Arlen Specter: “a considerable controversy has arisen as to the allegations of leaks from the White House with respect to the…”

“a considerable controversy has arisen as to the allegations of leaks from the White House with respect to the identification of a CIA operative, or a CIA agent, and there have been calls for special counsel to be appointed by the Attorney General. The Attorney General has taken the position that the investigation can be appropriately carried out by the professionals in the Department of Justice and the professionals in the FBI. I think it is curious that the call for a special counsel has come only after the issue has become a cause celebre with the publication by the Washington Post of the front page story on Sunday. This investigation had been pending for a protracted period of time. It came to light in a newspaper column back in July. But until it had attained notoriety and attracted public attention, nobody came forward to make a suggestion that there ought to be special counsel. The Congress of the United States decided to allow the independent counsel statute to lapse.”