A Glimpse of Secret Rove

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By Dan Froomkin

Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, February 22, 2008; 1:30 PM

Sunday's episode of "60 Minutes" offers a glimpse of the secret Karl Rove.

Not the public Rove -- the jovial number-crunching doofus who has taken to popping up on Fox News and the Wall Street Journal editorial page, and even has his own column in Newsweek.

I'm talking about the other Rove -- the dirty trickster and master of calumny who is widely assumed to have been behind the smearing of John McCain in 2000 and the Swift-Boating of John Kerry in 2004. You know, the Rove who barely avoided a federal indictment for his part in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The one who critics believe subverted the Justice Department and spurred nakedly partisan prosecutions of Democratic officials, including former Alabama governor Don Siegelman.

Ben Evans writes for the Associated Press: " A former Republican campaign worker claims that President Bush's former top political adviser, Karl Rove, asked her to find evidence that the Democratic governor of Alabama at the time was cheating on his wife, according to an upcoming broadcast of '60 Minutes.'

"Jill Simpson, who has long alleged that Rove may have influenced the corruption prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman, makes the claim against Rove in a broadcast scheduled to be aired Sunday, according to a statement from CBS.

"Simpson testified to congressional investigators last year that she overheard conversations among Republicans in 2002 indicating that Rove was involved in the Justice Department's prosecution of Siegelman. She has never before said that Rove pressed her for evidence of marital infidelity in spite of testifying to congressional lawyers last year, submitting a sworn affidavit and speaking extensively with reporters.

"Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, denied the allegation."

Here's a preview from CBS News: "'Karl Rove asked you to take pictures of Siegelman?' asks [reporter Scott] Pelley.

"'Yes,' replies Simpson.

"'In a compromising, sexual position with one of his aides,' clarifies Pelley.

"'Yes, if I could,' says Simpson.