Information leak worries senator, Rockefeller says special counsel should investigate

DAILY MAIL WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the top Democrat on theIntelligence Committee, said the leak of the identity of a CIAoperative, allegedly by Bush administration officials, could have a"chilling effect" on agents' willingness to express dissentingassessments and on recruitment of new agents.

As the Justice Department Tuesday announced a full-blown criminalinvestigation, Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and other Democrats continued topress for the appointment of a special counsel "because of theobvious and inherent conflicts of interest involved."

"We believe it is imperative that this matter be investigated asquickly and thoroughly as …