Ex-Reporter May End Up On Libby Jury

WASHINGTON — A former Washington Post reporter who wrote a book on spying and lived near someone who could be a key witness in the case was approved as a potential juror in the CIA leak case yesterday. The man's acceptance into the jury pool showed the difficulty that attorneys have had in picking a jury in the highly publicized perjury case against former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Several potential jurors have been disqualified for having strongly negative feelings about the Bush administration.

The former journalist who spent nearly an hour on the stand during the second day of jury selection lives near NBC "Meet the Press" anchor Tim Russert and knew or had connections to several key witnesses in the case. He once worked under Post reporter Bob Woodward and had followed the case in the news.

He was even friends with an attorney who played touch football with Libby — "He's got a great arm," the potential juror remarked.

Despite his connections to the witnesses, he said he did not have preconceived opinions about the case.

"I'm very skeptical about pretty much everything I hear until I see it backed up," he said.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys can still use a peremptory — or unexplained — challenge to strike him from the jury pool when he returns today.

Another potential juror was allowed to remain in the pool yesterday after saying she would be impartial and put aside her tepid impression of Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby's former boss and an expected defense witness.

"I'm not particularly impressed with a lot of his manners of being, but I can't speak to his credibility," said the woman, who works for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Libby's attorneys say it's critical that they know whether potential jurors view the vice president as credible. Two people who expressed doubts about that were dismissed from the jury pool Tuesday.