Libby Gets A Little Help From His Friends

More Than $3M Donated To Legal Fund For Indicted Former Cheney Aide

(CBS)  By CBSNews.com's Jennifer Hoar

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I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby won't lack powerful friends or financial resources when he goes on trial on Tuesday. A private fund set up to pay the legal bills of the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney has collected more than $3 million since Libby's indictment 14 months ago.

Libby is charged with obstruction of justice and perjury in connection with Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation into who disclosed the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame to Robert Novak. Novak outed Plame in his nationally syndicated newspaper column in July 2003.

Plame’s husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, has claimed that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence in order to justify the invasion of Iraq, and that the outing of his wife was payback from an angry White House.

It was widely believed that Libby was Novak’s source, but the case took a dramatic turn last August when it was learned that the conservative columnist’s primary source was then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

“I screwed up,” Armitage told CBS News’ David Martin.

But the indictment that forced Libby to resign as Cheney’s right-hand man remained in place because he is charged with impeding Fitzgerald’s investigation, rather than leaking Plame’s name to reporters.

Nevertheless, the Armitage disclosure further strengthened the belief among Libby’s many influential friends and supporters that he is an innocent man whose life has been turned upside-down by unjust accusations.

One of those friends is Dick Carlson, a former ambassador and Republican stalwart who has headed the Voice of America and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Carlson’s son is Tucker Carlson, the conservative TV pundit.)

Like many of Libby’s well-heeled friends, Carlson wasted no time in coming to his aid. On the day the indictment was announced in October 2005, Carlson said: “I sent a check by courier to Scooter’s house in McLean with the assumption that he’d need it.”

That check was the impetus for what quickly morphed into The Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust. A source close to the trust said more than $3 million has been collected to pay Libby's legal bills. The public face of the defense fund is a cadre of Republican heavyweights that include Mary Matalin, Steve Forbes and Jack Kemp.

Another Libby stalwart is former CIA director Jim Woolsey, who has known Scooter for years.

“I would be sympathetic to anyone who was indicted for non-violation of a statute,” Woolsey explains, referring to a provision of the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which makes it a federal crime to reveal the identity of a covert intelligence agent. “He was not indicted for any underlying crime,” Woolsey says.

Matalin has called the case against Libby a "grave injustice."

Following the Armitage disclosure, Matalin began an online missive to donors by saying, "We now know who disclosed the identity of Valerie Plame. We now know that Scooter had nothing to do with it."

Because the defense fund is privately administered and has been set up for someone who is no longer a public official, there is no requirement to disclose the identity of donors.

“There is no law requiring disclosure,” says former House counsel Stan Brand, “there is no advantage [for Libby] to be more transparent unless he wanted to get back into public life.”

Brand estimates that Libby will need an eye-popping $5 million to cover his legal costs, which also include a civil suit filed against him.

Despite this mountain of legal bills, Libby is lucky to keep the company he does. Some in the Clinton administration who came under investigation during the Whitewater era, like then-White House communications director George Stephanopoulos, weren't as fortunate.

They had huge legal bills, Brand said, but they didn't have the luxuries of defense funds to foot those costs.

People like Stephanopoulos either “weren’t high-profile enough” at the time, or they “didn’t have friends with either the money or the inclination” to form a defense fund, Brand said.

[george2221]

Cheney's Halliburton money in action.

[george2221]

When he gets the pardon from Bush, I be shocked. LOL.

It's funny watching the Republicanazi's swing into action to protect one of their own.

It's a shame they hate America and support this moron for committing a crime - that of obstruction of justice and perjury in relation to the investigation.

What is even funnier is that Woolsey and Matalin, two Republicanazi's, are defending him.

Woolsey said:

"He was not indicted for any underlying crime".

Really? How does obstruction of justice and perjury sound? Because that's what he's been charged with.

[luvny-2009]

George2221 - EXACTLY
All the rich and guilty are throwing their oil money in the Kitty so they can save everyones a$$. There will be so much lying in that trial. If Bush pardons any of them then thats BS and points the finger right back at him. Actually I was waiting for him to pardon his ol buddy Kenny boy but so they say he's gone.

[dallison7]

Powerful friends with a three million dollar defense fund to his rescue. This guy obviously knows where a great deal of the bodies are buried.

[dallison7]

please go to www.impeachbush.org

[luvny-2009]

dallison7 - Thanks...I voted and sent the link to others!

[bluestardad]

he will get a pardon from his buddy bush too!

[inventagod]

The Circus is coming to town.

If you aren't guilty, why obstruct?

[jeffk1623]

dallison7

Thanks for the link. My wife and I just voted and sent it to all our family and friends. Is there an impeach Cheney site also. I would hate to have that evil *** as president.

[kphx]

Libby was charged with obstruction of justice. But where is the real culprit of this case .... "The person who outed the identity of a covert CIA officer". Isn't that what this case is all about ?

We got Libby for obstruction of justice. Well the job is done. Let Fitzerald get one of the top appointments within the administration. Hooray .. he didn't get the real culprits at the top of the food chain.

[hungry1968]

As the OJ Simpson case proved - money can buy your freedom. That's exactly what's going to happen here. Politicians and the rich can just buy their way out of anything, while the common people go to jail for the stupidest little things, that a public defender couldn't get them out of. Welcome to the United Plutocracy of America.

[blondmadison]

www.impeachbush.org GOOD SITE!! CAST YOUR VOTE AND JOIN THE MARCH --

Why is this guy receiving 3 million dollars for his defense fund? If he cannot afford his legal defense fees, why is a public defender unacceptable for the wealthy but just fine for the average tax payer??

The time has come for the peoples to take notice and stop coming up with hopeless helpless excuses for why they cannot make this sh-t stop.

It's simple. Country Home Edition to the rescue.

You know how that program with the guy named Ty and his crew go and remove old homes and replace them with great new homes?

Well for the wealthy, and only the wealthy cause they are sooooooo suchhhhhh greeeeat people---we need groups of crews, multiple crews to go like thieves in the night with music like oh, Purple Rain playing sweetly--and we need to like Santa's helpers, remove their palatial estates and replace them with gardens.

We need to take our country home edition crews to their office buildings and again, like little elves in the night, remove the building and all the equipment--and replace it with beautiful gardens.

zero explanation and this should be done on a Sunday evening about 2-4 a.m. best time.

Get your groups organized, this should be very fun and satisfying. Remove the props where the wealthy hide. We need to see these diseased folks for what they are.

[notblue]

The only crooked person in this case is the prosecuter for being compelled by the left to chase ghosts. The election is over now it's time to stop wasting tax payers dollars on witch hunts.

[marcodele]

"The only crooked person in this case is the prosecuter for being compelled by the left to chase ghosts. The election is over now it's time to stop wasting tax payers dollars on witch hunts."

Wow, I wish the neocons would have felt that way when Ken Starr was spending six years and over sixty million taxpayer dollars trying to find something illegal about a twenty year old Arkansas land deal.

What hypocrisy.

[lieberman18]

marcodete,

the only hypocrite i see here is you, bud.

The country would have been better off if perverted Bill had been impeached and thrown in jail. We would not have had 2000 dead Serbians - unjustly killed by U.S. bombs that should have been hitting Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan.

Maybe Gore would have been allowed to display some mettle - or would he have been the same-old sh*t, who knows. But we ended up with almost 2 more years of the pervert and coward - who rained bombs on people who were NOT a threat to America - but lobbed one measly missile strike on those who were - and refused to take further action when O'Neill and Richard Clarke urged him to do so.

Typical Neo-Fascist rubbish, Marco. Get an education, you need it.

[condumism]

Libby lied, Bush lied, thousands died, and the self-centered scum of the earth Republicon send money to defend their misdeeds. How pathetic can any one group of self-centered people get?

[nothappyatall]

There's moveon.org that seems to be an impeech these morons proactive site..
Libby's defense fund, LOL what a joke, and THIS is the SAME guy who wrote and published a sordidly graphic book "The Apprentice" in which every imagineable seks act happens, including inces.t bestialit.y and pedophili.a

[marcodele]

Dear Lieberman:

Look up the definition of the word hypocrite, then kiss my Masters Degree.

[marcodele]

"We would not have had 2000 dead Serbians - unjustly killed by U.S. bombs that should have been hitting Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan."

Again, your hypocrisy is overwhelming. Do you suppose the "collateral damage" deaths of over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, men, women and children, is somehow commendable? They were not a threat to us either, but your idiot idol Junior and the rest of you neocon lemmings seem to overlook those facts.

[afsc30574]

Alas, poor George, watch him on the network news to see how he suffers. How about all the money the Clinton's raised for their own legal defense(s)? How is it that the money raised for the former president was just glossed over in this article?

[marcodele]

Neocon Survival Tactics 101: When the actions of this bumbling administration are indefensible, refer back to Clinton.

[j-whitman]

Lieberman,,, You still spewing your spittle ?? - Clinton isn't the one who's destroyed America's National Security,,, nor is he the one who has disrupted the entire Mid-East Region,,, Clinton isn't the one who keeps lying to Americans,,, Clinton isn't the one who is mismanaging our Nation & it's Military

Clinton isn't the one saying "Congress or the American People can't stop me"

[j-whitman]

Lieberman,,,,
Clinton doesn't say he talks to God - That was George W. Bush,, The Green River Killer,, & the Bind Torture and Kill serial murderers..

[randalds]

I love Libby. He's the weakest link. Once he realizes that his so-called friend who raised the money for him are NOT the ones who'll be bent over in a shower in prison by rapists with really large organs, he'll roll like the slimy little lizard that he is. Either that or Cheney will shut him up for good. Heart attack anyone?

Think about it Libby! Do you really want to be someone else's *** other then Cheney's? Or maybe have your wife, kids and grand kids attend your funeral because he orders it? Make the deal as*shole. You're not up to "hard" time.

[j-whitman]

Scooter's just a typical republican,, Only with lawyers more powerefull than OJ's... When faced with truth & accountability - They lie to protect thier own ***

[valendug]

lieberwoman, just go away. next, instead of trying to be an independant, you'll align with the republiKKKcons. You'd be like McCain: too *** old and croak in office. Just go away!

[oleander8]

"Once he realizes that his so-called friend who raised the money for him are NOT the ones who'll be bent over in a shower in prison by rapists with really large organs..."
Posted by RandalDS at 02:36 PM : Jan 15, 2007

Libby will never be bent over in any shower in any prison. If he gets ANYTHING it will be country-club-prison. And all his financial supporters will be assured that he will keep his mouth shut.

His trial should never have been postponed this long simply because his lawyers said they had previous committments. Politics as usual.

[j-whitman]

Valendug --
During WW 2, Evangelists, Methodists, Lutherans all believed Jew's where the cause of World Problems both in Germany & America... Go figure

[luvny-2009]

I hope Libby get's nailed and takes Cheney and Dumbya with him to prision and Big Bubba decides to make the 3 of them his new girlfriends.

[susan2589]

What hatred! He was not the one to leak the name, Richard Armitage did. So now he has alot of legal bills. Thanks to being tried in the media. Good for his friends. And while you all condemn his legal defense fund, how did you feel about Clinton's? I think he raised over 8 million.

[j-whitman]

Susan,,,,
Clinton isn't the one who destroyed America's National Security & disrupted the entire Middle East Region
Clinton isn't the one who keeps giving our troops plans destined for failure
Clinton isn't the one now waging war on Iran with our troops spread out elswhere.

Clinton isn't the one telling us "Congress and American People Can't Stop Me"

[susan2589]

I thought the issue was who leaked a CIA employee's name and legal defense funds.

[rafterman1]

What hatred! He was not the one to leak the name, Richard Armitage did. So now he has alot of legal bills. Thanks to being tried in the media. Good for his friends. And while you all condemn his legal defense fund, how did you feel about Clinton's? I think he raised over 8 million.

Funny you should mention Clinton. Libby isn't being tried for leaking her name, he is being tried for perjury - which was what Clinton was impeached for, no? Oh, I forgot. Rules and laws about lying are different for Dems than they are for Repubs.

[rafterman1]

"I thought the issue was who leaked a CIA employee's name and legal defense funds."

It was. But the Bush administration put up a wall of silence so powerful, the best they could get was obstruction and perjury.

[j-whitman]

Ratterman,,,, Clintons lie was over a BJ -- Bush's lies cost American lives - Big difference don't you think ?

[j-whitman]

Ratterman,,,, Bush's lies also destroys our National Security

[skyk-2009]

In our brush with Fascism American's have paid a very high price indeed. This slimy Fascist is just one example of the corruption and hatred of the American People held by the Bush Gang. Anyone who thinks these people actually care about or freedom and our country are living in a dream world and know nothing of history. Disgusting bunch headed by Sir Lies-A-Lot!!

[dallison7]

FOR SALE: ONE GEORGE W. BUSH DOLL
It runs in circles, falls on it's face then points at the Clinton doll.

[rafterman1]

j-whitman,

I think you misunderstood. The first part of my last post was a quote from someone else, not mine. The second part I meant that when Clinton lied he got impeached but when Libby lied, he gets the "oh what a poor victim he is" treament.

dallison7 wrote:

"FOR SALE: ONE GEORGE W. BUSH DOLL
It runs in circles, falls on it's face then points at the Clinton doll."

lol.

[cruzn66]

So I guess the people who made up the grand jury which agreed to indict Scooter was just a group of Democratic puppets. Look... the man is being held accountable for statements in which the prosecuter felt were false. There is a reason we have a legal system in this country. Let him face that system and present his case. Don't blame the media, the Democrats, or anyone else for the fact that this administration has opted to operate at an extremely secretive level. And in this country, we still have the right to follow up when we feel that ANYONE is operating outside the law of the land. The system may not be perfect, but its all we have unless we become a nation of chaos, similar to what we see in Iraq. If he lied, he will have to face the music, if not, maybe he needs to pick his friends more wisely. He's not the first person in politics to suffer from guilt by association.

susan2589 wrote:

"What hatred! He was not the one to leak the name, Richard Armitage did. So now he has alot of legal bills. Thanks to being tried in the media. Good for his friends. And while you all condemn his legal defense fund, how did you feel about Clinton's? I think he raised over 8 million."

Libby isn't facing court for releasing the name - he's facing court for perjury and obstruction of justice.

Something Republicanazis fail to understand.

[feelfree1]

Re: "Libby Gets A Little Help From His Friends"

"Scooter" to Israel: thanks!

[bluestardad]

This guy is never going to see a day in Jail Bush will pardon him!