The Nation: A Serious Conviction (Libby)

[marmar]

BLOG | Posted 03/06/2007 @ 1:06pm
A Serious Conviction

Max Blumenthal

Since day one of the Scooter Libby trial, conservatives have attacked the fact that the leak itself was not being prosectuted while calling the charges against Libby as petty, suggesting that Fitzgerald was, in the words of Bob Woodward, a "junkyard dog prosecutor."

45 minutes before the verdict was read today, the National Review's Byron York declared, "the problem here...is the charge... prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has asked the jury to convict Libby of a felony, one that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, on that astonishingly flimsy allegation."

The charge? Not only was Libby charged with, and convicted of lying, he was convicted of obstructing justice. In other words, he's guilty of impeding the investigation into the leak -- of using subterfuge to prevent the leak itself from being prosecuted. That's hardly "flimsy."

Further, the one "not guilty" verdict (out of five) will only strengthen the prosecution's case during sentencing because it shows the jury didn't simply steamroll Libby or ignore the administration's case. They gave his case close consideration and determined he should go to jail.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=172042

[Skink]

1. Isn't the leak investigation still going on?

or did the obstruction of justice shut the investigation down?