Raw Story:
Former White House adviser I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby has been found guilty of four of five charges, including perjury and obstruction of justice, in the federal court proceedings that resulting from the investigation of the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. If he had been found guilty of all 5 charges, he could have been sentenced to up to 30 years in jail.
Libby will appeal the guilty verdicts, his attorney said.
The jury found:
-Obstruction of Justice: GUILTY
-False statements to FBI investigators (about Russert conversation): GUILTY
-False statement to FBI investigators (about Cooper conversation): NOT GUILTY
-Perjury to the Grand Jury (about Tim Russert conversation): GUILTY
-Perjury to the Grand Jury (about the Matt Cooper conversation): GUILTY
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), issued a press statement saying, in part:
...Valerie and Joseph Wilson would like to express their appreciation to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and the entire team of federal prosecutors for their professionalism and hard work. Their prosecution of a senior White House official illustrates that we are a nation of laws and that no man is above the law. The Wilsons respect the jury's verdict and thank the jurors for their service. The entire Wilson team is pleased by today's verdict and believes that justice has been
served in this case.
The Wilsons will continue to pursue the civil case against Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and Mr. Armitage because it hinges on additional and different facts from those underlying the criminal case. The criminal trial was about whether or not Mr. Libby obstructed justice and committed perjury by lying to FBI agents and the grand jury about the fact that he had disclosed to reporters that Valerie Wilson worked for the CIA. The civil suit, on the other hand, hinges on whether or not the defendants violated the constitutional rights of Valerie and Joe Wilson by making those disclosures in a concerted effort to retaliate against Joe Wilson for revealing the falsity of the president's rationale for the Iraq war.
The special prosecutor who got the ball rolling, Patrick Fitzgerald, said that he wouldn't pursue the matter further unless new evidence came to light. CREW's statement that the Wilsons' case against other officials 'hinges on additional and different facts' from the Libby case may mean that this won't end here.
UPDATE:
One of the jurors are speaking to the press and it looks like their consensus is that Libby, while guilty, is a patsy.
Raw Story:
Noting that he was the only juror that planned to speak at this time, Dennis Collins offered insight in a post-trial press conference after he and ten fellow citizens found former Vice President I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby guilty of four charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making a false statement.
"It seemed like Libby was the fall guy," the jury believed according to Collins.
Collins was a former Washington Post reporter and noted at the start of his press conference that he felt an obligation to speak to the press because of his former profession, a sentiment his fellow jurors appeared not to share.
He added, "Some jurors commented 'this sucks' for Libby," according to RS. There is, apparently, no honor among thieves.
Tags: news | politics | crime | scandal | Scooter Libby | Dick Cheney | Karl Rove | Richard Armitage | Valerie Plame | Joe Wilson | law
