So after all the investigation, and all the testimony, and, now, a five-count indictment against Lewis Libby, the original question of the CIA leak investigation remains unanswered: Who told Robert Novak that Joseph Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA? The name “Novak” appears in just one paragraph of the 22-page indictment:
On or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke to a senior official in the White House (“Official A”) who advised LIBBY of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson’s wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson’s trip. LIBBY was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson’s wife.
Assume, for these purposes, that “Official A” is Karl Rove. The indictment is cagey about who-told-who-what in the Novak-Rove conversation — “Wilson’s wife was discussed.” But in any event, “Official A” is the only source mentioned. But in his original column, Novak wrote that, “Two senior administration officials told me his wife suggested sending Wilson to Niger to investigate the Italian report.” And finding those two senior administration officials was apparently the purpose of the investigation. So who are they?