"I will be sending a letter to George Tenet today asking him to give us a formal assesment of the damages done by this leak...and what precautions we might expect as a result of a reckless action taken by somebody," Daschle said.

"We think it's important for the CIA to give us their evaluation, their assesment of the impact this had and what if anything we may now have to to do to rectify the situation."

 The Justice Department is investigating whether any crime was committed in the leaking of the agent's name, reportedly as revenge for her husband's criticism of US Iraq policy. News reports have blamed unnamed White House officials for the leak.

Daschle and several of his colleagues Thursday wrote to President George W. Bush denouncing the "the serious missteps" committed in the inquiry.

The Democrats have criticized both the slowness in opening the leak inquiry and the one-day delay granted to the White House staff to turn over any pertinent records related to the matter.

Joseph Wilson, a former US ambassador, who had criticised the Bush administration's justifications for taking the country to war against Iraq, claims the White House leaked his wife's name of his wife in order to discourage other war critics from breaking ranks with the president.

The leak identified Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a Central Intelligence Agency operative, and the investigation centers on whether a US law barring the release of an undercover operative's name was violated.

"We believe it is inconsistent with the constitution's separation-of-powers principles for members of Congress to direct the president's management of White House employees, as it would be for the president to suggest specific ways in which senators should handle their own staffs," White House counsel Alberto Gonzales wrote to a group of Senate Democrats.

The leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity came after her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, publicly criticized Bush administration Iraq policy.

Steps suggested by the Democrats included firing any staffer who did not cooperate with Justice Department investigators or tampered with records sought in the probe.

Gonzales' letter was addressed to the eight Democratic members of the main Senate committee dealing with government oversight, including presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. The letter was dated on Wednesday and a copy was obtained by Reuters.

Democrats have seized on the leak to press their criticisms of President Bush's Iraq policy. Wilson has accused White House officials of leaking Plame's name in retaliation for his charges that Bush "twisted" intelligence on Iraq to justify war.

Gonzales said the White House had no intention of disclosing publicly "each step we've taken related to the investigation," but he said officials had already turned over thousands of pages of documents to Justice Department investigators.

"I can confirm that all of our actions to date have been consistent with the president's demand for full cooperation with the investigation," he said.

The investigators are seeking information on White House contacts with journalists potentially related to the leak.

New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, another of the senators receiving the White House letter, called the response "insulting" and said the Democrats' recommendations were appropriate.

"This is not about micromanaging White House personnel matters. ...This is about finding out who compromised national security and put CIA agents and operations in danger," Lautenberg said.

White House spokeswoman Ashley Snee declined to elaborate on Gonzales' letter.

Bush has said he wants to find the leaker but is not sure if the investigation will succeed.