Rove Escapes Leak Charges
BBC News
June 13, 2006
White House aide Karl Rove will not be charged
over the leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer
says.
Robert
Luskin said he had heard the news from the special
prosecutor in the case, Patrick Fitzgerald, on Monday.
Another
official, Lewis Libby, has been charged with perjury
and obstructing justice. He has resigned pending trial.
Covert
CIA operative Valerie Plame's name appeared in the
media in 2003 after her husband criticised the Bush
government over the invasion of Iraq.
Ms
Plame's husband, former US Ambassador Joseph Wilson,
said the administration had twisted intelligence to
justify going to war.
'Elated'
Correspondents
say the announcement lifts a legal and political cloud
from the White House, which has had to face a stream
of bad news in the run-up to November's mid-term Congressional
elections.
Both
Mr Libby and Mr Rove deny having played any part in
the leak.
Mr
Libby is accused of lying to FBI investigators and
a grand jury about how and when he learned that Ms
Plame was a CIA officer and of lying about disclosing
classified information to reporters.
But
Mr Luskin said he hoped Mr Rove would now be left
in peace.
"Special
counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that
he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl
Rove," Mr Luskin said.
"We
believe the special counsel's decision should put
an end to the baseless speculation about Mr Rove's
conduct."
A
spokesman for Mr Rove told the Associated Press news
agency he was "elated" by the news.
Bush
'stronger'
Republican
politicians reacted with relief.
Former
House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich told
Reuters news agency the president was looking "a
little better, a little stronger".
But
Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean told the NBC
network: "I think this is probably good news
for the White House, but it's not very good news for
America."
Mr
Rove has testified several times before a grand jury
in the case and is expected to face further questioning
about his conversations with reporters at the time
of the leak.
US
Vice-President Dick Cheney, for whom Mr Libby worked
as chief of staff at the time of the scandal, could
also be called to testify in the case.
(c)
BBC News
|
