The Leak Moves to the Hill

Republican congressional leaders are planning hearings about some of the issues raised by the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity. But that's a far cry from the sort of congressional investigation into the leak itself -- and the White House's involvement -- that Democrats are calling for.

David Morgan writes for Reuters: "Congress will conduct a series of hearings on national security and espionage issues raised by the CIA-leak controversy surrounding senior Bush adviser Karl Rove, officials said on Monday.

"The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence plans hearings on potential national security threats posed by leaks, including leaks to the media, and will aim to toughen legislation barring the unauthorized disclosure of classified information."

Over in the Senate: "Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas intends to preside over hearings on the intelligence community's use of covert protections for CIA agents and others involved in secret activities."

Holly Yeager writes in the Financial Times: "The Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee acknowledged yesterday that the controversy surrounding a possible White House role in leaking the identity of a covert CIA operative had raised important issues, and said his panel would hold hearings on leaks of classified information.

" 'The time has come for a comprehensive law that will make it easier for the government to prosecute wrongdoers and increase the penalties, which hopefully will act as a deterrent for people thinking about disclosing information,' Pete Hoekstra said at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank."

But signs are that Hoekstra is less interested in digging into the Plame case than he is in expanding government secrecy rules.

Katherine Shrader writes for the Associated Press that, "asked about the investigation, Hoekstra said he hasn't been focused on it.

"'We are not chasing newspaper stories' in the committee, he said."

And Senator Roberts, as Scott Shane reported in the New York Times yesterday is "generically" concerned about the exposing of covert operatives -- but skeptical that Plame really was one.

Meanwhile, as Donna de la Cruz reports for the Associated Press: "More than two dozen Democratic senators on Monday asked Congress to investigate the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

" 'Americans deserve a Congress that holds Washington accountable for the truth about our national security,' said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who authored the letter. 'Can anyone argue with a straight face that Congress has time to look at steroid use in baseball but doesn't have the will to provide congressional oversight of the leak of a CIA agent's name?' "