Bush Has Commuted Libby’s Prison Sentence
By SusanUnPC on July 2, 2007 at 6:01 PM in Current Affairs
UPDATE: ThinkProgress: “Fitzgerald to continue with appeals process for Libby. The Next Hurrah has a statement from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s spokesperson:”
It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. … Although the President’s decision eliminates Mr. Libby’s sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process.
SEE ALSO: Larry Johnson’s comments below the fold, and APJ’s “It’s War.” On Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Ambassador Joseph Wilson called Libby’s acts “treason.” Indeed. The White House rats outted and destroyed the career and covert operations of an agent dedicated to tracking WMDs worldwide. 2nd UPDATE: Jhritz has quickly transcribed Joe Wilson’s remarks to Olbermann tonight. The VIDEO is now up at MSNBC. (Thanks for the link, Uppity Gal.) And we’ve been asked to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow (not today; they turned off their phones): White House: 202-456-1414 (Thanks for the number, Leslie.)
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD:
President Bush’s commutation of a pal’s prison sentence counts as a most shocking act of disrespect for the U.S. justice system. It’s the latest sign of the huge repairs to American concepts of the rule of law that await the next president. [...]
The commutation illustrates a profoundly dispiriting and unshakable aspect of the administration. The president and Vice President Dick Cheney see themselves and their cohorts as above traditional concepts of legal and constitutional constraints on their conduct in office.
In its single-minded focus on Iraq, the administration has put protecting the details of how the war was sold to the public ahead of everything. … (Read all.)
NEW at 10pm PT: 1) CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviewed Joe Wilson tonight. Read the transcript. One line struck me: “[B]y commuting the sentence, I think the president raises the very real suspicion that he’s party to the obstruction of justice or the cover-up of the original crime.” 2) The New York Times editorial charges that President Bush is “Soft on Crime“:
When he was running for president, George W. Bush loved to contrast his law-abiding morality with that of President Clinton, who was charged with perjury and acquitted. For Mr. Bush, the candidate, “politics, after a time of tarnished ideals, can be higher and better.”
Not so for Mr. Bush, the president. Judging from his decision today to commute the 30-month sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr., who was charged with perjury and convicted, untarnished ideals are less of a priority than protecting the secrets of his inner circle and mollifying the tiny slice of right-wing Americans left in his political base.
[...]
Mr. Bush’s assertion that he respected the verdict but considered the sentence excessive only underscored the way this president is tough on crime when it’s committed by common folk. As governor of Texas, he was infamous for joking about the impending execution of Karla Faye Tucker, a killer who became a born-again Christian on death row. As president, he has repeatedly put himself and his team, especially Mr. Cheney, above the law. …
Read all of Soft on Crime,” the NYT editorial.
ORIGINAL POST: Patrick Henry just sent me the breaking news. And the New York Times has it as a bulletin:
Breaking News 5:55 PM ET: Bush Commutes Prison Term of I. Lewis Libby Jr.
They have nothing but scorn for the rule of law and the history of pardons and commutations, which usually are done after the sentence is served and if the criminal has expressed remorse. So much for equal justice. Hopefully, Larry will have more to say. I’m just about speechless. Here’s the statement by Dick’s boy the president via the WaPo:
Statement by the President
The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected Lewis Libby’s request to remain free on bail while pursuing his appeals for the serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice. As a result, Mr. Libby will be required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his prison sentence. I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby’s appeals have been exhausted. But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision. From the very beginning of the investigation into the leaking of Valerie Plame’s name, I made it clear to the White House staff and anyone serving in my administration that I expected full cooperation with the Justice Department. Dozens of White House staff and administration officials dutifully cooperated. After the investigation was under way, the Justice Department appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald as a Special Counsel in charge of the case. Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged. This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame’s name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury. Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place. Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case. Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation. I respect the jury’s verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby’s sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison. My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting. The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby’s case is an appropriate exercise of this power.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Monday, July 2, 2007; 5:53 PM
UPDATE FROM LARRY JOHNSON:
I’m shocked, shocked I tell you. President Bush making excuses for a convicted felon? How could this be? I mean the President promised that anyone who was involved in leaking the name of Valerie Plame Wilson would no longer be with his Administration. And since we now know with complete certainty that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby and Richard Armitage and Ari Fleischer spread her name around we can see that Bush has sort of kept his promise. You see, Libby, Armitage and Fleischer are no longer with the Administration. I’m sure that Karl Rove will be gone in days. Surely Bush would not break a promise?
Actually I think we will still see some more blowback from the rightwing because Bush let the conviction stand. One bright side to this–we will never have to listen seriously to any Republican argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are real crimes. My money is still on Libby getting a pardon after the 2008 elections. But that won’t keep him, Rove, and Armitage from facing the civil suit brought by Joe and Val. If that goes forward these bastards will pay a pretty penny. Small compensation for the damage they’ve done to our nation’s security.
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