CIA-Leak Fallout Is Likely to Hinge On a Single Day

WSJ.com - CIA-Leak Fallout Is Likely to Hinge On a Single Day:

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The fallout from last week's criminal indictment in the CIA-leak case, and the potential political damage for Vice President Dick Cheney, will in some measure depend on the events of June 12, 2003.
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The indictment doesn't allege that Mr. Cheney named Ms. Plame or encouraged Mr. Libby to discuss her employment with reporters. It is unclear whether others were involved in that discussion, or only the vice president and Mr. Libby. If Mr. Cheney told Mr. Libby about Ms. Plame's employment, it wouldn't be illegal, since both men were cleared to learn classified information, such as the identity of a covert CIA operative.

In the weeks thereafter, Mr. Libby -- usually known for his discretion -- discussed Mr. Wilson's trip and his wife, Ms. Plame, with reporters and administration officials.

'The conversation with Cheney would be the first link in the chain,' says Stephen Hess, a former Nixon administration official now at George Washington University. 'We haven't seen the end of this [matter] by any means -- in fact, we're at the very beginning.'

In the indictment, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said Mr. Libby told a federal grand jury he had no idea who Ms. Plame was until he was told so by reporters. However, Mr. Libby knew early on about Ms. Plame, in part from his boss, Vice President Cheney.
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Mr. Hess says he believes Mr. Libby eventually may feel pressure to settle the case without a trial."