Libby's Lawyers Argue Against Prison as Fitzgerald Seeks 30 Months

[cal04]

Defense lawyers argued yesterday that Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff should serve no time in prison for lying about the leak of a covert agent's identity, on the grounds that he is a selfless, apolitical public servant with an otherwise "exemplary" record.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's attorneys asserted in a court filing that a federal prosecutor's proposal that their client spend 30 to 37 months in prison is "grossly disproportionate" to the crimes that provoked a jury's guilty verdict in March.


(snip)
Fitzgerald said the punishment would match the gravity of the offense and the intensity of his investigation into what he considered a serious violation of national security laws. He argued that Libby deserved an enhanced sentence because he "substantially interfered" with the special counsel's probe, which reached into Cheney's office in an effort to determine who might have orchestrated the leak.

Fitzgerald also said that the evidence he collected showed that Libby's lies followed substantial deliberation and were not "inadvertent" or unplanned, as Libby's attorneys had argued.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053102209.html

[Patsy Stone]

1. Some liars are more equal than others.

"Referring to Libby's conviction for lying, the lawyers wrote: 'There is no denying the seriousness of the crimes of which Mr. Libby was convicted. . . . At the same time, there is no denying the kind of person Mr. Libby is and the contributions he has made to his country.'"

[xxqqqzme]

4. was there a list of the 'contributions to his country'?

inquiring minds want to know!

[Patsy Stone]

5. Here you go:

Scroll down, read it, and have a barf bag handy.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0531072libby1.html

[Tyler Durden]

2. 30 MONTHS???????? I would have given him 30 YEARS.

He ought to consider himself LUCKY and just do the time.

[Kagemusha]

3. Good thing it wasn't a live hearing.

Decorum would be heavily pressed by the urge to laugh spontaneously and loudly at the "apolitical" part.

[Solly Mack]

6. "...selfless, apolitical public servant ..."

Shit's deep in those 4 words

[Imagevision]

7. What's Libby going to do? go to rehab as a token jesture?

Libby should do at least 2 years after good time!!

[jaysunb]

8. The downside here is..

if they're having this conversation, it means that Libby has not flipped. I had hoped he would, but it seems others who said he wouldn't were right.

There'r 4 days left Scooter ! Sing Boy, SING ! the boys down on the ol cellblock are just waiting for ya. It'll be a much different song then, Scoot...:evilgrin: