Watchdog to Fitzgerald: Re-open Plame investigation in light of Rove's 'missing' emails

RAW STORY
Published: Friday April 13, 2007

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a Washington-based legal watchdog organization, has called on Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to re-open an investigation into White House adviser Karl Rove's role in the identity leak of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.

"It looks like Karl Rove may well have destroyed evidence that implicated him in the White House's orchestrated efforts to leak Valerie Plame Wilson's covert identity to the press in retaliation against her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson," said Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director.

Earlier today, RAW STORY reported on an admission by a lawyer for the Republican National Committee (RNC) that four years of emails sent by Rove from an RNC-issued email account have been "lost." Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, has denied that Rove intentionally deleted the emails.

In light of the missing emails and what they might contain, Sloan urges that Fitzgerald "should immediately reopen his investigation into whether Rove took part in the leak as well as whether he obstructed justice in the ensuing leak investigation."

The CIA leak trial that Fitzgerald prosecuted -- which caused a media sensation given the high-profile political figures involved -- ended with the conviction of I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's former Chief of Staff. When asked after the trial ended if any further investigation was planned, Fitzgerald replied, "If new information comes to light, of course we'll do that."

The CREW press release in full.