B R E A K I N G: Judge Walton has ordered the release of the libby-letters to the media!

[kpete]

judge walton has ordered the release of the libby-letters to the media!


B R E A K I N G:


http://indictdickcheney.blogspot.com/2007/05/judge-walton-has-ordered-release-of.html



AP - UPDATE:

Judge: Letters about Libby will be released in CIA leak case

May 31, 2007 (WASHINGTON) - A federal judge said Thursday he will release more than 150 letters he received regarding next week's sentencing of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Libby, who was convicted in March of perjury and obstruction in the CIA leak case, had asked that the letters not be released. Attorneys for several news organizations argued that the law required the letters be made public.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton agreed, citing a need for transparency.

................

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has asked that Libby receive up to three years in prison. Libby is expected to ask for no jail time.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=nation_world&id=5355571

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

1. Oh, goody. Can't wait to see who's on the list!!! n/t

[Blueberry_raspberry]

90. Me either!

Release the letters!

[Missy Vixen]

2. YEAH!

I can't WAIT to see who authored them!

Julie
still president for life of the PFEB

[Sydnie]

3. What are the Libby Letters?

I must have missed that info somewhere. :shrug:

[Beelzebud]

4. It's hard to keep up with the mountain of bullshit.

[Sydnie]

15. Truer words were never spoken

where this cabal is concerned. I try but sometimes I miss a thing or two or twenty.

[Nickster]

8. Sentencing letters, where people are writing letters to the judge saying that he should be sentenced

for a long time or given leniency.

[Sydnie]

11. Oh, that should be really juicy then

Thanks for the heads up! :)

[Nickster]

14. Looks like Walton is saying that the home addresses and stuff will be redacted but not

necessarily the writer's identity. So this could get interesting if we get to see who wrote what.

[maddezmom]

22. Hope we get to see the ones shrub and darth cheney wrote

:)

[blogslut]

36. What makes you think they wrote any?

Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. :dilemma:

[SaveAmerica]

79. W's is in crayon, and Cheney's said "I have a shotgun, and I know

where you live"

[bahrbearian]

86. Way too funny ..

:rofl:

[Baron Harkonen]

88. found Bushes letter

[maddezmom]

12. the letters people have written the judge for leniency?

:shrug:

[pnwmom]

75. Yes. And they could contain some interesting things.

For example, if Fred Thompson wrote a letter, it might not be that great for his Presidential campaign. Since he's supposed to be this big prosecutor on TV and all.

;)

[H2O Man]

13. They are the letters

that Scooter's friends and associates wrote to Judge Walton, asking that Scooter not face the consequences that convicted felons face as a matter of law. Judge Walton had asked both the prosecutor's office and defense to submit positions on his possibly releasing some/all of them.

Mr. Fitzgerald took no firm position.

Team Libby responded to the judge by saying the media would have little or no interest, and that bloggers might use the letters to make fun of Scooter's pals. I am not joking.

[Sydnie]

17. Oh goodness

I hope the bloggers do just that! What fun!

If they can't take the heat, they shouldn't have raised their pen to come to his aid!

[H2O Man]

19. The quote:

"Given the extraordinary media scrutiny here, if any case presents the possibility that these letters, once released, would be published on the internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers, it is this case." -- from page 5 of Team Libby's Response to Court's Order of May 17, 2007

[Usrename]

43. I know you are not joking, and neither were they, but....

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[H2O Man]

47. Yep. n/t

[immoderate]

46. Let me get this straight....

Their reason for opposing the release of these letters (and they actually stated it,) is that people will read them and discuss them? Even though the media will ignore them?

Sorry. I think that you could say "asked and answered," but it sounds so lame, even for them. The subtle ironies of their statement are astounding.

--IMM

[H2O Man]

50. Among the reasons

that Team Libby came up with, they listen not only the possibility of bloggers would be interested in the letters, but this gem: "... any interest by the press or the public in the content of these letters would be minimal, if not non-existent." (page 8)

[immoderate]

54. LOL. I'm so glad that Team Libby has the public interest at heart...

Thanks, H2O Man, for the tales from Kafka.

--IMM

[EVDebs]

56. Fred Thompson, running for GOP nomination, is a Libby team member

Take one for the team, Fred !

[Sydnie]

71. So nice of them to, yet again, decide what we should and should not

be interested in.


That sentence is the equivalent of the proverbial shiny thing tactic they think we all still fall for! Look ... bubbles ....

[badgerpup]

87. Could somebody 'splain me the subtle difference here...

...about how 'bloggers' are different from 'the public'?
I know how they differ from 'the press'...:crazy:

[H2O Man]

92. Sure.

The public is nice and polite, and don't care about the Libby trial.
Them bloggers are a different breed: they delight in being mean to little Scooter & Co.

[tanyev]

72. Oh, noes!

People might mock them? Horrors! Funny how bullies are so thin-skinned themselves.

[hlthe2b]

84. Well, Team Libby is right.... and isn't it just...

DELICIOUS! LOL

I can't wait to be among the bloggers (and readers of said bloggers) to "MOCK"!


Let the mocking begin!!! :rofl:

[MADem]

95. Let the mocking begin! In all seriousness, of course... nt

[FogerRox]

67. I would never make fun of Libby

eviscerate maybe.

[mod mom]

74. I sent out requests to my networks with their addresses after I read that Libby's

attorneys were asking for comments, but as you might guess I am neither a friend nor an associate. Hopefully there are many of the 150 who aren't in that category!

[malaise]

82. I sure hope little Fugger Carson's father

wrote one of them.

[H2O Man]

83. He did. n/t

[malaise]

94. Great n/t

[IChing]

5. What do you think these letters will reveal?

Do you suspect it will show the media is a collaborator in some way?

[blm]

7. That's one aspect we certainly expect to see.

.

[EVDebs]

57. ooooooh, Operation Mockingbird ! To be continued ! nt

[IChing]

61. Wink..wink..nod..nod.

:;-) :rofl:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird:

[H2O Man]

6. Great!

Nominated.

[williesgirl]

9. Thank you Judge. No wonder * wants to get rid of all judges. recommended

[shain from kane]

10. Are these the results from presidential candidate Fred Thompson letter writing campaign?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

16. Now THAT Should Make For Some Good Reading!

This is great news and I can't wait to see them!

[Missy Vixen]

18. An example of the letters

I believe that Jane and Marcy will not mind having their tremendous letter posted here in its entirety.

Julie

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/05/30/marcy-and-jane-write-letters/#comments

FireDogLake Company
8033 Sunset Blvd. #966
Los Angeles, CA 90046

May 28, 2007

The Honorable Reggie B. Walton
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
202-354-3292 (f)

Re: United States v. I. Lewis Libby, Release of Letters

Dear Judge Walton:

We are two of the bloggers credentialed earlier this year to cover the Scooter Libby trial. Numerous commentators, including NYU Journalism Professor Jay Rosen, considered our coverage on FireDogLake.com to be among of the best coverage of the trial. After having served diligently to make the court’s proceedings readily accessible to the public, we were troubled to discover that Defense Counsel William Jeffress presented the possibility that bloggers might discuss the letters written in support of leniency for his client to be one of the biggest risks to the public release of those letters. “Given the extraordinary media scrutiny here, if any case presents the possibility that these letters, once released, would be published on the internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers, it is this case.”

Yet even according to Jeffress’ own terms, those letters should be released. He writes: “Nixon views the interest vindicated by giving access to public records as ‘the citizen’s desire to keep a watchful eye on the workings of .’ … Other principles seen as favoring disclosure of judicial records are the need for fostering public confidence in the administration of justice and encouraging informed civic discourse.” All three of those principles apply in this case.

Scooter Libby is one of the highest ranking government officials to be convicted of a felony. The Government provided abundant evidence at trial that Libby’s perjury served to obscure the role of the Vice President in the leak of Valerie Wilson’s identity. The Vice President first told Defendant Libby of Ms. Wilson’s identity; he ordered Libby to leak materials to Judith Miller; following that order, Libby leaked Ms. Wilson’s CIA employ to Ms. Miller; and Libby and the Vice President continued to discuss the Wilsons during the week of the leak and thereafter. Most disturbing, Libby told the Vice President his cover story before he told that story to the FBI. By lying and obstructing the investigation into the leak, Libby appears to have protected the Vice President from any potential criminal exposure for the leak. And Libby prevented the American people from learning the truth about the Vice President’s role in the leak.

If Libby’s obstruction indeed served to protect the Vice President, then any leniency shown to Libby makes it more likely that Libby will continue to protect the Vice President. In other words, pleas for leniency towards Libby carry a distinct benefit for the Vice President (and any other government officials whose role Libby may have obscured).

The government’s filing on this matter notes that some of those who wrote letters in support of Libby are “current and former public officials.” These are precisely the kinds of people who might have an interest in intervening to benefit Vice President Cheney. Moreover, they are precisely the kind of people whose actions the American people deserve to be able to scrutinize. By releasing those letters, you can allow citizens to assess whether those supporting Libby may or may not be trying to influence Vice President Cheney or other government officials implicated in the case.

Furthermore, given recent revelations regarding the firing of at least nine US Attorneys, the situation here calls for the utmost transparency. In at least two cases (Iglesias and McKay), there are credible allegations that Administration supporters intervened improperly in hopes of affecting active criminal cases for political reasons. Given the sharp decline in public confidence in our judicial system resulting from such allegations, and given the prominence of the figures involved in this case, the only way to ensure confidence in the sentencing of Scooter Libby is to strive for the greatest transparency.

Finally, though, the letters should be released in the interests of informed civic discourse. Many of the likely letter-writers continue to pursue public careers. The public deserves to know, then, if such people believe obstruction of justice should simply be treated lightly because a powerful person worked long hours. For example, former Senator and likely presidential candidate Fred Thompson actively raised funds for Libby’s defense. If he were to write a letter belittling the jury verdict, that might suggest contempt for our jury system that presidential voters deserve to consider when they cast their presidential vote.

As bloggers, we strive to bring increased transparency to our judicial system. Our work has greatly heightened the interest and knowledge of the trial system among average citizens. Thus, we have a distinct and—contra Jeffress—completely appropriate interest in the release of letters sent. We urge you to release all of the letters sent in regards to the sentencing of Defendant Libby.

Thank you for your consideration,

Margaret (Marcy) Wheeler Jane Hamsher
TheNextHurrah.com FireDogLake.com

[H2O Man]

23. Great letter.

That is what Team Libby is concerned about. And that's what the people that are unhappy with the Wilson case want stopped -- bloggers exposing the crimes of the OVP/WHIG/OSP.

[Me.]

39. Excellent Point About Thompson

And one that should be remembered and brought up when he deigns himself to be appropriate material for a president.

[Czolgosz]

49. PLEASE let there be a letter from Fred Thompson!

[Ganja Ninja]

52. It's almost a sure thing.

He's on the advisory committee of the Libby legal defense fund. I'd be willing to bet money on him having written a letter on Libby's behalf.

[H2O Man]

53. You'd win

your bet.

[lyonn]

58. Ouch! Wicked letter from those ladies. Thanks JulieRB. nt

[fasttense]

20. I wonder dead-eye dick wrote a letter asking for leniency?

Libby was, after all, his chief of graff, I mean staff. This will be interesting.

[Nickster]

29. I really don't think that Dead-Eye gave him a second thought once he got convicted.

I think Dead-Eye will forget that Scooter ever worked for him. There's always a new lackey in waiting to take over.

[PA Democrat]

62. I think you're right. Tim Russert asked Cheney on MTP recently if he has spoken with Libby

since he was convicted. Cheney said that he hadn't. What a surprise (NOT!) that a guy as nice as Dead-Eye Dick wouldn't even have the decency to call his loyal chief of staff. He's apparently too busy planning the destruction of even more people's lives.

[Me.]

64. Not Call Him?

That's not the worst of it. The Liar was in the audience in March, front row, for a speech the dick gave. Didn't acknowledge his former chief of staff.

[PA Democrat]

66. OMG! That's amazing. What does Cheney have on Libby?

I am sure that Libby could tell some pretty damning stories about his former boss. Did he make a deal for a pardon in exchange for his silence? Personally, I wouldn't trust Dick as far as I could throw the guy. Wonder if there's a big chunk of Halliburton profits sitting in a Swiss bank account somewhere with Scooter's name on them.

[Me.]

69. There Could Be Any Number Of Reasons

For the Liar's lockstep position. Ideology may play a big role. Libby is a neo and that would tie him into other positions that are also not good for the US.

[tbyg52]

65. Yep. That's the trouble with the lackey profession.....

[Spazito]

21. Oh my, how absolutely delicious!

Any bets on how "similar" the wording in the letters are aka talking points from the repubs' hired guns, their PR firm wrt the pleas for leniency?


Edited to add which letters I was referring.

[H2O Man]

24. Yep.

This is outstanding. Judge Reggie Walton has, in the Plame case, been exactly what a judge should be.

[Spazito]

26. I agree, I have been very impressed with Judge Walton's decisions

they have been wise and fair, based solely on the law, one cannot ask for more, imo.

[cascadiance]

45. NOT ME! If he wants to show his views on transparency, release his OWN financial history!

His own complete financial history has been redacted from the official records.

He's also the same judge that mysteriously continues to be "randomly" selected to hear Sibel Edmonds' court cases, and continually is dismissing them sometimes without even talking to defense lawyers at all for "State Secrets Privilege" issues.

Now he's also being nominated to go on the FISA court.

This all smells like a stunt to make him appear to be an advocate of "transparency". He was entertaining earlier thoughts of dismissing Libby's case for "graymail" purposes (Libby's lawyers were trying to campaign on pertinent evidence also fitting the same "state secrets" privilege protections that would allow him to dismiss the case similarly to Sibel's civil cases). Unfortunately for Libby, this was a criminal case and therefore State Secrets privilege usage in criminal cases still isn't "tested waters" yet, and I'm guessing that it was hard for him to justify the scrutiny that would be applied if he did allow it to be dismissed for these reasons, especially with his past history of dimissing Sibel's cases.

Somehow I think this is a cheap stunt to try and campaign that he's for "transparency" to justify him getting approved for the FISA Court.

I don't trust him and neither should you. I want to first seem him "unredact" his personal financial history before he should even be considered to be approved by the Senate for the FISA court!

Some interesting links on this. Make sure your senators know of this before giving him any approvals!

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread192941/pg1

the "Random" selections of Judge Walton...

http://www.antiwar.com/deliso/?articleid=8340

[Me.]

33. Good Sign, Yes?

Sentencing in 5 days.

[H2O Man]

40. It is consistent

with what he has been doing all along on this case, in my opinion.

It's possible that Libby supporters might view this as a good sign -- that the judge is making a public record of the reasons he will not insult the noble Scooter with incarceration. After all, the little convicted felon has such nice friends!

Or, it might be a reason for the Libby supports to be concerned -- the judge again rejects the defense attorneys' attempts to restrict the public from learning about the crimes that took place, and the on-going attempts to cover them up.

I don't think Scooter will be so smug next week, as he feigned being during the trial.

[Mabus]

25. They'll provide a nice interlude between chapters of The Assault on Reason

I'm interested in seeing if there were any news personalities that wrote.

[spanone]

27. K&R

[live love laugh]

28. Uhmmmm....will the media publish them? I doan theen soooo. n/t

[Spazito]

35. I think the media will follow up on this,

except for those IN the media that wrote letters, assuming any did, because of one thing and one thing only, it's easy, no investigation necessary and it's good for newspaper sales, ratings, etc.

[live love laugh]

60. If they do Spazito dinner's on me. I'm talking real coverage

not a news dump. On the other hand, if not, then you owe me dinner.

P.S. This is all virtual, you understand, as in virtual dinner. I like salmon. :rofl:

[Spazito]

78. LOL, I prefer Halibut myself!

You're on but one question:

How do you define "real coverage"? Do you mean in-depth reporting versus a scrolling line at the bottom of the screen ala CNN?

BTW, I LOVE virtual eating, I can eat anything and not have to worry, rofl.

[live love laugh]

81. Real coverage is somewhere between ANS and the debates. Where they keep the topic afloat

for one or two days and it's not just mentioned in passing without any followup or questions--just read by news readers.

[napi21]

97. I think Toensing already SAID she wrote a support Libby letter.

I think it was part of her testimony when she appeared before a congressional committee.

[PRETZEL]

30. I, for one, can't wait to read Dick Cheney's letter

Honorable Judge Walton,









(this page left intentionally blank)








Dick Cheney
Vice President

[Norquist Nemesis]

34. LOL!

[Spazito]

37. LOL, he might have added a PS, though

Inviting the Judge to go on a hunting trip with him BEFORE the sentencing.

[Jack Rabbit]

31. !!

:popcorn:

This should make some interesting reading.

[Blackhatjack]

32. You can probably find the names of every writer in the Libby Defense Fund rolodex...

There are likely a few career employees who had no axe to grind with Libby, and wrote after being asked to do so by Libby and his lawyers. Otherwise, I would expect the letters to largely be from those who have already signed on to the Scooter Libby Defense Fund, and his family members.

Cheney almost invariably wrote a letter. Should be interesting how he supports his recommendation of leniency for Libby.

[The Backlash Cometh]

38. Oh, happy day!

[myrna minx]

41. I'd love to read, if anything, what James Carville wrote. n/t

[bdamomma]

42. throw his a$$ in prison and hopefully more of his friends will be joining

him.

[bdamomma]

44. I wonder if Scooter will disappear like Ken Lay did to avoid

sentencing??? perhaps join Kenny Boy laying up on that island somewhere.

[bleever]

48. I bet there's enough material in them for a great musical comedy.

Bring 'em on!

[H2O Man]

51. It will be

interesting to read the letters requesting that Scooter face serious consequences, as well. Judge Walton is releasing both groups of letters.

[mvd]

55. K&R!

:kick:

[Kingofalldems]

59. James Carville maybe

Andrea (people overwhelmingly support a pardon) Mitchell.

[orleans]

63. dear judge walton, please be easy on scooter. when i read his

wonderful erotic book, the apprentice, and the dirty scene with the bear having sex with the young girl--well, all i can say is that i've never read a chapter in a book over and over like i did with this one. it was the best thing i've ever read! so please go easy on scooter's sentencing. i'm hoping one day he'll be inspired to write a follow-up to his first novel. sincerely, mr. carlson (tucker's daddy)







--okay, so maybe i'm just riffing as to some of the content of these libby letters. but...it could happen!

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

68. I hope we read one like this:

Dear Judge Walton,

Since the outing of Valerie Plame-Wilson, my entire family has gone into hiding. I haven't seen my wife and children since July 2004. I have been unable to spend more than three nights in the same bed. Several colleagues have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and one is known to be dead. We were hot on the trail of A.Q. Kahn and his collaborators, as well as arms and drug trafficking thru Iran and Turkey, but the entire operation has been scuttled. I hope you take this into consideration when you sentence Mr. Libby.

Sincerely,

Name withheld

[Me.]

70. Thompson Is Offerring To Hold A Fundraiser For Libby

Before His Schedule Gets Too Busy.

www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x285134



Fred Thompson's presidential run now becomes fun:
:popcorn:

[mod mom]

73. I sent one to him and copied it to Libby's law team!

Wow only 150? WTF?

[Patsy Stone]

76. Goody!

Let the mocking commence!

[grasswire]

77. maybe there's one from Monica Goodling

....considering the fact that her close mentor was head of Libby's defense fund PR: Barbara Comstock. I hope there's one from Comstock as well.

[antiimperialist]

80. The letters need to be representative of American sentiment. We DO NOT want Libby pardoned

Nearly 70 percent of Americans oppose a presidential pardon for former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby after his conviction on perjury and other charges related to a CIA agent's exposure, according to a CNN poll out Monday.

Just 18 percent said they would support a pardon for Libby...
http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/03/poll-69-percent-oppose-pardon-for.html

[cosmicdot]

85. .

The illegitimate pResident appointed Walton.
I don't trust any of them.

[happygoluckytoyou]

89. DEAR JUDGE ---- WE HAVE THE SAME NAME

dear judge,

please do not make 'the scootster' go to prison. he is a beautiful person just like paris hilton, even without the crotch shots.
everything he did he did for 'merica, dont you watch fux news-- he is a hero and we should give him his 2 million dollar payoff even if he does not have to serve the time.

president judge w. bush

[Enrique]

91. the aspens write letters in clusters

[H2O Man]

93. Good.

Very good.

[mod mom]

96. Here is Judge Walton's order of letters to be made available to media 6/5:

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/files/070531_walton_letter_order.pdf