(AP) Libby: No Plot, No Crime in CIA Leak

[Eugene]

Libby: No Plot, No Crime in CIA Leak

By MATT APUZZO
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 14, 2006; 9:45 AM

WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby dismissed
the idea of a White House plot to leak a CIA operative's identity to the press and said
Libby plans to tell jurors at his perjury trial that he had no reason to lie.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent years investigating who leaked Valerie Plame
Wilson's identity to syndicated columnist Robert Novak in 2003. While nobody was charged
with the leak, Libby is accused of lying to investigators about his conversations with
reporters.

Fitzgerald wants to keep most of that backstory out of Libby's trial in January. But in
court documents filed Tuesday, defense attorneys said they have a right to argue that
Libby doesn't believe he did anything wrong.

-snip-

"It is doubtful that anyone committed an 'underlying crime' here," Libby's lawyers wrote.
"The government's investigation began as an effort to discover which government officials
had 'leaked' Ms. Wilson's affiliation with the CIA to Mr. Novak. After years of overheated
media speculation that Ms. Wilson's identity had been publicly revealed as part of a White
House plot to wreak revenge on her husband, Mr. Armitage (who was no White House ally)
finally confirmed in August 2006 that he was Mr. Novak's primary source."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/AR2006111400434.html

[acmavm]

1. Geez, make you case in the papers Lewis. Taint that jury pool

why don't ya.

[BOSSHOG]

2. How would libby know if he had a reason to lie?

When does a republican, especially one associated with bush's criminal administration, know when they are telling the truth?

And just what is an "underlying" crime? That is doubtful to have been committed? I guess obfuscation is part of law school.

[The Count]

3. All righty then. Nothing to see here, move along.

[quiet.american]

4. What say ye to this then, o Libby's lawyers?

Yesterday, a senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife. Wilson had just revealed that the CIA had sent him to Niger last year to look into the uranium claim and that he had found no evidence to back up the charge. Wilson's account touched off a political fracas over Bush's use of intelligence as he made the case for attacking Iraq.

"Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge," the senior official said of the alleged leak.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A11208-2003Sep27¬Found=true