Gonzales Recuses Self From Probe of CIA Leak

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has stepped aside from the Justice Department investigation into the leak of an undercover CIA officer's identity. Gonzales had been involved in the case as White House legal counsel, testifying before a federal grand jury and giving advice about it to White House personnel. He recused himself shortly after he was sworn in as attorney general last week, Justice Department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos said yesterday. Former attorney general John D. Ashcroft had also removed himself from any role in the investigation. Investigators want to determine who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose name was published in July 2003 by syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak. The investigation, which is being conducted by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, is in its second year. Plame is married to former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, who has said his wife's name may have been revealed as retribution for his criticism of President Bush's claim that Iraq had sought uranium in Niger. Wilson was asked by the CIA to check out that claim. [more]

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