Top officials deny being Woodward's source in CIA case

WASHINGTON: Top administration officials from Vice-President Dick Cheney to national security adviser Stephen Hadley denied being Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's source about CIA operative Valerie Plame, White House officials, lawyers and other sources said on Thursday.

The denials came as Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, called for an inquiry by The Washington Post into the conduct of Woodward, who repeatedly criticized the CIA leak investigation without disclosing his own involvement.

"It certainly gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. He was taking an advocacy position when he was a party to it," Wilson said, joining media critics in questioning the role of one of the best-known investigative reporters in the United States.

Woodward disclosed that he testified under oath on Monday to special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that a senior Bush administration official had casually told him in mid-June 2003 about Plame's position at the CIA.

Woodward's testimony appeared to contradict Fitzgerald's assertion that Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, was the first official known to have told a reporter about Plame.

Two White House officials, who insisted on anonymity, said on Thursday that Hadley was not Woodward's source on Plame.

Neither was Cheney nor President George W. Bush, according to current and former officials and their lawyers, none of whom would agree to be identified.

These people also denied that the following officials were Woodward's source: White House political adviser Karl Rove, White House chief of staff Andrew Card, counsellor Dan Bartlett, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former CIA director George Tenet and former deputy CIA director John McLaughlin.

Woodward's disclosure could prolong the two-year leak investigation as Fitzgerald pursues new leads drawn from testimony given by Woodward and his source.

Libby's defence team asserted that Woodward's story undercut Fitzgerald's case against Libby, who was indicted in late October on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Wilson, a former ambassador, said that The Washington Post should reveal the name of Woodward's source. He said the paper should conduct an inquiry to determine why Woodward withheld the information for more than two years from his editors and the federal prosecutor.

A Post spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

Before publicly disclosing his involvement in the leak case, Woodward was a frequent critic of Fitzgerald's investigation in television and radio appearances. He described the case as laughable and Fitzgerald's behaviour as "disgraceful" and referred to him as "a junkyard dog."

One day before Libby was charged, Woodward said he saw no evidence of criminal intent.

Marvin Kalb, of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, called Woodward's conduct "puzzling."

"Since he knew he had information that was relevant and he chose not to disclose that information for reasons he said had to do with confidentiality, it's odd that he would rip into the prosecutor so publicly and so persistently." Kalb said.

Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, said Woodward committed "a genuine ethical breach."

One of the two Washington Post reporters famed for their coverage of the 1970s Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, Woodward has apologized to Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie for failing to tell him of his involvement in the Plame matter.

"That hardly undoes the damage," said Rem Rieder, editor of the American Journalism Review. In an online column, Rieder said Woodward's belated disclosure "raises huge questions about his role at The Washington Post."

Plame's cover at the CIA was blown after her husband accused the Bush administration of twisting pre-war intelligence to support military action against Iraq. Wilson said it was deliberately intended to undercut his credibility.

Fitzgerald and news organizations will face off in court on Friday over the prosecutor's efforts to keep documents in the Libby case secret. Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press have asked Judge Reggie Walton to deny Fitzgerald's blanket protective order.

Source: China Daily