Prosecutor weighs indictments against top Bush aides

Working against the clock, US special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is weighing criminal charges against top presidential aides at the end of a two-year investigation that put the White House in a state of high suspense.

Fitzgerald raced against an expiration of the grand jury that has been investigating the exposure of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame’s identity.

Speculation flew across Washington about who would be indicted, or whether Fitzgerald would even bring criminal charges.

White House colleagues feared Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis Libby, would be indicted today for at least false statements, but held out hope that presidential political adviser Karl Rove might escape criminal charges for the time being.

A person outside the legal profession familiar with recent developments in the case said last night that Rove’s team did not believe he was out of legal jeopardy yet, but likely would be spared bad news today when the White House fears the first indictments will be issued.