Libby Drops Appeal Of Spy Leak Conviction

White House Aide Was Found Guilty Of Perjury, Obstruction; Sentence Was Commuted By Bush

(AP)  Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is dropping his appeal in the CIA leak case, his attorney said Monday.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction for lying about his conversations with reporters about outed CIA operative Valerie Plame.

"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence," attorney Theodore Wells said. "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."

President Bush commuted Libby's 30-month jail sentence in July. Libby paid a $250,000 fine and must serve two years' probation. Libby remains a convicted felon, but Mr. Bush could issue a full pardon as his administration winds down.

Wells said he has not discussed a possible pardon with the president and does not know what Mr. Bush will do.

Libby was the only person charged in the investigation into the leak of Plame's identity. Nobody was charged with the leak itself, which Plame alleges was politically motivated. Her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was a vocal critic of the Bush administration's war policy.

The decision to drop his appeal is also a tactical one. Even if a federal appeals court overturned Libby's conviction, it would only lead to a new trial. If Libby were convicted again, a presidential commutation wouldn't apply, meaning he might have to serve jail time. And by that time, President Bush likely would be out of office.

"The appeal would lead only to a retrial," Wells said, "a process that would last even beyond the two years of supervised release, cost millions of dollars more than the fine he has already paid, and entail many more hundreds of hours preparing for an all-consuming appeal and retrial."

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has said the leak investigation is closed.

[antoniof123]

Of course he will get a full pardon why not if he doesn''t then he will just talk. There is not statue of limitation on treason.

[inventagod]

Hmmm, ''All the Presidents Slimeballs''

Soon to be a major motion picture...

[marcodele]

Why waste money on an appeal when he knows he will be pardoned.

It''s a shame Ken Lay died. He would''ve gotten a pardon too.

Friends Of George can pretty much do whatever they want. Right Karl?

[b-easy63]

Bush told him to wait for the pardon. Not good to remind the public of yet more duplicity and corruption of the Rep.Gov, right before an election.

[realpatriot1]

If I was wrongly convicted I would defend my name even if I did have a Presidential pardon. After all, it''s not his money that''s paying the legal expenses.

He knows he screwed America and got away with it because of the Traitor-in-Chief who released the classified information in the first place.

[rushlimpdrug]

They''re all a waste of flesh.

Repubs did nothing but give America 9/11 and
introduce FEAR into our society.
Of course what do you expect when Nixon is their hero.
Let''s keep destroying tapes, being loyal to the party (rather than to the country), etc., etc.
So sad.

[Krazcarl]

One thing I''m curious about I wonder what happened to all her contacts in the spie world. I''m sure after the leak they pulled up the microscope and looked for the loose screws. So yes he more than likely is repondsible for some folks demise.

[mudrose-2009]

Friends Of George can pretty much do whatever they want. Right Karl?

Posted by marcodele

Gee, I was going to say the same of the Clintoids. Especially after all the FBI files that they took to the WH to review on the Republicans. No charges there. They usually get carte blance for stealing, lying and just about anything else.

[formrusmcsgt]

"Even if a federal appeals court overturned Libby''s conviction, it would only lead to a new trial. If Libby were convicted again, a presidential commutation wouldn''t apply, meaning he might have to serve jail time. And by that time, President Bush likely would be out of office."

Therein lies the reason the appeal was really dropped. No "get out of jail free" card next time around.

[excoachken]

Good deceit is like good comedy, it''s all about the timing. Scooter just happens to pick the Michael Vick sentencing date to drop his appeal, knowing that most of the people will not even notice this step in the cover up. His agreement to lie for the Cowardly Cowboy and Cheyneydadick fulfills the Prez''s instructions on how to get a pardon while the Fascist regime is still in office. We must never forget the crimes of these bums and the innocent people that they have caused to die, even if it takes years to bring them to justice. Now, we know where the term Scooter comes from, just lie and "scoot" away from the consequences.

[meboard]

Let''s see here... Cheney uses Libby to leak a CIA agent''s identity to the press to get back at her husband. The CIA says they destroyed tapes to %u201Cprotect the identity of it interrogators%u201D. Yep, good old Republican%u2019t hypocrisy in action. The only question I have left is%u2026what would jesus do?

[j-whitman]

Bush calls his dog Scooter for the brown streaks he leaves on the Oval Office carpet

[s1ckd09]

Let''''s see here... Cheney uses Libby to leak a CIA agent''''s identity to the press to get back at her husband. The CIA says they destroyed tapes to %u201Cprotect the identity of it interrogators%u201D. Yep, good old Republican%u2019t hypocrisy in action. The only question I have left is%u2026what would jesus do?


-----------------------------------

Posted by MEboard at 02:15 PM : Dec 10, 2007

Let''s see here... A moron who doesn''t care about the facts in the case keeps repeating the well documented lie that Libby or Cheney or anyone else but Richard Armitage leaked anything. Not to mention NOBODY was ever charged for leaking anything! Yep, good ol'' liberal lies, deceit, and talking points in action!

[s1ckd09]

"Nobody was charged with the leak itself, which Plame alleges was politically motivated."

Richard Armitage admitted to leaking the name! Why is this STILL being discussed as something that came out of anyone else''s mouth but his?

[formrusmcsgt]

Not to mention NOBODY was ever charged for leaking anything! Yep, good ol'''' liberal lies, deceit, and talking points in action!

Posted by s1ckd09 at 02:28 PM : Dec 10, 2007

Correct. No one was charged for the actual leak. Libby was an indicted and convicted of obstruction of justice, or in plain english, lying to investigators.

[undermyboot]

Yes, Bush and his cronies have done a great jonb of hiding the truth and slipping by without criminal indictment. But we all know their leak of Palme and the damage to CIA resources was WRONG. Where are the vaunted Republican "principles"? "It''s OK because we got away with it" is hardly a principled stand.

[sgtrds]

Why should he bother. Bush has already draw up the papers pardoning him and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Feith, etc., etc., etc. This is not a presidential administration, it''s a crime in progress and Bush has the power to pardon all of his criminal buddies and will. Of course that bas***** Bush should remember that he can''t pardon himslef.

[bpai99]

You won''t have a chance to vote for Bush again, no matter what.

Don''t worry, however - Bush will pardon Libby after the 2008 election and before his terms ends as surely as night follows day. He has played this one perfectly:

1. By commuting Libby''s sentence, Bush ensured Libby won''t spend a day in jail.

2. By not pardoning him yet, Bush made sure Libby cannot be compelled to testify in another investigation (say, of Cheney). Once he''s pardoned, Libby cannot invoke the 5th because he has no risk of self-incrimination and could be forced to testify. This way, he can still take the 5th and protect others in the administrations.

3. Once Bush''s term is over, it''s more unlikely any major investigations of the previous administration will gather much steam. So, pardoning Libby shortly before the clock runs out runs little risk.

Bush played this one like a chess grandmaster - he knows exactly what he''s doing here.

[l8c6]

Wells said he has not discussed a possible pardon with the president and does not know what Mr. Bush will do

Another lie. He knows he won''t pay the price for his crimes. Does this mean the right wing fascist "conservative" with everyone but themselves corporate global elite will raise issue with Libby ever voting again since he is a felon? Did the other right wing fascist republican felons in the current fascist regime not vote in the last election due to their felon status? Corporate republicans only cry foul when a poor person is a felon. The ruling corporate elite self-entitled through religiosity are unaccountable. King Ludwig had religious shrines in his castles bestowing divine entitlement unto himself to rule in his self-serving manner. Huckabee et. al. are snakes in the grass.

[l8c6]

VALERIE PLAME WILSON = TRAITOR


Posted by userverify

VALERIE PLAME WILSON = TRAITOR TO THE TRAITORS

[sgtrds]

Bush played this one like a chess grandmaster - he knows exactly what he''''s doing here.

Posted by bpai99 at 03:35 PM : Dec 10, 2007

I disagree. Bush is a barely functional mongoloid idiot. This has the real presidents fingerprints all over it. President Richard Bruce Cheney.

[undermyboot]

The fascist Right talk machine parrots here are back to personal attacks & outright lies.

Palme was a respected expert in WMD and ran a WMD proliferation section in the CIA. A critical job in today''''s world. She was undercover until a few years ago as an "energy analyst" for the company "Brewster Jennings & Associates", which the CIA later acknowledged was a front company for undercover investigations. Within the C.I.A., the exposure of Ms. Plame is considered an even greater instance of treachery than publicly known. Ms. Plame worked overseas, had "nonofficial cover", and was what in C.I.A. parlance is called a NOC, the most difficult kind of false identity for the agency to create. While most undercover agency officers disguise their real profession through cover as US embassy diplomats or other US government employees, Ms. Plame''s cover had no diplomatic protection. Intelligence experts say that NOCs have especially dangerous jobs.

When she was exposed so was the cover company. All agents who worked for, and foreign nationals & spies who had contact with, the company were compromised.

Stick that in your fascist pipe and smoke it. Come on Bushie fascist parrots. Tell us how much you love "the soldiers" in the CIA who put their lives on the line as you out them for your own political gain. Tell us how much you love this country - unless endangering it maintains your pitiful power. Just a bunch of worthless mindless monkeys with too much power and too little sense.

[j-whitman]

userverify,,,, Obviously with your logic, you would say Geroge Washington is a traitor

[sgtrds]

Libby is a crook. Bush is a crook. Cheney is a crook. Rove is a crook. Etc., etc., etc.

[excoachken]

To Mudrose: You should be very thankful that the liberals you hate so much, were responsible for allowing you to get that regular welfare check, so that you can spend all day spewing hate instead of holding down a job.

[walt1944-2009]

It has been learned that, like other rulers before him, during his last week as Emperor, the Great Emperor Bush II will issue full pardons and immunity from prosecution for all members of his court for anything they may have done or anything they may do from the beginning of time to the end of time!

The Emperor feels that a "wholesale pardon and immunity" will prevent the cowardly, spineless Whip-ocrats from pursuing investigations into his regime and will keep all those loyal "Bushies" out of jail, which, if they were convicted of anything, would clog up the court system for decades and overload the prison system for decades more!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!

[bigsk8fan]

neocons, unite together. we can fight this grave injustice. just because we outted an american spy, so what? we are only american for neocons like us. we hate everyone else. non-christians, dems, libs, semi-whites, eastern europeans, everyone not like us neocons. come on mudrose, let''s shout our ignorance from the highest mountain. neoconcs, hear my cry. we need to end this political freedom and judicial system. let''s make george our dictator.

[zootallures2]

Lewis "Scooter" Libby... is that like Susan "Sadie" Atkins? The Bush Family, the Manson Family, what''s the difference? Charles Manson committed a horrible crime and wanted to blame the blacks to take over the world.... Bush committed a horrible crime and wanted to blame the Muslims to take over the world...

[sgtrds]

The Bush Family, the Manson Family, what''''s the difference?

Posted by zootallures2 at 07:13 PM : Dec 10, 2007

Manson''s a lot smarter and not nearly as crazy as Bush.........

[skyk-2009]

Let''''s see here... A moron who doesn''''t care about the facts in the case keeps repeating the well documented lie that Libby or Cheney or anyone else but Richard Armitage leaked anything. Not to mention NOBODY was ever charged for leaking anything! Yep, good ol'''' liberal lies, deceit, and talking points in action!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by s1ckd09 at 02:28 PM : Dec 10, 2007
+ report abuse

You have got to stay away from the Kool Aid there Sparky... Anyone who would call Fritz a "Liberal" has had WAY to much... LOL

[r_harbison]

During a time of war, which the Bush administration declared the "war on Terror" to be, Libby, Rove, Armitage, and Fischer, as well as Novak, should all be charged with high treason. If any other American had released the information of a CIA agent, particularly one involved with tracking WMD, they would have definitely been charged with treason. The rules are always different for those in power.

[Krazcarl]

Would you want this geek messing with your daughter??

[sgtrds]

Would you want this geek messing with your daughter??

Posted by crzmeat at 08:15 PM : Dec 10, 2007

What''s even scarier is that ROVE is married! I mean can you imagine how low a woman''s self esteem would have to be to have that pig crawl on her grunting and snorting in the middle of the night!

[rowdytexan2]

He knows Bush will eventually pardon him.

[Krazcarl]

can we kill him now????

[downtowner97]

Why is it that people are willing to turn a blind eye to politics when the party they like is in power? If the constitution and the rule of law are followed regardless of who is in power, it''s better for the country.

Bush''s fans act like he''s going to be in power forever, but he''s going to be leaving office 1/29/09, and he''s going to be handing all the extra power he siezed to whoever takes his place.

[barbaraf4]

Libby fell on his sword for the Bush/Cheney administration. He will no doubt be pardoned and his financial future guaranteed.

[brianbwb-2009]

Not to mention NOBODY was ever charged for leaking anything! Posted by skyk

Great logic there, not. You have probably broken a couple traffic, or tax, ATF, or other laws yourself, does the fact that you haven''t yet been charged mean you haven''t done it? There are child rape victims out there whose attackers have not been caught, by your logic, because they haven''t been charged, the rapes did not occur.

[Krazcarl]

Lets put it this way IF he didn''t do it he KNOWS who did and should suffer the penality of law.