Bush Aide Deflects Questions on Rove (WaPo Version)

The Washington Post ^ | Tuesday, July 12, 2005 | Mike Allen and Dan Balz

[kristinn]

SNIP

Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), last year's Democratic presidential nominee, said in an e-mail to supporters: "It's perfectly clear that Rove -- the person at the center of the slash and burn, smear and divide tactics that have come to characterize the Bush Administration -- has to go."

SNIP

In retrospect, it appears clear that many White House statements about the case were carefully constructed -- giving the impression of being general denials even as the words were narrowly focused on specific allegations. During briefings, McClellan repeatedly challenged reporters to provide him "specific information" when asking about Rove, and he frequently limited his answers about White House involvement in the case to mean the act of leaking classified information.

SNIP

Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, acknowledged over the weekend that his client had discussed the subject -- without naming Plame -- with Cooper, one of the two reporters threatened with jail time for not cooperating with Fitzgerald. Cooper avoided jail last week after being granted a waiver by Rove to testify. New York Times reporter Judith Miller was sent to jail and remains there after refusing to testify.

SNIP

Luskin said again yesterday that there is nothing inconsistent with what Cooper's e-mail said and what Rove has said throughout the inquiry, and he said his client continues to cooperate fully with Fitzgerald, including the prosecutor's request for Rove and his attorney not to publicly discuss the case.

"It puts Karl in a no-win position," Luskin said. "If he doesn't talk to [reporters], he subjects himself to criticisms like we're hearing from the Democrats on why he won't come forward and talk about his role. But if he does . . . he runs the risk of being accused of not cooperating with the investigation."

[Shermy]

Rove is wrong or Cooper misunderstood what Rove really said.

Read the Senate Intelligence Committee report. It lays it all out.