Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spends two years investigating press leaks and comes away with nothing more than a face-saving indictment on a charge slightly more serious than jaywalking.
There was no charge for any crime directly related to the disclosure of any secret identity or any misuse of classified information. The official in question, Scooter Libby, has resigned and presumably a trial will follow on his alleged Clintonian Grand Jury behavior.
This is much less than the self-identified informed sources lead us to believe was coming, so the credibility of such people as Arianna Huffington, Larry O’Donnell, Markos Zuniga, and Josh Marshall is nullified.
Fitzgerald says his investigation was “more serious than baseball” but fails to prove it. He’s from Chicago, and we know what that means. The Fifth Amendment takes a beating, as it did in the case of Clinton’s lies to the Grand Jury and Martha Stewart’s lies to the FBI. Why even ask questions that require the subject of the investigation to incriminate himself?
Even the mainstream media is not impressed by this outcome:
The charges in the Friday indictment are similar to the ones used in Martha Stewart’s criminal case. She was convicted last year for obstructing justice and lying about why she sold ImClone Systems stock, just before a negative government decision on an ImClone drug. She served a five-month prison term followed by home confinement.
This is no Watergate, it’s one guy acting on his own, essentially a case of “nothing to see here, move along.”
What a waste of the taxpayers’ money.
UPDATE: It’s also worth noting, of course, that Scooter is innocent until proven guilty. What we actually have in the indictment is Scooter’s claim that he learned about Plame from a reporter, and Fitzgerald’s claim that he learned about it from Cheney. What if both are true? I would assume in that case that Scooter walks, and it’s not an unlikely scenario.
UPDATE 2: See the indictment here. It’s pretty thin. See Jeff Goldstein for a great link round-up.
LOL!
Still in denial, aren’t you?
Libby could have taken the fifth at any time, but instead, evidently and repeatedly lied.
Most of the left sources you’ve quoted have been fairly circumspect about what might and might not happen, especially since this is an ongoing investigation.
It’s worse than Watergate, worse than Stewart, and certainly worse than Clinton; it involves lies related to a war we didn’t need and aren’t appearing to be making any headway in, and in which 2000 of our best have died and thousands more wounded.
It’s only the beginning, Richard. Fitzmas is going to be around for quite a while, and it’s a gift that should keep on giving up til 2006.
Most Americans see it that way.
So you’ve changed your tune and now lying to a Grand Jury really is a serious offense?
Congratulations on your flexibility.
Either rightwingers have a special memo from Fitz, or they’re engaging in wishful thinking if they think that Fitz has concluded that no crime was committed.
And, it’s evident that this blogger at least has no respect for our system of law.
IOIYAR, indeed.
Again, this is material to an investigation about the unauthorized disclosure of a covert operative; as opposed to lying about sex that was somehow …what, related to Whitewater?
You guys are up a creek; Patrick Fitzgerald ain’t no Ken Starr.
And it clearly ain’t one guy acting on his own.
This is only the beginning.
This is a stand-alone indictment that doesn’t relate to any crime. Clinton’s lies, however, related to a civil rights law that he signed himself, and for that reason alone was much more interesting.
Richard, what’s your take on this point of view?:
“According to the indictment itself, Libby repeatedly told FBI investigators and the Grand Jury that he passed on the information that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA, but, every time he did so, he made sure to note that this was just what he had heard from other reporters, and did not know if it was true. According to the indictment, this was a lie, because he had learned this information on numerous prior occasions, once from Cheney himself.
The key part of the indictment is on page 21, with this question:
Q And let me ask you this directly. Did the fact that you knew that the law could turn…on where you learned the information from, affect your account to the FBI…?
A: No, it’s a fact, that’s what I told the reporters.
Libby was clearly lying because he thought if he told them that he learned it from Cheney and disclosed it to reporters, he might have been convicted for the underlying crime. And he might have been.
As Fitzgerald said, the reason that obstruction and perjury is so serious is because it prevents you from having the information necessary to charge for the underlying crime. So, although I agree with you that there is not enough evidence to prove the underlying crime, maybe that is only because Libby is covering it up.”
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2005_10_23_dish_archive.html#113053142591283259
It sounds like Libby was indicted not for lying to a Grand Jury, but for lying to reporters. If he lied to the reporters and told the Grand Jury the truth about his lies, he’s home free.
LOL! The denial is sooo think here… look, Libby’s looking at years in prison- up to 50.
And it’s not for lying to reporters.
And it’s not unrelated to “any crime,” in fact, Fitzgerald is saying nothing either way beyond what’s in the indictment, like a good lawyer would do (unlike the perjury subborning Starr).
Richard, I don’t believe that you are reading this accurately. I think Libby fell on his sword to protect someone.
Look Mumsie, you had your fun and it’s over. Fitzgerald spent two years looking into all the dirty underwear drawers in Washington and all he came away with was a Martha Stewart indictment.
In all honesty you have to admit you were hoping (and predicting, I should add) much, much, more.
This is strictly small potatoes and nobody but the Mooreheads really cares.
Don, it sounds to me like Libby believed that he could immunize himself by passing the Plame story off as a rumor and not as solid information. He beleived, in other words, that his wording to the reporters was important, and Fitzgerald disagrees. I imagine a jury might see it Libby’s way. I don’t see any sword-falling in Sullivan’s remarks. That’s not to say that Libby wasn’t protecting somebody; perhaps he was, and if that’s the case he was successful.
In any event, disclosing Wilson’s nepotistic tie to the CIA was a public service that had to be done, and I’m proud of Libby for doing it.
In all honesty, the investigation is ongoing, and I’ll agree with Patrick Fitzgerald: I won’t comment on what might or might not happen, although let’s face it: if it gets the current regime where it belongs (in Leavenworth), I will be pleased.
Having said that we have to let the judicial process play itself out, and hope that if more serious crimes were committed, that the perps responsible are tried, convicted, and sentenced.
It’s time we stopped being soft on criminal conservatives.
And you’re quite incorrect that “nobody cares.” The media (rightly in this case) cares, for one.
They were played for suckers by the regime, and the regime comes out and tries to accuse them of outing a NOC.
They’re pissed. Hell, I bet even Judy Miller’s pissed at this point, albeit because she’s got to find a new job.
Wilson’s nepotistic tie to the CIA …
“Nepotisitic?”
You are aware of course that Valerie Plame didn’t have the authority to do anything w.r.t. Joe Wilson, right? Or do you just want to repeat Repub memes because it comforts you in your time of distress?
“Distress?” Are you kidding? This is nothing, after all the bombast, swelling neck veins, predictions of dire conspiracies, and screaming allegations, Fitzgerald gave you nothing and the Grand Jury was sent home. For all practical purposes it’s over and you lost.
LOL! It’s only begun, Richard, it’s only begun.
But while you’re mentioning “swelling neck veins,” I think that it’s the legs that are really quite telling here.
We caught one perp today; let’s see how many other perps can be collared.