(2004-02-10) — Syndicated columnist Robert Novak, whose July 2003 column revealed the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame, said today he is “outraged” at the slow pace of a grand jury investigation to discover the names of Bush administration officials who ‘outed’ Ms. Plame to Mr. Novak.
“Federal prosecutors are spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on this sluggish probe to find out who told me Plame’s name,” said Mr. Novak, “I’m outraged that unknown White House officials won’t tell the grand jury that they blew Plame’s cover. Every day that this information remains secret costs Americans more money. The prosecutors must take quick action to bring this case to a close.”
Mr. Novak has not been questioned by prosecutors, nor called to testify to the grand jury. Journalists typically refuse to reveal their anonymous sources because it would hurt their credibility.
