Ex-CIA spy whose identity was outed in Bush-era scandal roars back into politics to run for Congress with an action-movie style video boasting she wants to 'settle scores' - but is accused of lying about her own past and anti-Semitic tweets

  • Former CIA official Valerie Plame released a video announcing her Democratic congressional run in New Mexico
  • In the video, while showing off her agency-taught driving skills, Plame falsely accused Scooter Libby of leaking her identity and ending her career at the CIA
  • Libby, then-Vice President Dick Cheney chief of staff, was never charged with leaking Plame's name
  • He was, however, convicted of perjury and lying to the FBI but was pardoned by Donald Trump in 2017
  • Bush's secretary of state from 2001-2005, Richard Armitage, admitted he inadvertently was the leak to Washington Post reporter Robert Novak
  • Novak said Bush's chief political strategist Karl Rove was the second source that confirmed Plame’s identity 
  • Plame has also come under fire for sharing anti-Semitic tweets
  • She reposted two articles from a radical Holocaust-denial website in 2017 and 2014: 'America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars' and 'Why I Still Dislike Israel'
  • Plame said her mistake in posting the articles was a 'doozy' 
  • In her video, Plame says she is a descendent of 'Ukrainian Jewish immigrants'

In a congressional campaign video that played more like an action movie trailer, former CIA officer Valerie Plame falsely blamed Dick Cheney's former chief of staff for revealing her identity in the early 2000s.

During her almost one-and-a-half minute video, where she announced she is running for an open House seat in New Mexico's deeply blue third district, Plame said Scooter Libby was responsible for ending her career at the CIA.

'My assignment was preventing rogue states and terrorists from getting nuclear weapons. You name a hot spot, I lived it,' Plame claimed in a voice over. 'Then Dick Cheney's chief of staff took revenge against my husband and leaked my identity. His name? Scooter Libby.'

'Guess who pardoned him last year?' she queried as an image of Donald Trump doing a fist pump flashed on the screen, adding later that she has 'scores to settle' with the president.

The video was released Monday, but she has been talking of her congressional run for months. 

In May, Plame filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Democrat in 2020. The seat is opening as Democratic Representative Ben Ray Lujan leaves to run for Senate.

Former CIA official Valerie Plame released a video Monday announcing her bid for Congress as she shows of her fancy CIA-taught driving skills

Former CIA official Valerie Plame released a video Monday announcing her bid for Congress as she shows of her fancy CIA-taught driving skills

In the video, she falsely accused Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff Scooter Libby of leaking her identity and essentially ending her CIA career

In the video, she falsely accused Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff Scooter Libby of leaking her identity and essentially ending her CIA career

As she drove a Chevrolet sports car backwards in the video, Plame, who identified herself as a former undercover CIA operative, claimed she's running for office because the country is 'going backwards,' and says she wants to 'turn our country around.'

'My service was cut short when my own government betrayed me,' she said as a clip of former President George W. Bush and his No. 2, Cheney played.

A scandal involving her identity as a CIA officer made her famous in 2003 after her name and position was leaked and subsequently published by the Washington Post's Robert Novak.

Even though Libby was talking within the administration about Plame and her identity as a CIA employee, the leak that tipped off her identity did not come from him directly.

Richard Armitage, who served as secretary of state under Bush from 2001-2005, admitted that he inadvertently leaked the information about Plame.

On July 8, 2002 Armitage told Novak that Plame was the CIA officer who recommended her husband, and former ambassador to Africa, Joseph Wilson for a controversial mission to investigate the uranium deal in Niger.

'I'm afraid I may be the guy who caused this whole thing,' Armitage told a colleague. 'I may have been the leaker. I talked to Novak.'

Former President George Bush's then-Secretary of State Richard Armitage admitted that he was the one who inadvertently leaked Plame's identity

Former President George Bush's then-Secretary of State Richard Armitage admitted that he was the one who inadvertently leaked Plame's identity

Former President George Bush's chief political strategist Karl Rove
Deceased Washington Post reporter Robert Novak

The Washington Post's Robert Novak (right), whose article revealed Plame's identity, confirmed that then-Bush strategist Karl Rove (left) was the second source in his article who confirmed the information

Armitage also told CBS News in 2006 he felt he 'let down' everyone.

'I feel terrible,' he said at the time. 'Every day, I think, I let down the president. I let down the secretary of state. I let down my department, my family and I also let down Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.'

Novak confirmed that Bush's chief political strategist Karl Rove was the second source that confirmed Plame’s identity. 

Libby was never charged with leaking Plame's name, but was convicted of perjury and lying to the FBI during its investigation. Trump pardoned Libby on April 13, 2018.

So-called 'Plamegate' is not the only thing standing in the way of Plame and a House seat. She has also come under fire for sharing anti-Semitic sentiments.

In September 2017, Plame reposted an article from UNZ Review, an anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denial website that trumpets the white genocide conspiracy theory.

Along with an article link she included text of the headline: 'America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars.'

In response to a tweet about Sean Spicer apologizing to Sheldon Adelson, a Jewish-American business magnate, she questioned if the then-press secretary would also apologize to 'other rich Jews.'

She also posted a column from December 2014 posted to UNZ titled, 'Why I Still Dislike Israel.'

Plame attempted to explain away sharing the tweets as she announces her run, saying she apologized and claiming that social media is a 'hateful' place. 

Plame also faces obstacles in her previous comments that touted anti-Semitic tropes. She reposted an article in 2017 from a Holocaust-denial site titled: 'America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars'

Plame also faces obstacles in her previous comments that touted anti-Semitic tropes. She reposted an article in 2017 from a Holocaust-denial site titled: 'America's Jews Are Driving America's Wars'

She also reposted a column to Twitter in 2014 titled, 'Why I still Dislike Israel.' She dismissed the tweets as a 'doozy' mistake, and said she had already apologized for posting them

She also reposted a column to Twitter in 2014 titled, 'Why I still Dislike Israel.' She dismissed the tweets as a 'doozy' mistake, and said she had already apologized for posting them

'I did way more than backtrack,' Plame said in a May interview about her intentions to run for Congress. 'Let me be clear: It's not who I am, and it's not what I believe. It was extremely painful, I had not read the whole article all the way through. And when I realized what it was, it was embarrassing and hurtful.'

'I'm human, and we all make mistakes. And it was just a doozy and it was very public,' Plame said.

In her announcement video, Plame touted her 'Ukrainian Jewish' ancestry to try and amend her previous comments.

'I come from Ukrainian Jewish immigrants,' she said while giving a brief history of her roots. 'Dad was in the Air Force. My brother almost died in Vietnam.'

Since she made her candidacy official in May, Holocaust-denier and former California Representative Paul McCloskey made three donations to her campaign.

During a speech in 2000, McCloskey reference the ‘so-called Holocaust’ while speaking at the Institute for Historical Review, an organization that claims it ‘does not ‘deny the Holocaust,’” but ‘has no ‘position’ on any specific event or chapter of history.’

Actress Naomi Watts, who played Plame in Fair Game, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston and actor Michael Douglas have all also contributed to her campaign since May, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

At the conclusion of her video, titled 'Undercover,' Plame is seen exiting the car she did her CIA-learned stunts in while walking in slow motion away from the car toward the camera.

'And, yes, the CIA really did teach us how to drive like this,' she said in the voice over.

As dust blew in her face and hair in the wind, she spoke to first non-voiced over words of the video.

'And Mr. President I've got a few scores to settle.'

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