Bulletin from the Libby Courtroom (NRO Corner)

NRO Corner ^ | Byron York

[jazusamo]

Okay, I see what you mean there and agree that's what should happen.

[mo]

....this is a screwy case...you got that right..I've often wondered if all of us are being "distracted" from other more important issues....

[jennyjenny]

It seems to me the perjury and obstruction gets down to whether or not Libby told the reporters or the reporters told Libby. Some of the reporters, I believe, are saying Libby told them and vice versa. If it was commonly known, and Joe himself was telling people, it's then a matter of he said/ he/she said. Therefore, doubt. But, I don't really know, lol. The whole thing is ridiculous, imo.

[roses of sharon]

Clinton's mythical war room was the ENTIRE us media.

[Sacajaweau]

Classified isn't the same as covert.

[tobyhill]

Fitzgerald will have to drop the case pretty soon if the Judge allows some information that extends to executive privilege because the President will not release it, Plame will write her book, and the allegations of he said, she said will go on forever. That's just my prediction even though I really want this case to go to trial in order to expose Wilson and Plame for the liars they are.

[jazusamo]

The whole thing is ridiculous, imo.

LOL...That's my feeling too. I've read lots about it and am still confused about what's going on. Haven't talked on a thread about it before and this hasn't helped me understand much.
j

[Mike Darancette]

Wells said he expects that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will call Wilson himself to the stand to rebut those accusations.

Perjury trap for Wilson.

[paguch]

We all know that there was no "leak" and the only thing the prosecutor is going after is a charge of "lying to the prosecutor".

This prosecuter was appointed by a Clinton holdover. He has possibly been promised a position in a new administration if he can impact the election.

[roses of sharon]

I'm suspicious of perjury charges in this case, why would a man like Libby, so close to the VP, a lawyer, an experienced DC operative, knowing he spoke with sooooo many reporters over those 2 years, in an election year, blatantly lie??

Unlike Clinton, or others, who only had a few who would know he was lying, why would Libby take a chance?

I don't' see it, especially since the whole issue revolves around the Admin trying to straighten out something written in an op-ed.

[jennyjenny]

I agree with you that it makes no sense for him to do that. I also think that she was so irrelevant in the big scheme of things that if he did mention her name to someone, it wasn't a memorable moment to him.

[Mike Darancette]

So if Wells puts five people on stand to say Wilson outed his wife, how would that affect the charge? I must be dense but that's not the charge against Libby.

It effects the charges that Libby could not have learned of Plame from reporters first because no one but the CIA and Government knew.

There is already that General on the FNC and probably Kristof of the NYT.

[libstripper]

Fitzgerald suggested that he would offer the Libby defense team some proof that Valerie Plame Wilson's status at the CIA was classified.

Notice the weasel word, "classified." He can't prove, and never could prove, her status was legally "covert," so he tries to imply there was something illegal about disclosure of her allegedly "classified" status, even though he didn't charge that Libby committed any crime by supposedly being the first person to reveal it. Slime ball.

[jazusamo]

I guess the thing that confuses me so much is the charge brought against Libby. It's really not about the meat of the thing it's just for perjury and that charge seems very weak.

[Wristpin]

Over the last few months...they've lowered the bar from "Covert" to "Classified". The law they cited to start the investigation only pertained to bona fide "Covert" personnel.

[libstripper]

The charge against Libby is that Libby intentionally lied when he told the FBI and prosecutors that he thought his first knowledge of Plame being a CIA operative came from rumors he'd heard from reporters. The indictment says, to the contrary, that he learned it from internal government sources. If Libby introduces five witnesses who testify that Joe Wilson told them of Plame's CIA employment and that Wilson told those witnesses at some time before Libby spoke to any reporters about Plame, then it becomes likely that those five people told others in DC about Plame's employment, one or more unidentified reporters could have heard about it, and told Libby, thereby making his story truthful. This perfectly supports Libby's defense that he was legitimately confused about how he learned of Plame's status and, thus, didn't intentionally lie to the GJ or FBI about it.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

With respect to damages - Pflame has a book contract out floating in front of publishing houses at close to 7 figures advance. If she had not been brought into the spotlight - her book would have to be a vanity press publication. If she wants to go after civil damages - she'll have to prove she was harmed, and to what degree. Adding up the big bucks from the book and other avenues for her story and the ability to stay at home raising her kids - I'd say she's going to have a hard time extracitng anything out of the actual leaker.

[jazusamo]

Okay, that makes some sense to me. I was ignoring the "intentional" part. Thanks.

[libstripper]

They lowered the bar so they could deliberately smear Libby with an apparent crime they didn't charge because they legally couldn't charge it.

[Thom Pain]

Which side will call Sandy Bergler as a character witness?