ALSO VISIT

Supporters of Karl Rove, spokespeople for the Republican party and talking points issued to party members, press and pundits have been eagerly asserting that Karl Rove violated no law when he revealed that Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was an "agency" operative, because he did not state her name. In fact, this is plainly false: the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, the applicable federal law, states that revealing "any
information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information" constitutes a violation of the law and can result in $50,000 in fines and/or 10 years in prison.

According to Matthew Cooper's e-mail to Time's Washington bureau chief, the contents of which are now known as a result of a subpoena issued by the Special Prosecutor investigating the leak, Rove revealed to him on "double super secret background" that Joseph Wilson's wife "apparently works at the agency on wmd issues". This information clearly identified her as an individual and as a CIA operative.

Rove's supporters claim he had to know he was leaking classified information about an operative the CIA specifically wanted to keep under wraps, which is partly true, but the defense doesn't account for the fact that Rove would have to have had the security clearance to gain access to that information, and he would have to have known where he obtained the information, or from whom. The identity of a covert CIA operative (and that of her husband) could not circulate freely; Rove would have to have understood he was providing national-security-related information (if even on "background" only) which Cooper was not cleared to know. [For more: FOI Center]

• Timeline of incidents surrounding leak, investigation

BACKGROUND:
JUDGE IMPRISONS REPORTER FOR REFUSING TO REVEAL SOURCE
6 July 2005

New York Times reporter Judith Miller has been jailed by a Special Prosecutor investigating the leak by White House officials of the identity of an undercover CIA agent to the press. She could face up to four months in prison, for violating a court order which she believes runs contrary to the constitutionally protected press freedoms. Investigating who in the White House leaked the name of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame to the press in the summer of 2003, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald had demanded full testimony by reporters Judith Miller (of The New York Times) and Matthew Cooper (of TIME) regarding the identity of the sources they used to write stories about the controversy. [Full Story]