The White House on Tuesday defended Vice-President Dick Cheney after a news report appeared to deepen links between him and the criminal investigation into who unmasked a CIA agent in 2003.
”The vicepresident is doing a great job as a member of this administration, and the president appreciates all that he’s doing,” said Scott McClellan, chief spokesperson for US President George Bush.
Asked whether the report cast doubt on Cheney’s public truthfulness on the CIA scandal, McClellan replied: ”You’re prejudging things and speculating and we’re not going to prejudge or speculate.”
A special prosecutor has been looking into allegations that senior Bush administration officials blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame, perhaps to avenge claims by her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, that Bush aides ”twisted” intelligence to justify the war in Iraq.
With the criminal probe seemingly drawing to a close, Washington has been abuzz with talk of possible indictments reaching as high as Bush’s chief political strategist, Karl Rove, and Cheney chief of staff I Lewis Libby.
The New York Times reported on Monday, citing lawyers close to the case, that Libby’s notes show he learned of Plame’s status from Cheney on June 12, 2003, weeks before her identity was revealed by a newspaper columnist.
Libby’s notes show Cheney got the information from then-CIA director George Tenet in response to questions from the vice-president about Wilson, the Times reported.
Libby has reportedly told Fitzgerald that he learned from reporters that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA.
And Cheney said in a nationally televised interview in September 2003 that he had no idea who Joseph Wilson was or who put him in charge of investigating claims that Iraq sought uranium from Niger.
Asked whether Cheney knew who Wilson was, McClellan replied: ”This is a question relating to an ongoing investigation and we’re not having any further comment on the investigation while it’s ongoing.” – AFP
