US: Former CIA officer Valerie Plame is suing vice-president Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby and presidential policy aide Karl Rove for conspiring to destroy her career by leaking her identity to the media.
Ms Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, maintain that the three men set out to punish Mr Wilson for questioning intelligence claims Mr Bush made before the Iraq war.
The 2003 leak of Ms Plame's identity is under investigation by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has persuaded a grand jury to charge Mr Libby with perjury and obstructing the investigation. Mr Rove has been told that he is no longer in danger of facing charges as a result of the Fitzgerald investigation.
Ms Plame said yesterday she was taking legal action "with a heavy heart" but said Mr Cheney, Mr Rove and Mr Libby had to be held accountable for their campaign against her.
"I and my former CIA colleagues trusted our government to protect us as we did our jobs. That a few reckless individuals within the current administration betrayed that trust has been a grave disappointment to every patriotic American. I feel strongly, and justice demands, that those who acted so harmfully against our national security must answer for their shameful conduct in court," she said.
Mr Wilson said the three White House figures had abused their constitutional position by using their power for personal revenge against him.
"This attack was based on lies and disinformation and it included the compromise of Valerie's identity. I have confidence in the American system of justice and this suit is about the pursuit of justice," he said.
The lawsuit, which seeks undisclosed damages, alleges that the Bush administration's misconduct had put the lives of Ms Plame, her husband and their children in danger. It says that the disclosure of her identity impaired Ms Plame's capacity to continue working for the CIA.
The couple allege that Mr Cheney, Mr Libby and Mr Rove "secretly spread rumours" that Ms Plame used her position at the CIA to get her husband sent on a trip to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein sought to buy nuclear materials from there.
The lawsuit accuses the White House officials of violating the Wilsons' constitutional rights to equal protection and freedom of speech and of violating the couple's privacy rights.
"The defendants chose not to address publicly, directly and on the merits why they may have thought Mr Wilson was wrong or unfair in his statements about the president's State of the Union address. Rather, they embarked upon an anonymous 'whispering campaign' designed to discredit and injure the plaintiffs and to deter other critics from publicly speaking out," the lawsuit says.
Mr Cheney and Mr Libby declined to comment but a spokesman for Mr Rove dismissed the allegations.
"Without even having had a chance to review the complaint, it is clear that the allegations are absolutely and utterly without merit," he said.
The lawsuit could face major legal hurdles, but the plaintiffs could gain access to official documents that might prove embarrassing to the administration.