Cheney would be a logical witness for the prosecution as he could authenticate notes written on an article by a critic of the US-led war in Iraq.
WASHINGTON: US vice-president Richard Cheney might be called to testify as prosecution witness in the CIA leak case involving former Chief of Staff Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, a special prosecutor has said in a court filing.
Cheney would be a logical witness for the prosecution as he could authenticate notes written on an article by a critic of the US-led war in Iraq, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said on Wednesday.
Cheney's "state of mind" is "directly relevant" to whether Libby lied about how the identity of top CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame surfaced and what exactly Libby told reporters about her, he said.
According to Fitzgerald, Libby "shared the interests of his superior (Cheney) and was subject to his direction".
"Therefore, the state of mind of the vice-president as communicated to defendant is directly relevant to the issue of whether defendant knowingly made false statements to federal agents and the grand jury...," he said in the court filing.
Cheney's office refused to comment on the issue and directed all queries to the office of special prosecutor.
Libby was formally indicted last year for perjury, making false statements and obstruction of justice in the case.
In July 2003, former American ambassador Joseph Wilson, married to Plame, wrote a piece in the New York Times accusing the Bush administration of twisting intelligence on Iraq to justify invasion.
In testimony before the grand jury, Libby said Cheney was upset about the article, discussed it on a daily basis and was keen to get the truth out.
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