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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2003

SCHUMER ASKS MUELLER TO OPEN AN FBI INVESTIGATION INTO ILLEGAL LEAK OF CIA AGENT'S IDENTITY

Unauthorized leaking of a CIA agent's identity is punishable by 10 years in prison, jeopardizes the lives of the brave agents on the front lines of the war on terror

News reports suggest that Administration could have leaked the identity of a CIA agent to discredit a critic of the President and intimidate others from speaking out

US Senator Charles Schumer today asked FBI Director Robert Mueller to open an investigation into reports that two senior members of the Bush Administration illegally disclosed the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative. According to Section 421a of the Intelligence Identities and Protection Act, the unauthorized identification of a CIA operative is a criminal act punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.

On July 14, 2003, an article by a syndicated columnist appeared in newspapers across the country identifying Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA operative specializing in Weapons of Mass Destruction. The columnist quoted “senior administration officials” as his sources. Plame is the spouse of long-time State Department veteran Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Wilson recently wrote an op-ed disputing the White House's claims about potential uranium exports from Niger to Iraq, sparking the current debate about whether the White House knowingly manipulated information about Iraq's nuclear program. The disclosure of Plame's identity was part of an apparent attempt to impugn Wilson's credibility and to intimidate others from speaking out against the Administration.

"This is one of the most reckless and nasty things I’ve seen in all my years of government," Schumer said. "Leaking the name of a CIA agent is tantamount to putting a gun to that agent’s head. It compromises her safety and the safety of her loved ones, not to mention those in her network and other operatives she may have dealt with. On top of that, the officials who have done it may have also seriously jeopardized the national security of this nation."

The unauthorized disclosure of information relating to the identity of American intelligence officials is a crime punishable by fines and up to 10 years in prison under the Intelligence Identities and Protection Act. The FBI has investigated leaks before, as recently as June 2002 when leaks of classified testimony given to the Committee by National Security Director LT. General Michael V. Hayden. The FBI questioned nearly 100 people, including all 37 members of the House and Senate intelligence committees and some 60 staff members. Vice President Cheney was one of the prime movers behind that investigation, as were the leaders of the Joint Select Committee at the time, Democratic Senator Bob Graham and Republican Representative Porter Goss.

"This current scandal is just as serious as the one from June 2002. We’re talking about the lives of potentially hundreds of people being put at risk. The FBI needs to find out who made the name of this agent public and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. There can be zero tolerance for this kind of action," Schumer said.

By "burning" Ms. Plame, Schumer said these senior administration officials may have made it impossible for her to do her job. This comes at a time when intelligence in her specialty - Weapons of Mass Destruction - is sorely needed as the threats posed by Iran and North Korea are escalating.

In a letter being sent to Mueller today, Schumer wrote that "By disclosing the identity of a reportedly senior undercover operative who is active in our nation’s fight against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Administration officials have possibly endangered Ms. Plame and her entire network of intelligence contacts in order to avoid political embarrassment. In the process, they may also have undermined our national security just as the specter of WMD threats from North Korea and Iran loom on the horizon."

"If that facts that have been reported publicly are true, it is clear that a crime was committed. The only questions remaining to be answered are who committed the crime and why," Schumer's letter continued.

For a copy of Schumer's letter click here.

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