Close Adviser to President Bush, Karl Rove, to quit

Washington, Aug 13 (UNI) United States President George W Bush's close friend and adviser Karl Rove will resign at this month's end and quit politics, White House sources said today.

Mr Rove, who has been the main political strategist during the President's six and a half tumultuous years in the White House, has been toying with the idea of resigning from politics for sometime now and was waiting for an apt moment, sources said.

President Bush is expected to make a statement with Mr Rove from the White House just before leaving for his ranch near Crawford, Texas.

Mr Rove, who holds the titles of Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser, has been talking about finding the right time to depart for a year, according to his colleagues.

''Obviously it's a big loss to us,'' a White House spokesperson said. ''He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind.

He will be greatly missed. But we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family, his wife Darby and their son. He will continue to be one of the President's greatest friends.'' Mr Rove, 56, who narrowly avoided being indicted in the CIA leak case, has been under scrutiny by the new Democratic Congress for his role in the firings of US attorneys and in a series of political briefings provided to various agencies across government.

Citing executive privilege, he defied a subpoena and refused to show up for a congressional hearing just two weeks ago on the allegedly improper use by White House aides of Republican National Committee e-mail accounts.

Several of the Bush advisers believe the congressional probes have been the main reason for Mr Rove opting out.

The White House said his departure was unrelated to the investigations.

In an interview published this morning, Mr Rove told Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul A Gigot that he had been interested in leaving last year but did not want to go immediately after the Democrats took over Congress, nor did he want to abandon President Bush as he fought for his troop buildup in Iraq and an immigration overhaul.

UNI