The American Spectator

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br> -- C. Kenna Amos Jr. br> Princeton, West Virginia /p> p> CHARGE FELT br> Re: James Bowman's It Felt Wrong : /p>

The fact that there has been no suggestion that federal prosecution of Mark Felt is being contemplated is especially interesting to me in the wake of the government's high-profile prosecution of Martha Stewart for her having lied to the FBI -- and their later having secured her humiliation and imprisonment as an example to others. Would the following passage from Mark Felt's 1979 book, The FBI Pyramid, not qualify him for prosecution? Is it a crime, punishable by imprisonment, for a citizen such as Martha Stewart, who is without legal training, to lie to junior agents of the FBI, but not a punishable offense for the second-in-charge of the FBI, who has a law degree, to deliberately lie to the Director of the FBI?

I quote from Felt's 1979 book:

Shortly after he returned from sick leave [January, 1973], Gray confided to me, "You know, Mark, Dick Kleindienst told me that I might have to get rid of you. He says White House staff members are convinced that you are the FBI source of leaks to Woodward and Bernstein" -- the Washington Post reporters who were writing up the Watergate story almost as fast as it was being investigated.

I said, "Pat, I haven't leaked anything to anybody. They are wrong!"

"I believe you," Gray answered, "but the White House doesn't. Kleindienst has told me on three or four occasions to get rid of you but I refused. He didn't say this came from higher up but I am convinced that it did."

This disclosure came as an unpleasant surprise. My contacts with Kleindienst had been frequent and friendly -- there had never been the slightest indication that I was suspect. I could feel anger rising in me but I was very appreciative of Gray's indication of support. Gray went on: "I told Kleindienst that you've worked with me in a very competent manner and I'm convinced that you are completely loyal. I told him I was not going to move you out. Kleindienst told me, 'Pat, I love you for that.'"

p>What am I missing? Surely there is no statute of limitations for the sort of crime Felt committed. Even if there were, it is only one week since Felt's criminality was known for a certainty because the only individual besides Felt who knew that he had lied shamelessly to the FBI Director (as described in his nook in his own words) was Woodward himself (all others, including Felt's family, Bernstein and Bradlee, knew only hearsay from Felt and Woodward) who, for more than three decades, had protected Felt from prosecution. Could Woodward, whose crime (obstruction of justice) has only been known for a certainty for one week, be prosecuted for obstructing justice? br> --

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