Legal Experts: Rove Testimony a Risky Move

[tocqueville]

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - Presidential aide Karl Rove's upcoming fourth appearance before a federal grand jury investigating the leak of a CIA officer's identity is a risky legal move because it opens him up to making statements that are inconsistent with what he previously has said, legal experts say.

Rove offered in July to return to the grand jury and Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald accepted last Friday, lawyers familiar with the investigation said Thursday, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

The grand jury normally meets on Fridays and was also scheduled to convene next week, but it was unclear when Rove would testify again.

"In a normal criminal investigation, most defense lawyers are extremely cautious about their clients testifying even once before a grand jury and are generally loathe to let them testify more than once," said former federal prosecutor E. Lawrence Barcella Jr. "This is a classic example of what happens when there's a large political overlay to a criminal investigation."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051007/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_investigation