self delete

[hang a left]

White House Sidesteps Cheney Questions
White House Turns Aside Questions on Whether Cheney Passed to Aide CIA Officer's Identity

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, testifies on Capitol Hill in this March 1, 2001 file photo in Washington. Top presidential political adviser Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, have emerged as central figures in the CIA leak investigation because they had contacts with reporters who learned Plame's identity or disclosed it in news stories. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette)
The Associated PressThe Associated Press



WASHINGTON Oct 25, 2005 — The White House on Tuesday sidestepped questions about whether Vice President Dick Cheney passed on to his top aide the identity of a CIA officer central to a federal grand jury probe.

Notes in the hands of a federal prosecutor suggest that Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, first heard of the CIA officer from Cheney himself, The New York Times reported in Tuesday's editions.

A federal prosecutor is investigating whether the officer's identity was improperly disclosed.


The Times said notes of a previously undisclosed June 12, 2003, conversation between Libby and Cheney appear to differ from Libby's grand jury testimony that he first heard of Valerie Plame from journalists.

"This is a question relating to an ongoing investigation and we're not having any further comment on the investigation while it's ongoing," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Pressed about Cheney's knowledge about the CIA officer, McClellan said: "I think you're prejudging things and speculating and we're not going to prejudge or speculate about things."


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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1248423

[Ron Green]

1. "We're not going to comment on an ongoing investigation"

That's the sound of drain-circling, isn't it?

[maddezmom]

2. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1875851