Plame Game - Ex-agents: CIA leak a serious betrayal

CNN -- HEMMER: After listening to Larry, it sounds like, essentially the sky is falling in terms of the CIA around the world. Do you see it that way and did you get that sense in the hearing?

MARCHINKOWSKI: Yes, I did. I think the message is out there. This is an unprecedented act. This has never been done by the United States government before. The exposure of an undercover intelligence officer by the U.S. government is unprecedented. It's not the usual leak from Washington. The leak a week scenario is not at play here. This is a very, very serious event.

HEMMER: You are both registered Republicans, right? How concerned are you about the political gain that one side or the other may seek in this?

JOHNSON: That's what we have to get out of this. I don't know, Bill if you have any kids, they've gone to school on "opposite day" where they wear their clothes inside out and wear their shoes on the wrong feet. I feel like we're seeing opposite day. If a Democrat had done this, we would see the Republicans up in arms.

As a Republican, I think we need to be consistent on this. It doesn't matter who did it, it didn't matter which party was involved. This isn't about partisan politics. This is about protecting national security and national security assets and in this case there has been a betrayal, not only of the CIA officers there, but really a betrayal of those of us who have kept the secrets over the years on this point.

Writing on the leak investigation and its ongoing interviews, the New York Times reports "they were hopeful about identifying the person or people who disclosed the information to Mr. Novak. But they acknowledged the difficulty of finding a specific individual who could be prosecuted."

The Washington Post reports "those who have submitted to voluntary interviews include Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser, and Scott McClellan, the chief White House spokesman" and Notes no grand jury subpoenas have yet been issued in the investigation.

The Associated Press reports - The FBI has interviewed dozens of Bush officials, including Karl Rove and Scott McClellan, in its pursuit for the source of the leak.