WP/AP: Hint at what's been going on behind the scenes at Libby trial

[DeepModem Mom]

WP/AP: Secret Papers Could Halt CIA Case
Libby Intends to Present Classified Evidence; Judge Skeptical
Associated Press
Saturday, October 7, 2006; Page A08

Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff intends to load up his criminal trial with information about nine national security matters, the names of foreign leaders and details about various terrorist groups, according to court filings in the Valerie Plame leak case.

The papers filed this week hint at what has been taking place behind closed doors as Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald tries to limit the amount of classified data that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is permitted to use at his trial, scheduled for January.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton is asking whether classified evidence would overlap with what Libby is likely to say in his testimony. Libby's attorneys have said he will take the witness stand to deny lying to the FBI in its investigation of the disclosure of Plame's identity to the media....

***

In court documents, prosecutors argued that it would be "unnecessarily wasteful of time" to allow Libby to present "names of foreign leaders or government officials of other countries, or the names and histories of various terrorist groups."

The danger for prosecutors is that the sheer volume and sensitivity of the classified information Libby wants to introduce could scuttle the trial. Once the judge identifies classified information Libby is entitled to present, U.S. intelligence agencies must rule on whether the secrets can be declassified. The trial would collapse if the intelligence agencies refuse to declassify the information....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601499.html

[acmavm]

1. What a crock. Libby is blackmailing the entire judicial system of this

country. And committing treason as well. And getting away with it all.

edit: The reason I say committing treason is that no national secrets have anything to do with his crimes. There is no reason to put anyone involved in national security in this country or any other country in jeopardy just to muddy up the issue of whether or not he lied while being questioned. None at all.

[ThoughtCriminal]

dupe -nt

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. One issue - did he deliberately provide false testimony?

It seems like very little if any of the evidence he is trying to bring up has any relevance to that question.