[Mb-civic] Raw Story: Rove, Libbey Indicted

[Mike Blaxill]

Prosecutor in leak case seeks indictments against
Rove, Libby, lawyers close to case say
Jason Leopold and John Byrne

Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has
asked the grand jury investigating the outing of
CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson to indict Vice
President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff I. Lewis
“Scooter” Libby and Bush’s Deputy Chief of Staff
Karl Rove on charges of perjury and obstruction
of justice, lawyers close to the investigation
tell RAW STORY.

Fitzgerald has also asked the jury to indict
Libby on a second charge: knowingly outing a
covert operative, the lawyers said. They said the
prosecutor believes that Libby violated a 1982
law that made it illegal to unmask an undercover
CIA agent.

Libby’s attorney, Joseph A. Tate, did not return
a call seeking comment.

Two other officials, who are not employees in the
White House, are also expected to face
indictments, the lawyers said.

The grand jury had not yet decided on whether to
make indictments at the time this article was
published. It appears more likely that the jury
would hand down indictments of perjury and
obstruction than a charge that Plame was outed
illegally.

Those close to the investigation said Rove was
offered a deal Tuesday to plead guilty to perjury
for a reduced charge. Rove’s lawyer was told that
Fitzgerald would drop an obstruction of justice
charge if his client agreed not to contest
allegations of perjury, they said.

Rove declined to plead guilty to the reduced
charge, the sources said, indicating through his
attorney Robert Luskin that he intended to fight
the charges. A call placed to Luskin was not
returned.

Those familiar with the case said that Libby did
not inform Rove that Plame was covert. As a
result, Rove may not be charged with a crime in
leaking Plame’s identity, even though he spoke
with reporters.

Full story here (click link)
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Prosecutor_in_leak_case_seeks_indictments_1026.html