WP: Letter Shows Authority to Expand CIA Leak Probe Was Given in '04

Letter Shows Authority to Expand CIA Leak Probe Was Given in '04

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 23, 2005; Page A05

Weeks after he took over the investigation 22 months ago into the unauthorized disclosure of a CIA operative's identity, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald got authority from the Justice Department to expand his inquiry to include any criminal attempts to interfere with his probe, according to a letter posted Friday on Fitzgerald's new Web site.

Fitzgerald is nearing a decision on whether or not he will prosecute anyone when the federal grand jury term ends on Friday. The letter specified that he could investigate and prosecute "perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence and intimidation of witnesses."


According to a lawyer familiar with the case, the current speculation about such charges eventually arising appeared to have occurred to Fitzgerald in the first months of his inquiry.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/22/AR2005102201113.html

'04 and none of us knew? JMO, but it looks like he went into this case already knowing most of the answers. What a guy, he never fails to impress...