Judge received threats after Libby sentencing

AP via CNN ^ | June 14 2007 | AP

[freedomdefender]

The federal judge who oversaw I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's CIA leak trial said Thursday that he received threatening letters and phone calls after sentencing the former White House aide to prison.

"I received a number of angry, harassing mean-spirited phone calls and letters," U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said. "Some of those were wishing bad things on me and my family."

Walton made the remarks as he opened a hearing into whether to delay Libby's 2 1/2-year sentence. He said he was holding the letters in case something happened but said they would have no effect on Thursday's decision.

[freedomdefender]

He’s a tough, tall former football player. Tough on criminals in his courtroom, too. I’ll bet this isn’t the first time he’s received threatening communications for having thrown the book at someone.

[freedomdefender]

Bush appointed him because he had a tough-on-crime reputation.

[freedomdefender]

Writing a letter to a federal judge that in any way implies a threat, now that’s about the stupidest thing anyone could do - even if done anonymously.

[Tarpon]

Well that’s not too hard to understand, the Liberals wanted Libby hung in public. They will not rest until they get their way.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The article’s implication is clearly that the threats came from disgruntled conservative supporters of Libby, but the judge didn’t specify.

[PeterFinn]

The federal judge who oversaw I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's CIA leak trial said Thursday that he received threatening letters and phone calls after sentencing the former White House aide to prison.

Gosh, how they whine when they find out that those black robes do not insulate them from the people they're supposed to serve and not rule. Forgive me, mods, but it heartens me to see judges have to deal with the same realities many of us 'little people' have to deal with - such as someone threatening us. Maybe the judge should get a restraining order - that'll do the trick, I'm sure.

[Tarpon]

I read it the threats came from disgruntled leftists. Since the article didn’t specify, I am sticking with the hate filled leftists, since I have seen enough of them to believe it’s true.

[NurdlyPeon]

Ya. This is from the AP, via CNN. What a trio of tools.

[freedomdefender]

Forgive me, mods, but it heartens me to see judges have to deal with the same realities many of us 'little people' have to deal with - such as someone threatening us.

I can't go there. I believe in the rule of law, and it doesn't hearten me when judges get threatened for applying the law. Ken Starr got threatened, I think I read, for investigating Clinton. That didn't "heaten me," I'll have you know.

[Borges]

Little people have to deal with death threats against them and their families for doing their job?

[freedomdefender]

This is from the AP, via CNN. What a trio of tools.

They're quoting what the judge said from the bench today.

[plain talk]

Bush made a mistake in declaring he would not issue a pardon while the case is open. That’s a cowardly way out. If Bush had any political courage (which he doesn’t except on the WOT) he would immediately pardon Libby. But I predict he will do nothing and leave Libby out there.

[BallyBill]

Is probably the first Judge in history to get an angry response after sentencing someone. (grins..

[freedomdefender]

Is probably the first Judge in history to get an angry response after sentencing someone.

Like I said in an earlier post, this judge has a lot of experience sentencing hard-core criminals in the D.C. area -- giving them no-nonsense sentences (which is why Bush appointed him to the federal bench, he's a law-and-order judge). I'll bet some low-lifes have threatened him over the years, for being tough on criminals.

[Chode]

somebody should root around in this mutts dirty laundry for awhile...

[kilohertz]

These threat reports are a lame attempt to make the bad guy look like a victim. The Scooter Libby case was bogus, using the law to take down a member of an unpopular administration. Plame wasn’t covert, Armitage dropped her name anyway, etc ..., etc ...

The Bushies did the same to Ramos and Compean, though. Unjust law is all fun and games until someone gets beat up in prison ...

[PeterFinn]

Little people have to deal with death threats against them and their families for doing their job?

Yes. All the time. And people in black robes tell them to get restraining orders and people like me tell them to buy guns because all the restraining orders in the world aren't worth the powder and lead to blow them to hell.

While this judge may well be a good guy and I certainly don't want any harm to come to him, I do like that this experience will give him perspective the next time he tells someone that a piece of paper will stop a violent stalker. I'm 100% certain that this judge will want armed men and a gun of his own for his protection and I'm also 100% certain that he won't settle for a restraining order to protect his family.

[BIGLOOK]

Fitzgerald probably sent them.

[jrooney]

The problem is that Walton did not apply the law properly. He was appointed by GW because he is normally tough on criminals but he is also a political hack that is on his way to being exposed. This is the first political trial Walton has presided over, so there was no way to determine he was such a hack. He has been thoroughly dissected at justoneminute for months. He is a turd.

From Just one minute blog - http://justoneminute.typepad.com/:

So Fitzgerald signed an affidavit for which he lacked authority, suggesting he was either inadequately supervised or improperly appointed. The judge wonders why the defense didn't appeal this issue at the time. To which the defense responds, well, it was filed exclusively with the judge under seal, so we only saw it in May. And then time is up!