McClellan to testify on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan says he will testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee about the leak of a CIA operative's identity.

The committee last month requested that McClellan testify, and the former press secretary told NBC News Monday he would appear before the panel June 20.

"They invited me to come testify and as I've said before I'm glad to share my views," he said.

McClellan said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., wanted him to testify about the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson's identity in 2003 "and the potential concerns that there might be a coverup" of the circumstances surrounding the leak.

The committee has subpoenaed former White House political adviser Karl Rove, but Rove's attorney has indicated he will not testify.

The committee expressed interest in McClellan's testimony after McClellan released a book claiming President George W. Bush told him he authorized leaking Plame Wilson's name. Plame Wilson is married to former Ambassador Joe Wilson, whose New York Times op-ed publicly questioned the administration's credibility on the rationale for the 2003 Iraq invasion.