Gay former Rove
aide testifies in Valerie Plame case

Israel "Izzy" Hernandez, a gay man who is a former aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove and a recent Bush appointee to a top Commerce Department post, has testified before a grand jury in special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, reports ABC News. Last Friday, Hernandez appeared with Susan Ralston, another longtime Rove associate, but it is not known what they said or why they were asked to appear. "The appearances of Ralston and Hernandez suggest at least part of the focus remains on Rove," reports ABC's online newsletter The Note.