From the LA Times:

"That law makes it a crime to intentionally disclose identifying information about a covert agent. Rove's defense appears to be that he was merely trafficking in rumor or gossip, conduct that the law does not appear to cover.

According to the source familiar with Rove's testimony, Novak called Rove on July 9, 2003, in part to discuss his July 14 column. That article would describe a CIA-backed trip that Wilson, Plame's husband, had taken to the African nation of Niger in 2002 to assess claims that Iraq was seeking weapons-grade uranium.

Wilson had just written about his trip in an opinion article for the New York Times, which questioned the intelligence the administration was citing to justify the war in Iraq.

In his column, Novak insinuated that the trip was the product of nepotism and had been arranged by Plame and her CIA connections.

In their conversation, and after Novak laid out his writing plans, the source said, Rove indicated that he, too, had heard about the involvement of Wilson's wife. Rove's comments to Novak appeared to give the columnist at least indirect confirmation of Plame's CIA role.

Rove has told investigators that he had heard this information from yet another journalist — whose identity he has said he could not recall — and that he had no independent knowledge that Wilson's wife was an undercover agent.

James Hamilton, Novak's lawyer, declined to comment on the disclosure."