Deadline to get case to grand jury nears

Indictments could be forthcoming against two top White House officials.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Working against the clock, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald weighed criminal charges against two top presidential aides at the end of a two-year investigation that put the White House in a state of high suspense Thursday night.
Fitzgerald raced against the expiration today of the grand jury that has been investigating the exposure of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity. Speculation flew across Washington about who would be indicted, or whether Fitzgerald would even bring criminal charges.
At the top of the list: presidential adviser Karl Rove and vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Both men put in their normal long day at the White House.
The prospect of indictments added to the woes of an administration already facing serious political problems.
On a day when the White House dealt with the withdrawal of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, Rove attended the daily meeting of the senior staff and met with the president late in the evening. Libby was said to have passed up the staff meeting to attend a security briefing.
Two blocks from the White House, Fitzgerald, who has been running the criminal investigation for nearly two years, was at work in his office, considering his next moves in the investigation.
Both Rove and Libby have been advised that they could be charged with wrongdoing, possibly for false statements to the grand jury that has been hearing testimony about discussions with reporters.
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