Nothing to see here, move along

Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won’t be charged with any crimes in the investigation into the leak of a CIA officer’s identity, his lawyer said Tuesday, lifting a heavy burden from one of President Bush’s most trusted advisers.

Attorney Robert Luskin said that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed him of the decision on Monday, ending months of speculation about the fate of Rove, the architect of Bush’s 2004 re-election now focused on stopping Democrats from capturing the House or Senate in this November’s elections.

Fitzgerald has already secured a criminal indictment against Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush — on a brief and secretive trip to Baghdad to meet with Iraq’s new prime minister — was notified that Rove had been cleared.

“We are pleased that the special counsel has concluded his deliberations,” Perino said. “Karl is, as he has been throughout the process, fully focused on the task at hand — crafting and building support for the president’s agenda.” (Read more…)