Novak column confirms Rove as source in CIA leak case News
Novak column confirms Rove as source in CIA leak case

[JURIST] Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak on Wednesday revealed [column] that Karl Rove [official profile], President Bush's top political advisor, was one of two secondary sources who confirmed that former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, was employed by the CIA and helped initiate the ambassador's 2002 mission to Niger. It was Novak's July 2003 column that publicly outed Plame, thus igniting the CIA leak scandal [JURIST news archive]. Novak did not reveal publicly his primary source for the article, who still has not come forward, but he did identify the second confirming source, CIA public information officer Bill Harlow, who has already publicly disclosed what he told Novak.

Novak's Wednesday column came after Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald [official website] informed him that the CIA investigation into his role in the Plame affair has concluded. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby [defense profile], who has pleaded not guilty [JURIST report] to obstruction of justice and perjury charges [PDF indictment; JURIST report] in connection with the case, requested a one-month delay in his trial [JURIST report] last month, which is now scheduled to begin next February. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.