WASHINGTON, Oct 26: The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative’s identity met on Wednesday with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald amid signs the prosecutor was preparing to seek criminal charges.

Fitzgerald, who has interviewed many senior White House figures as he seeks the source of the leak, declined comment as he left the session that lasted three hours.

It was unclear whether the grand jury voted on indictments during the secret meeting. An announcement could still come on Thursday or Friday, when the panel could meet again for a final time. The grand jury is scheduled to expire on Friday unless Fitzgerald extends it.

Fitzgerald’s investigation has centred on Lewis Libby, chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s top political adviser. Other aides may also be charged, lawyers involved with the case said.

Any charges brought by the grand jury could be sealed, preventing an immediate public announcement by the court or the prosecutor.

Discussing the possibility of sealed indictments, one attorney said Fitzgerald could be acting to put pressure on people involved in the two-year probe.

“The usual reason is to keep something secret from a witness or a defendant,” the attorney said. “It could mean he still wants to get people to come back in” and provide testimony or plead guilty.

A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll found the investigation was affecting Americans’ view of the White House, with nearly four in 10 respondents saying they believed Bush aides broke the law.

Another four in 10 said administration officials had acted unethically. The poll was conducted on Friday.—Reuters