Joseph Wilson Calls FOX News Military Analyst's Claim That Wilson Revealed His Wife's CIA Employment "Patently Absurd"
Reported by Ellen - November 17, 2005
Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson was a guest on Alan Colmes' radio show last night (11/16/05). Colmes asked if there was any truth to the claim by ret. Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely, a FOX News military analyst, that Wilson had revealed that his wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA long before Robert Novak outed her in his 2003 column.
I was on vacation when Vallely appeared on Hannity & Colmes and announced, two years into the investigation into who leaked Valerie Plame's identity to Novak, that Wilson told him (Vallely) about Plame's job while they were in a FOX News "green room" waiting to go on the air in 2002. Media Matters has a detailed discussion about Vallely's claims and contradictory statements on the matter.
Wilson told Colmes that Vallely's claim was "patently absurd" and that if Wilson didn't tell his brother about Plame's CIA involvement, why would he tell Vallely. He also added that, "Anybody who knows Mr. Vallely knows how hard it is to get a word in edgewise."
In another line of questioning, Colmes asked Wilson to clarify his statement about who sent him to Niger. Wilson said the CIA sent him after Cheney raised the issue with a CIA briefer. He said Cheney corroborated that on Meet The Press.