Leak: Libby Allegedly Lied About His Conversation With NBC’s Tim Russert

NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert is an important piece of today’s five-count indictment.

Under oath, Libby made “materially false and intentionally misleading statements and representations,” the indictment alleges. Some of those “misleading statements” involved Russert.

“On or about July 10, 2003, Libby spoke to NBC Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert to complain about press coverage of Libby by an MSNBC reporter,” the indictment says.

Libby testified that Russert asked if Libby knew that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA. Libby also testified that Russert said all the reporters knew it.

These are Libby’s exact words to the grand jury: “So then he said — I said — he said, sorry — he, Mr. Russert said to me, did you know that Ambassador Wilson’s wife, or his wife, works at the CIA? And I said, no, I don’t know that. And then he said, yeah — yes, all the reporters know it. And I said, again, I don’t know that.”

But in fact, the indictment says, “Russert did not ask Libby if Libby knew that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA, nor did he tell Libby that all the reporters knew it.”