the Plame Affair

The Plame Affair involves the 2003 leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame’s identity to the media, apparently by members of the Bush administration. Plame’s covert role was exposed, compromising her undercover work. The leak was allegedly retaliation for her husband, diplomat Joseph Wilson, publicly questioning the Bush administration’s claims that Iraq sought weapons of mass destruction. The incident led to criminal investigations, resulting in the trial and conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief aide, Scooter Libby, for obstructing justice and perjury. The affair highlighted issues of government transparency, covert operations, and political retaliation.