Scooter Libby was pardoned for a process crime tied to a crime he should have never been investigated for. But there was a special prosecutor in the case. Once there is a special prosecutor or counsel, s/he has to justify his/her existence. Someone important has to be found guilty of something.
Former Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter Libby was pardoned by President Trump today, a pardon that should have been granted years ago. Former president George Bush commuted his sentence but did not pardon him. That caused a rift between Cheney and Bush. Cheney’s reaction to the pardon was one of gratitude. This case is a great example of why special prosecutors and special counsels are a bad idea.
Scooter Libby was convicted of dubious process crimes [one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury, and one count of making false statements], all were instigated by the special prosecutor in his case. The special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald knew Libby was innocent of the original crime but ignored that and decided to not prosecute the guilty party.
The original crime was a leak that liberal socialite Valerie Plame was a spy. Everyone knew Plame was a so-called spy. The extent of her CIA affiliation was listening in on gossip at cocktail parties.
In 2003, Valerie Plame’s name was given up as a part-time spy and Scooter Libby war pursued mercilessly as the supposed leaker.
Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was chief of staff to then-VP Dick Cheney, was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury in the case. Libby was innocent and it came out much later that Colin Powell knew he was innocent but let him go through the trial and conviction without once telling the truth.
Colin Powell’s deputy Richard Armitage was the leaker. Powell and Armitage never told the president, the Attorney General, or the public what Armitage had done. He sat silently as the investigation played out and as Karl Rove and Libby were ensnared by the investigation. This was a “crime” for which Armitage should have been prosecuted – if anyone.
I put “crime” in quotes because most already knew Plame was running around cocktail parties picking up gossip she then relayed to the CIA. She was hardly a spy.
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That’s all you need to know about special prosecutors.
All that right. And answer is: Fitzgerald was gunning for Cheney, and wanted Libby to provide state’s evidence. When Libby had none to trade, Fitzgerald moved to save face in his nothing-burger probe with “lying” charge. Special counsels: Always. Bad. News. https://t.co/TMujKDA8Cd
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) April 13, 2018
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