White House refuses to deny Bush authorised leaks

THE White House has refused to challenge claims that President George W Bush authorised the leaks of intelligence information to counter US administration critics on Iraq.

But Mr Bush’s spokesman, Scott McClellan, appeared to draw a distinction about Mr Bush’s often-stated opposition to leaks.

“There is a difference between providing declassified information to the public when it’s in the public interest and leaking classified information that involved sensitive national intelligence regarding our security,” he said.