December 10, 2007
Libby Abandons Appeal Bid
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has decided against furthering pursuit of an appeal of his perjury and obstruction of justice conviction in relation to the CIA leak investigation.
The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney had been sentenced to 30 months for lying to federal investigators during a probe into the outing of former CIA officer Valerie Plame. President Bush commuted Libby's sentence in July, fueling speculation that the former top White House aide would eventually receive a full pardon.
"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence. However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear," an attorney said in a statement.
Libby's decision to drop his appeals bid will renew speculation that Bush plans to grant a pardon on his way out of office in January 2009. House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked AG Michael Mukasey last week for all remaining interview transcripts from the now-closed investigation.
Posted at 11:43 AM
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October 19, 2007
A Very Black Fitzmas, Indeed
Sorry, ladies: Studly U.S. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is single no more.
The Washington Post's Reliable Source column broke the news yesterday, along with plenty of hearts. Fitzgerald, 46, will be tying the knot with 34-year-old Jennifer Letzkus, a former investment banker turned Head Start teacher and marathon runner.
Fitzgerald is the straight-shooting, tough-talking attorney who was appointed the special prosecutor in the investigation into the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity. The affair was the first major scandal to truly threaten President Bush and his administration, raising the hopes of many a partisan. The media churned out glowing profile after glowing profile of The Man Who Would Take On Karl Rove, climaxing in 2005 when People magazine declared him one of its Sexiest Men Alive.
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July 03, 2007
White House Denies Special Treatment For Libby
UPDATED.
President Bush today defended his decision to commute the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on a perjury and obstruction of justice conviction.
"I considered his background, his service to this country as well as the jury verdict," Bush said at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "I felt like the 30-month sentencing was severe. I made a considered judgment that I believe is the right decision to make in this case, and I stand by it."
It was Bush's first public appearance since announcing, via press release, that he had ordered Libby's sentence commuted. Bush said he believed the jury's verdict should stand, but did not count out a full pardon in the future.
"I rule nothing in and nothing out," Bush said.
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Bush Intervenes In Libby Conviction After All
UPDATED.
Under intense pressure from his base to stand up for a trusted aide, President Bush was damned if he did and damned if he did not pardon I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Early Monday evening, the self-appointed Decider quietly announced he would seek the middle road.
Safely ensconced in the White House, Bush announced via written statement that he was commuting Libby's 30-month sentence, just hours after a federal court denied Libby's request to postpone reporting to prison during the appeals process. Many White House reporters had not yet left Kennebunkport, Maine, where Bush had been hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day.
"My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby,'' the president's statement read. "The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting."
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June 14, 2007
Libby's Day In Court, Again
UPDATED.
Judge Reggie Walton denied I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's appeal today, saying the prison sentence of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff would not be delayed. Libby and his legal team are fighting to put off his 30-month sentence while he goes through the appeals process.
Libby's team has only 10 days to file the primary appeal for his perjury and obstruction convictions, although Walton said it may take several weeks before the Bureau of Prisons is ready to receive the prisoner.
A secondary appeal is also in the works -- not of the conviction itself but of today's decision, creating a new appeal on top of the initial one.
White House spokesman Tony Snow reiterated earlier today that the White House was going to let the legal process play out before weighing in on the case. Any delay in the process is largely thought to be in Libby's favor; if he rides out the clock until closer to the end of President Bush's term, it could increase Libby's chances of a presidential pardon.
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June 05, 2007
Libby Slammed With 30 Months Behind Bars
UPDATED.
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney and the only Bush administration official to be convicted in a lengthy probe of the leak of a CIA officer's identity, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for perjury and obstruction of justice. He was also slapped with a $250,000 fine.
Armed with dozens of letters from prominent Beltway figures praising Libby's character, defense attorneys had argued that the effective end of Libby's career in public service was punishment enough. Attorneys have always portrayed Libby as the "fall guy" for the Bush administration, and his conviction on four of five P&O counts as a runaway special prosecutor's desperate attempt to taint the White House.
But Judge Reggie Walton was more persuaded by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's argument that a harsh sentence should be meted out as a warning that power and connections ought not be exemptions for breaking the law. Fitzgerald has also noted that Libby, who maintains his innocence, has never "accepted responsibility" -- legally meaningful terminology in this case. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Libby was expected to receive between 15 to 33 months.
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March 07, 2007
PlameGate: The Movie
"All The President's Men" proved Hollywood could make Washington look interesting. "Dave" proved Hollywood could make Washington-types appear to have a sense of humor. And now, courtesy of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson (and about half the D.C. press corps), Warner Bros. presents: The CIA Leak Investigation Movie.
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March 06, 2007
Fitzgerald Defends Case
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told reporters outside the courtroom of the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial that Americans ought to be glad that justice was done. But the 47-year-old Brooklyn native seemed mostly relieved his involvement in the nearly four-years-long Beltway saga was all but over.
"Mr. Libby did not tell the truth to the system, and when someone does not tell the truth to the system everobody suffers," Fitzerald said, somewhat defensively. Libby was charged with lying to federal investigators about how he first learned the identity of Valerie Plame, the CIA officer married to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Wilson, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, touched off a series of events in 2003 that eventually led to one of the biggest embarassments of President Bush's tenure -- swallowing a key claim on which a costly and bloody war was based.
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Posted at 12:41 PM
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Libby Convicted Of Four Out Of Five Counts
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, has been convicted of perjury and obstruction in a saga that has gripped the Beltway's deepest insiders for nearly four years.
Libby was found guilty of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and one count of false statement of facts. The jury found him not guilty on one count of false statement of facts. Sentencing is set for June 5, and Libby faces up to 25 years. He will be the most senior Bush administration official to be convicted of a crime.
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Posted at 12:11 PM
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