The perjury trial isn’t over, but it’s not looking good so far for "Scooter" Libby (in photo). The former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney is on trial for lying about his role in disclosing the name of former CIA agent Valerie Plame and for obstructing the investigation. Libby claims that he didn’t lie; he just had a faulty memory. But prosecution witnesses have indicated that Libby was so involved in spreading this information that it is highly unlikely he forgot about it.
Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller said Libby spoke to her about Plame on June 23 and July 8, 2003 — yet Libby told the FBI and a grand jury that the first time he heard about Plame was on July 10. Five government officials also have testified that they spoke to Libby about Plame before July 10. And Libby’s own notes indicate that Cheney told him about Plame on or about June 12.
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88 Comments
If Libby is convicted (of perjury) – does anyone think that GWB will pardon him in his last hours in office like Bill Clinton did for over a hundred and fifty criminals on his last day?
Makes me wonder if all the millions we’ve dumped into this escapade will pay off.
Come to think of it – anyone privy to the whereabouts of old Marc Rich?
Since vice-president cheney has been implicated in this from the very beginning, can we start impeachment proceedings on him first?
Wow gsheridan, you just can’t get Clinton off your mind. Is it because you can only deal with one thought at a time? The comparison you are actually for is Ford’s pardon of Nixon.
Interesting questions GS. And how many millions did we spend on Ken Starr?
…and who remembers the Christmas Surprise pardons of the Iran-Contra Conspirators by George H W Bush in 1992, just weeks before the left office.
Cap Weinberg, et al, could have provided testimony that would have put Reagan and Bush behind bars.
But since he was a Republican, the right wingers look the other way.
Man, I hope I’m never called to testify before a grand jury about my memory of what happened on specific dates. I’m afraid I’d fail the “Fitz” test.
I hope he sings like a canary to save his own butt.
Then bush and cheney can join him in a nice white collar prison or on a gallows for treason.
Mark Rich is living in Switzerland with a Swiss passport, having declared Swiss citizenship. Switzerland does not not have any extradition treaties involving “crimes of a fiscal or financial nature” with any country, including the United States.
Wonder how long it will be before the Scoot decides he’s had enough under the bus?
As I recall, one of the regulars told me this would be quietly dropped after the election.
I’m a nice guy, so I’ll leave it at that. ;)
Yes, Rage, very similar to those prognostications about the Repubs retaining both House & Senate in 2006. Wait, I think that one came from your same source. Remind me not to ever bet on anything that person says.
If Scoot sings it wont change many folks minds about his boss and w. I dont think I can possibly have a worse opinion than I do now.
No Republican can truly consider themselves patriotic unless they are outraged. Bush, et al, duped us into a war put down any dissent. This sounds like something we used to accuse the Soviet Union of doing.
Looks like Scotter is toast.
GSheridan brought up the possibility of Bush II pardoning Libby. Following are the numbers of Presidential pardons in perspective:
Eisenhower 1157Kennedy 575Johnson 1187Nixon 926Ford 409Carter 566G.H.W. Bush 77Reagan 406Clinton 456
When will the Righwingnuts stop citing Clinton as the standard in all issues political?
I would like to see Mr. Libby take the stand and implicate Karl Rove. His defense has hinted that the adminstration is protecting him. I want to hear the details.
There has been some implication of Cheney and Bush on this whole deal. I hope this is the start of furhter investigations. Is it deja vu and this little tawdry incident is like a botched office burglary?
Fed Strategy = squeeze the gonads of little rats so they give up big rats
Poor ol’ Scooter, looks really bad….. Oh, but wait a minute! We’re still in the prosecution phase! I think I know why it looks so bad!
Wait until the defense get Wilson on the stand…under oath!
Hank
It will be interesting hank … but since the charge is the narrow perjury charge I’m not even sure he would be on the list.
When is the defense expected to start?
“Wait until the defense get Wilson on the stand”
What did Wilson have to do with the outing of a covert CIA operative, Hank?
“Not Looking Good For Scooter”
Another rush to a story that is not even a story, yet.Clinton looked like toast for years. How many “gates” did we get out of him. I hear he is a millionaire now.Calm down, Eagle. This trial will be over soon enough.Then you can say, “I’m sorry, sweet Scooter”.
ws-Still on that “covert” pony?
He’s a proven liar.
No wonder that Peckerwood is behind him 110 percent.
Wilson’s day in court is going to be a bad one for Worst. President. Ever. If Hank could get off his knees in front of his plaster bust of W. long enough to see reality, he’d know that.
I’m with JR and Steven on this one. How long does Libby play the role of patsy for his scum sucking vindictive bosses?
Remember, this whole affair came about because Bush Co. can’t handle the truth.
BDP fleet,
Still unable to understand that many covert agents also worked at agency offices?
Who are you, Fleet, to decide that a CIA operative is covert or not?
Besides, the trial is about LYING under oath – remember? You conservatives consider that to be a crime worthy of a jail term when it is about a blowjob, so what should the punishment be for outing a CIA spy?
The CIA said she was covert – she was covert under the law.
Who is Scooter Libby to out her?
You may remember that Poppy Bush said that outing a CIA operative is treason, punishable by death.
BTW – Fleet, I am still waiting on the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED explanation.
The mission accomplished banner was for the troops on the ship and you know it.
Does James Bond have his name on a parking space?
“The mission accomplished banner was for the troops on the ship and you know it.”
The White House had the banner made they admitted that – Bush declared that MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS WERE OVER.
So why isn’t the war over?
Bush said. Did he lie?
And just out of curiousity, how many ships return to their home port with a MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner?
Zero is the right answer.
And the trial of Scooby Libby is for lying under oath – remember?
It doesn’t make any difference whether she was covert or overt or not. Libby lied to a Grand Jury.
You cons want people strung up for that – so why are you defending Libby?
OK bloggers, a little information here.
Who was Scooter Libby’s number one client?
You guessed it.
Marc Rich.
How interesting that anyone tag Clinton without mentioning that the scootster was his lawyer.
I’m not defending Libby. I am betting that when this is all over with, it will have all been a huge coitus interuptus for you people.
Uh, yes and no, Fleet, on the banner.
“Some months later, when questioned about the “Mission Accomplished” banner, Bush said it was put up by the ship’s crew. But the White House later conceded it produced and paid for the banner as part of the president’s visit.”http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/30/speech.anniversary/index.html
This is what’s the grabber:*The speech and events surrounding it were widely publicized and served as the symbolic end to the war in Iraq.
At the time, it appeared that every detail of the day’s events had been carefully planned, including the president’s arrival in the co-pilot’s seat of a Navy S-3B Viking after making two flybys of the carrier.
The exterior of the four-seat S-3B Viking was marked with “Navy 1″ and “George W. Bush Commander in Chief.”*http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/
Still waiting on that MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS ARE OVER answer, there Fleet Guy.
And when Scooby Libby goes to jail, Fleet, do you think that Cheney, I mean, Bush, should pardon him?
Interesting to note not all experts think shrub will pardon scooter.
If pardoned, scooter loses his fifth amendment protection and can be forced to spill the beans. Otherwise, he will be in contempt of court, and back to being threatened with jail time.
I dont think the preznit OR darth cheney want scooter out there telling what he knows. So maybe no pardon for scooter.
I think cheney doesnt like the sound of “checkmate”.
I don’t think that Cheney would like the sound of “clank” as the cell door closes behind him, either.
Especially if his cellmate is a huge guy that hasn’t seen a warm human being in ten years.
Aye, ksfg, there’s the rub; a pardon has the effect you describe; so, it becomes a bit of a quandry, assuming, of course, there are bigger fish to fry, and Scooter is an appropriate sous chef.
Oh, Wilson is on the list. He’s already had his lawyers try and get the judge to excuse him.
Why? Why would a man try to get himself excused from testifying at the trial of a man that ‘outed’ his wife?
Because he’s a liar. Because his testimony will help the defense. Because he is afraid to testify under oath. Because this whole trial is nothing but a political joke perptrated by the likes of liars like Wilson?
Hank
So, what is Wilson going to lie about, Hank? That he went to Niger and found that Iraq did not try to buy yellow cake uranium?
What could Wilson possibly add to the defense of Scooby Libby?
He did not want to testify at Libby’s trial because he has nothing to add to the defense – what is he going to say that will help Libby?
BTW – Hank. It was the Libby defense team that called Wilson to testify for HIM, not the prosecution.
FarmGirl: While Marc Rich may have been Scooter’s #1 client, Scooter was not Marc Rich’s #1 or even #2 lawyer. #1 and #2 were Edward Bennett Williams and Jack Quinn.Over the many years of his career, Mr. Williams represented the likes of Jimmy Hoffa, mobster Frank Costello and Sen Joe McCarthy. Jack Quinn, former White House counsel to Bill Clinton actually secured the pardon. Both Williams and Libby tried to arrange a plea bargains because it was not winnable.
I wonder if they will try to have wilson declared a hostile witness?
I wonder if Wilson’s testimony is expected to buttress the “I’m the scapegoat” defense theory?
“And when Scooby Libby goes to jail, Fleet, do you think that Cheney, I mean, Bush, should pardon him?”
ws-There will be time enough to play “what if” when the trial is over.
WSClark:
Wilson never corrected the Press when the Press claimed that Wilson was working for VP Cheney.
Wilson admitted to a Senate Committee that he “misspoke” concerning forged documents that he, himself, later admitted he had never seen. Wilson also later admitted those documents were not part of the administration’s case against Saddam.
Wilson stated in his CIA oral briefing that he had heard that Iraq was trying to increase trade and commerce between Iraq and Niger. Niger’s ONLY export is Uranium!
Wilson claimed that he made and filed a written report of his trip to Niger. That was a lie. There was never any written report.
Wilson lied when he said that his wife, Plame, had not recommended him for his unpaid trip to Niger. Wilson was presented with a copy of a recommendation letter, signed by Plame, at that same Senate hearing.(More like a government paid vacation and political Witch Hunt by two anti-war activists!)
Wilson, himself, often bragged about his wife’s CIA status.
Wilson is a FAKE!
Wilson is a FRAUD!
By the way, Plame was NOT covert, therefore, nothing Scooter says matters.
This is a narrow perjury charge, in a case where Fitz KNEW who “outed” Plame to the Press before Fitz ever talked to Libby, and in a case where no one has ever been accused of “outing” Plame under law.
Big hint: Under the Law, even if Plame had been “covert” (she wasn’t) once her cover was “blown” it was blown.In other words, you can’t prosecute the whole world for discussing common knowledge.Only the first person to “out” Plame could possibly be charged under the law.
That “first person” was more than likely:
JOE WILSON!!
Hmmmmmmmmmm, so, Fleet Guy, I accept your apology for calling me a faggot, thank you for your graciousness, but I am still waiting for your answer about MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – MAJOR COMBAT OPERATIONS ARE OVER.
Wait! You didn’t apologize for calling me a faggot? You mean mean that we are dropping the gloves now?
Okay, so I figure that you call yourself Fleet because you like to snort the Fleet Enema stuff.
The highway is a two way street, Fleet.
“Wilson never corrected the Press when the Press claimed that Wilson was working for VP Cheney.”
The testimony in the trial has already determined that Cheney in fact did ask that the Niger connection be proven by someone.
So what Joe Wilson said meant nothing.
And the CIA said that Plame was covert – so who are you to dispute that classification?
Didn’t someone post here about Cheney’s fingers in this pie? How his secretary or press person gave some damaging testimony?
Sorry, the short term is really bad today. :(
Wilson isnt going to testify. Scooter is on trial for perjury, not outing a covert CIA operative.
Wilson has nothing to add or detract about Scooters possible perjury in front of the grand jury.
Calling Wilson is just a diversion for the defense.
Wikipedia is not my favorite source, but here it is: You have to have been on OVERSEAS assignment within the last 5 years to be covered by the law:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_agent
The Cons really crack me up – they wanted Clinton drawn and quartered for lying about a blowjob, but they want to give Scooby Libby a pass.
Make up your minds, Cons!
Either lying to a Grand Jury is a crime and the perp should go to jail or Clinton’s Monica issue was nothing to write home about.
Oh, by the way, outing a CIA operative is a much bigger crime than getting a blowjob.
So, come on, Cons! Defend the indefensible (as Fleet likes to say) or shut the Big F up!
Look who’s here — Rossell’s out trolling again.
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard Econ. And Wiki as a souce should be banned from all serious debate.
You know all that wikiality just isn’t factual.
Hey Paul Rosell–
How’s it feel to be represented by Raj Goyle in the State House instead of Bonnie LOSER Huy?
Never fear though . . . you and the other suckers in your district are still paying her permanently frozen property taxes.
Paul – weren’t you one of those who swore this would never go to trial?
BTW Paul – did anything ever come of your BS charges against the Goyle campaign? I heard that it was your side that created the problem – and that was said by a REPUBLICAN election judge!
Are we really surprised?
Rove a target?
Libby lawyers pepper Cooper about Rove
Cooper’s appearance allowed defense attorney William Jeffress to ask repeatedly about President Bush’s chief political adviser, Karl Rove, because Cooper identified Rove as the first official to tell him about Plame’s job at CIA. Cooper said Rove told him that Wilson’s wife, rather than Cheney, was responsible for sending Wilson to Niger in 2002.
In his opening statement, defense attorney Theodore Wells claimed the White House was trying in 2003 to blame Libby for the leak in order to protect Rove, although Wells did not explain precisely how that related to the perjury charges against Libby.
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/16582797.htm
This is where Paul Rosell’s claim comes from:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/011038.php
A right-wing blog site.
also here
http://claremont.org/
Farmgirl: Let’s suppose, for a moment, the Libby is convicted. He’ll appeal, and be allowed to retain his freedom during that process. The purported “outing” occurred on or before July, 2003. Regardless of the outcome of the 2008 election, the new administration will not take control until January, 2009. Moving right along, GWB pardons Libby around Christmas, 2008, or during the first couple weeks of January, 2009. Libby’s appeal is still pending, but, as you suggest, he loses his 5th Amendment rights. Bush/Cheney cannot be impeached because they’re out of there anyway. There is no incentive, however, to go after Libby for the “truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth”, because the statute of limitations has run out. Scooter doesn’t do a day in the hoosegow, gets a $5 million advance from Random House, writes a best seller, and everyone lives happily ever after. Just a hypothetical, mind you — or is it?
rm – makes imminent sense.
I think Ford did the right thing for my country when he pardoned Nixon. We needed to do that. And nobody then subpoenaed Nixon to go after others.
Crawl away Paul Rosell.
I lost my whack a shill hammer and I don’t wanna have to go look for it.
Ben: No doubt about Gerry Ford. Not only did he do the right thing, I believe that he knew, in his heart, that he had thrown himself on the “political grenade”, but he put our country ahead of himself. “No greater love….”.
so true rm, so true …
Shoot as long as we’re pardoning corruption at the highest levels, why not the war crimes by the administration as well?
The only people who get off are the ones with the most power. Disgusting.
PMom: I’m not aware of anyone being indicted, let alone tried and convicted, of war crimes. All of these conversations about pardoning Libby are premature, since he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet. I think we’re really stretching the point talking about pardoning someone who hasn’t even been charged with anything.
Cheney is the slime behind all of this. Isn’t it odd that the guy who really spilled the beans is sitting at home with nothing to worry about.I hope Cheney has the big one soon.
Interesting,
Econ101 pretty much lays out all the reasons that Joe Wilson is a creitical defense witness and the lefties just ignore it.
Interesting.
Good job Eocon101! You’ve demonstrated that the lefties can’t handle the truth!
Hank
WS Clark,I’m with you! You are so eloquent! The Republicans foam at the mouth about Clinton’s lie but their guys are pure as the driven snow! Getting a blow job has not resulted in anyone’s death that I’m aware of but Bush and cronies will never be able to wash it off their hands. They are crooks but will probably never serve a day in jail. But one can hope.FW,Everytime you post I lose more respect for you. You’d defend Jack the Ripper if he was Republican!
Jack was a democrat!
Hank
…sounds of zippers opening waft through the air…
Hank? “ECON” is Paul Rosell. If Paul is scooters best hope? Well I hope scooter is learning to foxtrot. Even in a white collar prison a guy named “Scooter” is gonna have problems.
Julie is going to be all over you guys tomorrow.
Mommy, what’s a blow job?——–This is a worthless thread over a made-up, politically motivated issue. Half the posters here don’t seem to grasp that this trial is not about Valerie Plame. Dem’s wet dreams (Sorry Julie)of anything coming out of this to damage the administration are silly.
I agree outlander,
The case will be made that Joe Wilson was a liar with an agenda to damage the president’s Iraq policies and the administrations attempts to discredit this serial liar were more than justified.
No crime here, other than the lies by those that would damage the presidency.
Hank
GW doesn’t need anyone else to damage his Iraq policy. He has done a fine job all by himself. Did you fellas not see the last election?
And who is a liar? I was taught by my momma that if you said one thing and later people found out it was not true that was a lie! Oh I forgot, it was just bad intelligence! Damn, I wished I had known that back then. It would have saved me a lot of spankings.
Another take on the trial:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117016359290392315-77vPQ84O79YcwnqZ094yfStA4pA_20070301.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
Hey lefties, chill out a little will you?I was asked how I could say that Plame was not “covert.”I stated, clearly, that I wasnt thrilled with Wikipedia, but this particular Wikipedia post is accurate (scroll up).Of course, you are free to look up the law yourself.Plame has NOT been on foreign assignment recently.She had not been serving in a foreign country in the 5 years prior to Wilson’s lies being printed in the Wall Street Journal.Therefore, nobody was “outed” under the law.Lets wait for the verdict from the jury.Yes, I admit, as does another perosn who agrees with me frequently, (LOL) tat I am surprised that the trial has gotten this far.Even so, I think that many on the right have predicted, with great accuracy, that Joe Wilson would be exposed as a liar and a fraud by all of this.Wilson is a liar.Wilson is a fraud.
We will have another Democrat President some day.I don’t think that day will be as soon as you lefties think it will be, but that day will come.That Democrat President will not hire Joe Wilson.Wilson simply can’t be trusted, and everyone in Washington knows it.
Granted, the Libby trial is about purgery.All of of my posts, on this thread are meant to point out that Libby has nothing to offer, will not take down anyone else, because no crime occured.Fitz is trying to prove that Libby lied about a non-crime.
Again, it appears that the main witness in the Libby case is having trouble with her own memory.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117016359290392315-77vPQ84O79YcwnqZ094yfStA4pA_20070301.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
Paul, it must be hard to have to think in circles like that all the time.
Paul Rosell
Raj Goyle is your representative! Mine too.
bush has FINALLY acknowledged global warming.
Roe stands and will continue to stand. Phil Kline is history because he stirred that pot.
And SO Paulie proll, you are reduced to this tired defense of the worst administration in history.
And so shrill!
I smell desperation Paul!
…Wonders if J R Bird is the same James Bird (Wichita) that got convicted for E bay selling scam…
Econ101, aka paulrosell@sbcglobal.net
“I was asked how I could say that Plame was not “covert.”I stated, clearly, that I wasnt thrilled with Wikipedia, but this particular Wikipedia post is accurate (scroll up).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_agent“Identity protectionThe law against unmasking the identities of U.S. spies says a “covert agent” must have been on an overseas assignment “within the last five years. [2]”
Wiki’s “[2]” = http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/011038.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerlineblog“Political positionsPower Line’s authors typically support President George W. Bush’s administration and the “Neoconservative” agenda, …”
…Wonders if J R Bird is the same James Bird (Wichita) that got convicted for E bay selling scam…
…, really out to lunch this time (like all the other times)
…
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19231
Econ101, aka paulrosell@sbcglobal.net
Do you really expect us to consider humanevents a credible source re the outing of covert agent Valerie Plame?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Events“Human Events is a weekly conservative magazine…Notable columnists include Ann Coulter and ROBERT NOVAK…”
FWIW, a small update on Scooter’s trial:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/01/cia.leak.ap/index.html
I’m surprised Counter didn’t come out again advocating bombing the NYTimes.
Hey Paul – it doesn’t MATTER whether ‘outing’ her was illegal any more than it matters if a BJ is illegal. The charge is that Scooter LIED about it.
Now with the White House tapes this will even be MORE fun to watch! As was said long ago: Let them twist slowly, slowly in the wind”
You’re absolutely right, Bem. When the “lie” was about a blowjob*, it was grounds for removal from office, disbarment and a long prison sentence.
When the lie is about outing a CIA agent, it means nothing.
So say the hypocritical Republicans.
* Technically, Clinton did not lie, he parsed his answer based on the Judge’ definition of sex.
Ben or Bem or whatever – sorry for the typo – Ic an talk fai rly wel l I jus t can’t twype.
Cheney involved?
Libby may have consulted with CheneyMICHAEL J. SNIFFENAssociated PressWASHINGTON – Former vice presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby acknowledged he may have discussed with Vice President Dick Cheney whether to tell reporters that a prominent war critic’s wife worked at the CIA, an FBI agent testified Thursday.
Agent Deborah Bond’s brief description of Libby’s acknowledgment was about the only new information disclosed on the day. Otherwise, Libby’s perjury trial was devoted mostly to dealing with vigorous and repeated defense efforts to exclude evidence that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald called “the guts of our case.”
more …
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/breaking_news/16591929.htm
Biggest revelation was when Cheney wrote “This Pres” asked him to stick his neck out.