It’s well-known that Andrea Mitchell has always wanted a higher profile within the NBC news division, and sources tell BHDC that the timing is right, if quite a few dominoes fall into place.

Mitchell is expected to be called by the Scooter Libby defense team today to explain why she said more than once that Valerie Plame’s identity was “widely known” even before Robert Novak’s infamous column was published, which outed Plame. 

Oddly, Mitchell said later that that she didn’t know how to explain her comments. But Why would a top-notch reporter like Mitchell suddenly become foggy on such a key question?

One possibility: Libby has said that Tim Russert told him in July 2003 that “all the reporters know” Plame worked for the CIA. But Russert says that’s not true because he didn’t know who Plame was at the time.

Observers are questioning whether Mitchell received the information from her boss, Russert, which would she may have been compelled to cover tracks for him.

If Little Russ ends up in the slammer, Mitchell’s seniority at the network could help her become moderator of Meet the Press. A long shot, but let’s see how this plays out, shall we?