Back that paddy wagon up to the White House--time to clean the vermin out...

HoustonChronicle.com - Criminal charge is believed likely in CIA leak case: "Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Revelations about the CIA leak case in the New York Times and a fourth grand jury appearance by Karl Rove have increased the chances that the White House will be dealing with criminal charges within its inner circle by the end of the month, legal experts said Monday.

I. Lewis Libby, a key aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, appeared to be in most jeopardy as the investigation by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald entered its critical final days, according to attorneys who have handled similar probes.

Richard Ben Veniste, a top Washington lawyer who has been involved in handling presidential scandals from Watergate to Whitewater, said the revelations that Libby and New York Times reporter Judith Miller had several meetings in which the CIA operative was discussed 'appeared to contradict earlier accounts that there had been no substantive contacts by aides with reporters.'

While Ben Veniste cautioned that most of what is known is based on press accounts, 'it would appear that the material is there for a false statement or perjury charge. It will come down to the prosecutor's discretion.'

The grand jury directed by Fitzgerald is trying to determine whether anyone knowingly exposed the identity of former CIA operative Valerie Plame.

While less is known about Rove's situation, experts said the fact that he testified for 4 1/2 hours last Friday, almost two years after the investigation began, is not a positive sign for the White House."