Breaking: Cheney to Be Defense Witness in CIA Case

[npincus]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/19/D8M4471O0.html

Vice President Dick Cheney will be called as a defense witness in the CIA leak case, an attorney for Cheney's former chief of staff told a federal judge Tuesday.

"We're calling the vice president," attorney Ted Wells said in court. Wells represents defendant I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who is charged with perjury and obstruction.


Early last week, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said he did not expect the White House to resist if Cheney or other administration officials are called to testify in Libby's trial, expected to begin in January.

Libby is accused of lying to investigators about what he told reporters regarding former CIA operative Valerie Plame. Plame's identity was leaked to reporters around the time that her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, publicly criticized the Bush administration's prewar intelligence on Iraq.

[mike_c]

1. will the Bible burst into flames when they swear him in...?

Will the Secret Service sweep the courtroom for garlic and holy water before he appears?

[iam]

4. lets ask him

if he ever had sex with anyone besides his wife since he's been married, and when he says no, impeach him for perjury.

[TroglodyteScholar]

12. You don't seriously think they'll put him under oath...

Cheney and Bush live by different standards. Don't forget it.

[TheCowsCameHome]

14. I doubt it. He's a lying prick anyway, so it's just a waste of time.

[dchill]

18. Laws, rules, standards, ethics...

do not aaply. These things are for the rest of us.

[Patchuli]

37. You think he'll tell Fitzy to

"go f*ck" himself? LOL!!!!

[mistertrickster]

25. I think they have to put him under oath to testify, don't they? nt

[Megahurtz]

28. Like that guy even cares about telling the truth.

:eyes:

[TroglodyteScholar]

30. One would think so...

...but in reality, they'll probably ask his opinion on the matter rather than just go ahead and put him under oath. Why should he answer to the silly "laws" that govern the rest of us?

[AndyTiedye]

47. This is What Happened Last Time Cheney Put His Hand on a Bible

[humbled_opinion]

15. Maybe Cheney will have Libby out for a hunting trip before the trial ..n/t

[jeff30997]

17. Bwahahaha!

Right on! :evilgrin:

[jeff30997]

16. They'll spit on the Bible!

I'm sure they will! :)

[Parche]

24. cheney

Cheney will explode,

Now that you bring that up, I dont think people should 'swear' in on the bible, it is a
fictional fantasy book, that should never be taken for what it is worth.

[Patchuli]

38. No, it's not

but then you're entitled to think so if you like.

[Parche]

55. yes

yes it is..........

[Patchuli]

56. Well nuh uh dude

:P

[Kagemusha]

2. Maybe Cheney will refuse and Libby will ask for a mistrial

since he can't get a fair defense.

[krispos42]

3. Cheney under oath?

Shit, that's a first.

[liberal N proud]

27. How do you suppose he will squirm out of this one?

[krispos42]

50. He'll decide to spend the year dead for legal and tax purposes

He'll just set the timer on his pacemaker for January 1st, 2008 and retire to his coffin in the basement of the Naval Observatory. No garlic, please.

[liberal N proud]

53. Maybe Cheney and Kenny boy Lay will live on bu$h's complex in Paraguay

[wakeme2008]

5. As a Defence witness Fitz can not ask any questions that

the Defence attorney "opened the door" too... Smart Move...

[Nihil]

52. How does that work?

I'm not familiar with US law but that sounds really weird?

[yy4me]

6. Under oath, does crossing your fingers count ?

Can he issue a signing statement indicating that he is exempt from telling the truth?

[Marnieworld]

7. Fitzie must be thrilled

I can't wait until he has Cheney under oath. Fan-freaking-tastic! Hubris will be their downfall. Love it! :rofl:

[0rganism]

8. will Dick be able to resist the urge to perjury?

flaunting the law is pretty much what these guys do for fun, but maybe they'll cut back now that the Dems are in a position to impeach...

[Tight_rope]

9. I sooo want this groups of thugs to be impeached...I pray everyday for it.

[Gregorian]

10. Hide the lawyers!

Talk about synchronicity. These are the lyrics to the song I was listening to when I saw the news.

When I worked down at the liquor store
Guy with a shotgun came raging through the place
Muscled his way behind the counter
I shot him in the face

This morning I went down to the Catholic Church
'Cause something just came over me
Forty-five minutes in the pews
Praying the rosary
When the last days come
We shall see visions
More vivid than sunsets
Brighter than stars
We will recognize each other
And see ourselves for the first time
The way we really are

Decorative grating on my window
Gets a little rustier every year
I don't know how the metal gets rusty
When it never rains here

A year or so ago I worked at a liquor store
And a guy came in
Tried to kill me so I shot him in the face
I would do it again
I would do it again
When the last days come
We shall see visions
More vivid than sunsets
Brighter than stars
We will recognize each other
And see ourselves for the first time
The way we really are

[independentpiney]

11. He's either going to have to perjure himself or take the 5th nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. So, does this mean Libby turned on Cheney? Will he have him

on the stand to confirm that Cheney ordered Libby to leak? Or is
he just going to be up there to confirm that poor Libby was so damn
overworked he must have forgotten?

[jeff30997]

19. Good question.

If I was Libby I would not travel in small planes.He should stick to scooters.:)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

42. well, you know they (Cheney and Libby) have the whole thing

worked out already - hell they rode the same limo to work everyday - plenty of time to talk. My guess is that they both decided to plead ignorant. Too busy. Runnin a country. blah blah forgot.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

46. Libby watch out for Snakes on the Plane!

Libby needs to stay on the ground between now and
Dick's court date.

[peacetalksforall]

20. Now we know that we're going to have a war. We have a trial

with Cheney, the Dems taking over Congress, probably a dollar plunge, gas at $5.00 to make Dems look bad AND distract. Operation Distraction - could be called Operation Glance Away.

[The Wizard]

23. Operation Glance Away

is the code for taking down the UN building. By claiming there is radioactivity at the site they can suspend the Constitution and impose martial law. They can suspend all future elections and appoint Bush dictator for life, kind of like Idi Amin. If they can do the wrong thing, they will.

[Spazito]

21. Hmmm, is this the Libby defense team's response to the defeat

of their "gray-mail" attempt? Could deciding to call Cheney as a defense witness be just another lame attempt to stop the trial because Cheney will claim executive privilege which would end up being put in front of the USSC?

I can't see Cheney agreeing to testify and be cross-examined by Fitzgerald, it is too dangerous for him, imo.

[Tellurian]

22. Seems we are moving in the direction of removal..

take Cheney out first...then, litte boots!

[damntexdem]

26. Hmm, I wonder whether he'll be called as ...

a character witness. ;-)

[Canuckistanian]

29. Who's the devil's advocate?

And how does he get paid?

[David Zephyr]

31. The unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 1997 forces Cheney to testify!

How delicious is the irony of it all.

When the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1997 that Paula Jones' lawsuit against President Bill Clinton could proceed, precedent was forever set in stone against the Executive Branch from shielding itself from testifying under oath in lawsuits (civil or criminal). The right wing drooled all over themselves hailing the decision then.

And now, the worm has turned...it really has turned.

Richard Cheney will be forced to testify under oath and under cross examination regarding the criminal acts that took place in his office by his Chief of Staff.

Drum Roll Please..................


"Richard Cheney, do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help you God?"

[Spazito]

33. There is a difference between the two cases....

Jones vs Clinton was a civil suit and decided based on the facts re the actions in question were "unofficial" acts occurring prior to Clinton becoming President not actions taken on an official basis whereas Cheney's "actions" re Plame may well be looked at as Cheney acting on an official capacity as Vice President.

"...The principal rationale for affording certain public servants immunity from suits for money damages arising out of their official acts is inapplicable to unofficial conduct. In cases involving prosecutors, legislators, and judges we have repeatedly explained that the immunity serves the public interest in enabling such officials to perform their designated functions effectively without fear that a particular decision may give rise to personal liability.

...This reasoning provides no support for an immunity for unofficial conduct..."

http://www.acluprocon.org/SupCtCases/709Clinton.htm

The good news is there is NO precedent saying the Vice President has the same immunity from indictment and prosecution as the President were he to be charged with something whether as a result of his testimony, assuming he does testify, or as a result of the upcoming investigations by Congress.

[RProser]

43. Of course he'll testify - he's being called as a witness - not as

a defendant. The federal judge will be controlling the courtroom and flow of the trial. The questions and answers will be limited to what Cheney personally witnessed since hearsay is permitted only for narrowly-tailored exceptions (dying declaration, statement against interest, etc.

If either side starts going down a path other than what Cheney saw/heard Libby do, the judge will cut it off as not relevant to this trial. And Fitz wouldn't want it because it would distract a jury from the charges against Libby.

Ford testified as a witness against one of the women that tried to assassinate him

[Spazito]

54. Given that Cheney was Scooter's boss, the range within which

Fitzgerald may cross-examine Cheney will likely be broader than merely "what Cheney saw/heard Libby do" and include questions related to Cheney and Scooter's discussions re Wilson and Plame, what directions Cheney gave Scooter in this area, etc.

Ford testifying as a witness against one of the women that tried to assassinate him is VERY different than Cheney testifying FOR his assistant on a criminal matter, one in which Cheney has already been shown, through his notes on the clipped article, to also have an intense interest.

I hope he does testify and, given Cheney's arrogance, it may well happen.

[Mechatanketra]

35. Precedent is never set forever in stone.

Otherwise, Plessy vs. Ferguson would still stand. :scared:

Even if it's a bad omen now, in the short term, our system needs the capacity to say "Uh, the judge behind that decision there? Yeah, he was freaking insane."

[VP505]

32. Anybody want to

bet that some "EMERGENCY' will come up that keeps Cheney out of court and the lawyers will submit their questions to him in advance so he can provide a written statement without being under oath.

[Catherine Vincent]

34. Will * be there with Cheney to hold his hands?

:)

[onehandle]

36. Freeper suggests Cheney kill Fitzgerald

To: seanmerc

Cheney should just take Fitz out on a hunting trip to discuss all of this.

10 posted on 12/19/2006 12:23:17 PM PST by My2Cents (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -- George Orwell)
< Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies >

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1755872/posts

[TexasLady]

41. how that must bite

to be on the side of the devil. when in desperation it is easier to kill ones opponent than to face the very truth that is quoted by orwell below his message

[Olney Blue]

39. I suspect there has been considerable effort between Libby and Dick....

to make sure the stories are straight.

[Aviation Pro]

40. Hopefully, Small Dick...

...will have a "You can't handle the truth" moment and be lead off in handcuffs.

[Octafish]

44. Great. More to learn.

We're talking treason in this case. Valerie Plame and Brewster Jennings & Associates worked to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Exposing the network for political retribution not only backfired -- it failed to silence Ambassador Joseph Wilson -- it also reduced the national security of the United States. That is the very definition of treason.

I can't wait to hear what Unka Sneer has to say.

[autorank]

45. They'll use this to set Cheney up on "conspiracy" to further the crime Libby

committed.

Could it be End Game time?

[veracity]

48. Cheney's secrets will go to the grave with him.............

Cheney's secrets are the key to it all.... from 9/11 to Iraq and beyond. He'll be a star witness and come out smelling like a rose... like the rest of them

http://tvnewslies.org/html/cheney_s_secrets.html

[Nihil]

51. Or to Paraguay

Wonder if Dick will have a "Ken Lay heart attack"?

[Jack Rabbit]

49. I hope Fitz has the perjury charges laid out

All he'll have to do is fill in the blanks.

[kitty1]

57. "Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning,"

"They turn in clusters because their roots connect them"
Judy Miller happened to run into Scooter Libby at a rodeo in Jackson Hole Wyoming, shortly after she attended the National Security conference in Aspen Colorado. There's a good chance that Libby arranged a meeting with Cheney while she was there. Fitzgerald may want to probe the possiblity of such a meeting.
Will Libby turn against Cheney if it comes to that. Should be interesting. It could be every man for himself in there if Fitzgerald get's some goods on them.