White House official resigns
2005-10-28 20:11
Washington - United States vice-president Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has resigned after being indicted in connection to the unmasking of a CIA agent in 2003, the White House said on Friday.
Libby, widely considered one of the leading architects of the case for war in Iraq, "submitted his resignation letter earlier on Friday. It was accepted, and he is no longer at the White House," spokesperson Scott McClellan told reporters.
McClellan said the White House could have more to say on the matter after special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has been investigating the case for two years, holds a press conference scheduled for 14:00.
A grand jury looking into whether a crime was committed when someone revealed that the wife of a fierce critic of the war in Iraq worked for the Central Intelligence Agency indicted Libby on one charge of obstruction of justice, two charges of making a false statement and two charges of perjury.
He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1.25m fine if found guilty on all five counts.
Former ambassador Joseph Wilson has said the Bush administration revealed that his wife, Valerie Wilson - also known as Valerie Plame - worked for the CIA because he accused US President George W Bush of having "twisted" intelligence about Iraq's nuclear program to justify the war.
- AFP