Tuesday, November 29, 2005
WASHINGTON — Intrigue deepened over the CIA leak scandal clouding the White House on Monday, after Time magazine said special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald had demanded testimony from another of its reporters.
The magazine said that Washington correspondent Viveca Novak would testify under oath about her conversations with Robert Luskin, lawyer for White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove.
The revelation seemed to indicate Fitzgerald was still aggressively probing Rove, President George W Bush's closest political aide, a scenario sure to dent White House's hopes for a swift end to the damaging affair.
Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide I Lewis "Scooter" Libby has already denied five counts of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements, arising from the probe into the outing of CIA spy Valerie Plame.
The probe has helped to drive Bush's approval ratings to historic lows, and focused scrutiny on his administration's rationale for war with Iraq.
Novak's testimony comes as Washington chews over the revelation that Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who helped bring down President Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal, had also been sucked into the CIA leak storm.
Woodward said two weeks ago he had testified to the probe and that a "source" told him in June 2003 about Plame — setting off a guessing game in Washington as to the secret official's identity.
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