Plame Gossip - testimony from conversations in 2004?

Look at the dates of the discussions on which she was asked to testify.

A second Time magazine reporter has been asked to testify in the CIA leak case, this time about her discussions with Karl Rove's attorney, a sign that prosecutors are still exploring charges against the White House aide.

Viveca Novak, a reporter in Time's Washington bureau, is cooperating with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who is investigating the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity in 2003, the magazine reported in its Dec. 5 issue.

Novak specifically has been asked to testify under oath about conversations she had with Rove attorney Robert Luskin starting in May 2004, the magazine reported.

So, is the fact that Fitzgerald is looking into conversations held almost a year after the Plame leak significant? I think so. The questions could center around information she was given that was not previously in evidence, or it could represent further investigation into obstruction of justice charges. This is just a quick first take, I'll update this post as other information comes in.

And, yes, although I jumped to the same logical conclusion, I can find no credible evidence of a family relationship between Robert and Viveca. It may be true, but in fifteen minutes of quick searching, I found no reliably sourced connection.

But I did find this. Under Novak's Wikipedia entry, after the bio and all the associations etc, there is the inclusion of this phrase, "See Also : Douchebag of Liberty." How funny is that? The Daily Show's epithet for Novak found it's way onto Novak's bio page. Hah!

UPDATE: Let's go to the Plame experts. Firedoglake offers the obstruction interpretation of this story after many qualifications that it is purely speculative, and includes Luskin in the theory. Also, an interesting secondary theory that Fitzgerald is looking at Luskin's statements to break his atty/client privilege, and a brief look at what was going on during the period.

Talkleft only has some quotes from Viveca Novak reporting what she heard from Luskin.

The Next Hurrah points out that Luskin, Rove's lawyer, may have been leaking details of events before Rove officially remembered them in his last grand jury appearance.

Needlenose dissects the AP version to say that there have probably been more people talking with the investigation than just Woodward and Viveca Fox. No real detail here.

NYTimes says that she will give a deposition rather than testify. Not significant, really. They also draw attention to the sudden remembering of Karl Rove.

WaPo article says nothing.

Lastly, here is the Douchebag of Liberty clip from the Daily Show. Funny.