Report: Cheney Lobbied Hard For Libby Pardon

By: Brian Montopoli
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(AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

In the last days of the previous administration, Vice President Dick Cheney aggressively lobbied President George W. Bush to pardon Lewis (Scooter) Libby and was "furious" when the president would not do so, according to the New York Daily News.

Libby, who had been Cheney's chief of staff and close adviser, was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice for his role in the leaking the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to the public.

(Getty Images/Win McNamee)

President Bush commuted Libby's 30-month sentence – keeping him from going to jail – but Cheney reportedly wanted a full pardon for Libby, who still had to pay a hefty fine, was disbarred from practicing law and lost the right to vote.

Cheney "went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush," one source told the Daily News. "He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in."

Another said Cheney was "furious with Bush" for opting not to pardon Libby. Had the president done so, he would likely have faced outrage for exonerating the most prominent figure to be punished in the Plame affair.

As the Daily News notes, Cheney expressed his frustration over the matter in a Weekly Standard interview just one day after he abdicated the vice presidency.

Libby "was the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice, and I strongly believe that he deserved a presidential pardon," said Cheney. "Obviously, I disagree with President Bush's decision."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by woozybarnes February 18, 2009 4:38 PM EST: Good for Bush. Maybe he was finally beginning to wise up to Cheney and his cronies. I bet if he had it to do over again he would not have picked Cheney.
Posted by Petesis at 07:50 PM : Feb 17, 2009

Bush didn''t pick Cheney. It was the other way around; Reply to this comment


by cdfoxtrot101 February 18, 2009 12:02 AM EST: I wish George would have pardoned Libby. Clinton pardoned Rich, so at least Bush would have done something not as bad as Clinton.
George W. Bush was the greatest president ever. Ronald Regan was just as good.

Posted by platteman

Marc Rich isn''t a great fellow, but pardoning him is in no way, shape or form, equivalent to pardoning Libby. Rich did nothing to jeopardize national security or put US agents at risk.

And what makes you think Bush is so great? If you believe in all this national security B.S., how could you possibly condone the actions of Cheney and Libby?; Reply to this comment


by cdfoxtrot101 February 17, 2009 11:59 PM EST: Plame outed herself years ago. Everyone in Washington D.C. knew she was a spy. So what. Her husband, jumpin Joe Wilson was a front man for the limo Liberal left wing nuts.

Posted by platteman

Except that she didn''t "out" herself. The word only got out when Cheney and his cohorts publicized it as revenge for her husband debunking one of the absurd stories they peddled to help justify the illegal war.; Reply to this comment


by cdfoxtrot101 February 17, 2009 11:58 PM EST: Cheney = S C U M; Reply to this comment


by platteman February 17, 2009 11:40 PM EST: Plame outed herself years ago. Everyone in Washington D.C. knew she was a spy. So what. Her husband, jumpin Joe Wilson was a front man for the limo Liberal left wing nuts.; Reply to this comment


by platteman February 17, 2009 11:38 PM EST: I wish George would have pardoned Libby. Clinton pardoned Rich, so at least Bush would have done something not as bad as Clinton.
George W. Bush was the greatest president ever. Ronald Regan was just as good.; Reply to this comment


by petesis February 17, 2009 10:50 PM EST: Good for Bush. Maybe he was finally beginning to wise up to Cheney and his cronies. I bet if he had it to do over again he would not have picked Cheney.; Reply to this comment


by wagolf1 February 17, 2009 10:46 PM EST: Treason; Treason; Treason:
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Pearl.

Investigate
Try
Convict
Execute (rose garden)

Please.

Please stop pouring my tax dollars down the rat hole of Israel.; Reply to this comment