McClellan's slip, did he confirm the truth?

[Rainmaker]

According to Congressional Quarterly’s Chris Lehman, at the Oct. 31, 2005, White House press briefing, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan appeared to confirm the premise of a combative question from NBC News correspondent David Gregory. Gregory was reminding the press secretary that he had previously disavowed any involvement by either I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby or Karl Rove in the disclosure of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to the press — based on assurances McClellan said he’d obtained from both top White House officials. When Gregory said, “We know in fact there was involvement,” and went on to describe special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald’s findings about Rove and Libby’s dealings with the press, McClellan quickly interjected words that seem pretty clearly to be “That’s accurate.” (CQ subscribers can access a video of this exchange. To subscribe, go to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]).

And that is how McClellan’s remark appears in the transcripts sold by CQ Transcriptions, an arm of Congressional Quarterly Inc., and the respected non partisan Federal News Service. However, the White House’s own transcript has McClellan saying very much the opposite: “No, I don’t think that’s accurate.” And when the White House noted the discrepancy, officials asked CQ editors to revisit the wording of McClellan’s reply. This oral Freudian slip becomes more intriguing since, while one could conceivably argue that McClellan tripped over his intention to say “That’s inaccurate,” his delivery is far too rapid-fire for the expansive wording “No, I don’t think that’s accurate.”For the Records, CQ Transcriptions has declined to alter its account; FNS, has also declined to revise.