Ex-CIA agent sues Cheney, others in leak case

Valerie Plame

WASHINGTON - Former CIA operative Valerie Plame and her husband sued US Vice President Dick Cheney, top presidential aide Karl Rove and others today for their role in the public disclosure of her classified CIA status.

The suit was the latest twist in a long-running saga over the outing of Plame that put President George W. Bush on the defensive over his reasons for taking the United States to war in Iraq and reached into the highest levels of the White House.

The civil lawsuit by Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, said the couple suffered violations of their constitutional and legal rights.

The CIA leak case flared after Wilson accused the administration of outing his wife to punish him for questioning use of intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the war launched by Washington in 2003.

An investigation led to the indictment of a top Cheney aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, last year on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury. He is the only person charged so far in the case.

The civil lawsuit cited "a conspiracy among current and former high-level officials in the White House" to "discredit, punish and seek revenge against" Wilson for publicly disputing statements made by Bush justifying the war in Iraq.

While no specific dollar amount is requested, the lawsuit sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys' fees and costs.

The suit also named Libby, who was Cheney's former chief of staff, and 10 unnamed senior government officials and aides.

- REUTERS