Update –
I thought that the evidence was a slam dunk (pun intended). It will be interesting to see what the jury was talking about for 10 days. Now, before everybody gets all happy. Yes, Libby is guilty. He could a maximum of 25 years in jail and $1 million fine but we live in America. The rich have plenty of ways to stay out of jail. There will be appeals. There is always a possibility that Bush will pardon Libby. Bush clearly isn’t worried about his popularity (polling at 29%). So, my response to the Libby verdict is guarded. Happy but Guarded.
———
From CNN.com :
Former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial.Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.
The five-count indictment against the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney alleges perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI and a grand jury investigating how Valerie Plame was outed as a CIA operative.
Libby is not accused of exposing Plame. He resigned in 2005 after the grand jury indicted him.
Prosecutors contended Libby disclosed Plame’s covert profession to reporters as part of a plan to discredit her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador who alleged that the Bush administration twisted some intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Wilson, who conducted a CIA-sponsored trip to Niger, wrote in a July 2003 New York Times editorial that he found no evidence Iraq sought to buy uranium from the African nation, as the administration claimed.
The jury was down to 11 members — seven women and four men. A week ago, one of the jurors revealed that she had obtained outside information that prompted the judge to disqualify her.
The defense said it would accept 11 jurors to avoid having to start deliberations over with an alternate. The prosecution objected, but U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton overruled, and the panel has continued with one chair empty.
Testimony and evidence in the trial began January 23.
This trial was one of the biggest head hunting scams in recent history. No one was accused of linking Plame’s name. Plame was not a covert operative. Since everyone was ‘mentioning’ her name prior to this scam trial. What is the big deal? Can you remember with certainty what you said months ago. The salem witch trials have been born again as the washington poiltical witch trials. What a shame
John –
Thanks for your comments.
Unfortunately, I have to disagree with you. I would point you to the book, Hubris, which clearly explains why no one was charged with outting Valerie Plame. The intelligence identity protection act specifically states that the leaker must knowingly and repeatedly leak the name of a CIA covert agent. The law was written very narrowly. We cannot, unfortunately, rewrite the law, in retrospect. This also explains why Bob Novak was not charged. He did not repeatedly leaked information. It could be argued, that he did not know that Valerie Plame was a CIA undercover agent at the time. instead, or prosecutor Fitzgerald had was two people who made false statements to the grand jury. One was Scooter Libby and the other was Karl Rove. Scooter Libby stuck by his story. He and his defense team never wavered. On the other hand, Karl Rove did waver. Karl admitted that he misspoke on more than one occasion. His defense attorney went so far as to say that he also made a mistake. Because it’s hard to prove the difference between an honest lapse of memory with a resultant mea culpa as opposed to an outright lie with the resultant disclosure of the truth prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald did not have a “slam dunk” (pun intended) case against Karl Rove. Therefore, what would you do? What would you do if you were faced with this situation?
In my estimation, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald made the best decision that he could’ve made under the circumstances.
Finally, you miss the point of the trial and the investigation if you are using the “can you remember everything that you said 3 – 6 months ago” argument. The answer is of course no. But, if the vice president specifically tells me to speak to a reporter and selectively leak classified information, I think I would remember that. If I sit down with the vice president and specifically set out a strategy to discredit a former ambassador (Joe Wilson), I would remember that also. If you look at Scooter Libby’s own handwritten notes, they clearly show what he knew and what was on his mind. He had those notes available before his testimony to the grand jury.
Again, thanks for your comments.
If and I mean “IF” he ever goes to jail, it would be one of those secure places where it’s almost like going to a weekend get away.
I sometime get so upset with politics. Most of the times when a politician is caught up in something that is illegal they have a good chance that they may or may not be pardon or that they never even serve one day in jail.
Donna –
Thanks for your comments.
Politics can be upsetting but that just means that we have to be MORE involved and not less. That’s the only way that we can hold these guys and gals accountable.