Newsweek: The CIA leaker 'you've never heard of' sent Novak's 'outing' column to Rove before it was published
 Newsweek takes a look at the CIA leaker "you've never heard of." Testifying on the stand as a defense witness at former White House aide I. Lewis Libby's hearing, columnist Robert Novak said that he was not only told by his friend, conservative lobbyist Richard F. Hohlt, that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA, but that he also allowed him to "vet" his notorious July of 2003 column.
Newsweek reports that Hohlt even 'leaked' Novak's "outing" column directly to President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, before it had been published.
When asked by Libby's attorney who Hohlt was, Novak replied on the stand that Hohlt was "a very good source" of his that he speaks to "every day."
"Indeed, Hohlt is such a good source that after Novak finished his column naming Plame, he testified, he did something most journalists rarely do: he gave the lobbyist an advance copy of his column," Michael Isikoff reports for Newsweek. "What Novak didn't tell the jury is what the lobbyist then did with it: Hohlt confirmed to NEWSWEEK that he faxed the forthcoming column to their mutual friend Karl Rove (one of Novak's sources for the Plame leak), thereby giving the White House a heads up on the bombshell to come."
Excerpts from article:
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The trial of Libby—who is charged with lying about his own alleged role in the disclosure of Plame's identity—has revealed much about how government officials and journalists swap secrets. But Hohlt's outing was especially revealing. Unlike many of the high-profile Washington players who have populated the Plame affair, Hohlt is a Beltway power broker of a different sort. He works quietly, rarely makes the papers and likes it that way. Hohlt, 58, came to Washington more than 30 years ago as an aide to Sen. Richard Lugar. He now represents A-list clients like Bristol Myers, Chevron, JPMorgan Chase and the Nuclear Energy Association. At the same time, he raises buckets of cash for the Republican Party: he was designated a "Super Ranger," a fund-raiser who raked in more than $500,000 for President Bush's re-election.
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That's where Hohlt has proved most valuable. An accomplished information trader, Hohlt serves as a background source for a select group of Washington journalists—Novak above all. "He's known as the person you go to to try to get stuff in Novak's column," says one semiregular OTR participant. (Novak says it is "ridiculous" to suggest he writes what Hohlt wants.)
After Novak first told Hohlt that he was working on a hot story about ex-ambassador Joe Wilson, Hohlt says he e-mailed Rove to expect a phone call from Novak. Then Hohlt began pressing Novak to learn the juicy details. On July 11, 2003, three days before the column was published, Novak gave him a preview copy. (Unknown to Hohlt, Rove had already confirmed to Novak that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.) That same day, Hohlt e-mailed details about the column to Rove, and later faxed him the entire unpublished article. (Rove's lawyer confirms this account.) "I was just trying to be helpful," Hohlt says. His role as a go-between later earned him a visit from the FBI, but it stayed secret until now. And that was just fine with Hohlt, who says that his greatest accomplishment as a lobbyist has been "staying out of the press." Thanks to last week's testimony, his cover—like Valerie Plame's—is now blown.
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FULL NEWSWEEK ARTICLE CAN BE READ AT THIS LINK
A list of campaign contributions made by Hohlt can be viewed at this link
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