[Mb-civic] White House Fears Indictment for Libby - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

White House Fears Indictment for Libby

By JOHN SOLOMON and PETE YOST
The Associated Press
Friday, October 28, 2005; 8:03 AM

WASHINGTON -- White House officials braced for the possibility that Vice 
President Dick Cheney's top aide would be indicted in the CIA leak case, 
but held out hope presidential confidant Karl Rove might escape charges 
for the time being.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald signaled Thursday he might simply 
keep Rove under investigation, according to a person familiar with 
recent developments in the case who requested anonymity because of its 
sensitivity. That would spare Rove bad news Friday when the grand jury 
that has heard the case for two years is to expire.

Speculation flew across Washington early Friday about who, if anyone, 
would be indicted regarding the exposure of covert CIA officer Valerie 
Plame.

At the White House, Cheney arrived at 6:25 a.m., more than an hour 
earlier than usual. His chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, left 
home about 6:15 a.m., his normal commuting time. Rove, whose usual 
departure time from home is about 6 a.m., left about 7:45 a.m.

Rove had met with the president late in the evening Thursday, at the end 
of a day in which the White House dealt with the withdrawal of Supreme 
Court nominee Harriet Miers.

Possible charges are obstruction of justice or perjury, along with 
possible violations of a law barring disclosure of the identity of a 
covert intelligence agent.

Some lawyers have raised the specter of broader conspiracy charges as well.

When the investigation began two years ago, a White House spokesman 
checked with Rove and Libby, then assured the public that neither was 
involved in leaking Plame's identity.

In the past month, it was revealed that Libby spoke to New York Times 
reporter Judith Miller, who says their conversations included Plame's 
CIA status.

Rove's legal problems stem in part from the fact that he failed 
initially to disclose to prosecutors a conversation in which he told 
Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper that Plame worked for the CIA. The 
president's top political adviser says the conversation slipped his mind.

Columnist Robert Novak revealed Plame's name and her CIA status on July 
14, 2003. That was five days after Novak talked to Rove and eight days 
after Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, published an 
opinion article in the Times accusing the Bush administration of 
twisting intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq.

Wilson and his supporters have contended that the leak of Plame's name, 
which ended her ability to work undercover for the CIA, was designed to 
discredit him and punish him for his criticism and to intimidate others 
inside the government critical of Bush's Iraq policies.

Also in the backdrop of Fitzgerald's investigation is a set of forged 
documents that stated Iraq was acquiring uranium yellowcake from the 
African nation of Niger. Wilson had been sent by the CIA to Africa to 
investigate such reports, later used by Bush to help justify the war in 
Iraq.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/28/AR2005102800153.html?nav=hcmodule
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