Ashcroft Drops Out of CIA Leak Probe

[Monster]

WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday recused himself from the politically sensitive investigation of who leaked the name of a CIA operative. The Justice Department quickly named a special prosecutor.

The U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, will take over the investigation and report to James Comey, who is Ashcroft's top deputy. Comey, in an announcement at the Justice Department, called the new top prosecutor "Elliot Ness with a Harvard law degree and a sense of humor."

"He has the power and authority to make whatever prosecutorial judgment he needs," Comey said.

. . .

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., one of the main critics of how the Bush administration has handled the leak investigation, praised the announcement.

"It is not everything we asked for but it comes darn close," Schumer said in a statement. "And tonight, the American people can, as a result, feel more assured that there will be a full and thorough investigation, no matter where it leads."

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[86Dude]

Now if only he would drop out of human life.