Special counsel to investigate leak of CIA agent’s identity (MSNBC, NBC)

[diamond14]

Special counsel to investigate leak of CIA agent’s identity
Ashcroft steps aside from inquiry
out of ‘abundance of caution’



Attorney General John Ashcroft felt that now was the ‘appropriate’ time to recuse himself from the investigation, his deputy said.

NBC, MSNBC and news services

-snips-

Updated: 2:29 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2003WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the Justice Department’s investigation of the unauthorized disclosure of an undercover CIA officer’s identity, which will be overseen by a special counsel, Ashcroft's deputy announced Tuesday.

Experienced prosecutor in charge
Comey appointed the U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, as special counsel. He will have independent authority to direct the investigation without seeking approval from Comey, to whom he will report, Comey said.

Fitzgerald, 41, who was chief of the Justice Department's Organized Crime-Terrorism Unit before he was confirmed as U.S. attorney in Chicago in October 2001, will oversee investigators who are trying to determine who gave three journalists the names of a CIA operations officer who served overseas.


But the focus remains on the White House, two law enforcement officials told the AP on condition of anonymity. While initial, informal interviews have yielded no major breaks, the FBI is satisfied that the dozen agents assigned to the probe are making progress and have not encountered any stalling tactics, the officials said last week.

So far, no grand jury subpoenas have been issued, they said.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3840566/