Prosecution rests in Libby case

Lawyers for Mr Libby begin their case on Monday

Prosecutors in the trial of a former top White House aide accused of lying to a probe into the leak of classified information have rested their case.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby is accused of lying to investigators over the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Jurors have heard more than three weeks of testimony from witnesses. The defence will begin its case on Monday.

The final witness was NBC journalist Tim Russert, who denied discussing Ms Plame with Mr Libby.

Ms Plame, the wife of a Bush administration critic, was exposed as a CIA operative in the US media in 2003.

It is a crime to knowingly disclose the identity of an undercover agent and a probe was launched into who leaked her identity to the press.

Mr Libby, former chief of staff to Vice-President Dick Cheney, is accused of lying to investigators about how and when he learned Ms Plame was a CIA officer. He is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.

Telephone call

Mr Libby says he found out about Ms Plame's occupation from Mr Russert in July 2003, but a number of prosecution witnesses have now disputed that claim.

Mr Russert testified for two days, with the focus mainly on a telephone conversation he had with Mr Libby.

Mr Libby says that Mr Russert told him then that "all the reporters" knew of Ms Plame's occupation.

But Mr Russert told the court that that part of the conversation did not take place. He testified that he never discussed Ms Plame with Mr Libby.

Ms Plame was outed shortly after her husband, Joseph Wilson, wrote a piece in the New York Times claiming the Bush administration had misused intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.

The couple have accused the White House of exposing Ms Plame as revenge for the article.