Well, Jonah isn't the person that is saying this is a well-known fact. Apparently, everyone in the Washinton D.C. metroplex knew who Mr. Wilson's wife was and where she worked.
Clifford May has asked the question, "Who didn't know?" This was really the original reference to the cocktail party circuit. Mr. Wilson's position of ambassador entails him attending many cocktail parties and other gala-type events. He has introduced his wife on countless occassions and in the course of conversation either she or he noted that she was an analyst for the CIA.
Analysts aren't operatives and, thus, don't have the same legal implications.
The investigation has been launched to determine if there was a violation of Title 50, Chapter 15, Section 421 which EXPLICITLY notes that the violation of law only applies to "covert agent".
As noted in several posts on this thread, the demoCREEPs are calling her an "undercover agent" or "operative" (which has a covert connotation), as opposed to CIA employee or her acknowledged, current position of "analyst". That is the language game they are playing. They are going to call her an "operative" or "undercover agent", then they will finally point to the law (section 421 cited above) and say, "See, it's illegal." Their cohorts in the media are going right along (see the Gergen/Van Sustern comment in post #3 by .cnI redruM).
The presence of an investigation means nothing. The investigation should reveal that 1) she is a covert agent, 2) she is NOT a covert agent, or 3) she was a covert agent at one time, but isn't anymore.
The law would only be violated if they find #1 to be true. If the investigation reveals #2 or #3 to be true, then no law was broken and the reporting of Mr. Wilson's wife, considering that she talk to him about going to Niger about the Yellowcake, is entirely appropriate.