[Bush] said he complained in the past "about leaks of security information, whether the leaks be in the legislative branch or in the executive branch." He said the current investigation "will not only hold someone to account who should not have leaked . . . but also hopefully will help set a clear signal we expect other leaks to stop, as well."

At a televised briefing, White House press secretary Scott McClellan declined to discuss reports that Bush's senior adviser, Karl Rove, described the operative to at least one journalist as "fair game."

McClellan has ruled out involvement by Rove; I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff; and Elliott Abrams, Bush's senior adviser on the Middle East. "None of them were involved in the leak of the classified information, nor would any of them condone it," McClellan said.