Bush Press Secretary Testifies in Leak Probe
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WASHINGTON — President Bush’s press secretary said Monday that he had testified before a federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA undercover officer’s identity.
Scott McClellan told reporters that he appeared before the panel in Washington last week.
“I’m doing my part to cooperate, as the president directed all of us to do,” McClellan said aboard Air Force One during Bush’s trip to Springfield, Mo.
The Justice Department is trying to determine who leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to syndicated columnist Robert Novak in July.
Plame’s husband, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, contends the disclosure may have been intended to discredit his assertions that the Bush administration exaggerated Iraq’s nuclear capabilities to build a case for war.
Whoever leaked Plame’s name could be charged with a felony.
McClellan did not discuss the substance of his testimony or questions asked by prosecutors. Justice Department and White House officials have steadfastly refused to discuss any aspect of the investigation other than to confirm that it is underway.
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