“Official A”
On or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke to a senior official in the White House (“Official A”) who advised LIBBY of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson’s wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson’s trip. LIBBY was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson’s wife.
I have it on good authority that Patrick Fitzgerald originally toyed with a different psuedonym for the character of “Official A”. In fact, here’s a piece of the first draft:
On or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke to a senior official in the White House (ARL OVE) who advised LIBBY of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson’s wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson’s trip. LIBBY was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson’s wife.
It’s a good thing he didn’t go with “Arl Ove”, because that’s the one bit of speech impediment I could never get rid of: when I say a vowel construction with “R” without the benefit of a constanent before it, it’s incomprehensible to people.
Anyway… Arl Ove.