Blue Crab Boulevard

Bush Commutes Libby Jail Sentence

President Bush today commuted the 30-month jail sentence imposed on Lewis “Scooter” Libby for his conviction for perjury, obstruction of justice and of lying to investigators.

In a written statement issued hours after that ruling, Bush called 30-month term “excessive.” But he also rejected calls for a pardon for Libby, and said the onetime adviser will still have to pay a $250,000 fine and remain on probation for two years.

“The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting,” Bush said. But he said Libby was given “a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.”

The left will go - already is going, according to Memeorandum - berserk over this. But consider the penalty imposed on Bill Clinton, a sitting president of the United States for perjury. He lost his law license for a period of time. This was a politically motivated prosecution - make that persecution - of a relatively low-level official. Yet he was hammered by the legal system while Clinton smiled, bit his lip and turned away laughing.

The people who pushed all this have no idea what damage they have done to the political system in the long run. Nor do they appear to care. But when one of theirs is hammered the same way, the precedent having been set, maybe they will get the picture. They opened the box with this.

UPDATE: More from CNN here. The howling from the left is unreal over at Memorandum, incidentally. Too bad they have different standards when it comes to the theft of secret national documents, a la Sandy Berger, or the much lighter penalty of a certain former President for a very similar offense.

Legal, Politics | Gaius Monday, 2 July , 2007

By Bill Franklin, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 5:44 am

Yeah, it was political persecution because Fitzgerald made it abundantly clear that Libby’s lying prevented him from getting to the real source of the leak. Pure political persecution that…

And I love how you bring up Monicagate (it’s such a time tested winner!), which in earlier posts you acknowledged was politically motivated, and then get all high and mighty “they opened the box” with this case. By “they” did you mean Republicans with Clinton?

And given this case hasn’t finished the appeals process, is there any precedent for a commutation before the appeals process is exhausted? Setting new precedents and opening new boxes.. I’m sure once the appeals process is exhausted and Libby is still found guilty, a pardon will be quietly issued.
By Chris, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 8:21 am

The real source of the leak was Richard Armitage. Fitzgerald knew this within a month of opening the investigation. How did Libby obstruct Armitage from admitting to Fitzgerald that he was the original source?

I’m sure that many Republicans do regret following through on impeachment proceedings against Clinton. Nevertheless, he had his law license yanked for (wait for it) perjury. A separate court found him guilty of the offense that the Senate acquitted him of.
By Quilly Mammoth, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 10:36 am

And what of Sandy Burger? He had a “mental lapse” which caused him to stuff secret documets held under lock and key at the National Archive.

But the better question is why would Libby be denied bail during appeal when pond scum like John Gotti walked around for years on appeal?

Can we say political witch hunt?

Let’s add some names. Johnny Huang deliberately broke the law funneling some $200,000 to the DNC. He got 500 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine. Charlie Trie illegally gave President Clinton’s Legal Defense Fund almost $500,000 and got three years probation.

Too bad Ron Brown dies or we could have commented on his (probable) light sentence.

Louis Freeh sent a 22 page memorandum requesting an Independent Counsel be appointed…which Lurch Reno denied…to investigate what was probably the biggest money laundering scandel involving the White House in American History.

Yet we are supposed to be outraged that Bush commuted the jail sentence of a man convicted for having a “mental lapse” during the investigation of a non-crime by a prosecuter who already had his answers?

The American Left has become so sad.
By Bill Franklin, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 7:34 pm

> Can we say political witch hunt?
> [...]
> The American Left has become so sad.

Exactly which Bush appointee was behind this witch hunt? Because as best as I can tell it was start to finish Bush appointees that called for the investigation, led the investigation, presided over the court case, and handed down the sentence. All Bush appointees. Yeah, a real witch hunt. Keep telling yourself “the left is so sad” and that this is all just a terrible witch hunt against an innocent man.

ps - Love the examples of Democrats doing wrong as justification for the commutation and eventual pardon. Whatever makes you feel good about injustice.
By Gaius, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 7:46 pm

Oh, stow it. Injustice? Fitzgerald knew who leaked Plame’s name to Novak almost as soon as he began investigating.

Then he carried on anyway. There was no underlying crime, Bill. None. So trapping a minor functionary - and Libby was minor, despite the spin - is your idea of justice? Sentencing him to more harsh penalties than a convicted President or a thief who stole classified documents is fair to you? You are sad.

I thought Starr was ridiculously overzealous, but Fitzgerald is worse. Because he knew there was no crime committed at all.

And those like you who encouraged it will reap what you sowed - and you’ll screech and howl at the injustice. But you opened the gate.
By Bill Franklin, Tuesday, 3 July , 2007 @ 11:05 pm

> but Fitzgerald is worse

Did Bush appointee Judge Reggie Walton, who presided over the Libby trial, agree with you that the case was frivolous, or was he part of the witch hunt?

Because Walton’s the one who came up with the 30 month sentence and considered the evidence against Libby to be “overwhelming.”

Because of Libby’s lies we don’t know the whole truth, so saying we do and that Armitage was the sole source of the leak is at best a incomplete answer. That’s why Fitzgerald went after Libby, because he caught him lying in a cover-up. If Armitage was the source of the leak, period end of story, then why lie?
By Chris, Wednesday, 4 July , 2007 @ 12:05 pm

I hear that Cheney will be indicted any minute now. Any minute now……..