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US Justice Department probes CIA leak
Washington, Oct 01: The US Justice Department has begun a probe into the written request by CIA Director George J. Tenet into the leak of a story to a syndicated columnist identifying a CIA operative.
Washington, Oct 01: The US Justice Department has begun a probe into the written request by CIA Director George J. Tenet into the leak of a story to a syndicated columnist identifying a CIA operative.
President George W Bush, "has directed full
cooperation with this investigation," White House counsel
Alberto Gonzales said in a memorandum, asking the presidential
staff to save any material potentially tied to the case.
Though suspicion fell on the White House, as the story was attributed to "two senior administration officials", the Bush administration has denied the allegation.
The White House had denied yesterday that President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, one of the powerful men in the administration, was the source of any leak concerning CIA agent, Valerie Plame, who specializes in weapons of mass destruction and is the wife of former ambassador Joseph C Wilson.
Syndicated columnist Robert Novak identified the intelligence officer, Ms Plame, in a July article, shortly after the agent's husband questioned in an opinion piece in the New York Times the veracity of intelligence reports concerning Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.
White House Scott McClellan said the President believes that "if someone leaked classified information, particularly of this nature, it is a serious matter and it should be looked into and investigated to the fullest extent possible."
Meanwhile, the democrats are calling for an independent investigation. Bureau Report
Though suspicion fell on the White House, as the story was attributed to "two senior administration officials", the Bush administration has denied the allegation.
The White House had denied yesterday that President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, one of the powerful men in the administration, was the source of any leak concerning CIA agent, Valerie Plame, who specializes in weapons of mass destruction and is the wife of former ambassador Joseph C Wilson.
Syndicated columnist Robert Novak identified the intelligence officer, Ms Plame, in a July article, shortly after the agent's husband questioned in an opinion piece in the New York Times the veracity of intelligence reports concerning Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.
White House Scott McClellan said the President believes that "if someone leaked classified information, particularly of this nature, it is a serious matter and it should be looked into and investigated to the fullest extent possible."
Meanwhile, the democrats are calling for an independent investigation. Bureau Report