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the Libby Trial

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Kristina
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« on: January 27, 2007, 10:33:25 am »

Bush adviser Rove subpoenaed for Libby trial

POSTED: 1:43 a.m. EST, January 27, 2007
Story Highlights

Dan Bartlett, counselor to president, also subpoenaed as witness
It's unclear whether either will actually be called to testify
Former Cheney aide charged with lying to the FBI and a grand jury


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two of President Bush's top advisers have been subpoenaed as possible witnesses in the trial of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a legal source familiar with the case told CNN on Friday.

It remains unclear whether either of the aides -- Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett -- will actually be called to the stand.

Libby is charged with lying to the FBI and a grand jury investigating who leaked a CIA employee's identity to reporters in 2003. (Read full story)

Rove, Bush's longtime political confidant, serves as deputy chief of staff at the White House; Bartlett is a counselor to the president and the former White House communications director.

Rove and Bartlett are on a list of possible defense witnesses that includes Vice President Dick Cheney, his current chief of staff, David Addington, and a number of journalists and current and former White House officials.

Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, is fighting charges of perjury and obstruction of justice with a defense strategy that includes portraying him as someone thrown into a "meat grinder" to protect Rove.

Prosecutors are trying to portray Libby as someone who used lies and deception in his high-ranking position at the White House to try to discredit an open critic of the Bush prewar justification to invade Iraq.

Inner workings of White House exposed
The first week in the trial brought a sometimes harsh light to the inner workings of the White House and other federal agencies.

On Thursday, a former top press aide to Cheney, Cathie Martin, who now is an aide to Bush, testified she was excluded from high-level talks to decide how to respond to the media during a controversy over Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

In the speech, Bush claimed Iraq was trying to buy uranium from the African nation of Niger. Martin said Libby attended the meeting.

The uranium claim was challenged by a former ambassador, Joe Wilson, who in the months before the Iraq war, had made a fact-finding trip to Niger at the request of the CIA, where his wife worked on matters regarding weapons of mass destruction, according to court testimony. (Read full story)

Witnesses have testified Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, apparently organized the trip, and interest in the results had been expressed by the Office of the Vice President, the State Department and the Department of Defense.

But at least initially, none of those offices apparently had much knowledge of Wilson's trip nor who arranged it, according to the testimony thus far.

Prosecution witnesses from the CIA and the State Department testified that they or their staff members tracked down details of the mission at Libby's request, and that the push to do so came at the time the former ambassador had questioned the Bush argument for going to war in Iraq.

The criminal case began with an investigation of how Valerie Wilson became widely known among journalists as being an operative of the CIA. It would be illegal to disclose the covert or classified status of such an employee.

No one has been charged with leaking her name, employment status or other classified material.

Libby is the only person to face any charges in connection with the case. He resigned his position at the White House in 2005 on the day he was indicted.

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has said he continues to explore for wrongdoing, including whether Valerie Wilson's cover was blown in retaliation for her husband's public criticism of the president.

Who told Libby is key to prosecution
Central to the Libby trial is whether he learned of Valerie Wilson's employment from reporters or from inside government. (Watch how the timeline is a key to the trial )

Libby has said that he first got the information from NBC reporter Tim Russert. His lawyers blame bad memory for any discrepancies in what he told investigators and a grand jury, and say he may have been distracted by urgent national security matters.

Martin, Cheney's former spokeswoman, testified Thursday that she had told Libby that Joseph Wilson is "married to a CIA agent" days before the date Libby claims he learned that information from Russert.

She also described feeling blamed for how the White House handled a different query about the controversial Iraq-uranium assertion in the State of the Union address. The query, by television reporter Andrea Mitchell, had been handled by Libby.

Martin testified, "I was aggravated that Scooter was calling the reporters and I wasn't" during White House efforts to handle the story.

Martin is one of four witnesses for the prosecution who have testified in the first three days of the trial, which is expected to last more than a month. The judge and jury will not hear the case on Fridays.

After the defense and prosecution conclude with Martin on Monday, the next witness is expected to be former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

He appeared at the courthouse Thursday after defense attorney Ted Wells complained he needed more time to examine Martin's original handwritten notes she made during the uranium controversy.

There was some talk of instead taking the next prosecution witness and delaying Martin's testimony, and soon after, reporters spotted Fleischer's arrival.

Prosecutor Fitzgerald acknowledged that Wells had been given the Martin notes only a few hours before Martin was to take the stand, but he disputed whether the earlier copies were of poor quality.

"That's a bit of spin," Fitzgerald said of the complaint from Wells, and suggested he didn't believe the defense team's "notion of sitting on it a year with illegible copies."

Judge Reggie Walton, his voice rising, chided Fitzgerald and loudly said, "If he's lying, I'll punish him for it," referring to the Wells complaint.

Martin was called to the stand after Fitzgerald said only a handful of the notes would be introduced as evidence. Fleischer, who had been waiting with counsel in a holding room, departed. His appearance is now set for Monday.

CNN's Paul Courson and John King contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/26/cia.leak/index.html
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 01:35:35 am by Kristina » Report Spam   Logged

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Kristina
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« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2007, 01:36:46 am »

Libby defense wants reasons for Fleischer's immunity
POSTED: 10:24 a.m. EST, January 29, 2007

 
Story Highlights
• NEW: Former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer may testify Monday
• NEW: Libby defense wants to know why Fleischer qualifies for immunity
• Two Bush top advisers, Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett, have been subpoenaed

 
 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A face familiar to perhaps most of the public might take the witness stand Monday in the criminal trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President Bush, is the next prosecution witness in the case of perjury and obstruction of justice, and the first to testify under a grant of immunity.

Fleischer told reporters at the courthouse last week that he plans to "tell what he knows." He did not elaborate and departed without being called to the stand.

After the jury was excused for the week on Thursday, defense and prosecutors argued before Judge Reggie Walton about Fleischer's appearance.

Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, fighting a defense request to know the basis for Fleischer's immunity, told the judge that "I did not know what we were going to get when he went into the grand jury, other than I knew it was going to be relevant to the case."

In court papers filed over the weekend, defense attorneys said they have the legal right to know what led up to a deal for leniency so that the jury can evaluate the motive and credibility of the witness.

The prosecution argued that there is no formal "statement of facts" from Fleischer to provide in response, but the defense cited case law to say a tacit agreement for testimony still obligates disclosure of information or evidence that could be helpful to the defense.

Libby is charged with lying to the FBI and a grand jury investigating who leaked a CIA employee's identity to reporters in 2003. (Read full story)

Prosecutors are trying to portray Libby as someone who used lies and deception to try to discredit a critic of the Bush administration's prewar justification to invade Iraq.

The first week in the trial brought a sometimes harsh light to the inner workings of the White House and other federal agencies.

On Thursday, Cathie Martin, a former top press aide to Cheney who now works for Bush, testified she was excluded from high-level talks on media response in favor of Libby during a controversy over Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

In the speech, Bush said Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger.
A former ambassador, Joe Wilson, challenged the uranium claim in a New York Times op-ed piece. In the months before the Iraq war, Wilson made a fact-finding trip to Niger at the request of the CIA, where his wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, worked on matters regarding weapons of mass destruction, according to court testimony. (Read full story)

Witnesses have testified Wilson's wife apparently organized the trip, and interest in the results had been expressed by the vice president's office and the State and Defense departments.

At least initially, none of those offices apparently had much knowledge of Wilson's trip or who arranged it, according to court testimony.

Libby's attorneys were to continue questioning Martin when the trial resumed Monday morning.
Two of Bush's top advisers, Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett, have been subpoenaed to testify as possible witnesses for the defense, although it remains unclear whether either man will be called to the stand, a legal source familiar with the case told CNN last week.

Rove, Bush's long-time political confidant, is deputy chief of staff at the White House; Bartlett is a counselor to the president and the former White House communications director.

Rove and Bartlett are on a list of possible defense witnesses that includes Cheney, his chief of staff, David Addington, journalists, and other current and former White House officials.

The criminal case began with an investigation of how Valerie Wilson became widely known among journalists as being a CIA operative. It would be illegal to disclose the covert or classified status of such an employee.

No one has been charged with leaking her name, employment status or other classified material.
Prosecution witnesses from the CIA and State Department testified that they or their staff members tracked down details of the mission at Libby's request, and that the push to do so came at the time the former ambassador had questioned the Bush argument for going to war in Iraq.

Libby is the only person to face any charges in connection with the case. He resigned his position at the White House in 2005 when he was indicted.

Fitzgerald has said he continues to explore for wrongdoing, including whether Valerie Wilson's cover was blown in retaliation for her husband's public criticism of the president.

Central to the Libby trial is whether he learned of Valerie Wilson's employment from reporters or from inside government. (Watch how the timeline is a key to the trial

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Kristina
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« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2007, 02:29:42 am »

One-time jailed reporter to be called in CIA leak case
POSTED: 10:52 a.m. EST, January 30, 2007

Story Highlights

• Reporter Judith Miller jailed in 2005 for refusing to testify on source of CIA leak
• Dick Cheney's present chief of staff is expected to finish testimony Tuesday
• Ex-White House press secretary says "Scooter" Libby told him about CIA agent
From Paul Courson

CNN Washington Bureau

 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former New York Times reporter who went to jail for refusing to reveal who leaked the name of a CIA operative is expected to take the stand Tuesday in the perjury trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

Judith Miller served 85 days in jail in 2005 for refusing to testify before the grand jury investigating who leaked the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby is accused of lying to a grand jury and to FBI agents when he told them that he learned of Wilson's identity from reporters.

Libby is not charged with leaking the operative's name or CIA connection.
Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has used testimony to paint Libby as someone who used lies and deception to try to discredit Bush administration war critic Joseph Wilson, the husband of Valerie Plame Wilson.

Her name and occupation were made public in a column by Robert Novak on July 14, 2003.
Novak's column followed a New York Times op-ed piece by Joseph Wilson challenging a key element of the administration's case for war -- that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger for a nuclear weapons program.

The prosecution called Cheney's present chief of staff, David Addington, on Monday to establish the process he used as Cheney's counsel in 2003 to respond to Justice Department requests for documents as a probe into the leak of the operative's name began.

Addington testified that Libby asked him what he knew about the president's power to declassify documents. Addington said he replied that such power was well-established.

Libby also asked him whether a paper trail exists when the CIA sends someone on a mission. Addington, who once worked at the CIA, testified there would indeed be such paperwork.

Without prodding, Addington added that Libby did not mention the Wilson matter as part of either question.

Libby letter to Miller an issue
Miller, another prosecution witness, was jailed on a contempt charge for refusing to tell investigators that Libby was a source on stories related to the case. She is expected to be called to the stand once lawyers finish with Addington.

Miller was released from jail in September 2005 after Libby signed a waiver allowing her to testify.
After jurors and witnesses were excused for the day Monday, Libby's defense team and prosecutors discussed whether a letter Libby wrote to Miller while she was in jail should be admitted as evidence.

In the letter, Libby expressed feelings to Miller that may have been intended to boost her morale.
The Times' Web site contains this passage from what's called the "Aspen Letter":
"You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover -- Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work -- and life. Until then, you will remain in my thoughts and prayers.

With admiration, Scooter Libby."
Fitzgerald convinced the judge Monday not to rule on the letter's admissibility until and unless the government introduces it to the jury.

He said he does not plan to bring it up during his questioning of Miller but said that could change depending on what the defense has in mind during cross-examination. Defense counsel did not disclose whether they intend to bring up the issue, while repeating their opposition to including the letter among the evidence.

Fleischer contradicts Libby account
Earlier Monday, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer testified that Libby told him about the CIA operative three days before the date Libby claims he received that information from a reporter.

Libby's attorneys then sought to shoot down Fleischer's testimony.
Fleischer, press secretary to President Bush from 2001-2003, first testified that Libby told him during lunch on July 7, 2003, that Joseph Wilson was married to Valerie Wilson.

Libby told investigators he learned her identity from "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert on July 10.
In his testimony Monday, Fleischer, who has an immunity deal with the prosecution, recalled that he and Libby discussed Fleischer's plans and their mutual love of the Miami Dolphins football team at the lunch. Libby then turned the conversation to Joseph Wilson, Fleischer said. (Watch how the timeline is key javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/law/2007/01/25/arena.intrigue.at.the.libby.trial.cnn','2007/02/08'); javascript:cnnVideo('play','/video/law/2007/01/25/arena.intrigue.at.the.libby.trial.cnn','2007/02/08')Wink

Wilson had written an op-ed piece for The New York Times in which he challenged Bush's claim in his 2003 State of the Union that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from the African nation of Niger.

Before the war, Wilson had made a fact-finding trip to the African country at the request of the CIA, where his wife worked on matters regarding weapons of mass destruction, according to court testimony. He said he had found no evidence of Bush's claim.

Libby said Wilson was given the assignment to go to Niger by his wife, according to Fleischer.
The Wilsons filed a federal lawsuit last year alleging a conspiracy to expose Mrs. Wilson's classified CIA job to reporters to punish Mr. Wilson for questioning the administration's rationale for invading Iraq.

Defense challenges Fleischer
Under cross-examination by Libby's attorney, Fleischer admitted he could not remember whether Libby called Wilson's wife by name.

"On the name piece, I think he told me the name," Fleischer said.
"But you can't be certain of that," defense attorney William Jeffress prodded.
"With absolute certainty, no," Fleischer replied.
Jeffress also picked at a discrepancy in Fleischer's testimony.
In questioning about a CIA report on Wilson's trip to Niger, Fleischer said the report referred to the former ambassador by name.

When confronted with an assertion the report included no such reference, Fleischer testified that perhaps the name was in the redacted portion not available at the trial.

Jeffress then said, "The blacked-out portions of the report do not contain Mr. Wilson's name." Fitzgerald agreed with Jeffress.

Fleischer testified that because Libby didn't tell him that Valerie Wilson's identity was classified, he passed the disclosure off as inside Washington gossip.

"My thought was nepotism," Fleischer said. "Somebody got a job because of a family member's position."
Prosecutors had sought to inoculate Fleischer against attacks on his credibility by having him first describe to jurors details of a grant of immunity he received before testifying.

"My understanding is that I could not be prosecuted for what I did with the information that was provided [by Libby] but could if my statements were untruthful," Fleischer said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/30/cia.leak/index.html

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Kristina
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« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2007, 01:39:35 am »

Libby: Memory clouded by volume of information
POSTED: 9:13 a.m. EST, February 6, 2007

 
Story Highlights
• Libby told grand jury: "I can't possibly recall all the stuff I think is important"
• Libby accused of obstructing probe into leak of CIA agent's name
• Prosecution plans to end case with journalist Tim Russert on stand

 
 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The criminal trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff continues Tuesday with jurors hearing a recording of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby saying he was flooded with more important information than he could remember.

"I can't possibly recall all the stuff I think is important, let alone other stuff that I don't think is as important," Libby told special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald during grand jury questioning on March 5, 2004.

Prosecutors are in their final days of laying out motive and evidence they believe will lead the criminal trial jury to convict Libby of lying to save his job at the White House.

The quote is contained in a filing from Libby's lawyers Monday night. They are fighting an attempt by prosecutors to link the admission of certain evidence to whether he takes the stand.

When Libby's defense team presents their case on Thursday, it will center on a theory their client was distracted by urgent national security matters if there are discrepancies in what he told investigators.

Libby has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that includes allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Libby is accused of obstructing the FBI investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, whose husband, Joseph Wilson, wrote a July 2003 New York Times piece accusing the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.

The issue developed after Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador, traveled to Africa in February 2002 to investigate whether Iraq, under President Saddam Hussein, tried to acquire uranium from the African country of Niger.

He told the CIA he doubted there were any transactions.
In the past two weeks of testimony and evidence, prosecutors have been trying to establish that Cheney was the first source of Libby's knowledge that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and sent him on the trip.

Libby, according to testimony from an FBI agent who interviewed him, forgot Cheney was the source until he found some of his notes produced as the Justice Department began its probe of how Plame's name got out.

Fitzgerald, after the grand jury recordings have finished playing for the jury in the criminal trial, will present two newspaper articles he believes will show Libby's state of mind when preparing to be questioned in the case.

The newspaper articles from October 4 and October 12, 2003, mention the damage caused by the disclosure of Valerie Plame's CIA connection, and refer to her classified status. Neither point has been brought forward through other evidence or testimony that the defense could challenge.

The disputed newspaper articles, Fitzgerald said during last Thursday's court session, show a state of mind that "you may be involved in something that is a big mess in terms of law, in terms of politics and in terms of getting yourself fired."

Prosecutors plan to rest their case after calling nearly a dozen witnesses, the last of whom is expected to be Tim Russert, the moderator for NBC's "Meet the Press."

Libby told investigators he first learned of Plame's identity from Russert.
CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/06/cia.leak/index.html

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Kristina
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« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2007, 01:53:15 am »

NBC's 'Meet the Press' host to give testimony
POSTED: 10:09 a.m. EST, February 7, 2007

Story Highlights
• NEW: NBC's Tim Russert to take the stand on Wednesday
• Prosecution: Russert did not get any leniency in exchange for deposition to FBI
• Defense has requested to get details from that deposition
• On tape, Libby says he was surprised when Russert mentioned Plame
From Paul Courson
 
 
 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The prosecution in the trial against Lewis "Scooter" Libby concludes its case Wednesday with testimony from Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press."

Prosecutors have said that Russert will testify that Libby called him in 2003 and complained about what Libby felt was unfair news coverage of a disputed report questioning part of the Bush administration's basis for going to war with Iraq.

Libby has claimed Russert was the person who told him about a CIA connection for a woman whose husband had made a fact-finding mission to Africa and later disputed Bush claims Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger.

Russert is expected to say that Libby's call ended with the complaint about coverage, and that there was no such disclosure, prosecutors said in the court documents.

Libby is charged with lying to investigators trying to find out who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Her identity was revealed after her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, alleged in an editorial that the Bush administration twisted facts to support an invasion of Iraq.

Wilson said his intelligence-gathering work -- which concluded Iraq had made no serious effort to obtain nuclear weapons material in Niger -- had been ignored by the administration.

Libby is fighting a five-count indictment accusing him of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Libby's defense plans to question the credibility of Russert and has asked the prosecutor for notes relating to any leniency he received for his testimony.

The prosecution insists that Russert did not receive any special treatment as part of negotiations that led to his 2004 deposition with the FBI, in the criminal probe of Libby.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said "despite a diligent search," the government has not been able to locate additional notes from Russert's FBI interview on August 7, 2004. The defense is aware of all the accommodations offered to obtain Russert's deposition, he said.

In audio recordings played Tuesday dating to Libby's 2004 testimony in a secret grand jury probe, Libby said he was "surprised" to hear from Russert that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.

"Is it your testimony under oath, you don't recall Wilson's wife working for the CIA -- between the sixth (of July) and your conversation with Russert?" Fitzgerald asked.

"That's correct, sir, I don't recall discussing it. I do recall being surprised when I talked to Russert on the 10th or 11th," Libby told Fitzgerald.

Libby and Russert talked on July 10, 2003; Russert has denied he told Libby anything about Wilson's wife.
Wilson's article appeared on July 6, 2003. His wife's CIA connection was revealed in a New York Times column written by Robert Novak, eight days later.

Novak's column caused a political firestorm, and two months later prompted an FBI probe.
During the past two weeks of testimony and evidence, prosecutors tried to establish Vice President Dick Cheney as the first source of Libby's knowledge that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and sent him on the trip.

Presenting on Thursday, Libby's defense team is expected to argue that any discrepancies in what Libby told investigators stem from his difficult role as a busy government official distracted by urgent national security matters.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/07/cia.leak/index.html

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« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2007, 11:52:17 pm »

Defense to challenge Russert's credibility

• NBC's Tim Russert denies disclosing the CIA operative's identity
• Libby said he first learned her name from Cheney, according to taped testimony
• Disparities in Libby's testimony due to stressful job, defense is expected to argue
• Libby was heard saying he didn't believe Plame's identity was classified

 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The defense in I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's perjury trial is expected to challenge the credibility of NBC's Tim Russert, the prosecution's star witness, on Thursday.

The "Meet the Press" host testified on Wednesday that he did not inform Libby of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, as Libby had said.

Russert's testimony has been a huge blow to the defense, according to CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. Russert rounded out the prosecution's quick and effective approach, he said. (Transcript)

Libby, the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, told FBI investigators and a grand jury that Russert told him of Plame's identity in a conversation on July 10, 2003. Libby later recanted, saying he came across a note that jogged his memory, and that he first heard her name about a month earlier from Cheney.

Russert was asked by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald whether he and Libby discussed Plame. "No, that would be impossible because I did not know who that person was until several days later," Russert said.

When asked whether Libby told him about Plame, Russert responded, "No."
Russert said Libby had called him to complain about comments anchor Chris Matthews had made about him on MSNBC.
"If he had told me [Plame's identity], I would have asked him how he knew that, why he knew that, what is the relevance of that. And since [it was] a national security issue, my superiors [would] try to pursue it," the moderator of "Meet the Press" said.

While cross-examining Russert, Ted Wells, Libby's lawyer, tried to bolster the defense argument that Libby couldn't recall details about Plame because he was immersed in other issues.

Wells asked Russert: "Did you tell the FBI you speak to many people on a daily basis and it's difficult to reconstruct one from several months ago?"

Russert said he did not remember telling the FBI that it was difficult to reconstruct conversations but agreed that it was true.

Libby's defense is expected to argue that any discrepancies in what Libby told investigators came because of his difficult role as a busy government official distracted by urgent national security matters.

Libby is charged with lying and obstructing the investigation into the leak of Plame's role as a covert CIA operative. He says he didn't lie but was so swamped with national security issues that he forgot details about her.

Plame's identity was revealed after her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, alleged in a New York Times editorial that the Bush administration twisted facts to support an invasion of Iraq.

Wilson had gone to Africa to investigate claims that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had been trying to buy raw material to build nuclear weapons. Wilson said he told the CIA that he had found no evidence to support the claim but that the information later was repeated in President Bush's State of the Union address.

Earlier Wednesday, jurors heard tapes of Libby telling a grand jury that he learned of Plame's identity from Vice President Dick Cheney.

Libby said in the audio recordings that he came across a note that indicated he first learned the information from Cheney.

"And so I went back to see him [Cheney] and said, 'You know I told you something wrong before. It turns out that I have a note that I had heard, heard about this earlier from you,' " Libby said in the recordings.

" 'I didn't want to leave you with the wrong statement that I heard it from Tim Russert. I had in fact heard it earlier, but I had forgotten it.' "

Asked about Cheney's response, Libby said, "He didn't say much. You know, something about 'from me,' something like that, and tilted his head."

Libby said that before he found the note, he thought Russert first told him about Plame.
That recording was among the last of eight hours of audio from Libby's 2004 testimony in a secret grand jury investigation.

Libby's defense plans to question the credibility of Russert and has asked the prosecutor for notes relating to any leniency he received for his testimony.

The prosecution said that Russert did not receive special treatment as part of negotiations that led to his 2004 deposition with the FBI, in the criminal inquiry of Libby.

CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/08/cia.leak/index.html

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« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2007, 04:11:07 am »

Libby to call his former deputy to stand By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 18 minutes ago

 


WASHINGTON - The man who took I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's seat as the vice president's national security adviser may soon be taking Libby's seat in the witness stand.
 
 
 
Defense attorneys say they plan to call John Hannah, who served as Libby's deputy and was promoted to replace him when Libby was indicted in 2005 on perjury and obstruction charges.

Hannah's testimony could effectively serve as a sit-in for Libby, whom attorneys seem reluctant to put on the stand. The attorneys want to make the case that any misstatements Libby made to investigators were the product of a faulty memory, not lies.

To do that, they want to tell jurors about many of the classified national security discussions Libby was having in mid-2003, when        CIA operative        Valerie Plame's identity was leaked to reporters during the early months of the        Iraq war.

Libby originally said he planned to testify about this heavy workload himself. By putting Hannah on the stand, defense attorney John Cline can bring out the national security issues that weighed on Libby's mind without subjecting him to dangerous cross-examination.

Cline said Monday that he also plans to call three CIA briefers to discuss the secret intelligence information they provided Libby each morning.

The more information attorneys can get out through these witnesses, the less likely it is that Libby or Cheney will testify. Defense attorney Theodore Wells pledged in December to call Cheney but has since backed away from that.

Courthouse officials have been discussing possible security plans in preparation for Cheney's testimony and, in a Jan. 24 interview with CNN, Cheney said he was "going to be a witness in that trial within a matter of weeks."

Libby's attorneys will have to make a decision on that soon. Cheney is scheduled to leave for Asia next week.

During their first batch of witnesses Monday, defense attorneys called some of the nation's most well-known journalists to testify about their discussions with Bush administration officials regarding Plame.

Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus testified he learned about Plame, the wife of former ambassador and prominent war critic Joseph Wilson, from White House press secretary        Ari Fleischer. The Post's Bob Woodward and syndicated columnist Robert Novak testified they heard it from Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

As for Libby, both Novak and New York Times reporter David Sanger testified that they separately interviewed him and that he never discussed Plame.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald says Libby learned Plame's identity from Cheney and other officials, then discussed it with New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper. Libby says he never revealed it to Miller and says he only told Cooper what he had heard from another reporter, NBC's Tim Russert.

Defense attorneys say Libby had no reason to lie. Why, they ask, would he out Plame to Miller and not take the opportunity to do the same in interviews with Sanger and Novak?

Defense attorneys have not indicated the order of their witnesses but plan to continue calling journalists Tuesday. New York Times managing editor Jill Abramson is expected to rebut some of Miller's testimony. NBC's Andrea Mitchell is also due in court but a judge has limited what she can be asked about inconsistent statement's she's made regarding Plame.

___

Associated Press Writer Michael J. Sniffen contributed to this report.
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« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2007, 07:57:24 pm »

Libby jury asks for supplies for visual aids
POSTED: 11:34 a.m. EST, March 1, 2007

Story Highlights
• Trial will continue Thursday after jurors answer own question
• Jury had sent note to the judge regarding Libby's talk with Time reporter
• Libby is fighting a five-count indictment for allegedly lying to investigators

 
 
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After a monthlong trial full of high-tech gadgetry and multimedia presentations, jurors in the CIA leak trial apparently are handcrafting their own visual aids to help sort out the complicated case.

Jurors asked for a large flip chart, masking tape, Post-it notes and pictures of the witnesses almost immediately after beginning deliberations last week. Late Wednesday afternoon, they emerged to ask the judge for large, easel-sized pages that can be stuck on walls.

The note, which was released Thursday morning, was brief and offered no clues about the jury's deliberations.
"We would like another big Post-it pad," the jury foreman wrote. "The large one for the easel."
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is accused of perjury, obstruction and lying to FBI agents investigating the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.

Jurors are in their seventh day of deliberations after a monthlong trial with 19 witnesses. The trial focused heavily on one week in June 2003 and attorneys for both sides used computerized timelines to highlight key events. Jurors may be trying to reconstruct their own timeline from witness testimony that sometimes was conflicting.

Jurors have offered few clues about their progress. The asked only one question -- involving Libby's discussions with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper -- but apparently resolved it themselves before the judge could answer.

Libby faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of all five charges. He would likely get far less time under federal sentencing guidelines.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/01/cia.leak.ap/index.html

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« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2007, 08:03:21 pm »

More questions, no verdict in Libby trial
POSTED: 6:44 p.m. EST, March 5, 2007

Story Highlights• Jurors asked at least three more questions during the ninth day of deliberations
• Jurors asked if they could use Libby's testimony as evidence he lied to FBI
• Judge said he will address questions Tuesday
• Vice President Dick Cheney's ex-aide accused of perjury and obstruction of justice

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Jurors completed their ninth day of deliberations Monday without a verdict in the perjury trial of ex-White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, but before finishing they asked three more questions about one charge.

The seven women and four men were told they would get answers when they resume work Tuesday.

The note with the jury's latest questions was not made public.

But a brief courtroom debate between U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, prosecutors and defense lawyers -- with the jury out of the room -- indicated the questions related to a charge that Libby lied to the FBI about a telephone conversation he had with Time magazine's Matt Cooper in 2003 concerning CIA operative Valerie Plame.

There was no way to tell from the court discussion Monday how far along the jury has come in weighing its verdicts on the five felony counts against the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Jurors had asked a different question about the same count last week but resolved their question even before Walton could determine exactly what they were asking.

Walton and the lawyers decided to finish answers to the new questions Tuesday. But their debate revealed that jurors had asked whether they could use Libby's grand jury testimony, which was played in court, as evidence that Libby lied during an earlier FBI interview.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said the answer should be "yes" in the sense that all the evidence in the case helped establish Libby's state of mind. Libby's lawyers said the grand jury testimony could not be proof of the earlier statement. Walton agreed with both arguments, but said an instruction encompassing both would have to be crafted carefully.

Libby is accused of lying to the bureau and a grand jury about how he learned Plame was the wife of a prominent Iraq war critic and worked at the CIA and about with whom he discussed that information. Libby says any inaccuracies in his statements were the result of his faulty memory.

Earlier Monday, Walton asked the jurors to clarify a question about the term "reasonable doubt" and how it should be applied to a reference to the Cooper conversation in another count -- that Libby obstructed an investigation of the leak of Plame's identity and job.

There was no public indication the jury had decided how to clarify their question about that count.

Cooper says Libby confirmed for him that Plame worked for the CIA. Libby says he told Cooper he had heard that from other reporters but did not know if it was true. The five charges against Libby carry a combined top penalty of 30 years in prison. Federal sentencing guidelines would call for a far shorter sentence -- possibly one to three years -- even if he were convicted of all five counts.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/05/cia.leak.ap/index.html
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« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2007, 11:24:47 am »

'Scooter' Libby guilty on four of five counts
POSTED: 12:14 p.m. EST, March 6, 2007
Story Highlights• NEW: Libby guilty on four of five counts

• Jury in 10th day of deliberation
• President Dick Cheney's ex-aide accused of perjury and obstruction of justice


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has been found guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial.

Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, making a false statement and two counts of perjury.

Jurors cleared him of a second count of making a false statement.

The indictment against the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney concerned how Valerie Plame was outed as a CIA operative and what Libby said to a grand jury concerning the case.

Libby was not accused of exposing Plame. He resigned in 2005 after the grand jury indicted him.

Prosecutors contended Libby disclosed Plame's covert profession to reporters as part of a plan to discredit her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador who alleged that the Bush administration twisted some intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Wilson, who conducted a CIA-sponsored trip to Niger, wrote in a July 2003 New York Times editorial that he found no evidence Iraq sought to buy uranium from the African nation, as the administration claimed.

The jury was down to 11 members -- seven women and four men. A week ago, one of the jurors revealed that she had obtained outside information that prompted the judge to disqualify her.

The defense said it would accept 11 jurors to avoid having to start deliberations over with an alternate. The prosecution objected, but U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton overruled, and the panel has continued with one chair empty.

Testimony and evidence in the trial began January 23.

CNN's Kevin Bohn and Paul Courson contributed to this report.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/06/cia.leak/index.html

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« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2007, 11:27:24 am »

Libby is the first person to pay a price for the lies that got us into the Iraq war, and this is an invitation towards impeachment.
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« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2007, 07:39:46 pm »




No, Kristina:


 Impeachment is not possible unless there are enough votes in the Senate.

In the case of Nixon and Watergate, the Republicans were willing to acknowledge
the situation, the votes were there for impeachment, and Nixon resigned.  Do you
believe that this bunch of Republicans in the Senate,now, are willing to stop "goose-
stepping" to the administration's tune?

Haven't you heard their 'spin' on the verdict, yet?

Love and Light,
Bianca
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