[JURIST] US DOJ Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald [official website] indicated in court documents Friday that his investigation into the CIA leak case [JURIST news archive] will return to a grand jury. Three weeks ago, a previous grand jury indicted former Vice President Dick Cheney chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice [PDF text of indictment; JURIST report]. In the court motion Fitzgerald said "the investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which returned the indictment [against Libby]". The announcement of a second grand jury has lead to speculation that Fitzgerald will seek charges against top Bush advisor Karl Rove for his alleged involvement in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to the press. Fitzgerald's announcement comes less than one week after journalist Bob Woodward [profile] testified [text of statement] that a senior Bush administration official informed him of Valerie Plame's CIA position almost a month before her identity was revealed publicly. Speculation as to the identity of Woodward's source has included US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld [official profile]; an aide to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has denied that she was the source [AP report]. Reuters has more.
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