The Plame affair refers to the controversy surrounding the outing of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA officer, in 2003. Her identity was revealed in a newspaper column by Robert Novak after her husband, Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration's justification for the Iraq War. This incident raised concerns about the misuse of classified information and the protection of intelligence operatives. The fallout from the affair led to a federal investigation, which ultimately resulted in the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, but he was later pardoned by President George W. Bush.