“Scooter” Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison for lying to investigators looking into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity.
He also was fined $250,000. Libby was convicted March 6 of four counts in a five-count indictment alleging perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI investigators.
Federal Judge Reggie Walton said he would make a decision next Tuesday on whether to allow Libby to remain free while his lawyers file an appeal.
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said that under federal sentencing guidelines, Libby — if imprisoned — must serve at least 80 percent of his sentence, or two years.
I think the only question is when will Bush give him a pardon.
What the Right Wing Nut Neo-con Evangelical Republicans forget is the CIA asked for the investigation. It is highly doubtful they would have done that if they didn’t consider Plame covert. Since the ultimate classification of SECRET is in the hands of the President, I guess it was he that decided whether she covert, but even he can’t stop a DoJ investigation.
Did Libby lie to the Grand Jury? A jury of his peers thought so and the Judge agreed.
It is my opinion that Libby and Cheney broke the spirit of the law even if they managed to get out of breaking the letter of the law. To call the outing of a CIA agent a non-event and justifiable because “Clinton did it” defies all reason and logic.
Geeze, why do you Right Wing Nut Neo-con Evangelical Republicans hate America so much?
if we don’t punish people who lie under oath, then what is the point of swearing people in?
Only thing I know is Patrick Fitzgerald deserves a failing grade for his “accomplishment”. He ignores the guy go who outed Plame?? He decides to dig into Libby because??? He obviously had an agenda.
Patrick Fitzgerald knew very early on that Armitage was Novak’s primary source, but ordered Armitage and Novak not to talk about the case. Armitage and Novak admitted this. 2 1/2 years this went on.
Isn’t there something inherently wrong with the sworn statements of a public servant being scrutinized and cross-examined until some minor misstatement of fact is uncovered?
Is that what a special prosecutor is supposed to do?
Uggghhhhh. This is America in decline.
Thanks for nothing Patrick Fitzgerald.
# 31 – The Acting Atty General asked for the investiation, not the CIA.
Anyone else notice his name is misspelled in the header?
[OOPS! Fixed – .ed]
There won’t be any pardon. Even Bush isn’t that stupid or tone deaf…….is he???
The Armitage things is what frosts my balls so much. If Ms, Palme was so damned important or outing her was such a terrible crime, then why didn’t Fitzgerald go after Armitage?
Armitage said he told Fitzgerald that he was Novacks source almost immediatly after it happened, but was told to keep quiet….why?
And, for those who like to claim that justice isn’t applied evenly in this country….well, I have to agree……Both Libby, and Clinton lied in depositions to a Grand Jury, in a Federal investigation. One is going to serve 2 and a half years in prison and the other served 2 and a half years as President.
This isn’t an excuse for Libby lying, it’s a question of why certain people on this blog can only see crime when it’s committed by those they oppose politically.
Great point #33. Fitzgerald should have gone after Armitage, but my guess is that case would have been harder to win.
#32 if we don’t punish people who lie under oath, then what is the point of swearing people in?
I agree with you. Perjury should be treated like a felony, but it rarely is. That psychotic stripper who accused the Dukies should have had to be sworn in before claiming she was raped. The fact that she is free today sets a horrible double standard.
Going after Libby for perjury just tells me that this whole thing was politically and not legally motivated just like it was with Clinton. Go for the easy target and not the guilty one. Yeesh.
#25 – I would mostly agree with you, however, don’t completely discount the Sporkked up system dominated by two huge, corrupt organizations that basically select the candidates we get to vote for.
Wow, how ignorant most of you are on this case. Where are you getting this info Faux News? Armitage was given immunity in exchange for cooperation, hence the reason for not going after Armitage. Plame was definitely covert, her own testimony before Congress recently explained how covert. Libby is going to jail for protecting Dick Cheney, who ordered the outing in the first place.
#20 – “This is all about the Clinton pardon of Marc Rich. Libby was Rich’s lawyer, and Fitzgerald is getting payback.”
Oy. Fitzgerald is a lifelong Republican, from what I hear. What payback would he be getting?
I’m a liberal, I guess, though not as defined in your Rush Limbaugh dictionary. But I’m against sleaze on either side of the aisle. I’m glad Jefferson is gonna go to jail – and he is, for a long time.
A federal prosecutor claims Libby lied. An impartial jury agreed. The judge, during sentencing, stated that he concurred. Only a thoughtless partisan idiot would claim that he doesn’t deserve what he got.
The big question – and one that was ignored in last night’s newscasts – is, why was he lying?
The Republicans pander to small minds like yours; meanwhile they’re screwing you blind in every way possible. Wake up and smell the manure.
And two things about a pardon – one, it makes it difficult if not impossible for Libby to take the 5th if asked to testify by Congress; and two, it would most likely send Bush’s approval ratings into the teens.
#35: I shall amend my previous post by saying “. . .was misspelled. . .” as the error has been fixed. 😀
#30, Gary Marks, “Bush has never shied away from exercising his duly recognized constitutional powers, plus a few we didn’t know he had.”
Astute. Wish more folks would pay attention to this, no telling what 2009 will bring.
Thank you, BubbaRay. Unfortunately, I’m thinking that whichever party holds the presidency after the election, the newly expanded and usurped Executive powers will eventually come to be seen as rightful. It might take a true constitutional crisis to stop or reverse that process, and the Supreme Court might not be willing to assert final authority with its new conservative makeup. Justice Alito foresaw that possibility during his Senate confirmation hearings, affirming his belief that the Supreme Court doesn’t always have the authority to be the final interpreter of limits on Executive powers.
Power is a very difficult thing to relinquish. There are always so many convenient reasons not to do so.
#46
Good point but remember that is why Congress is the only body allowed to grant funding and the bigger danger to me is how a more partisan party aligned Congress will become complicit in that executive being more powerful just to follow the party line. The current path of party politics in my opinion will create a greater challenge to democracy as we practice it then any single politician, unless of course some one reincarnates Napoleon or something.
Noam, not liking the Rich pardon, I don’t care if Libby goes to jail. However, that doesn’t necessarily make the prosecution right. Fitzgerald strikes me as a good guy, but arguing at sentencing and at trial about charges that he never brought, claiming that Libby outed Valerie Plame, that was wrong. I say it’s payback because Fitzgerald was opposed to the Rich pardon, and I think he was the prosecutor on that case too.
#40…ArieneB….No he wasn’t…..Armitage was NEVER given immunity. I don’t know where you get your info…maybe CNN???