President Bush said Wednesday that he breathed “a sigh of relief” when he learned that his most trusted adviser, Karl Rove, would not be indicted in the CIA leak investigation.
As Rove watched impassively from the sidelines of a Rose Garden press conference, Bush praised special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who summoned Rove before a federal grand jury five times before deciding not to charge him.
“He took a very thorough, long look at allegations and rumors,” Bush said. “And I obviously, along with others in the White House, took a sigh of relief when he made the decision he made.”
Fitzgerald decided not to charge Rove in his probe into whether the White House improperly disclosed the name of CIA employee Valerie Plame.
Bush made clear that a cloud had been removed from the administration, allowing Rove to concentrate on the November congressional elections.
“I?m going to put this part of the situation behind us and move forward,” the president told reporters. “I trust Karl Rove and he?s an integral part of my team.”
