Juror Explains Libby Verdict (".. what is HE doing here? Where is Rove and all these other guys..")

Editor&Publisher ^ | March 6, 2007 | Greg Mitchell

[chesley]

Denis Collins said, "We asked ourselves, what is HE doing here? Where is Rove and all these other guys....He was the fall guy."

[Shermy]

"He said that politics played no role in the verdict, and claimed most jurors didn't know how others felt politically."

But...

"We asked ourselves, what is HE doing here? Where is Rove and all these other guys....He was the fall guy."

[chesley]

I did not understand the reasoning, myslef. I think they were determined to take down whoever was thrown to them.

[camle]

[misterrob]

Defense gets to have a say in this as well. Libby left his attorney's little room to work with here it seems.

[goldstategop]

They hated Bush... they wanted to send a political message. No good can come from a D.C jury.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[chesley]

Not that hard to believe. I would say easy enough to buy reasonbale doubt. I've been cross-examined, myself, though not in a court of law. It is easy to get confused, and it is easy to have your words twisted.

[AZRepublican]

>Grounds for overturning the conviction? Slim to none.

Doesn't a showing of an impartial jury carry any weight?

[aft_lizard]

What a crock, sounds like Fitzgerald got a bunch of DUmmies on his jury. No reasonable jury should ever come out and say something like this.

[chesley]

It would be if I were on the appeals court.

[RexBeach]

No way Libby gets a fair trial in DC. It is a Democratic town. Period.

[EnquiringMind]

If they knew he was just the fall guy, why did he get convicted then?

My question exactly. They'll send him to prison for being the fall guy?

[lilylangtree]

These a**hole jurors wanted a political show as did MSM & the RATS. This is certainly a basis for an appeal based on the inherent prejudices of the jurors.

[jrooney]

It carries weight and verdicts are overturned on much less. These convictions will be tossed on appeal, if for soley because of Fitz's closing argument where he brought in Plame being a "covert" agent and revealing here identity put here life in danger. Earlier court instructions stated this would not be allowed, yet Walton allowed Fitz to state this in his closing argument. Overturned on appeal and you can take that to the bank.

[meandog]

Sure it's a bad verdict, BUT before we begin blaming liberal jurors, or liberal judges, or liberal Fitz, or the liberal atmosphere in D.C. why don't we ask why Libby decided NOT to testify or subpoena Cheney to the stand for clarification of memory about what he did or did not say about Valerie Plame?
I personally think the defense team stunk up the court on this one!

[misterrob]

No, it isn't. Libby turned out to be the fall guy in a sense that he was the only one that Fitz could get for anything. Libby's defense was simply not believable enough to the 11 jurors for what he was accused of doing.

Contrary to popular thinking here, it might very well be that Libby got caught playing games. He's a lawyer and he's represented a scumbag like Marc Rich so let's not pretend that there's no chance he didn't BS the investigators on this. I would have preferred a real trial and the truth about Wilson, his wife and her bosses at the CIA come out.

[Labyrinthos]

Doesn't a showing of an impartial jury carry any weight?

Not when the basis for impartiality is based upon statements made behind closed doors in the jury room. In those extremely rare cases when a jury verdict is overturned because of jury bias, the reason is almost always attributable to the juror's failure to accurately disclose information when asked prior to the start of trial during jury selection that would have demonstrated an unacceptable level of bias or partiality.

[AZRepublican]

Fitz's closing argument where he brought in Plame being a "covert" agent and revealing here identity put here life in danger. Earlier court instructions stated this would not be allowed, yet Walton allowed Fitz to state this in his closing argument.

And Libby's lawyer's kept silent like good attorneys? hehehehe

[chesley]

Maybe so. My own opinion, however, is that this case should never have been brought to court. If they can't find an underlying crime, they shouldn't be able to go after misleading the investigators. Misleading about what?

[Abathar]

I agree with your opinions, they were my gut feeling too.