Plame Takes Cheney, Libby Back To Court In Suit Over CIA Leak

Associated Press | MATT APUZZO | May 17, 2007 at 10:32 AM

The legal fallout from the 2003 CIA leak scandal continues as lawyers seek dismissal of a lawsuit against members of the Bush administration.

Former CIA operative Valerie Plame contends the administration violated her constitutional rights by leaking her identity to reporters in 2003. She is demanding compensation from Vice President Dick Cheney; one of his former aides, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby; White House political adviser Karl Rove; and former State Department Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage.

Their lawyers were scheduled to argue Thursday that a judge should throw out the case.

Plame's lawyers say the case could reveal more about the inner workings of the Bush White House than surfaced during Libby's monthlong perjury trial, but Thursday's arguments were to focus on technical matters of law.

Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, say the administration violated their free speech, due process and privacy rights.

To succeed, their lawyers must show that Cheney and the other defendants are not immune from such suits because they clearly violated the Constitution.

The Justice Department has asked a judge to drop an invasion of privacy count because government officials cannot be sued personally for such claims when acting in their official capacity.

Several administration officials, including Armitage and Rove, disclosed Plame's identity to reporters in 2003 after Wilson began criticizing prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Nobody was charged with the leak, which would have been a crime only if someone knowingly gave our information about someone covered by a specific law protecting the identities of covert agents.

Libby was convicted in March of obstructing the leak investigation and lying about how he learned about Plame.

Libby is to be sentenced June 5.

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