The Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee acknowledged yesterday that the controversy surrounding a possible White House role in leaking the identity of a covert CIA operative had raised important issues, and said his panel would hold hearings on leaks of classified information.

"The time has come for a comprehensive law that will make it easier for the government to prosecute wrongdoers and increase the penalties, which hopefully will act as adeterrent for people thinking about disclosing information," Pete Hoekstra said at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank.