President Bush made his first public statement in support of his top advisor Karl Rove since Rove's name has been prominently mentioned in connection with the leaking of the name of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA officer.
Plame's name first appeared in a column published by conservative journalist Robert Novak on July 14, 2003. Judith Miller of the 'New York Times' remains in jail for refusing to disclose her confidential sources to the special prosecutor while 'Time' magazine's Matthew Cooper testified before the grand jury after his bosses decided to hand over his e-mails and notes and his source, reportedly Rove, gave him permission.
On Monday, Bush told reporters, 'Karl's got my complete confidence. He's a valuable member of my team.' That was the strongest language the president has used in defense of the architect of his two presidential campaigns and his top political advisor.
Novak finally broke his silence on the matter today. Bill Harlow, a former CIA spokesman was his reported source. Harlow claimed he warned Novak not to print anything that was classified three days before the column was released.
Novak called Harlow's assertion irrelevant. 'That is meaningless. Once it was determined that Wilson's wife suggested the mission, she could be identified as 'Valerie Plame' by reading her husband's entry in 'Who's Who in America,'' Novak wrote, referring to a publication that compiles information about prominent people.
Novak also claims that he would 'never would have written those sentences (in July 2003) if Bill Harlow, then-CIA Director George Tenet or anybody else from the agency had told me that Valerie Plame Wilson's disclosure would endanger her or anybody else.'
Bush continues to refuse to speak out about the investigation while it is ongoing. He has stated that he will fire any White House staffer involved in the leak if they committed a crime. Originally, Bush and spokesman Scott McClellan had said any staffer involved in the leak would be released but now that attention has focused on Rove and 'Scooter' Libby, the vice president's top advisor, the president has backed off those promises and raised the standards needed for dismissal.
In addition to the leak itself, the special prosecutor may also consider charges of perjury or obstruction of justice against anybody involved in the case.
