Former White House Press Secretary Says Libby Named Plame

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2007 — -- Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary, testified this afternoon that his former colleague, White House adviser I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, told him in July 2003 that the wife of former ambassador and war critic Joseph Wilson worked for the CIA.

Fleischer recounted a private lunch he'd had with Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, in July 2003, the day after Wilson published an op-ed that accused the administration of deliberately ignoring prewar intelligence on Iraq in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

Fleischer said his lunch with Libby occurred days before Libby told investigators he was surprised to learn about the CIA operative's connection to Wilson from a reporter. The timing of Libby's learning of her identity is central to his defense and the prosecution in the perjury and obstruction case.

Fleischer told the jury today that their lunch covered other issues but eventually turned to the controversial editorial Wilson had written in which he said the administration knowingly exaggerated any connection between Iraq and efforts to purchase uranium in the African nation of Niger. Wilson had made a fact-finding mission to Niger earlier that year.

Fleischer testified that Libby told him that "Ambassador Wilson was sent by the CIA. … The vice president did not send Wilson. … Wilson was sent by his wife. … She works at the CIA."

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Fleischer also testified that Libby told him over lunch that "this is hush-hush, on the QT. … I think he mentioned her name … Valerie Plame … that was the first time I had heard it.

"I thought this was kind of odd … kind of newsy," the former press secretary said.

On the stand today Fleischer was asked by Deputy Special Counsel Peter Zeidenberg about the terms of his immunity agreement and his three appearances before the grand jury in the leak investigation.

"I requested immunity as a result of the information I had been provided," Fleischer said.