Rove Undermined U.S. Security

Rove Undermined U.S. Security

July 13, 2005

There is a rogue element at the highest level of the Bush White House. The American public now knows that the president’s top adviser (Karl Rove) directly undermined U.S. national security by disclosing the name of a covert CIA agent (Valerie Plame) in an orchestrated effort to discredit her husband (Joe Wilson), an opponent of the administration’s use of intelligence in the run up to the Iraq war. Regardless of whether Rove is eventually indicted for violations of federal law, the president’s chief political “architect” is no longer worthy of the public’s trust.

• Rove identified a covert CIA agent to a reporter and knew that his actions were wrong. As email records from Time reporter Matt Cooper show, Rove identified Valerie Plame as “Wilson’s wife,” a clear violation of at least the spirit of the law outlined in section 421 of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which states that "any information identifying [a] covert agent" is illegal. Rove’s insistence of strict confidentiality in this discussion also shows that he knew precisely what he was doing and that his actions were at a minimum wrong and unsavory.
  
  
• The president must live up to his promise to fire anyone involved in the case. This is no longer just about Rove. It’s about the president’s credibility. He has repeatedly told Americans that he would fire anyone at the White House who was involved in the matter. Rove has been fingered and the president should live up to his promise by removing him from his duties.
  
  
• President Bush also owes Americans an explanation for how Rove was elevated to deputy White House chief of staff—a position that is responsible for coordinating national and homeland security policy. Rove has top level national security clearance in his current job, yet clearly cannot be trusted with this information. The public deserves to know what the president asked Rove about this case and what he learned in return before elevating him to such a senior position. Did the president know, or bother to ask, about Rove's role in leaking classified information before giving him a promotion?