Bush adviser 'source of CIA agent leak'

Karl Rove, US President George Bush’s chief political adviser, was one of the sources behind the leaked identity of a CIA agent, but may not have known her name, according to Newsweek magazine.

New York Times journalist Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to reveal her own source in the story.

But Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper was spared imprisonment when the publication agreed to turn over crucial documents to the court and his source gave him permission to testify at the eleventh hour.

Rove’s name has been linked to the controversy for days but this week’s edition of Newsweek reports that his lawyer had confirmed that he had spoken to Cooper and had given the reporter his consent to testify.

Emails sent from Cooper to his bureau chief Michael Duffy, as obtained by Newsweek, clearly implicate Rove.

In one message, Cooper wrote: “Spoke to Rove on double super secret background for about two mins before he went on vacation.” He finished “please don’t source this to rove or even WH (White House)” and suggested another reporter check with the CIA.

The identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame was first revealed by syndicated columnist Robert Novak on July 14, 2003. Novak has refused to say whether he was subpoenaed over his sources.

Plame was an expert on weapons of mass destruction whose husband, Joseph Wilson, is a former ambassador who questioned President Bush’s claims that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium in Africa.

Prosecutors believe the someone wanting to discredit Wilson had leaked his wife’s name intentionally.

But according to Newsweek, when Cooper asked what to make of the furore surrounding Wilson, Rove did not actually reveal Plame’s name or appear to know she was a secret agent.

In another email to his boss, Cooper said Rove had told him told that Wilson’s trip had not been authorised by the CIA director.

“It was, KR said, wilson’s wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd (weapons of mass destruction) issues who authorized the trip,” (sic) he wrote.

Rove’s lawyer, Robert Luskin told the magazine his client had told prosecutors all the information he had about any potentially relevant contacts he had with any reporters, including Cooper.

Newsweek suggests it is significant that Rove spoke to Cooper before Plame’s identity was published by Novak.

Miller was held in contempt of court for refusing to testify about her government source before a grand jury.

Unless she agrees to testify, she will be held behind bars in Washington until the grand jury investigating the leak ends its work in October.