LEAK-GATE
Bush staff gets CIA leak deadline
Sat Oct 4 14:51:20 2003
64.140.158.121
Bush staff gets CIA leak deadline
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3162972.stm
White House employees have been given a Tuesday deadline to hand over any
documents that might help the investigation into claims they illegally blew
the cover of a CIA agent.
In a memo, President George W Bush's legal adviser Alberto Gonzales urges
staff to turn in records such as e-mails, computer records, notes and calendar
entries.
A similar order has been sent by the Justice Department to the State and
Defence Departments - as the investigation widens into who leaked the name of
the agent - the wife of a former US diplomat - in revenge for his claims that
intelligence officials exaggerated the case for war in Iraq.
President Bush has welcomed the investigation and his spokesman said on Friday
he wanted to "get to the bottom of this, the sooner the better".
Disclosing a covert agent's name is a criminal offence in the US, punishable
by up to 10 years in prison.
Correspondents say it is extremely rare for the department of justice to
conduct a full investigation into the alleged leaking of classified
information.
Preserve documents
White House staff are to hand over relevant information by 1700 next Tuesday
(2100 GMT).
Employees also must sign a certification form saying they have turned in
materials or do not have any items related to the investigation.
This follows a decision by the justice department to widen the inquiry - from
what started out as a preliminary investigation.
"We have received another letter from the Department of Justice. This letter
requests the production of certain materials," White House spokesman Scott
McClellan told reporters.
Mr McClellan said President Bush had "directed everyone to co-operate fully"
with the investigation.
Secretary of State Colin Powell also said his staff had been asked "to make
ourselves available".
"We have been asked to take a look at calendars and documents and see if we
have any information that is relevant to this inquiry," Mr Powell said.
Act of revenge?
The allegations centre around the naming of Valerie Plame, wife of Joseph
Wilson, the former US charge d'affaires in Baghdad.
Before the war in Iraq, Mr Wilson was sent by the CIA to the West African
state of Niger in order to investigate claims that Iraq had tried to buy
nuclear material there.
His report concluded that there was no evidence for the claims.
Despite this, Mr Bush referred to them in his State of the Union address in
January.
In a subsequent article in the New York Times, Mr Wilson questioned why his
report had been ignored.
The White House later admitted it had been a mistake to include the claim in
the address.
A week after Mr Wilson's article appeared, Valerie Plame was exposed by
journalist Robert Novak, who said he based his report on two unidentified
senior administration officials.
A report in the Washington Post newspaper has suggested that White House
officials blew the cover of Mr Wilson's wife in order to discredit him, by
suggesting he had been given the Niger mission only at her urging.
ALSO SEE:
Bush backs CIA leak probe - 30 Sep 03 | Americas
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3153588.stm
Chinks in Bush's armour revealed
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3152090.stm
Q&A: CIA leak row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3151570.stm
Profile: Joseph Wilson
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3156166.stm
CIA 'questioned UK uranium claim'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3109993.stm
Bush backs CIA chief
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3061063.stm
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