Karl Rove has been asked to testify for a fifth time before a grand jury investigating the CIA leak case. Rove has been under investigation for his alleged role in the leak that revealed the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame to the press. He is scheduled to appear before the grand jury again on Wednesday afternoon.
According to published reports, Rove was to testify about new evidence that has come to light since his last grand jury testimony on the issue last fall. One of the critical bits of information that was revealed was that Rove's attorney had conversations with 'Time' magazine reporter Viveca Novak during a critical period in the case.
Thus far, Vice President Cheney's former advisor, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby has been indicted in the case for perjury. Libby has alleged that the directive to divulge previously classified information came directly from the White House.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald met with the grand jury on Wednesday. Among the issues Fitzgerald reportedly discussed was why Rove originally failed to disclose to prosecutors that he had talked to 'Time' magazine reporter Matt Cooper about Valerie Plame back in 2003. The president's top aide had previously claimed he forgot about the conversation with Cooper.
Rove has not received any indication that he is a target of the grand jury investigation.
As per usual, White House press secretary Scott McClellan refused to answer any questions relating to Rove and his involvement in the CIA leak hearings.
Plame's identity was leaked by someone in the Bush administration, first to conservative columnist Robert Novak (no relation to Viveca Novak) and later to Cooper and Judith Miller of the 'New York Times.'
Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had just written a damaging op-ed piece in the 'New York Times' that was highly critical of the Bush administration's handling of the intelligence leading up to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The leaking of Plame's identity may have been a way to get back at Wilson for criticizing the administration.
