Murray Waas

Murray S. Waas is an independent writer and investigative journalist perhaps most recently best known for his reporting about the misuse of prewar intelligence by the Bush administration to make the case to go to war with Saddam Hussein, the federal investigation of the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identify, the firings of nine U.S. attorneys, and the politicization of the Justice Department.

Waas is a contributing editor of the National Journal and also regularly reports and writes for the Atlantic and ABC News. In past years, Waas has also reported and written for the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Harper's, the New Republic, and numerous other publications, according to his biography on Wikipedia.

In 1993, Murray Waas was named as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category of national reporting for stories he wrote for the Los Angeles Times about the prewar policies of the Reagan and first Bush administration leading up to first Gulf War. That same year, he also was a winner of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School's Goldsmith Prize. Additionally, he has been a fellow with the Alicia Patterson Foundation.

In 2010, Waas the winner of the fourth annual Barlett & Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism, from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University, for a series of articles he wrote about the health insurance industry for the Reuters news service. He also won the Society of American Business Editors and Writers' "Best in the Business" award for investigative reporting for the same series of articles.

GQ Magazine recently named Waas as one of four of "The Best Reporters You Don't Know About," writing:

"Years of groundbreaking watchdog journalism have resulted in this nickname: the new Bob Woodward. His pieces on the Plame leaks and U.S. attorney firings inadvertently provided candidates with more ammunition against the current administration than any campaign strategist could hope for."

Lengthier biographies of Murray Waas can be found here and here.

Press about Murray Waas:

• Ryan Chuttum, "Reuters is Excellent in Digging Up Insurer's Tactics," Columbia Journalism Review, March 17, 2010.

• Jay Rosen, "Murray Waas is Our Woodward Now," PressThink (NYU), April 9, 2006,

• Howard Kurtz, "The Lone Ranger," Washington Post, April 17, 2006.

• Liz Halloran, "A muckraker's day in the sun," U.S. News & World Report, May 15, 2006.

• Jim Boyd, "Editorial Pages: Why Courage is Hard to Find," Nieman Reports, Spring 2006.

• J.D. Lasica, "The Web: A New Channel for Investigative Reporting," American Journalism Review, June 1998.

• Matt Welch, "Salon's Coverage Commands Respect for Net Journalists," Online Journalism Review, April 22, 1998.

• Elissa L. Grootman, "Goldsmith Prizes Awarded," Harvard Crimson, March 26, 1993.

• "Reporters Win Goldsmith Prize," New York Times, April 5, 1993.

• Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," the Washington Post, March 31, 2006.

• Eric Alterman and Danielle Ivory, "Think Again, Blogosphere to Mainstream Media: Get Off the Bus," Center for American Progress, May 21, 2009.

• Dan Froomkin, "White House Watched", Washington Post, June 26, 2009.

• Russ Baker,"The Big One That Almost Got Away," the Columbia Journalism Review, March/April, 1993.

• David Shaw, "Iraqgate-- A Case Study of a Big Story With Little Impact," Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1992.

• "Reuters and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Receive Barlett & Steele Awards. Reynolds Center for Business Journalism, Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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Published works

• Editor, The United States v. I. Lewis Libby, Union Square Press, June 5, 2007, ISBN-10: 1402752598 / ISBN-13: 978-1402752599.
• About the book from Sterling Publishing], Amazon.com listing
• BanesandNoble.com listing

Contact information

Email: murraywaas AT gmail.com

Various Articles By Murray Waas

• Archived articles posted on AlterNet.
• Archived articles posted by The American Prospect.
• Archived articles on "The CIA Leak Investigation," National Journal.
• Archived articles on "The Clinton Crisis" (1998-1999), Salon.
• Archived articles posted on WaasInfo.com.
• Douglas Frantz and Murray Waas, "Bush Had Long History of Support Iraq Aid," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 24, 1992.
• Murray Waas and Douglas Frantz, "Despite Ban, U.S. Arms Are Sold To Pakistan," Los Angeles Times, March 6, 2005.
• Murray Waas and Douglas Frantz "Bush Tied to `86 Bid To Give Iraq Military Advice," Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1992.
• "In the Loop: Bush's Secret Mission," the New Yorker, November 2, 1992.
• Michael Kranish and Murray Waas, "Reporters Battle Over Final Report on Iran-Contra," Boston Globe, November 27, 1993.
• "Troubled Whitewater: An Undisclosed Conflict calls Kenneth Starr's Role as Special Prosecutor into Question," The Nation, March 18, 1996.
• Richard Lacayo, Viveca Novak, and Murray Waas, "Meanwhile, On the Other Side of the Aisle..." Time Magazine, Nov. 11 1996.
• Joe Conason and Murray Waas, "Gingrich Money Man Helped Brock Sock Clinton," New York Observer, March 28, 1998.
• Michael Haddigan and Murray Waas, "False Witness, Part 5: David Hale: Looting the Temple of Justice," Salon.com, Aug.21, 1998.
• "Protected Witness" Salon.com, Sept. 10, 1998.
• "Protected Witness, Part 2" Salon.com. ,Sept. 30, 1998.
• "Arm's Length Department," The New Yorker, July 26, 1999.
• "Novak Cooperated with Prosecutors", Whatever Already!, July 12, 2005.
• "How the Huckabee Administration Worked to Free Wayne Dumond" Arkansas Times, Aug. 1, 2005.
• "Rove and Ashcroft Face New Allegations in Valerie Plame Affair,"Village Voice, August 19, 2005.
• "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.
• "Jack Anderson: An Appreciation. The muckraking outsider never gave a damn about entree," Village Voice, December 19, 2005.
• "Cheney Authorized Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
• "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006.
• "Exclusive: Plame Game Over?" The American Prospect, April 6, 2005.
• "An Unlikely Story," The American Prospect, July 19, 2005.
• "The Meeting" "The American Prospect", August 6 2005.
• "What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006.
• "Cheney Authorized Leak of CIA Report,Libby Says," National Journal, April 14, 2006.
• "A Reporter's Bias," The Huffington Post, June 26, 2006.
• "Documents Expose Huckabee's Role in Serial Rapist's Release" The Huffington Post, Dec. 4, 2007.
• "McCain Transition Chief Aided Saddam in Lobbying Campaign," Huffington Post, Oct. 14, 2008.
• "Insurer Targeted HIV Patients to Drop Coverage," Reuters, March 17, 2010

Articles About Bush Administration's Prewar Intelligence and the Fitzgerald Investigation

• "Murray Waas: Pressure on Ashcroft to Recuse Himself Grows" Alternet, July 3, 2003.
• "Ashcroft's Interest" The American Prospect, July 8, 2004.
• "Exclusive: Plame Game Over?" The American Prospect, April 6, 2005.
• "Front Page Fronts" The American Prospect July 15, 2005.
• Murray Waas,"An Unlikely Story," The American Prospect, July 19, 2005.
• "The Meeting," The American Prospct (CBSnews.com), August 8, 2005, and via original article
• "Rove and Ashcroft Face New Allegations in Valerie Plame Affair," Village Voice, August 19, 2005.
• "Whle You Were Watching Katrina" Village Voice, Sept. 16, 2005.
• "Rove Before Grand Jury in the Morning," Whatever Already!, Oct. 6, 2005.
• "Rove Assured Bush He was Not Leaker" National Journal, Oct. 7, 2005.
• "Libby Did Nor Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation" National Journal, Oct. 11. 2005.
• "CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
• "Secret Service Records Prompted Key Miller Testimony," National Journal, October 20, 2005.
• "Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
• Murray Waas and Paul Singer,"Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005
• "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.
• "Cheney Authorized Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
• Murray Waas,"What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006.
• "Cheney Authorized Leak of CIA Report,Libby Says," National Journal, April 14, 2006.
• "Rove-Novak Call Was Concern to Leak Investigators," National Journal, May 25, 2006.
• "What Ashcroft Was Told," National Journal, June 8, 2006.
• "Bush Directed Cheney to Counter War Critic", National Journal, July 3, 2006.
• "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006.
• "CIA Leak Probe: Inside the Grand Jury Room" National Journal, Jan. 12, 2007.
• "The Paradox That is Scooter Libby" The Huffington Post, Jan. 17, 2007.
• "Cheney's Call" National Journal, Feb. 15, 2007.
• "Libby Testimony Raises More Questions About Cheney Role," National Journal, Feb. 17, 2007.

Articles about U.S. Attorney Firings and Alberto Gonzales' Justice Department

• Shane Harris and Murray Waas, "Justice Department Probe Foiled" National Journal, May 25, 2006.
• "Bush Blocked Justice Department Investigation", National Journal, July 18, 2006.
• "Writing Letters," New York Sun, July 19, 2006.
• "Internal Affairs", National Journal, March 15, 2007.
• "Secret Order by Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Powers to his Aides," National Journal, April 20, 2007.
• "Justice Official Says He Was Directed to Call Fired Prosecutors" National Journal, May 3, 2007.
• "Administration Withheld Emails about Rove" National Journal, May 10, 2007.
• "The Scales of Justice" National Journal, May 31, 2007.
• "The Ninth Man Out: A Fired U.S. Attorney Tells His Story," The Huffington Post (AlterNet), June 7, 2007.
• "Gonzales Investigated Subordinates Who WereLikely to Testify Against Him" Huffington Post, Oct. 7,2007.
• "Justice Department Sought Guilty Pleas in NSA Case. Huffington Post, Oct. 19, 2007.
• "Murray Waas: Justice Department Reopens Probe into Warantless Domestic Spying",the Huffington Post, Nov. 14, 2007.
• "Murray Waas: Judges' Group Director Pays DOJ Settlement" ABC News.com, April 29 2008.
• "Brian Ross Anna Schecter, and Murray Waas: "Justice Department Official Awards $500,000 Grant to Golf Group" ABC News.com, June 9, 2008.
• Murray Waas, "Questions Surround Government Funded Abstinence Program' ABCNews.com, June 18, 2008.
• Murray Waas,"The Price of Political Cronyism: Lost Lives and Teenage Suicides"personal blog, June 18, 2008.
• Anna Schecter, Brian Ross & Murray Waas"$500,000 Round of Golf? Congress Probes Official" ABCNews.com, June 19, 2008.
• Murray Waas & Anna Schecter, "Exclusive: Bush White House Pushed Grant for Fromer Worker"ABCNews.com, June 24, 2008.
• Anna Schecter & Murray Waas, "DOJ Official Fired In Wake of ABC News Investigation" ABCNews.com, June 25 2008.
• "Justice Department Subpoenas Its Former Lawyers in Civil Rights Divison," Huffington Post, August 6, 2008.
• "U.S. Attorney Scandal Probe Enters White House Circle," Huffington Post, Aug. 7 2008.
• "The Dog Days of Summer and Executive Privilege," personal blog, Aug. 7, 2008.
• "New Justice Department Push to Keep Bush Aides From Testifying," Huffington Post, Aug. 19, 2008.
• "The Case of the Gonzales Notes,"The Atlantic, Sept. 26, 2008.
• "What Bush Told Gonzales," The Atlantic, Sept. 26, 2008.
• "Bush Appointees Attempted to Thwart U.S. Attorney Probe," personal blog, Sept. 28, 2008.
• Murray Waas & Justin Rood, "Report: White House Inolved in U.S. Attorney Firings," ABCNews.com, Sept. 29, 2008.
• "Attorney: Rove Will Cooperate with DOJ Probes,"TPM Muckraker, Feb. 2, 2009.
• "U.S. Attorney Scandal: Feds Probe Domenici For Obstruction of Justice," TPM Muckraker, Feb. 4, 2009.
• "The Big Stone Wall: Nine Bush-Era Officials Refused to Cooperate With DOJ Probes," TPM Muckraker, Feb. 18, 2009.
• "A U.S. Attorney's Story," the Atlantic, April 20, 2009.
• Murray Waas and Ana Schecter, "DOJ Official Breached Ethics Playing Golf," ABCNews.com, May 1, 2009.

Articles about Mike Huckabee Pardon Controversy

• "How the Huckabee Administration Worked to Free Wayne Dumond" Arkansas Times, Aug. 1, 2005.
• "Documents Expose Huckabee's Role in Serial Rapist's Release", Huffington Post, Dec. 4, 2007.
• "Former Aide Contradicts Huckabee Defense of Rapist's Release", Huffington Post, Dec. 5, 2007.

Interviews with Murray Waas

• "Murray Waas: Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks of Highly Classified Iraq Intel to Bolster Case for War", Democracy Now, April 7, 2006.
• "Exclusive Interview: Murray Waas on How`Scooter' Libby Misled Federal Prosecutors in CIA Leak Case" Democracy Now, Oct.12, 2006
• "Exclusive Interview: Murray Waas on How Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information," Democracy Now!, February 10, 2006.
• "Cheney in the Crosshairs," On the Media, New York Public Radio, February 17, 2006.
• "As CIA Leak Trial Begins, Inside the Case Against Ex-Cheney Chief of Staff Lewis 'Scooter' Libby," Democracy Now!, January 17, 2007.
• "Monica Goodling Testifies," Warren Olney's To the Point, National Public Radio, May 27, 2007.
• "Interview with Murray Waas". Salon Radio with Glenn Greenwald, Sept. 26, 2008.

Articles about Murray Waas

1992-1998

• Anthony Lewis, "Abroad at Home: Who Fed This Ceasar?" New York Times, March 15, 1992.
• William Safire, "Bandarbush," New York Times, April 20, 1992.
• William Safire, "On Language: Starting-Gate," New York Times Magazine, June 7, 1992.
• David Shaw, "Iraqgate-- A Case Study of a Big Story With Little Impact," Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1992.
• Anthony Lewis, "Trust," New York Times, October 28, 1992.
• Russ W. Baker "The Big One That Almost Got Away," the Columbia Journalism Review, March/April, 1993.
• Elissa Gootman, "Goldsmith Prizes Awarded", Harvard Crimson, March 26,1993.
• "Investigative Reporters Win Goldsmith Prize,"New York Times, April 5, 1993.
• Thomas Powers, "Muddy Waters," New York Times, March 26, 1996.
• Robert Scheer, "Kenneth Starr's Chamber of the Absurd," Los Angeles Times, April 14, 1998.
• Matt Welch, "Salon's Coverage Commands Respect for Net Journalists," Online Journalism Review, April 30, 1998.
• J.D. Lasica, "The Web: A New Channel for Investigative Reporting," American Journalism Review, June 1998.

2005

• Paul Krugman,"Yes He Would," New York Times, April 30, 2005.
• Frank Rich, "One Step Closer to the Big Enchilada," New York Times, October 30, 2005.
• Sydney Schanberg, "If Old Journalism Dies...," Village Voice, Nov. 22, 2005.
• Frank Rich, "Dishonest, Reprehensible, Corrupt," New York Times, November 27, 2005.
• Hendrick Hertzberg, "Comment: Floor War," The New Yorker, December 5, 2005.

2006

• Jim Boyd, "Editorial Pages: Why Courage is Hard to Find," Nieman Reports, Spring 2006.
• Booman, "Waas on Plamegate," Booman Tribune, March 30, 2006.
• Dan Froomkin, A Compelling Story, White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
• Greg Sargent, "The Plame Game: What Murray Waas' Big Scoop May Really Tell Us About Bush's Prewar Deceptions," The American Prospect, April 4, 2006.
• "Playing Hardball With Secrets", New York Times editorial, April 4, 2006.
• Jay Rosen, "Murray Waas is Our Woodward Now," PressThink (NYU), April 9, 2006, also via Huffingtonpost
• Minur Umrai, "The Blogging Journalist," April 10, 2006.
• Matt Stoller, "Murray Waas" April 10,, 2006.
• "Murray Waas is the New Bob Woodward" Metafilter (assorted related blog entries), April 10, 2006.
• Howard Kurtz, "The Lone Ranger," Washington Post, April 17, 2006.
• Jerarlyn Meritt, "More Accolades for Murray Waas" Talkleft, April 18 2006.
• Eric Alterman, "Bush's Other War," The Nation, April 26, 2006.
• Liz Halloran, "A muckraker's day in the sun,""U.S. News & World Report", May 15, 2006.
• Jane Hamsher, "Murray Waas to Join Daily Kos Panel," Firedoglake Blog, May 17, 2006.
• Howard Kurtz, "Writer Sat on Own Life and Death Story" Washington Post, June 26, 2006.
• Jeralyn Merritt, "Murray Waas Tells All"Talkleft, June 26, 2006.
• "The CIA Leak Panel at Daily Kos" Evergreen Politics (blog), July 14, 2006.

2007

• Justin Rood, "Murray Waas: "Libby Lawyers Signaling for Pardons"TPM Muckraker, Jan. 24, 2007.
• "Murray Waas on Dick Cheney" Firedoglake, Feb. 16, 2007.
• Frank Rich, "When Will Fredo Get Whacked?" New York Times, March 25, 2007.
• "`Instant' Book Coming on Libby Trial," USA Today, March 7, 2002.
• Chris Sullentropp, "Gonzales' Suspicious Omission" New York Times [Opinionator blog], May 1, 2007.
• Scott Horton, "The Gleichschaltung at Justice", Harper's, May 1, 2007.
• Eric Lipton and David Johnston,"Justice Department Announces Inquiry Into Hiring", New York Times, May 3, 2007.
• "A Scandal That Keeps on Giving" New York Times editorial, May 6, 2007.
• Mim Dudovitch, "Murray Waas" Jim Romenesko's Media News, May 18, 2007.
• "The Worst People of 2006 (And 2007, too.)" Daily Kos May 18, 2007.
• "FDL Book Salon Welcomes Murray Waas and Jeff Lomonaco", Firedoglake, Jun. 26, 2007.
• "McNulty Was `Cut Out of the Loop', Learned About Controversial Memo From Press," Think Progress blog, June 21, 2007.
• Natasha Naraghi, "Nation Gifts Journalists With Angry Letters, Little Praise" The Guardian, University of California at San Diego. Oct.9, 2007.
• "One-two Punch from Murray Waas" American Politics Journal, Oct. 18, 2007.
• James Boylan,"Brief Encounters," Columbia Journalism Review, Nov./Dec., 2008.
• "Is Mike Huckabee Telling the Truth about his Role in the Dumond Affair?" Powerline (blog), Dec. 7, 2007.
• Howard Kurtz, "Attention Must Be Paid" Washington Post, Dec. 10, 2007.
• Matthew Felling "Huckabee's Defensive Posture",CBS News, Public Eye (blog), Dec. 11, 2007.

2008

• Dan Slater, "Fore! To Combat Crime, $500K Grant to Golf Program" Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2008.
• Spencer Ackerman, "An Open Letter to A Justice Department Addicted to Cronyism," Washington Independent, June 10, 2008.
• Barron YoungSmith,"A Bush Administration Scandal, and its Antecedent," New Republic, June 10, 2008.
• Johanna Neuman, "White House Really, Really Wants Its Guys to Testify," Los Angeles Times, Aug. , 2008.

2009

• Damozel,"Murray Waas: Rove to Cooperate...Or Not? Who Knows!" Buck Naked Politics, Feb. 3, 2009.
• Eric Alterman & Danielle Ivovy, "Blogosphere to Mainstream Media: Get Off the Bush," Center for American Progress, May 8, 2009.
• Matthew Saroff, "Note to Self: Read Murray Waas," 40 Years in the Desert, June 25, 2009.

2010

• Paul Krugman, "Demons and Demonization," the New York Times, March 17, 2010.
• Ryan Chuttum, "Reuters is Excellent in Digging Up Insurer's Tactics," Columbia Journalism Review, March 17, 2010