Attorney General John Ashcroft has recused himself from the Valerie Plame investigation. The investigation concerns leaks by White House officials of the identity of CIA undercover operative Valerie Plame. Background on the investigation is available here.

It's important to note that the Justice Department will still be in charge of the investigation. The lead prosecutor will be U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in Chicago. He will report to Deputy Attorney General James Comey.

No reason was given for Ashcroft's recusal--only that it is to avoid the appearance of impropriety. While Comey promises a full and independent investigation, we'll hold off on the celebration until we see if that indeed is what we get.

We think the investigators already know who the culprit is. It may be someone who is close to Ashcroft. A cynic would say that by having Ashcroft recuse himself, the Administration can try and claim he had nothing to do with any future determination not to bring criminal charges against the official on the grounds that the Justice Department doesn't believe it can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

So, which of the White House officials are Ashcroft buddies?

Update: Our prior thoughts on James Comey and his appointment to replace former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson are here.

Update: To our surprise, Joe Lieberman makes a good comment:

A former prosecutor outside the Justice Department should have been chosen to lead an independent investigation, the Connecticut senator said. "The public will not likely trust the results of an investigation headed by a political appointee, especially when the special counsel is constrained by Department of Justice regulations that severely curtail the prosecutor's autonomy," Lieberman said.

Update: Here is the text of Comey's remarks and the q and a session following the announcement.