Prosecutor to Offer More CIA Leak Evidence

AP --


The special prosecutor who has been investigating the leak of a CIA operative's identity is continuing his probe and will present additional evidence to another grand jury, according to court papers filed Friday.


Patrick Fitzgerald declined to comment when asked whether his investigation was ramping back up after last month's indictment of a top White House aide. The term has expired for the grand jury that indicted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on perjury and obstruction charges.


The investigation appeared to have cooled with Libby's indictment on Oct. 28. But earlier this week, the Washington Post's Bob Woodward disclosed that he had learned the CIA operative's identity from a top Bush administration official before another journalist had published Valerie Plame's name.


The revelations from Woodward, who shared this information under oath with Fitzgerald on Monday, contradict Fitzgerald's earlier portrayal of Libby as the first government official to leak Plame's identity to reporters.


At a hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton warned Fitzgerald and defense attorneys about making too many statements to the news media.


"I've never issued a gag order," said Walton, a former prosecutor. "I don't want to in this case."


But, Walton said, "I do have concerns that statements are being made ... usurping what ultimately I am going to have to decide about what is evidence in this case."