Sen. Charles Schumer Tuesday asked President Bush to direct his chief political adviser, Karl Rove, to give public answers to several questions about the "outing" of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Schumer, D-N.Y., was one of the first to ask for a Justice Department inquiry after Plame's identity was revealed by syndicated columnist Robert Novak two years ago. Novak cited unnamed White House sources.

Rove has been widely rumored to be one of those sources. It is a federal crime to disclose the identity of an undercover CIA agent.

“The White House's credibility is at issue here, and I believe very clearly Karl Rove ought to be fired,” said Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.