I’ve been following some discussion of the reporter Jason Leopold who was the source for my earlier announcement that Rove had been indicted — apparently his reliability is questionable. And now this:

A spokesman for a top White
House aide under scrutiny in a criminal leak probe, Karl Rove,
yesterday vigorously denied an Internet report that the political
adviser to President Bush was told that he had been indicted on charges
of perjury and lying to investigators.

"The story is a complete fabrication," the spokesman for Mr. Rove,
Mark Corallo, told The New York Sun. "It is both malicious and
disgraceful."

Waaaahhh!

Still, there’s this:

Bottom line?  Leopold says that if his sources have burnt him, he’s gonna out them. Money quote:

I will reitereate:  these sources that I have had on this story know
full well that leading me astray…  I would no longer be obliged to
keep their identities secret.

Now I’ve got my qualms about Jason.  He’s admitted to some pretty
heavy shit.  But if his sources burn him and he comes through with
tapes and notes name the "White House officials" and RNC staff that
pushed him over the cliff…  well…What a breath of fresh air!!  This is what all reporters should be
doing.  How many of the kewl kids have been played like fiddles by the
political operation run out of the offices of Karl Rove and Ken
Mehlman? I applaud Leopold for making the threat.  From the perspective of an
investigative journalist, I gotta think that this is a pretty risky
tactic to employ.  If Roverites know that they can’t lie with impunity,
they’ll just cut access…  So just by virtue of being the first
reporter I’ve ever heard make this threat, Leopold has earned a speck
of respect back by putting media manipulators on notice that their
bullshit won’t be tolerated.I’ve been tough on Leopold.  When a person screws up the way he did,
well, there are gonna be consequences.  That said, if Leopold is
right…  (or when Leopold follows through and outs the liars that
played him), well I’ll say loudly, "Welcome back!!"

Either way, what really excites me is that by Thursday at the
absolute latest, Karl Rove will have been indicted or Jason Leopold
will be outing his sources. It’s going to be an exciting week…