WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush commuted Monday the prison term of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, facing 30 months in prison after a federal court convicted him of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Bush commuted the jail sentence of convicted White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby. A commutation is distinct from a pardon, which is a complete eradication of a conviction record -- making it the same as if the person has never been convicted. Bush has only commuted the jail term which means that the conviction remains on Libby's record and he must still pay a $250,000 fine. Commutations are rarely granted, says CNN's chief legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. A commutation is a total right of the president and it cannot be challenged by any attorney or court, he said. Earlier Monday, a federal appeals court unanimously ruled that Libby could not delay serving his sentence, which would have put Libby just weeks away from surrendering to a prison. In a written statement commuting the jail sentence, issued hours after Monday's ruling, Bush called the sentence "excessive," and suggested that Libby will pay a big enough price for his conviction. "The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting," Bush said. HEY BUSH: what about the long-lasting damage to Valerie Plame's CIA career? The message is clear: a lawyer friend of Bush's matters more than an employee of a government agency. I think that this is disgusting and a travesty to the justice system and American people. For a President to do this, regardless if he is a Democrat or Republican, is shameful.
I think it stinks to high heaven. But then, I think the whole concept stinks. You either trust the very foundations of our jurisprudence, or you do not - a "jury of peers" is either to be trusted, or it is not. To throw it out by presidential caveat seems an offense to all of us - whenever it happens.
Bush forgives a Bush cronie, what's the big deal. The only thing that will surprise me is if Bush is tried for contempt
I dunno. Libby was convicted of a pretty minor offense; the offense was during an investigation where they already knew "who dunnit" (armitage) and didn't prosecute. His false statements did precede Armitage's testimony, but any damage Libby did to the case was inconsequential. If you look at the mitigating factors, this is a pretty minor situation. This was a bit of a pussy move by Bush, though - which is becoming typical of him lately - kind of doing a half gesture. If you are gonna piss people off by commuting; may as well enjoy it and pardon him completely.
I am just categorically against it on principle. And I don't care if it is Clinton or Bush in the Oval Office. It is the last vestige of kingship, really, under the more pleasant sounding "presidential prerogative." Every day, thousands are sent to an undoubtedly flawed sentence, by a "jury of peers." Such injustices are what judicial review is for. It isn't perfect, but we have staked our democracy on it. For Bush to deem it as "excessive" and set aside a verdict because of his belief is an arrogance of arbitrary power I can't stomach. And again, my estimation of this president's grave shortcomings do not inform this view. It really has nothing to do with politics - no president should have that right.
This was not a minor offense; the maximum jail time Libby could have served was 30 years in prison and over a million dollars fine. That's pretty serious. What's far worse is that the message has been sent to CIA operatives that if you or your spouse are on the opposite political side of the fence from whomever is in power, and your identity is exposed by someone within that administration, there is no accountability for justice. The next time this happens it can be a Democrat president that decides to pull it off on a Republican operative. Precedent has been set. Republicans and Democrats should be screaming about this as it severly damages the relationship of trust between America's agencies and the administration in power. Who's to say that intelligence about al Qaida or the next terrorist attack will get submitted when operatives have to worry about whether their identities will be exposed, their careers destroyed, their livelihood for their families wrecked and the people that did it walk away scott free.
He doesn't have any shortcomings, he is just the decider. Socialists are just opposed to separation of powers in general (or anything else that Republican form of government provides, for that matter).
Libby's father said "outing an undercover CIA agent is the highest form of treason" when he was head of the CIA. This is the exact thing libby did. If the dems had any sense at all they would run with the same logic Reps did during the election. If you vote Bush you vote for treason/outting undercover agents. Dems really know how to lose elections though.
Your post indicates that you do not know what Libby was sentenced for. That's fine and I understand your point of view here. I don't really care either way personally. I look at this situation, pretty much as, Libby's crime wouldn't have happened had Armitage stepped forward initially. It doesn't mitigate his actions; but in the end did it matter? No. Pardon/commutations are used all the time by Presidents for one reason or another. I don't think this one rises above the silliness of others in the past. Besides, if Rosie is upset about it, I'm happy about it. Her post shows, pretty well, how manufactured the outrage is about the issue entirely.
This was a shame. He should have had a full pardon. Clinton pardoned some of the worst offenders imaginable, including a Congressman that actually did have sex with an underage page. This whole ordeal was a political sham on the part of the prosecutor. He was charged with finding the person responsible for the leak. During that time, we learned that the original reporter leaked the info, that Plame's husband actually outed his wife by including her name in a "who's who" publication and that Richard Armitage admitted to doing so. Not to mention that the prosecutor admitted that he knew who the leaker was, yet still didn't seek charges. Nothing but a political sham. So desperate for *someone* in the Bush administration, he ignored the real leakers and willfully refused to follow orders by bringing them to justice. If anything, the prosecutor should be behind bars for negligence.
I know Fitz "closed" the case on Libby, but is he still digging towards Rove? Eh, I stopped paying attention to the whole Valarie Plame thing...
Last I heard, Keith, it was closed and he admitted he knew who the leaker was. I haven't heard anything lately though. There's an old thread here on the subject where I documented quite a bit of that evidence.
People can only take so much. Actually I don't give two shits about libby, if he goes to jail or not. What I want to see are the two boarder patrol agents cleared. And all the marines charged with "murder" to be cleared as well. But no, they aren't part of Bush's inner circle, so to hell with them I guess. Fuck Bush.
Good point, I almost forgot about those border agents... Are they still rotting in prison? What happened Lou Dobbs; why are you not covering this anymore?
President Bush on Monday spared I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from prison, commuting the former White House aide's 30-month prison term. The prison time was imposed after a federal court convicted Libby of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the leak of the name of a CIA operative. A commutation is distinct from a pardon, which is a complete eradication of a conviction record and makes it the same as if the person has never been convicted. ............. Plame had worked in the CIA's counter-proliferation division before the March 2003 invasion. She told a congressional committee in March that her exposure effectively ended her career and endangered "entire networks" of agents overseas. Her husband said Bush's action today demonstrates that the White House is "corrupt from top to bottom.".............. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.sentence/index.html One may ask: Was Libby the only one behind the leak?
but ... but .... clinton, that has to be some of the lamest reasons to justify doing something stupid, because someone else did something stupid therefore its ok