Court Won't Hear Outed CIA Spy's Case Against Bushies

22 Jun 2009 // The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a civil case brought by ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson against Vice President Cheney and former top Bush administration aides Lewis (Scooter) Libby, Karl Rove and Richard Armitage.

The decision brings to an end a lawsuit that alleged the Bushies conspired to punitively expose Plame as a CIA agent after her husband ex-Ambassador Joe Wilson conducted a fact-finding mission ahead of the Iraq war. The trip helped debunk Bush administration claims that Saddam Hussein had tried to buy weapons-grade uranium in Africa to build a nuclear warhead.

Plame and her husband accused the quartet of violating their constitutional rights.

“The Wilsons and their counsel are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, but more significantly, this is a setback for our democracy,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a counsel to the Wilsons.

“This decision means that government officials can abuse their power for political purposes without fear of repercussion. Private citizens like the Wilsons, who see their careers destroyed and their lives placed in jeopardy by administration officials seeking to score political points and silence opposition, have no recourse,” Sloan added.

The lawsuit was considered an uphill battle from the outset, with even the Obama administration joining in on opposing the case on grounds that it would threaten the White House’s right to privacy under executive privilege.