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03-08-2007, 09:41 AM
Libby set to win pardon and escape jail term
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/08/wlibby08.xml
By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 10:39am GMT 08/03/2007
A White House official said last night that there was a "strong expectation" that President George W Bush would pardon Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the disgraced aide.
The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice on Tuesday in a case linked to the unmasking of a covert CIA operative. If the conviction is upheld, he is expected to be jailed for two years.
But an administration official said that it was highly unlikely that Libby would go to prison. "There's a lot of anger about the way Libby has been treated," he said.
"There's a strong expectation that if it comes to it, then the president will pardon him."
The official said that advisers to Mr Bush believed that Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who charged Libby, had pursued a "political vendetta" against the White House and that no one had committed any crime.
advertisement"I don't think anything will happen yet, though. There's an appeal to come and perhaps Libby will get off then."
Libby is due to be sentenced in June but his defence team has said it will press for a retrial and, if that is denied, will appeal against his conviction. It could be close to the end of Mr Bush's second term in January 2009 before a jail sentence would begin.
Democrats are vehemently opposed to Libby being pardoned and have called on Mr Bush to rule out the option. Tony Snow, Mr Bush's press secretary, declined even to address the subject.
"All of this conversation, speculation about a pardon, I know, makes for interesting speculation, but it's just that," Mr Snow said yesterday. He added that Mr Bush was "careful" about giving out pardons. "These are not things to be treated blithely. He wants to make sure that anybody who receives one, that it's warranted, but I would caution against any speculation in this case,"
David Frum, a former White House speech writer, said that he expected Mr Bush, who had previously shown loyalty to his staff and was not afraid to make decisions that were politically unpopular, to pardon Libby if needed.
"Everyone assumes that he will. My guess is that it will not be very politically explosive because everyone feels Libby is the wrong person."
Denis Collins, a jury member, said after the verdicts that jurors felt Libby was a "fall guy" and that some had speculated why others such as Karl Rove, Mr Bush's political counsellor, were not on trial. Mr Fitzgerald had said in court that a "cloud remains" over Mr Cheney.
Libby's supporters, however, believe the villain in the case is Richard Armitage, the former US Secretary of State, who admitted that he was the official who first revealed the identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative, to a journalist. Mr Armitage, an Iraq war critic, said he had not known about Miss Plame's covert status.
Mr Frum said there was a "farcical quality" to the trial because people were being told that Miss Plame's status was the "secret of the century" while the official responsible had escaped unpunished.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/08/wlibby08.xml
By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 10:39am GMT 08/03/2007
A White House official said last night that there was a "strong expectation" that President George W Bush would pardon Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the disgraced aide.
The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice on Tuesday in a case linked to the unmasking of a covert CIA operative. If the conviction is upheld, he is expected to be jailed for two years.
But an administration official said that it was highly unlikely that Libby would go to prison. "There's a lot of anger about the way Libby has been treated," he said.
"There's a strong expectation that if it comes to it, then the president will pardon him."
The official said that advisers to Mr Bush believed that Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who charged Libby, had pursued a "political vendetta" against the White House and that no one had committed any crime.
advertisement"I don't think anything will happen yet, though. There's an appeal to come and perhaps Libby will get off then."
Libby is due to be sentenced in June but his defence team has said it will press for a retrial and, if that is denied, will appeal against his conviction. It could be close to the end of Mr Bush's second term in January 2009 before a jail sentence would begin.
Democrats are vehemently opposed to Libby being pardoned and have called on Mr Bush to rule out the option. Tony Snow, Mr Bush's press secretary, declined even to address the subject.
"All of this conversation, speculation about a pardon, I know, makes for interesting speculation, but it's just that," Mr Snow said yesterday. He added that Mr Bush was "careful" about giving out pardons. "These are not things to be treated blithely. He wants to make sure that anybody who receives one, that it's warranted, but I would caution against any speculation in this case,"
David Frum, a former White House speech writer, said that he expected Mr Bush, who had previously shown loyalty to his staff and was not afraid to make decisions that were politically unpopular, to pardon Libby if needed.
"Everyone assumes that he will. My guess is that it will not be very politically explosive because everyone feels Libby is the wrong person."
Denis Collins, a jury member, said after the verdicts that jurors felt Libby was a "fall guy" and that some had speculated why others such as Karl Rove, Mr Bush's political counsellor, were not on trial. Mr Fitzgerald had said in court that a "cloud remains" over Mr Cheney.
Libby's supporters, however, believe the villain in the case is Richard Armitage, the former US Secretary of State, who admitted that he was the official who first revealed the identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative, to a journalist. Mr Armitage, an Iraq war critic, said he had not known about Miss Plame's covert status.
Mr Frum said there was a "farcical quality" to the trial because people were being told that Miss Plame's status was the "secret of the century" while the official responsible had escaped unpunished.