'Leakgate' Accuser Won't Say Whether Wife Was Undercover

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Joseph Wilson repeatedly dodged questions Tuesday morning about whether his wife was an undercover agent at the CIA, an issue that could determine whether the Bush administration committed a crime when it revealed her identity.

Asked to settle once and for all the mystery of whether his wife was "a covert operative for the CIA," Wilson told national radio host Don Imus, "You ought to assume that the CIA would not have referred this matter to Justice if there was not some merit to the referral."

"I don't understand that answer," Imus responded, adding, "Either she is or she isn't."

Rather than respond with a simple yes or no, Wilson dodged the question a second time, telling Imus, "If you want a more direct answer, you probably ought to call the CIA."

That's what the Washington Post did last week before it reported, "the CIA has declined to confirm whether she was undercover."

Former CIA agent Larry Johnson told PBS last week that Wilson's wife had been undercover "for three decades." But Johnson's revelation didn't settle the issue, since it suggests that the 40-year-old Mrs. Wilson became a CIA spy at the unlikely age of 10.

The full exchange between Imus and Wilson went like this:

IMUS: Is she or was she - I've never been able to figure this out and I've read every transcript [of your interviews] and talked to a number of people - is she or was she a covert operative for the CIA?

WILSON: Well, let me tell you, the way I answer that is you ought to assume that the CIA would not have referred this matter to Justice if there was not some merit to the referral.

IMUS: I'm still - I don't understand that answer. Either she is or she isn't.

WILSON: You know, then your best, your best - if you want a more direct answer you probably ought to call the CIA. I mean, all I can tell you is ...

IMUS: Has she left [for school] with the kids yet? Let me talk to her.

WILSON: I don't think so. The one thing she had authorized me to say is that she would prefer to cut off her right arm than ever talk to any member of the press. [End of Excerpt]

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