No charges for W House aide Rove in CIA leak case

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) White House aide Karl Rove, US President George W. Bush's top political adviser, will not be charged in the CIA leak case, his attorney confirmed today.

''On June 12, 2006, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove,'' Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said in a statement.

The question of what would happen to Rove, one of Washington's most powerful and polarising figures, in the CIA case had been a major topic in Washington since Lewis Libby, a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, was indicted on charges relating to the leak of a CIA covert operative's name.

''We believe the special counsel's decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr Rove's conduct,'' Luskin said.

REUTERS SHB KN1742