Libby Guilty In CIA Leak Case

(CBS/AP)  Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted Tuesday of lying and obstructing an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.

Libby is the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s. The conviction focused renewed attention on the Bush administration's much-criticized handling of weapons of mass destruction intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.

The verdict culminated a nearly four-year investigation into how CIA official Valerie Plame's name was leaked to reporters in 2003. The trial revealed how top members of the Bush administration were eager to discredit Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the administration of doctoring prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Libby, who was once Cheney's most trusted adviser and an assistant to Mr. Bush, was expressionless as the jury verdict was announced on the 10th day of deliberations. His wife choked out a sob and sank her head.

"I am very disappointed with the verdict," Vice President Cheney said in a written statement. "I am saddened for Scooter and his family. As I have said before, Scooter has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction through many years of public service."

He faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced June 5, but under federal sentencing guidelines is likely to face far less. Defense attorneys immediately promised to ask for a new trial or appeal the conviction.

"We have every confidence Mr. Libby ultimately will be vindicated," defense attorney Theodore Wells told a throng of reporters. "We believe Mr. Libby is totally innocent and that he didn't do anything wrong."

Libby did not speak to reporters.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has led the leak investigation, said no additional charges would be filed. That means nobody will be charged with the leak and Libby, who was not the source for the original column outing Plame, will be the only one to face trial.

"The results are actually sad," Fitzgerald said. "It's sad that we had a situation where a high-level official person who worked in the office of the vice president obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that it had not happened, but it did."

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In fall 2005, late "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley reported on the harm Valerie Plame's outing had done to her and the CIA.

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The verdict is a political blow to the administration, reports CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, and so great was the interest in the outcome of the trial that President Bush watched live reports of it on TV in the Oval Office.

A spokeswoman said Mr. Bush accepted the jury's verdict and was saddened for Libby and his family — but because it's still an ongoing criminal proceeding the White House declined further comment.

Democrats reacted quickly to the verdict.

"I welcome the jury's verdict," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a statement. "It's about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics."

Reid called on President Bush to pledge "not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct."

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[crime_waves]

All that think this has nothing to do with the leak,Get a clue.Fitzgerald's investigation led to the question, which led to the lying, which led to,investigation.Cheney got documents from Italian intel (Very good friend of Bush) which was fraudulent.Cheney requested an inquiry to Africa for yellow cake.Out come, NO Yellow cake). Wilson comes back states the facts, Cheney & his administration did not agree.He went ahead & addressed the nation with false information. Wilson writing an oped piece stating the facts. Cheney smearing Wilson, inquiring about his position with the CIA. Was told Wilson's wife was an under cover CIA agent.
Cheney calling on Rove & Scooter, plus,plus to leak info to reporters per approval of the PREZ per his napkin notes.Outing of Valerie Plame and Brewster Jennings Co.(Also Undercover organization dealing with Nuclear and other investigative ops).
Endangerment of Valerie & every single person she's come in contact with. Then investigation to
The Scooter,Scutt Libby to lie under oath.
On a technicality, this is only about lying,the BiG, biggy, Bigger picture, it's about the whole *** thing. The reason for war, the leak, lies, plundering of our tax dollars, murders of our soldiers, murders of Iraqis & Corporations getting $$.

[crime_waves]

All that think this has nothing to do with the leak,Get a clue.Fitzgerald's investigation led to the question, which led to the lying, which led to,investigation.Cheney got documents from Italian intel (Very good friend of Bush) which was fraudulent.Cheney requested an inquiry to Africa for yellow cake.Out come, NO Yellow cake). Wilson comes back states the facts, Cheney & his administration did not agree.He went ahead & addressed the nation with false information. Wilson writing an oped piece stating the facts. Cheney smearing Wilson, inquiring about his position with the CIA. Was told Wilson's wife was an under cover CIA agent.
Cheney calling on Rove & Scooter, plus,plus to leak info to reporters per approval of the PREZ per his napkin notes.Outing of Valerie Plame and Brewster Jennings Co.(Also Undercover organization dealing with Nuclear and other investigative ops).
Endangerment of Valerie & every single person she's come in contact with. Then investigation to
The Scooter,Scutt Libby to lie under oath.
On a technicality, this is only about lying,the BiG, biggy, Bigger picture, it's about the whole *** thing. The reason for war, the leak, lies, plundering of our tax dollars, murders of our soldiers, murders of Iraqis & Corporations getting $$.

[karlimhof]

We haven't even gotten to the BIG LIE, yet.

j0hnwi11iams


Right you are - and that is the big question, whether we ever will.

Events and time are already clouding the origins of this vile misuse of American trust. The debacle now resulting from the unjustified war in Iraq is continuing;

- escalation of violence in Iraq
- the rattle of war sabres in Iran
- covert activities in Syria, and Iran
- millions of refugees flooding neighboring countries and unbalancing their political stability

Soon, perhaps, how all this began, may become of secondary concern to Americans as we are forced to face the storm unleashed in the Middle East by this reckless Administration.

If we are confronted with new terrorist activities here at home, it will be a direct result of this insane neocon Bush War - and not because of the genetic makeup of the Muslim world.

The death and destruction we have allowed to happen in Iraq has affected every family - and has given birth to a hate which will last generations

[firststate]

"Note that when Bill Clinton got caught sodomizing an intern they questioned whether that was really *** :)

Neo-commies always try to ramp things up for Republicans and ramp things down for Democrats."

Posted by Jebby_One

It takes a cast iron pair to say that things are ramped up for Republicans and down for Democrats. Either you were intentionally trying to ramp things up for Clinton or you are so ignorant as to be a waste of time. Your attempt to sensationalize a BJ by changing it to sodomizing an intern is pathetic. Either you are so uneducated that you don't know what sodomy is and can't operate a dictionary, but many of you neo-conies just try to ramp things up on a Democrat. Neo-cons are notorious for using words with highly charged connotations in their sound bytes. The difference is that they aren't usually so Foxually, since the neo-cons get their so-called facts from Fox, challenged. As a rule, right wing-nuts are right on top of the hole sodomy thing.

Ignoring the neo-con Rethuglicon attempted distraction from the subject at hand, the scooter was convicted on 4 of the 5 charges in the indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice. If he's stupid enough to take the fall for the latest incarnation of Trickey-Dickey, oh well. Maybe scooter should work with Haggard or Foley before his prison engagement.

[frankly6]

Jebby_One

Better go back to the shallow end of the pool junior. You clearly can't swim.

Your post is hopelessly deficient of facts.

Anemic.

[long_rider]

Patrick Fitzgerald will make a deal with Libby to get cheney. cheney has to go before the chimp goes.

Under the Patriot act, if treason is brought into play, cheney and the chimp could wind up in GETMO, Cuba - no lawyer, no trial, and be held indefinitely.

LOVE IT. Go get'um Fitzgerald. Just think, the chimp butt buddies with Arabs he put in jail.

[jebby_one]

haaaa ...

Liberal neo-commies keep calling this a spy-leak case when it was an obstruction of justice case.

Note that when Bill Clinton got caught sodomizing an intern they questioned whether that was really *** :)

Neo-commies always try to ramp things up for Republicans and ramp things down for Democrats.

[clemenhagen1]

Eye on the ball people. What does anyone with a brain realize? That Brewster-Jennings, a CIA-front company and an ACTIVE (thus covert) operation did get exposed in Novak's column. The deliberate leak of Brewster-Jennings did compromise national security with respect to issues of nuclear weapons proliferation and did result in CIA operatives and collaborators lives being jeopardized (some were in fact killed according to noted CIA experts). This whole sordid affair does constitute treason, and numerous members of the administration (Armitage, Rove, Libby, Hadley, Cheney, etc) did knowingly and willingly participate in the smear campaign. Treason counts as treason, regardless of partisan persuasion. Justice will not be totally served unless Fitzpatrick can bring the rest to account for their actions as traitors. The fact Bush hasn't fired the lot of them for disloyalty to our country during a time of war speaks volumes about him. Perhaps Fitzpatrick has other ideas...did anyone else notice him specifically say to the press he would cooperate with the Congress if they chose to pursue impeachment against Cheney?

[j0hnwi11iams]

Imagine that. A CON artist found guilty of LYING.

We haven't even gotten to the BIG LIE, yet.

[frosteternal]

"frosteternal=brainfreeze"
LOL
That's actually pretty funny.
Treason is not a felony. It's a seperate class of crime, all by itself, and worse than a felony. (Obviously.)
But once again, I point out - the trial was NOT a treason trial, and to call it so is simply hyperbole.
By the way, I don't care one way or the other about the results of this trial, I just think that the flavour of the article is one of unequivocal bias. I prefer facts, not opinions in my NEWS. (Not a fan of o'reilly either, way too sensational.) I simply think most people don't realise how much "opinion" is dressed up as "fact" in today's "news" stories. It is important to pay attention to such things, so as to make an informed opinion of one's own, not simply swallow whatever the article-writer wants to feed you.