White House rules out aides over leak

US: The White House yesterday ruled out three senior aides as possible sources for a leak disclosing the name of an undercover…

US: The White House yesterday ruled out three senior aides as possible sources for a leak disclosing the name of an undercover CIA operative and President Bush said the case may never be resolved.

"I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is," Mr Bush told reporters. "I'd like to. I want to know the truth."

Spokesman Scott McClellan said senior Bush political aide Karl Rove, vice presidential chief of staff Lewis Libby and National Security Council senior director Elliott Abrams had each denied being the source of the leak.

Mr McClellan said he talked to each of the three officials in response to news reports that they may have been involved in disclosing the name of the operative, whose diplomat husband had publicly opposed Mr Bush on a key area of his Iraq policy.

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"They were not involved in leaking classified information, nor did they condone it," Mr McClellan told reporters.

Mr Bush said he did not know whether a federal criminal investigation would find who leaked Valerie Plame's name.

"I've instructed this staff of mine to co-operate fully with the investigators, full disclosure," he said. But he said Washington was "full of people who like to leak information".