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Not Another Rove Thread
Source: Novak called Rove
David Johnston, Richard W. Stevenson, New York Times
Friday, July 15, 2005
Washington -- Karl Rove, the White House senior adviser, spoke with the columnist Robert Novak as he was preparing an article in July 2003 that identified an undercover CIA officer, someone who has been officially briefed on the matter said Thursday.
Rove has told investigators that he learned from the columnist the name of the CIA officer, who was referred to by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, and the circumstances in which her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, traveled to Africa to investigate possible uranium sales to Iraq, the source said.
After hearing Novak's account, the source said, Rove told the columnist: "I heard that, too."
The previously undisclosed telephone conversation, which took place on July 8, 2003, was initiated by Novak, the source said.
Six days later, Novak's syndicated column reported that two senior administration officials had told him that Wilson's "wife had suggested sending him" to Africa. That column was the first instance in which Valerie Wilson was publicly identified as a CIA operative. The column provoked angry demands for an investigation into who disclosed her name to Novak.
The Justice Department appointed Patrick Fitzgerald, a top federal prosecutor in Chicago, to lead the inquiry. Rove said in an interview last year that he did not know the CIA officer's name and did not leak it.
The person who provided the information about Rove's conversation with Novak declined to be identified, citing requests by Fitzgerald that no one discuss the case. The person discussed the matter in the belief that Rove was truthful in saying he did not disclose Valerie Wilson's identity.
On Oct. 1, 2003, Novak wrote another column in which he described calling two officials. The first source, who is unknown, was described by Novak as "no partisan gunslinger" who provided the outlines of the story. The second, confirming source, Novak wrote, responded, "Oh, you know about it."
That second source was Rove, the person briefed on the matter said, although Rove's account to investigators about what he told Novak was slightly different. Rove recalled telling Novak: "I heard that, too."
Asked by investigators how he knew enough to leave Novak with the impression that his information was accurate, Rove said he heard portions of the story from other journalists, but had not heard Wilson's name.
Robert Luskin, Rove's lawyer, said Thursday, "Any pertinent information has been provided to the prosecutor." Luskin has previously said that prosecutors have advised Rove that he is not a target in the case, which means he is not likely to be charged with a crime.
Novak declined to discuss the matter Thursday.
The conversation between Novak and Rove seemed almost certain to intensify the question about whether one of President Bush's closest political advisers played a role in what appeared to be an effort to undermine Joseph Wilson's credibility after he challenged the veracity of a key point in Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech, alleging that Saddam Hussein had sought nuclear fuel in Africa.
The conversation with Novak took place three days before Rove spoke with Matthew Cooper, a Time magazine reporter, whose e-mail message about their conversation reignited the issue. In the message, whose contents were reported by Newsweek this week, Cooper told his editors that Rove had talked about Valerie Wilson, although not by name.
As the political debate about Rove grows more heated, Fitzgerald is in what he has said are the final stages of his investigation into whether anyone at the White House violated a criminal statute that, under certain circumstances, makes it a crime for a government official to disclose the names of covert operatives like Wilson.
The law requires that the official knowingly identify an officer serving in a covert position. The person who has been briefed on the matter said Rove knew neither Wilson's name nor that she was a covert officer. White House officials may argue that Rove's conversation with Novak did not amount to leaking the name of the agent. But to Bush's critics -- including the Democrats who have called for Rove's resignation -- that is splitting hairs, and Rove in effect confirmed her identity, even if he did not name her.
David Johnston, Richard W. Stevenson, New York Times
Friday, July 15, 2005
Washington -- Karl Rove, the White House senior adviser, spoke with the columnist Robert Novak as he was preparing an article in July 2003 that identified an undercover CIA officer, someone who has been officially briefed on the matter said Thursday.
Rove has told investigators that he learned from the columnist the name of the CIA officer, who was referred to by her maiden name, Valerie Plame, and the circumstances in which her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, traveled to Africa to investigate possible uranium sales to Iraq, the source said.
After hearing Novak's account, the source said, Rove told the columnist: "I heard that, too."
The previously undisclosed telephone conversation, which took place on July 8, 2003, was initiated by Novak, the source said.
Six days later, Novak's syndicated column reported that two senior administration officials had told him that Wilson's "wife had suggested sending him" to Africa. That column was the first instance in which Valerie Wilson was publicly identified as a CIA operative. The column provoked angry demands for an investigation into who disclosed her name to Novak.
The Justice Department appointed Patrick Fitzgerald, a top federal prosecutor in Chicago, to lead the inquiry. Rove said in an interview last year that he did not know the CIA officer's name and did not leak it.
The person who provided the information about Rove's conversation with Novak declined to be identified, citing requests by Fitzgerald that no one discuss the case. The person discussed the matter in the belief that Rove was truthful in saying he did not disclose Valerie Wilson's identity.
On Oct. 1, 2003, Novak wrote another column in which he described calling two officials. The first source, who is unknown, was described by Novak as "no partisan gunslinger" who provided the outlines of the story. The second, confirming source, Novak wrote, responded, "Oh, you know about it."
That second source was Rove, the person briefed on the matter said, although Rove's account to investigators about what he told Novak was slightly different. Rove recalled telling Novak: "I heard that, too."
Asked by investigators how he knew enough to leave Novak with the impression that his information was accurate, Rove said he heard portions of the story from other journalists, but had not heard Wilson's name.
Robert Luskin, Rove's lawyer, said Thursday, "Any pertinent information has been provided to the prosecutor." Luskin has previously said that prosecutors have advised Rove that he is not a target in the case, which means he is not likely to be charged with a crime.
Novak declined to discuss the matter Thursday.
The conversation between Novak and Rove seemed almost certain to intensify the question about whether one of President Bush's closest political advisers played a role in what appeared to be an effort to undermine Joseph Wilson's credibility after he challenged the veracity of a key point in Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech, alleging that Saddam Hussein had sought nuclear fuel in Africa.
The conversation with Novak took place three days before Rove spoke with Matthew Cooper, a Time magazine reporter, whose e-mail message about their conversation reignited the issue. In the message, whose contents were reported by Newsweek this week, Cooper told his editors that Rove had talked about Valerie Wilson, although not by name.
As the political debate about Rove grows more heated, Fitzgerald is in what he has said are the final stages of his investigation into whether anyone at the White House violated a criminal statute that, under certain circumstances, makes it a crime for a government official to disclose the names of covert operatives like Wilson.
The law requires that the official knowingly identify an officer serving in a covert position. The person who has been briefed on the matter said Rove knew neither Wilson's name nor that she was a covert officer. White House officials may argue that Rove's conversation with Novak did not amount to leaking the name of the agent. But to Bush's critics -- including the Democrats who have called for Rove's resignation -- that is splitting hairs, and Rove in effect confirmed her identity, even if he did not name her.
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