Armitage Confirms He Was Novak Source on Plame

By: E&P Staff Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was the first Bush administration to reveal undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame name in 2003, the New York Times and the Washington Post have now confirmed.

A lawyer involved in the CIA leak case said that Armitage was the first and main source of columnist Robert Novak, who disclosed Plame as a CIA officer, the Times disclosed.

Michael Isikoff and David Corn first reported this over the weekend, previewing their book, "Hubris," based on their sources. Plame's married name is Valerie Wilson, as she is married to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.

"In the accounts by the lawyer and associates," The New York Times reports today, "Mr. Armitage disclosed casually to Mr. Novak that Ms. Wilson worked for the C.I.A. at the end of an interview in his State Department office. Mr. Armitage knew that, the accounts continue, because he had seen a written memorandum by Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman.

"Mr. Grossman had taken up the task of finding out about Ms. Wilson after an inquiry from I. Lewis Libby Jr., chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Libby?s inquiry was prompted by an Op-Ed article on May 6, 2003, in The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof and an article on June 12, 2003, in The Washington Post by Walter Pincus."

Plame's attorney has said she is considering adding Armitage to the lawsuit against Bush administration officials. It is not known how this latest revelation will help or hurt the legal case now going forward against Libby.