Special Prosecutor Seeking to Indict Karl Rove in CIA Leak Case

Interview with Jason Leopold, investigative reporter, conducted by Scott Harris

President Bush's senior counselor Karl Rove testified for three-and-a-half hours before a federal grand jury on April 26. The political strategist's appearance was part of the continuing investigation by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald into who in the White House leaked the name of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame, in an effort to discredit her husband Joseph Wilson, who challenged the president's rationale for the Iraq war.

Just one week before he made his fifth appearance before the grand jury, Rove lost his position as Bush's chief policy coordinator in a White House shakeup. Sources close to the investigation have told reporters that Fitzgerald is now seeking an indictment of Rove for perjury committed in previous grand jury testimony and for lying to FBI investigators. Rove withdrew his original denials that he had no conversations with reporters concerning the identity of Valerie Plame after he learned that Time magazine's Matt Cooper would testify that Rove was a source for his Time story on Plame.

In early April, Fitzgerald filed court documents revealing that indicted former chief of staff to Vice President Lewis Libby testified that Dick Cheney had told him that President Bush personally authorized the release of classified intelligence in July 2003 to refute critics of his administration's justification for war. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with investigative reporter Jason Leopold, who explains why he believes special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is now seeking the indictment of Karl Rove.

Read Jason Leopold's articles online at www.truthout.org. Leopold's just published book is titled, "News Junkie."

Related links:

*"Fitzgerald to Seek Indictment of Rove," by Jason Leopold, www.truthout.org

*"Bush and Cheney Face Legal Jeopardy in Covert CIA Agent Outing Investigation,"Interview with Robert Parry, investigative reporter, conducted by Scott Harris, Between The Lines Week Ending April 28, 2006

*"As CIA Leak Investigation Concludes, Critics Say Probe Should Examine Possible Presidential Crimes Around Iraq War," Interview with John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney, conducted by Scott Harris, Between The Lines Week Ending Oct. 10, 2005

*"The Downing Street Memos and Valerie Plame-CIA Scandal Reveal a White House Bent on Misleading Public on Rationale for Iraq War," Interview with John Bonifaz, constitutional attorney, conducted by Scott Harris, Between The Lines Week Ending July 29, 2005

*"Despite Earlier Denials, Presidential Adviser Karl Rove Played Key Role in Illegal Disclosure of CIA Agent's Identity," interview with Robert Jensen, professor of journalism at the University of Texas, conducted by Scott Harris, Between The Lines, Week Ending June 22, 2005

*"Critics Question Credibility of FBI Investigation into White House Leak Exposing CIA Operative," Between The Lines, Oct. 17, 2003 interview with former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, conducted by Scott Harris. (Scott Harris won a Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists award for the original half-hour "Counterpoint" interview from which this excerpt originated, in 2003.)

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