10 Americans thought Bush aides had acted illegally or at least unethically in this matter.

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11:25 PM ET: From Steve Clemons at his The Washington Note blog: "What I have learned is that the Office of the Special Counsel has signed a lease this week for expanded office space across the street at 1401 New York Avenue, NW...More office space needed to shut down the operation? I think not. Fitzgerald's operation is expanding."

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10:40 PM ET. On MSNBC's "Hardball" tonight (according to the Think Progress site), Mike Allen of The Washington Post said, "A lot of activity happening that we?re not seeing. A likely scenario for what happened today, Patrick Fitzgerald got some indictments from this grand jury....What I?m told is typically, in a case like this, he could get the indictments and now he can go to the targets and say, you can plead to these or I?ll go back Friday and get more. You have 12 to 24 hours to think about it."

Later on Olbermann (also according to Think Progress), The Washington Post?s Jim VanDeHei commented: ?I do not think we?ll see any extension of this grand jury. We will know on Friday what?s going to happen here.?
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8:55 PM ET. Dan Froomkin at his Washington Post blog has this advice for journos staking out the grand jury's activities: "Keep an eye out for senior administration officials showing up at the courthouse very, very late at night."
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6:35 PM ET: Late this afternoon, in a Web story, The New York Times said inside reports continued to hint at big problems for Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

It also noted, "Democrats are poised to exploit any indictments. Mr. Bush?s 2004 presidential rival, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, made a pre-emptive attack. 'We don?t know yet whether this will prove to be an indictable offense in a court of law,' Mr. Kerry said in remarks prepared for an address at Georgetown University, 'but for it, and for misleading a nation into war, they will be indicted in the high court of history.'?

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5:55 PM ET: At his press briefing today, asked about the current mood with indictments pending, White Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, "In terms of the White House, this White House is focused on the priorities of the American people. We're working on the priorities that the American people care about. The President has had a very busy day. He started his morning focused on the highest priorities facing this country, which is winning the war on terrorism and protecting the homeland. ...

"So we're continuing to focus on what the American people care most about. Those are the things that we can do something about. We obviously continue to follow developments in the news. And I'm sure when the special prosecutor has more to say, he will do so at the appropriate time."

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4:30 PM ET: CNN picks up a New York Sun report that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald met with the judge handling the case for 45 minutes today, after seemingly exiting the area. Speculaton: The two either discussed how to handle the pendlng indictments and/or Fitzgerald formally requested that another grand jury be put in motion when this one expires on Friday.

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3:05 PM ET, from AP: "The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer's identity met for three hours Wednesday with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and adjourned for the day without announcing any action.

"After the grand jury left for the day, federal prosecutors conferred for about an hour in the grand jury area of the federal courthouse. There was no word on whether Fitzgerald planned to make any announcement or whether the grand jury planned to meet again."

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2:45 PM ET: Lawrence O'Donnell, the NBC consultant/attorney/"West Wing" producer, writes at Huffington Post that he hears that Fitzgerald will get indictments this week, as this grand jury's term expires -- and then convene a new grand jury to consider further charges in the weeks ahead. He also claims that the Washington Post and others have incorrectly stated that the grand jurors must vote unanimously for indictments, when a simple majoirty (he says) is all that is needed.

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2:00 PM ET: The leaks concerning this critical moment in the CIA leak probe have begun. Confirmation is another story.

Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald has asked the grand jury investigating the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson to indict Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, lawyers close to the investigation told writers for the Web site, RawStory.com, Wednesday.

If this report is accurate, Fitzgerald has also asked the jury to indict Libby on a second charge: knowingly outing a covert operative, the lawyers said. "Two other officials, who are not employees in the White House, are also expected to face indictments, the lawyers said," according to Raw Story.

"Those close to the investigation," the report continued, "said Rove was offered a deal Tuesday to plead guilty to perjury for a reduced charge. Rove's lawyer was told that Fitzgerald would drop an obstruction of justice charge if his client agreed not to contest allegations of perjury, they said.

"Rove declined to plead guilty to the reduced charge, the sources said, indicating through his attorney Robert Luskin that he intended to fight the charges. A call placed to Luskin was not returned.

"Those familiar with the case said that Libby did not inform Rove that Plame was covert. As a result, Rove may not be charged with a crime in leaking Plame's identity, even though he spoke with reporters."

Richard Sale, a former UPI intelligence reporter, wrote on his blog Wednesday that two White House officials were likely to be indicted, citing federal law enforcement and senior intelligence officials.