Home > Gonzales Says He Told Card About CIA Probe
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Summary:
Attorney General and former White House counsel Alberto Gonzales has admitted that he told White House chief of staff Andrew Card about the impending Justice Department investigation into the Valerie Plame leak a full 12 hours before he directed his staff to secure any materials related to the case. This introduces the very plausible scenario of Card informing Karl Rove and others ahead of time, giving them the opportunity to “prepare” for the investigation.
White House does not respond to questions about whether Card passed information to Bush aide Karl Rove or anyone else, giving them advance notice to prepare for the investigation.
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday that he notified White House chief of staff Andy Card after the Justice Department opened an investigation into who revealed a covert CIA officer’s identity, but waited 12 hours to tell anyone else in the executive mansion.
The White House did not respond to questions Sunday about whether Card passed that information to top Bush aide Karl Rove or anyone else, giving them advance notice to prepare for the investigation.
Gonzales was White House counsel on Sept. 29, 2003, and got the first official word inside the White House when the Justice Department opened its inquiry. Earlier that day, White House press secretary Scott McClellan had said the leak was a serious matter the Justice Department should pursue “to the fullest extent.” McClellan also said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Rove, Bush’s top political operative, was involved.
Despite repeated denials by the White House that Rove played a part in revealing the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper recently said he first learned of her position during a discussion with Rove in July 2003. Cooper said Rove made the disclosure as he cautioned the reporter against allegations that Plame’s husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was making about faulty Iraq intelligence.
Gonzales said Justice Department lawyers notified him of the investigation around 8 p.m., and he got permission from them to wait until the following morning to direct the staff to preserve any materials related to the case.
“We were advised, `Go ahead and notify the staff early in the morning, that would be OK,’” Gonzales said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “And again, most of the staff had gone home. No one knew about the investigation.”
Gonzales said he immediately notified Card, then told President Bush the next morning before notifying the White House staff.
At the time, the Justice Department was run by John Ashcroft, who eventually recused himself from the case under pressure from Democrats who complained about his ties to Rove.
Gonzales, who succeeded Ashcroft, also stepped aside from the investigation because of his involvement as White House counsel. He has testified before a grand jury investigating the matter but declined Sunday to discuss his testimony or disclose what personal knowledge he had about the leak. He said only on “Fox News Sunday” that he first learned of Plame’s work for the CIA from newspaper reports.
Gonzales said he didn’t start his own internal investigation when he was White House counsel because he didn’t want to interfere with any possible criminal investigation.
Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware said he doesn’t doubt Gonzales’ sincerity, but that his decision to notify only Card about the federal investigation “wasn’t the soundest of judgments.”
“The real question now is, ‘Who did the chief of staff speak to?’” Biden asked, speculating as to whether Card might have spoken to Rove or someone else.
White House spokeswoman Christie Parell said Sunday that the White House will not discuss the Plame leak until after the investigation has concluded, other than to say the president’s staff is cooperating fully.