McClellan: "White House Has Chosen To Conceal" Plame Details

Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan says the Bush administration "has chosen to conceal from the public" what occurred during the outing of former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.

"The continuing cloud of suspicion is not something I can remove because I only one part of the story," McClellan said in his opening statement before the House Judiciary Committtee this morning. "Only those who know the underlying truth can bring this to an end. Sadly, they remain silent."

McClellan was invited to testify by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.). McClellan has just released a memoir chronicling his time inside the Bush White House.

McClellan took a shot at Bush personally in his opening statement, saying the president has not lived up to his promise to change the culture of Washington.

"Unfortunately, like many good people who come to Washington, he ended up playing the game by the existing rules rather than transforming it," McClellan said.

McClellan stated that he did not know if any crimes were broken or whether there was a cover-up by Bush White House officials of their role in the incident.

"I do know that it was wrong to reveal her identity, because it compromised the effectiveness of a covert official for political reasons," McClellan said. "I regret that I played a role, however unintentionally, in relaying false information to the public about it."