Top Bush aide accused of leaking CIA agent’s name to press in act of revenge

THE US Justice Department yesterday launched a full-blown criminal investigation into the leaking of the name of a CIA officer, and President George Bush ordered his White House staff to co-operate fully.

The controversy centres on the disclosure that Valerie Plame the wife of Joseph Wilson, a former US ambassador to Gabon was an undercover CIA operative specialising in weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Wilson says his wife's cover was blown by administration officials looking to discredit him or get revenge.

The naming of the intelligence officer's identity, by syndicated columnist Robert Novak, came shortly after her husband Mr Wilson undermined Mr Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa.

Wilson has publicly blamed Mr Bush's top political adviser Karl Rove for the leak, although Mr Wilson did say he did not know whether Mr Rove personally was the source of Mr Novak's information, only that he thought Mr Rove had 'condoned it'.

The letter was sent from the CIA's Office of General Counsel to the Department of Justice in late July.

It noted a violation of the law had apparently occurred when someone provided Mr Novak with the name.

A senior administration official said FBI officials were trying to determine whether there was a violation of the law and, if so, whether a full-blown criminal investigation was warranted.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said the matter should be investigated from someone outside the Bush administration.

The row began in January when Mr Bush said in his State of the Union address that British intelligence officials had learned Iraq had tried to purchase yellowcake uranium in Africa.

In an opinion piece published in July by The New York Times, Mr Wilson said he told the CIA long before Mr Bush's address that the British reports were suspect and the administration has since said the assertion should not have been in Mr Bush's speech.

A week after Mr Wilson went public with his criticism, Mr Novak, quoting anonymous government sources, said Mr Wilson's wife was a CIA operative working on the issue of weapons of mass destruction.

The Washington Post has quoted an unidentified senior administration official as saying two top White House officials called at least a half-dozen journalists and revealed the identity and occupation of Mr Wilson's wife.

The White House was notified of the investigation by e-mail yesterday as the Justice Department decided to move from a preliminary investigation into a full probe.

White House staff were directed to preserve all materials that might be related to the investigation, said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan. Presumably that would include telephone logs, e-mails, notes and other documents.

Earlier the White House denied Mr Rove was involved in revealing the identity of a CIA agent.