Ever since former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage identified himself as the primary media source of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s name — a leak motivated apparently by a love for gossip rather than an urge to discredit a White House critic — the case has seemed like much ado about very little. So it’s uncomfortable to see jury selection begin for the related trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (in photo), Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. Then again, whatever happens to Libby, there already is an important moral to this story, beyond the one about not outing CIA agents. As special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald put it at the time of Libby’s indictment in 2005: "When citizens testify before grand juries, they are required to tell the truth. Without the truth, our criminal justice system cannot serve our nations or its citizens. The requirement to tell the truth applies equally to all citizens, including persons who hold high positions in government."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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