Bush aide had early notice of leak probe
AG says he told Card of CIA case
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday that he notified Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff, after the Justice Department opened an investigation into who disclosed 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 yesterday about whether Card passed that information to top Bush aide Karl Rove or anyone else, giving them advance notice to prepare for the investigation.
On Sept. 29, 2003, Gonzales -- who was White House counsel at the time -- 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 that the Justice Department should pursue ''to the fullest extent." McClellan also said it was ''ridiculous" to suggest that Rove, Bush's top political operative, was involved.
Despite repeated denials by the White House that Rove played a part in disclosing 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 about 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 the CBS program ''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 protested 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 yesterday to discuss his testimony or disclose what knowledge he had about the leak. He said only on ''Fox News Sunday" that he learned of Plame's work for the CIA from newspaper reports.
Gonzales said he did not start an internal investigation when he was White House counsel because he did not want to interfere with any possible criminal investigation.
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware, said he does not doubt Gonzales's 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.
White House spokeswoman Christie Parell said yesterday 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.
