Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff Lewis Libby is known to be a quiet but powerful force in the Bush administration.
The 55-year-old Mr. Libby helped build the case for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, arguing that Saddam Hussein's regime had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons have been found.
Mr. Libby shies away from media attention, but is described by colleagues as being closely involved in everything the vice president does.
Widely known by his nickname "Scooter," Mr. Libby is also a lawyer and a writer, who earned praise for a 1996 mystery novel he wrote.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
