Second grand jury move deepens Bush's problems

The White House faces deepening political embarrassment - and possible new criminal indictments - following the announcement of a new grand jury to examine the outing of a politically inconvenient undercover CIA agent in the months immediately following the Iraqi invasion.

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has been making life miserable for the Bush Administration, announced on Friday that the investigation was not only continuing, but warranted the empanelling of a second grand jury.

The first grand jury fingered Vice-President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on five counts of obstruction of justice and lying.

Until last week the most vulnerable member of the Administration appeared to be Karl Rove, President Bush's most valued political adviser, who has acknowledged being one of the officials who discussed the CIA agent Valerie Plame with reporters shortly before her identity was made public.

Now, however, the case has taken on an explosive new aspect following the revelation that Bob Woodward, the veteran Washington Post reporter and hero of Watergate, had been told about Ms Plame before any other journalist but kept the information to himself.

- INDEPENDENT