Bush authorised leaks on Iraq

2006-04-06 19:17

Washington - Vice-president Dick Cheney's former top aide told prosecutors President George W Bush authorised the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case.

Before his indictment, I Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the Valerie Plame leak that Cheney told him to pass on the information and that it was Bush who authorised the leak, the court papers say.

According to the documents, the authorisation led to the July 8 2003, conversation between Libby and New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

There was no indication in the filing that either Bush or Cheney authorised Libby to disclose Plame's identity as an undercover operative of the Central Intelligence Agency.

- AP