One by two by six

Published February 10, 2004 9:00PM (EST)

The federal grand jury probe into who revealed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame is "quickening," the New York Times reports. Press secretary, Scott McClellan, and former press aide, Adam Levine, apparently were questioned on Friday.

"In addition to the grand jury appearances, which are believed to include other Bush administration officials, prosecutors have conducted meetings with presidential aides that lawyers in the case described as tense and sometimes combative," the Times reports.

While the probe began with a focus on who leaked Plame's identity to conservative columnist Bob Novak, the Times says "more recently, prosecutors have focused on a Sept. 28, 2003, article in The Washington Post, which said the newspaper had been told that 'yesterday, a senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of [Plame].' Prosecutors, referring to the story as 'one by two by six,' have sought to learn the identity of the senior administration official or the two top White House officials, believing that whoever provided the information to the Post knew who spoke with Mr. Novak."


By Geraldine Sealey

Geraldine Sealey is senior news editor at Salon.com.

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