Karl Rove won't be indicted in CIA leak

WASHINGTON — The all-clear that sounded Tuesday for presidential friend and adviser Karl Rove will reverberate in policy and politics, as well as the trial of a former White House aide charged in connection with the disclosure of a CIA operative's name.

For President Bush, it means his longtime top political adviser will remain on board and be a full player as the GOP goes about the crucial business of maintaining its congressional majorities in November.

For I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, ex-chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, it means he could be the only person indicted in the federal investigation of the disclosure of a CIA operative's name.

And for Rove, long a suspect whenever political skulduggery breaks out, it was another bullet dodged, as it was for the Bush White House.

"Character matters," Rove said, referring to Bush in a speech Monday night to New Hampshire Republicans in Manchester.

On Tuesday, Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, declined to comment about the federal prosecutor's decision against pursuing a case that could have significantly hampered an already struggling White House.

"I think this is one of those turning points in history that didn't turn," said presidential historian William Leuchtenburg, a University of North Carolina professor emeritus. "It would have badly shaken up the Bush administration, and it would have been hard for Bush to get any kind of momentum. And it would have given the Democrats an issue for the fall campaign that could be played week after week."

Word that Rove would not be indicted came from his lawyer, Robert Luskin, in a statement Tuesday saying that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald notified him Monday of the decision.

"Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove," Luskin said. "In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation."

The case centers on leaks disclosing Valerie Plame's identity as an undercover CIA operative. Plame is married to Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador and critic of Bush's rationale for invading Iraq.

Rove, who has acknowledged talking to reporters about Plame, made five grand jury appearances, including one in which he said that at a previous session he had mistakenly said he had not talked to Time reporter Matthew Cooper about Plame.

Rove said he recalled the conversation after his lawyer found a White House e-mail that mentioned it.