Libby Leaked Intel Data to Judy Miller at Request of President

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The New York Sun reported that I. Lewis Libby, then the vice president’s chief of staff, leaked classified intelligence information to New York Times reporter Judith Miller in order to discredit an op ed opinion column written by former ambassador Joseph Wilson challenging the accuracy of statements made by president Bush about Iraq’s efforts to buy nuclear equipment in Africa. The leak was personally authorized by President Bush, in effect declassifying the information on the spot. The President wanted the National Intelligence Estimate data made public because it “was pretty definitive” against Wilson’s statements, prosecutors in the Libby case said. (4/6/06)