Conffederate
Confederate

March 06, 2007

Libby Verdict to be Delivered at Noon

Breaking.

Details to follow.

Update: Guilty on four of five counts:

Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial.

Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

Libby was convicted of:

  • obstruction of justice when he intentionally deceived a grand jury investigating the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame;
  • making a false statement by intentionally lying to FBI agents about a conversation with NBC newsman Tim Russert;
  • perjury when he lied in court about his conversation with Russert;
  • a second count of perjury when he lied in court about conversations with other reporters.

Jurors cleared him of a second count of making a false statement relating to a conversation he had with Matt Cooper of Time magazine.

I fully expect Tom Maguire to have an analysis posted at Just One Minute.

The netroots will assuredly go nuts over this for days.

Hot Air is already all over it.

Update: How long do you think it will be before Bush pardons Libby? Will he wait for the appeals process to exhaust itself, will he sign off as he leaves office in 2009?

Posted by Confederate Yankee at March 6, 2007 12:04 PM
Comments

I expect Bush to wait for the appeals process and pardon Libby, if necessary, near the end of his term, if only to avoid the howls from the BDS crowd.

Apparently one of the jurors, a reporter no less, is saying the jury perceived Libby to be the scapegoat. So why convict him?

Posted by: Retread at March 6, 2007 02:06 PM

Just because he is a scapegoat, doesn't mean he's not guilty of said charges. Merely that he is taking the brunt of the blame while others, whose crimes were perhaps worse, skate free for lack of evidence.

Posted by: ukie at March 6, 2007 03:04 PM

It depends entirely on which one of the following you find more offensive, Bush pardoning Libby or Fitzgerald cutting a deal for another fishing expedition.

In all seriousness, one of the two will happen before Bush leaves office. It may happen before the end of the year.

Posted by: Jared at March 6, 2007 07:21 PM