Court filing lists Cheney conversations

WASHINGTON, July 3 (UPI) -- A document filed in court this week lists seven conversations former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney had about Valerie Plame Wilson's status as a CIA agent.

The list suggests Cheney was heavily involved in deciding the Bush administration's reaction to the leaking of her identity, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The list was submitted by the Justice Department, arguing that Cheney's questioning by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald should remain closed.

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer argued that public officials would be unwilling to talk informally with law enforcement in the future if they know everything they say might become public. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics called the argument specious.

"It is astonishing that a top Department of Justice political appointee is suggesting other high-level appointees are unlikely to cooperate with legitimate law enforcement investigations," Melanie Sloan, the group's director, said. "What is wrong with this picture?"