The 12 Hour Gap

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (right) says he spoke with White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card as soon as he learned there was a criminal investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity.

Mr Gonzales was White House Counsel at the time.

But he waited 12 hours before notifying the rest of the White House staff that an investigation was underway.

The delay is important because the notification is given to make sure no one deletes or destroys any evidence in the investigation. Notifying Mr Card, but delaying staffwide notification until the next morning led Sen Joseph Biden (D-DE) to suggest that would have given people time to destroy evidence.

Sources close to the investigation say that accounts VP Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff -- Scooter Libby -- and what what White House adviser Karl Rove have given the grand jury don't jibe with testimony from other witnesses. (SF Chronicle) [Photo Credit: US Govt]

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