Senior White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won't be charged with any crimes in the investigation into leak of a CIA officer's identity, his lawyer said today.
Attorney Robert Luskin said that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed him of the decision yesterday, ending months of speculation about the fate of one of President Bush's closest advisers. Mr Rove testified five times before a grand jury.
White House deputy chief of Staff Karl Rove waves outside.
Mr Fitzgerald has already secured a criminal indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
"On June 12th, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove," Luskin said in a statement.
"In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation," Mr Luskin said. "We believe the special counsel's decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove's conduct."
Mr Fitzgerald called Mr Luskin late yesterday afternoon to tell him he would not be seeking charges against Mr Rove.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Mr Rove, said the White House official "is elated" and said that "we're done."
Mr Fitzgerald has been investigating whether senior administration officials intentionally leaked the identity of CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame in retribution because her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, sharply criticized the administration's pursuit of war in Iraq.
Mr Rove, who most recently appeared before a grand jury in April, has admitted he spoke with columnist Robert Novak and Timemagazine reporter Matt Cooper in the days before they published Plame's name in July 2003.
AP