Hughes Question

So today brings the news that Joe Biden has written a letter to Condoleeza Rice asking her whether a news report that Bolton has testified to the Fitz grand jury is true:

On July 21, 2005, MSNBC reported that Under Secretary Bolton testified before the federal grand jury in Washington that is investigating the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame as an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

I write to request that you or the nominee inform the Committee whether Mr. Bolton did, in fact, appear before the grand jury, or whether he has been interviewed or otherwise asked to provide information by the special prosecutor or his staff in connection with this matter, and if so, when that occurred. As you know, the Committee questionnaire, which the nominee completed in March, requires all nominees to inform the Committee whether they have been “interviewed or asked to supply any information in connection with any administrative (including an inspector general), Congressional or grand jury investigation within the past 5 years, except routine Congressional testimony.”

This is important, among other reasons, because Bolton answered "No" to the question regarding such investigations (Steve Clemons notes the additional possibility that Bolton may have faced an IG's investigation at State).

Here's another point, one my lady pointed out to me recently: it seems hard to believe that Karen Hughes -- who wasn't even working in the WH fulltime anymore -- would be asked to testify, while Bolton -- who was clearly up to his eyeballs in infights with Carl Ford of INR and Armitage (and maybe Powell) up the ladder, as well as apparently a Judy Miller source -- would not.

Just another thought.