They are digging themselves in DEEP now....
White House Denies Leaking CIA
Identity
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on
Monday denied that President Bush's chief
political strategist was involved in revealing
the identity of a CIA operative, in possible
violation of the law. A Democratic senator has
asked the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to probe the
matter.
The naming of the intelligence officer's identity by syndicated columnist Robert
Novak came shortly after her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson,
undermined Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa.
Wilson has publicly blamed Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, for the leak,
although Wilson did say Monday he did not know whether Rove personally was
the source of Novak's information, only that he thought Rove had ``condoned it.''
``He wasn't involved,'' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said of Rove.
``The president knows he wasn't involved. ... It's simply not true.''
McClellan urged anyone with information about the alleged leak to contact with
Justice Department. ``The president expects everyone in his administration to
adhere to the highest standards of conduct,'' McClellan said. ``No one would be
authorized to do such a thing.''
The letter was sent from the CIA's Office of General Counsel to the Department of
Justice in late July. It noted a violation of the law had apparently occurred when
someone provided Novak with the name of the CIA officer. The letter was not
signed by CIA Director George Tenet and did not call for a specific investigation of
the White House.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said FBI
officials are trying to determine whether there was a violation of the law and, if so,
then whether a full-blown criminal investigation is warranted, the official said.
``It's a serious matter and it should be looked into,'' McClellan said.
Asked whether Bush should fire any official found to have leaked the information,
McClellan said: ``They should be pursued to the fullest extent by the Department
of Justice. The president expects everyone in his administration to adhere to the
highest standards of conduct - and that would not be.''
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the matter should be investigated from
someone outside the Bush administration.
``If there was ever a case that demanded a special counsel, this is it,'' he said.
The Justice Department had no immediate comment on Schumer's request.
The rules for appointment of a special counsel give Attorney General John
Ashcroft wide latitude to either appoint one outright, conduct a preliminary
investigation to determine if such a counsel is needed or to conclude that it would
be better for the Justice Department to handle the probe itself.
From the presidential campaign trail, other Democrats called for independent
probes.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean said Ashcroft should recuse himself from an
investigation, which Dean believes should be handled by an ``independent
Justice Department inspector general.''
Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., called for a congressional investigation into whether
the administration leaked the identity of an undercover CIA officer. ``There's
nothing that says Congress cannot carry out this investigation,'' he said. ``I don't
think we can leave this to the administration's own Justice Department.''
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said an independent, non-partisan counsel
should investigate. ``It is a moral outrage that multiple White House officials are
alleged to have done so for political revenge. It would be scandalous if such acts
were a reaction to the public's conclusion that the president has used 16
misleading words in his State of the Union address last January.''
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also called for a special counsel. ``Too many
questions exist to risk allowing any potential for political intervention,'' he said.
On Sunday, Bush national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of
State Colin Powell both said they were unaware of any White House involvement
in the matter. McClellan reiterated the White House position, and pledged
cooperation.
``There has been nothing that has been brought to our attention beyond what
we've seen in the media reports that suggests that there was White House
involvement,'' McClellan said. ``No one was authorized to do this. That is simply
not the way this White House operates, and if someone leaked classified
information it is a very serious matter and it should be pursued.''
The flap began in January when Bush said in his State of the Union address that
British intelligence officials had learned that Iraq had tried to purchase yellowcake
uranium in Africa.
In an opinion piece published in July by The New York Times, Wilson said he told
the CIA long before Bush's address that the British reports were suspect and the
administration has since said the assertion should not have been in Bush's
speech.
A week after Wilson went public with his criticism Novak, quoting anonymous
government sources, said Wilson's wife was a CIA operative working on the
issue of weapons of mass destruction.
The Washington Post on Sunday quoted an unidentified senior administration
official as saying two top White House officials called at least a half-dozen
journalists and revealed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife. Wilson had
said in a late August speech in Seattle that he suspected Rove, but on Monday he
backtracked somewhat from that assertion.
``I did not mean at that time to imply that I thought that Karl Rove was the source
or the authorizer, just that I thought that it came from the White House, and Karl
Rove was the personification of the White House political operation,'' Wilson said
in a telephone interview.
But then he added: ``I have people, who I have confidence in, who have indicated
to me that he (Rove), at a minimum, condoned it and certainly did nothing to put a
stop to it for a week after it was out there.
``Among the phone calls I received were those that said `White House sources
are saying that it's not about the 16 words, it's about Wilson and his wife.' And two
people called me up and specifically mentioned Rove's name,'' he said.
Wilson said that neither he or his wife had been contacted by the Justice
Department, or the White House.
CXC |
