Valerie Plame, who has become the most famous female spy in America after her covert status was leaked by White House and State Department officials in 2003, on Thursday accused them of having “carelessly and recklessly” abused her status and said the damage to other CIA operatives “could be equally devastating”.

Testifying on Capitol Hill for the first time before the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, Ms Plame captivated congress with confirmation that she had been on secret overseas missions. She accused the administration of leaking her identity “for political reasons” in response to criticism by her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador, who had openly questioned some of the intelligence used to justify the Iraq war.