What Americans Need to Know About Karl Rove and Plamegate

What Americans Need to Know About Karl Rove and Plamegate

July 7, 2005

In recent days, the media has focused a lot of attention on Time reporter Matt Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller and their fight to stay out of jail over Plamegate. What the media hasn’t covered is Karl Rove’s growing role in this scandal. The White House press corps has not asked Press Secretary Scott McClellan about Rove’s role since his own lawyer admitted that Rove was one of Cooper’s sources. There are key questions that the media isn’t asking the president’s closest advisor about the CIA scandal.

• Karl Rove’s lawyer’s carefully worded statements need to be further examined. According to his lawyer, Rove did not “tell” any reporter that Plame worked for the CIA. But did he perhaps confirm to a reporter that Plame worked for the CIA? Or maybe he just told Cooper and columnist Bob Novak that Wilson's wife was a CIA agent but didn't give her name?
  
  
• It is still unknown whether Karl Rove released classified information. On several occasions, Rove’s attorney has stated that Rove never “knowingly” disclosed classified information. The use of the word “knowingly” is very important – to violate the law, Rove had to tell Cooper about Plame knowing that the U.S. was trying to keep her identity secret. And why would his lawyer say this unless Rove did in fact disclose classified information?
  
  
• Karl Rove could put an end to the speculation by telling what he knows. Lost in all of the back and forth is the fact that Karl Rove himself holds the answer to these questions. He can tell the American people exactly what his conversations with Matt Cooper were. And if he is not the source of the leak, he can publicly demand that whoever leaked Plame’s name step forward immediately.