The leaks surrounding the CIA leak investigation have proved correct: Scooter Libby has been indicted and Karl Rove has not, although the investigation into him will continue, according to CBS radio reports. So far, the online sources I’m finding are only reporting on the Rove non-indictment.
CBS: Libby to be Indicted (WTOP)
CBS News has learned that a grand jury will indict Vice President Dick Cheney’s top aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. The indictment will be for making false statements in connection with the CIA leak probe. That indictment will soon be announced. A source tells CBS that presidential confidant Karl Rove won’t face immediate indictment but will remain under investigation.
Reuters: Rove Will Not Be Indicted on Friday (WaPo – Reuters)
Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis Libby, and other top White House officials braced for criminal charges Friday from the federal grand jury investigating the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity. But legal sources said special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has informed President Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove, that he will be spared indictment on Friday, although he will remain under investigation and in legal jeopardy. Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, had no immediate comment.
Source: Rove Won’t Be Indicted Today (AP)
Karl Rove won’t be indicted Friday as prosecutors and his lawyers try to resolve questions in the CIA leak investigation, two people close to Rove told The Associated Press. The White House, however, still braced for an indictment against another top aide. In discussions Thursday, Rove’s lawyer was told by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s office that investigators have not resolved all their questions about his conduct in the case and they will continue investigating, the people said, speaking only on condition of anonymity because of grand jury secrecy.
The radio reports have the announcement of Libby’s indictment/pending indictment coming from Libby himself.
(1020): White House Braces for Indictment; Rove Said to Be Spared for Now (WaPo)
White House officials braced for the possibility that Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff would be indicted in the CIA leak case today, while the lawyer for Karl Rove said the presidential confidant’s case is still under investigation. “The Special Counsel has advised Mr. Rove that he has made no decision about whether or not to bring charges and that Mr. Rove’s status has not changed,” said Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, in a statement released this morning. “Mr. Rove will continue to cooperate fully with the Special Counsel’s efforts to complete the investigation. We are confident that when the Special Counsel finishes his work, he will conclude that Mr. Rove has done nothing wrong.”
Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald’s office announced it would release information on the grand jury about noon today and would hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT. Fitzgerald has one indictment in hand, according to a source close to the investigation.
Rove provided new information to Fitzgerald during 11th hour negotiations that “gave Fitzgerald pause” about charging Bush’s senior strategist, said a source close to Rove. “The prosecutor has to resolve those issues before he decides what to do.” This raised the possibility of a new grand jury getting the case because the term for the current grand jury expires today.
The dragging out of the announcement, now that a decision has been made, is a head scratcher. Were it not for Fitgerald’s reputation for fairness, I would chalk it up to grandstanding.
Update (1514): See Libby Resigns After Indictment for more.
