After the two stories (Novak and Time) came out in the same week, the White House noticed. "Two senior administration officials" outing a CIA agent could not have gone unnoticed. They have the daily clipping services and people to read them. So the WH definitely knew about it after the leak was published in June. They (and almost all of the media) then studiously ignored it until the Post came out.
Now what can we infer from that? Here are the possibilities I see:
- WH didn't follow up, doesn't know anything. They just ignored it.
- The CIA agent wasn't undercover. No laws broken regardless. WH certainly would have got that out and Justice most likely wouldn't have opened the investigation. Instead we have multiple confirmations that she was a NOC.
- Someone else leaked, WH knows. Why are they protecting the leaker? Why wouldn't they have nipped it in the bud and avoided the scandal?
- WH leaked, WH knows who, what and when. Obvious reasons for stonewalling and trying to let it blow over.
That leaves (4)...
Is there a 5th option?
