Posted on 02/13/2006 5:04:44 PM PST by Perdogg
Five government agencies are reviewing classified evidence that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby may want to use at his trial to fight perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges, according to a court transcript made public Monday.
During a Feb. 3 hearing, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told a federal judge that the review of classified materials is being done by the CIA, National Security Council, National Security Agency, State Department and several components within the White House, including the offices of the president and vice president.
The outcome of those reviews will determine whether the case against Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, gets bogged down in a legal battle pitting the government's desire to protect national security secrets against a defendant's right to a fair trial.
Libby, 55, was indicted late last year on charges that he lied about how he learned CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity and when he subsequently told reporters.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
MSNBC is reporting that the prosecutor is now saying Libby shouldn't get classified intelligence documents to aid his defense since it would sabotage the case if granted - no duh!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11405739/
The most amazing part is the MSNBC poll:
"Should Lewis Libby be given access to classified documents he may need for his defense?" * 5183 responses
Yes
27%
No
73%
If he NEEDS them for his defense, what are these 3784 morons thinking?!
That's fine, throw the case out. It will be sonner or later.
I agree - I am trying to find what Fitzgerald filed (FindLaw and SmokingGun.com does not have it yet) - from the article:
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald suggested that lawyers for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby were trying to torpedo the government’s case by pressing for the documents, including nearly a year’s worth of the Presidential Daily Brief, a summary of threats to the U.S. that the Bush administration has fiercely guarded in the past.
In court papers filed late Thursday, Fitzgerald also asserted that granting such a request would damage national security and presidential executive privilege. He called it “nothing short of breathtaking.”
"MSNBC is reporting that the prosecutor is now saying Libby shouldn't get classified intelligence documents to aid his defense since it would sabotage the case if granted - no duh!"
Here is Fitz's response to the Libby doc request:
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/files/Libby_060216.pdf
Justoneminute did a brief write up:
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2006/02/the_latest_fitz.html
Thanks - I was not able to find that anywhere - this prosecutor has some balls, I will say that.
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