Leak of CIA agent aimed to discourage criticism on Iraq: ex-envoy

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former ambassador Joseph Wilson again took aim Sunday at the White House over the leak that his wife was a covert CIA agent, which he claimed was designed to suppress criticism of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.

"I believe it was done to discourage others from coming forward," Wilson told NBC television.

The controversy over the leak has mushroomed into an FBI-led investigation seeking to determine who revealed Wilson's wife's name, which could violate a law against outing covert intelligence agents.

At issue is who told a reporter that former ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was a CIA agent, amid speculation that doing so may have been retaliation after the diplomat charged publicly that the case for war with Iraq was exaggerated.

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