"There are very few definitives," Richman said. "It is rare to give a certification of innocence or to make a public declaration that the case is over," particularly while a grand jury's term has not expired.
Richman said he is not surprised Fitzgerald would be continuing his investigation into the leak.
"It is entirely normal not to have a clear end point," he said. "However, because there are so many individuals in government whose jobs may be at stake for their roles in the Plame leak, Fitzgerald could decide to announce an end to the investigation publicly so those people know that they are no longer under any scrutiny."
Richman said he thinks that any government official who faced criminal exposure in the case would be cooperating.
"But it's difficult to have a good sense whether that's the case because Mr. Fitzgerald has closely guarded the grand jury proceedings," he said. "What that means is that the case could be ongoing, petering out or revving up. It all depends on what he has now."
Richman said he is not surprised Fitzgerald would be continuing his investigation into the leak.
"It is entirely normal not to have a clear end point," he said. "However, because there are so many individuals in government whose jobs may be at stake for their roles in the Plame leak, Fitzgerald could decide to announce an end to the investigation publicly so those people know that they are no longer under any scrutiny."
Richman said he thinks that any government official who faced criminal exposure in the case would be cooperating.
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