Verdict in Libby Trial in....reading at noon. (Guilty On 4 of 5 Charges)

MSNBC

[Dog]

Breaking on MSNBC

[Howlin]

Surreal is a good way to describe this country today.

[gardencatz]

Being the fall guy and taking the blame for someone else's wrongdoing is the normal course of business in politics. I think here the strategy is to let Libby be the fall guy and then the President to pardon him. I hope the scheme works as I don't want to see an innocent man go to prison for a long time.

The problem with your little theory is that NO ONE (except perhaps Armitage) is guilty. Not Libby. Not Cheney. Not Bush.

Cindie

[cookcounty]

"It's not the crime, but the coverup. Even in cases where no crime, as such, was committed. Some former president's sexual pecadillos come to mind".

It wasn't just some "pecadillos."

It is against the law for a federal employee to engage is sexual activity with his supervised employee, consensual or not.

It is also against federal law to do this in your taxpayer-paid office, consensual or not.

Violating these laws has sent others to jail, ---prosecuted by none other than the Clinton's Justice Department.

Clinton was immune from prosecution only because he was President. The Senate backed off partly because the American people had had enough of public BJ discussion and knew the testimony would necessarily have to go to the underlying crimes. Unlike this trial, in which the Prosecutor bent over backwards to ignore the "underlying crime" until he could produce it as hearsay in his summation (which the Jury, per Mr. Collins, accepted as bedrock fact). Apples and Oranges.

[Dave S]

But that's not what this case was about

No, but I thought Fitz was asked whether Plame's job was classified, not whether it was covered by the statute.

[Howlin]

Will continue to pursue their civil case.

They are fools to do that, but bring it on.

They WILL be put under oath in that case -- and everything will come out about them.

Discovery will be a bitch, Joe.

As I said, bring it on, you fools.

[Cementjungle]

Surreal is a good way to describe this country today.

Pretty soon just being a registered Republican will be enough to get you into trouble (property reassessment, etc.).

[popdonnelly]

Let me make this observation again. David Gregory, or Andrea Mitchell, or Bob Woodward could have brought this entire episode to an early halt. It's ironic that members of a profession supposedly intended to provide the public with the truth, saw fit not to do so.

[Howlin]

Covet is the operative word here.

[petercooper]

The DUmmies have dusted off their id's and are out in full force today. Irrational rabid Bush haters-- you will all be deeply saddened when Bush pardons Libby. Must be so infuriating that the only thing you got so far from 6 years of Bush was this Libby farce.

[voltaires_zit]

No trolling here. I'm suitably confused about why so many here think lying under oath is only a crime when democrats do it, though.

Libby stuck his own procreative member in the meat grinder when he decided to lie. Whether the questions should have been asked in the first place is a cop out.

On the matter of whether the questions should have been asked, that was decided when the CIA made the criminal referral to the Justice Department.

[cookcounty]

"Collins: this wasn't about the war .. it was about Niger "

Ka-BOOM! Libby will never go to jail.

[LowOiL]

You Sir are a troll...

[CaptRon]

Thanks!

[machogirl]

they were too wrapped up in being part of the story

[roses of sharon]

Yep, lol, as if Libby, a lawyer, would lie over and over and over to numerous law enforcement, about conversations with his enemies, the MSM, knowing those dozens of people who could testify against him? When he could have taken the 5th?

Fitz had ZERO evidence to back up any lying, unlike with Stewart who tampered with phone logs.

It was a he said she said, it was faulty, confused, and erred memories of everyone who testified.

Fitz had discretion, like all Pros, he did not use it because this was political, and he knew he could get a political jury in DC.

Very simple.

[jude24]

He's not going to second-guess the jury. He'd have to find that no rational jury could find as this jury did. Frankly, I don't believe the "I forgot" defense either.

There may be grounds to appeal, but I don't think I see reversible error.

[Howlin]

Yep.

By all means, let's work hard to get more Dems elected in 2008.

[Dave S]

Since the President did in fact publicly demand that everyone in the Administration tell the truth to investigators, how can anyone claim he told them to lie?

I agree. I was disagreeing with someone who said that Libby was just following orders. Hardly.

[lawdude]

"What a maroon"

Snappy comeback!

[Miss Didi]

Lurch weighs in...

“This verdict brings accountability at last for official deception and the politics of smear and fear,” Kerry said. “This trial revealed a no-holds barred White House attack machine aimed at anyone who stood in the way of their march to war with Iraq. It is time for President Bush to live up to his own promises and hold accountable anyone else who participated in this smear. It is also well past time for Vice President Cheney, who according to the testimony was protected by Scooter Libby’s lies, to finally acknowledge his role in this sordid episode.