Romney bundler was go-between in Valerie Plame outing

A lobbyist bundler for Mitt Romney — who slammed President Barack Obama over political national security leaks throughout the day today — and donor to the super PAC supporting him was described as a "go-between" in the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame, FEC filings show.

Lobbyist Richard Hohlt, an influential Washington figure for years who gave $20,500 to Restore Our Future and bundled $22,500 for Romney's campaign, was described by the late Robert Novak in his testimony at the trial of Scooter Libby that he talked to the lobbyist about Plame's identity. Per a Times story from 2009:

He surfaced in 2007 during the perjury trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr., an aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Hohlt had a cameo role in the leak that identified Valerie Wilson as a Central Intelligence Agency operative. The journalist who broke the story, Robert Novak, testified during the trial that he had given the column to Mr. Hohlt, a longtime source, before it was published. Mr. Hohlt said he gave the column to Mr. Rove, who was the White House’s political director at the time.

In a Newsweek story in 2007, the circumstances were described this way:

On July 11, 2003, three days before the column was published, Novak gave him a preview copy. (Unknown to Hohlt, Rove had already confirmed to Novak that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.) That same day, Hohlt e-mailed details about the column to Rove, and later faxed him the entire unpublished article. (Rove's lawyer confirms this account.) ‘I was just trying to be helpful,’ Hohlt says. His role as a go-between later earned him a visit from the FBI, but it stayed secret until now. And that was just fine with Hohlt, who says that his greatest accomplishment as a lobbyist has been ‘staying out of the press.’ Thanks to last week's testimony, his cover--like Valerie Plame's--is now blown.

The blowing of Plame's cover became a major story in the lead-up to George W. Bush's reelection. Libby was a high-up administration official, and the outing of covert operative Plame — a move related to her husband, former U.S. Ambasador Joe Wilson — ended her career.

Romney said in his VFW speech earlier today that his White House would never "reveal classified material for political gain." Romney officials declined comment.

Efforts to reach Hohlt were unsuccessful.

Maggie Haberman is senior political reporter for Politico.