Guide Note:

The public "outing" of deep cover CIA operative Valerie Plame became one of the most damaging scandals to rock the Bush administration during its second term in power.

Fast Facts:

1. Key Figures:
   1. Valerie Plame: Former CIA operative, wife of Joseph Wilson
   2. Joseph Wilson: Former Ambassador and diplomat
   3. Robert Novak: Journalist and pundit, wrote first article naming Plame
   4. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby: Vice-President Dick Cheney's chief of staff; convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury
   5. Patrick Fitzgerald: Special Prosecutor who led inquiry into incident and prosecution of Libby

Key Dates

1. July 6, 2003: The New York Times publishes Joseph Wilson's op-ed "What I Didn't Find in Africa"
2. July 14, 2003: Robert Novak's column "Mission to Niger" published, revealing Valerie Plame's identity
3. March 6, 2007: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice
4. July 2, 2007: President Bush commutes Libby's sentence, finding it "excessive"

The Affair

In the incident, sources inside the White House notified journalists that Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA. Wilson, a former diplomat who had been sent to Africa by the State Department to investigate unconfirmed reports that Iraq was attempting to purchase uranium from Niger, had written a New York Times editorial claiming that the President Bush had given false information in his 2003 State of the Union address concerning Iraq's supposed attempt to purchase uranium. Revealing the identity of a CIA agent is a potential violation of the law concerning the unauthorized release of classified information. Vice-President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice for his role in the scandal.