Posted on 10/31/2005 1:23:00 PM PST by smonk
(CBS) A federal indictment alleges that Vice President Cheney's now-former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby committed perjury during, among other things, a conversation he had with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper.
Cooper says he's not so sure.
Libby resigned Friday after he was indicted by a grand jury, accused of obstructing its two-year investigation of the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame and lying about an effort to blow Plame's cover.
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said the CIA leak investigation is substantially complete, though "it's not over."
Fitzgerald wouldn't comment about the possible involvement in the case of President Bush's closest adviser, Karl Rove, who remains under investigation.
CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports that Fitzgerald wants to know why Rove didn't tell the grand jury about a telephone conversation with Cooper in which he identified Plame. Rove's legal team hopes to convince the prosecutor it was an honest omission.
Cooper writes his personal experience in the current issue of Time.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The truth is irrelevant. It's the seriousness of the charges that truly matters.
Well, it seems to me that if Libby goes to court, and Cooper testifies, there is reasonable doubt. This special prosecutor is demanding "substantial jail time" and won't negotiate a plea bargain without it. I hope Libby can go to court and just beat the phony rap. They should have gone after Wilson and his wife.
You know, they're all a bunch of liars. This case is nuts! Is it ever gonna end... we are so sick of it.
I'll bet "Chicken-Fitz" is losin' it too.
If they can raise doubt on one of these counts, there goes the obstruction and one of the false statement charges.
Basically once one of these perjury counts is dismissed the whole house of cards falls down on Fitzgerald's case.
Now that Cooper has made these public statements, he might even be called as a witness by Libby's lawyers.
Political investigations have become the favorite tool of the opposition party since Watergate. It has gotten to the point of being ridiculous.
What you said. Plus, I still don't see why the Justice Department can't go after Wilson independent of the Fitzgerald farce for his role in leaking classified information to the press. Especially since Fitzgerald doesn't seem interested in this part of the story.
Sounds like Matt is trying to place blame back on Rove. I don't think Matt is trying to do Libby any favors. In Matt's world, if Libby is guilty them Rove is innocent and of course that simply can't be true.
"substantial jail time" - what does this mean in legal jargon? one year? five years? six months?
Wouldn't put it past the press to lie to support Libby. If he goes down it may make it a little harder for them to find someone who would talk to them.
Oh what am I thinking. There will always be people who want to feel important and talk to the press. And if there weren't, the press would make them up.
It is entirely possible that Cooper is the first to see what horrors could come out of the discovery process and a trial. I believe the game plan was for Libby to plead the charges down so all of this would go away.
Looks like maybe the prosecutor and Libby played showdown and Matt Cooper blinked.
Dave S, see what I mean?
Cooper has to be careful here himself - he cannot let on that he knew that Wilson's wife was CIA before talking to Libby (he did of course know this, why else would he have been asking about Wilson's wife). I imagine he was asked that question (Russert too) and replied "NO". Perhaps they pared it down and answered "we did not know her name".
The media is afraid they will be called to the stand and forced to testify.
If Libby can do a Cisneros, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and paying a $10,000 fine, with no jail time, he'd be smart to do so.
That was my take on it too. They're still after Rove.
To make the punishment proportional to the "crime", I think
Libby ought to be sentenced to one hour in jail and fined $1.
The problem is that the plea bargaining has ceased, with both sides refusing to give in. The talks have stopped, and Libby will get his day in court. Wouldn't it be hilarious if the defense gets ahold of documents in discovery that prove this entire thing is a sham? I think the CIA (via Plame and Wilson) set up the White House.
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