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Rove won't be charged in CIA inquiry

The presidential aide could still be questioned in court, but the news is a major relief for the White House.

WASHINGTON - Presidential adviser Karl Rove will not face criminal charges in the CIA leak case, his lawyer said Tuesday, ending Rove's jeopardy in a three-year investigation and providing a dramatic bit of good news for the White House.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally notified Rove's legal team Monday that the prosecutor "does not anticipate" seeking charges against him, according to a statement by Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney.

Luskin said he hoped the special prosecutor's letter would "put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove's conduct." Rove testified before the grand jury five times before Fitzgerald decided not to seek an indictment.

"We're pleased that the special counsel has concluded his deliberations," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "Karl is, as he has been throughout the process, fully focused on the task at hand, crafting and building support for the president's agenda."

Fitzgerald could still question Rove about whether the Bush administration compromised a CIA officer's identity to retaliate against a political critic.

Rove has been identified as a likely defense witness in next year's trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff. Libby faces charges of lying to the FBI and a federal grand jury about how he learned about Valerie Plame's CIA status and what he told reporters about it.

If Libby's defense attorneys summon Rove to testify, Fitzgerald can cross-examine him about a host of issues, including a July 2003 conversation Rove had with syndicated columnist Robert Novak days before Novak published Plame's name.

Still, Rove and the White House could breathe a sigh of relief Tuesday.

For the president, the news means his longtime top political adviser will remain on board and be a full player as the GOP goes about the crucial business of maintaining its congressional majorities in November.

For Rove, it was a crucial bullet dodged.

And for Libby, it means he could be the only person indicted in the federal investigation.

Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Bush praised Fitzgerald.

"It's a chapter that has ended," Bush said. "Fitzgerald is a very thorough person. I think he's conducted his investigation in a dignified way."

The president said White House officials would remain quiet about the leak and the results of the investigation. "I think it's going to be important for you all to recognize there's still a trial to be had," Bush said to reporters. "And those of us involved in the White House are going to be very mindful of not commenting on this issue ... because of the Libby trial."

The case centers on leaks disclosing Plame's identity as an undercover CIA operative. Plame is married to Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador and critic of Bush's rationale for invading Iraq.

Rove, who has acknowledged talking to reporters about Plame, made five grand jury appearances, including one in which he said that at a previous session he had mistakenly said he had not talked to Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper about Plame.

Rove said he recalled the conversation after his lawyer found a White House e-mail that mentioned it.

Democrats and Christopher Wolf, the Wilsons' lawyer, said the decision does not absolve Rove of responsibility. Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Rove "doesn't belong in the White House."

"His real sin ... is leaking the name of an intelligence operative during a time of war," Dean said on NBC's Today show.

However, Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman said Democrats owe Rove an apology.

"The fact is this, I thought it was wrong when you had people like Howard Dean and (Sen.) Harry Reid presuming that (Rove) was guilty," Mehlman said. "They took this good man and they prejudged him. They said, 'We're going to presume he's guilty.' "

Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, declined to comment. He carried out his normal routine Tuesday, and with chief of staff Joshua Bolten in Iraq with Bush, Rove ran the senior staff meeting.

Presidential historian William Leuchtenburg, a University of North Carolina professor emeritus, said the news Rove won't be charged is "one of those turning points in history that didn't turn."

"It would have badly shaken up the Bush administration and it would have been hard for Bush to get any kind of momentum. And it would have given the Democrats an issue for the fall campaign that could be played week after week," Leuchtenburg said.

- Information from the Associated Press, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Cox News Service was used in this report.

[Last modified June 14, 2006, 05:07:35]