But on Monday, McClellan refused to discuss the matter. "The president directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation," he said, "and as part of cooperating fully with the investigation, we made a decision that we weren't going to comment on it while it is ongoing."
Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, reiterated Monday that he believed his client had not engaged in any misconduct.
Republicans on Capitol Hill maintained a public silence. But a number of Democrats were quick to issue statements, though some responses were measured and noted that not all the facts were known.
"I agree with the president when he said he expects the people who work for him to adhere to the highest standards of conduct," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "The White House promised if anyone was involved in the Valerie Plame affair, they would no longer be in this administration. I trust they will follow through on this pledge. If these allegations are true, this rises above politics and is about our national security."
The sharpest criticisms came from some of the most partisan Democrats in Congress.
Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, his party's presidential candidate last year, sent an e-mail to supporters calling on them to sign a "Fire Rove" online petition. "It's perfectly clear that Rove -- the person at the center of the slash-and-burn, smear-and-divide tactics that have come to characterize the Bush administration -- has to go," he wrote.
And Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter of New York called for Rove to be not only fired, but prosecuted as well. "There can be no gray area here, regardless of how he phrased it, regardless of how much detail he provided," she said.
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey called for Bush to suspend Rove's security clearance, noting Rove's criticism last month of liberals for what the Bush aide described as a tepid response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Karl Rove has accused liberals of not understanding the consequences of 9/11, but he's the one who blew the cover of a covert CIA agent," Lautenberg said.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean castigated the man Bush had called the architect of his reelection, saying in a statement that "Rove betrayed the identity of an undercover officer fighting on the front lines in the war on terror.... It is disturbing that this high-ranking Bush advisor is not only still working in the White House, but now has a significant role in setting our national security policy."
