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at least scooter still has to pay the fine....
- Thread starter queenlives
- Start date
Probably not a bad thing - he was just a scapegoat/whipping boy for the guys he was working for anyway......what a f*&King
joke this administration has become!
joke this administration has become!
Bet his next job will be on the Board of Hailiburton. 
How is it that Paris Hilton can go to jail for 23 days for a DUI, but Scooter gets off for leaking the identity of a CIA agent, and then attempting to cover it up? I hate Paris, so I'm not standing up for her, but her ONE FELONY got her jail time, and Scooter's FOUR FELONIES got him a fine. Craziness.
well first of all, Paris did not have any felony, it was a misdemeanor. I hate her too but a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor. But count to 100 and she may pick-up a felony-oh wait, she found god.
As for Scooter, the $250K is nothing. I am willing to bet the head idiot is going to pardon him. What a joke.
As for Scooter, the $250K is nothing. I am willing to bet the head idiot is going to pardon him. What a joke.
I'll take that bet, what do you want to lay on it?
To be honest though, I have the unfair advantage of having read the link before posting, so I know Bush already commuted Scooters sentence instead of actually pardoning him (there is a difference).
you are right on the second count though- it is a joke to see what is happening to our executive level of government. The history of these days will be one of corruption, and impunity.
Philip
CNN: Bush: Libby pardon still possibleI'll take that bet, what do you want to lay on it?
To be honest though, I have the unfair advantage of having read the link before posting, so I know Bush already commuted Scooters sentence instead of actually pardoning him (there is a difference).
you are right on the second count though- it is a joke to see what is happening to our executive level of government. The history of these days will be one of corruption, and impunity.
Philip
(hal here: i think the last paragraph says it all
from cnn.com, all legal mumbo jumbo applies:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Tuesday he wouldn't rule out a pardon for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, after sparing him a 30-month prison sentence on Monday.
art.libby.02.gi.jpg
A conviction remains on Scooter Libby's record, and he must still pay a $250,000 fine.
But Bush said the $250,000 fine and two years' probation assessed Libby in the CIA leak case should stand.
"I felt like the jury verdict ought to stand. I felt like some of the punishments that the judge determined were adequate should stand. But I felt like the 30-month sentencing was severe.
"I made a judgment, a considered judgment, and I believe it's the right decision to make in this case. I stand by it," Bush said.
"As to the future, I rule nothing in and nothing out," Bush said as he left a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Libby's sentence was imposed after he was convicted in federal court of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the 2003 leak of the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
White House spokesman Tony Snow also discussed the possibility of a pardon in the daily White House briefing.
"There is always a possibility or there's an avenue open for anybody to petition for consideration of a pardon," Snow said. "As far as we know, that's not been done, and we don't know if it's contemplated by Scooter Libby or his defense team."
Snow said Bush made the commutation decision because he wanted "to maintain the faith in the jury system."
"He did that by keeping intact the conviction and some of the punishments," Snow said. "It's important to respect what the jury concluded because the jury is the group that counts here."
Snow said the conviction, fine and probation were "hardly a slap on the wrist."
"Scooter Libby has been convicted of a felony. ... The felony conviction has an impact on his life. He's not going to be able to practice law," Snow said. Watch White House spokesman Tony Snow defend the president's decision Video
Libby was prosecuted for actions during the investigation of the leak of Plame's name, not for the leak itself.
Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, said Tuesday that Bush's decision puts the president himself under suspicion of a cover-up in the case.
"The president, by commuting Mr. Libby's sentence, has guaranteed that he will be under no incentive whatsoever to tell the truth," Wilson said on CNN's "American Morning." "I think there is a very real suspicion now that the president himself is an accessory to obstruction of justice in this matter." Watch Wilson explain how he thinks power has been abused Video
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald "has said from the very beginning that the reason he was not able to get to an underlying crime was because Mr. Libby repeatedly lied," Wilson said.
Wilson and his wife have filed a civil suit in the case. "We want to get the truth out and hold these officials to account for their abuse of power."
In a statement issued Monday night, Fitzgerald took issue with Bush's description of the sentence as "excessive," saying it was "imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country."
PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS
George W. Bush (2001 - )
Pardons -- 13
Commutations -- 4
Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
Pardons -- 396
Commutations -- 61
George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)
Pardons -- 74
Commutations: 3
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
Pardons -- 393
Commutations -- 13
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Pardons -- 534
Commutations -- 29
Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
Pardons -- 382
Commutations -- 22
Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Pardons -- 863
Commutations -- 60
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)
Pardons -- 960
Commutations -- 226
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Pardons -- 472
Commutations -- 100
Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Pardons -- 1,110
Commutations -- 47
Harry Truman (1945-1953)
Pardons -- 1,913
Commutations -- 118
A commutation is distinct from a pardon, which is a complete eradication of a conviction record and makes it as if the person has never been convicted.
Commutations are rarely granted, says CNN's chief legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. A commutation is one of the constitutional powers of the president and it cannot be challenged by any attorney or court, he said.
Earlier Monday, a federal appeals court unanimously ruled that Libby could not delay serving his sentence, which would have put Libby just weeks away from reporting to prison.
Libby can still appeal his conviction. And if the appeal fails or is still in process at the end of Bush's term, the president could grant Libby a pardon.
Clemency petitions are normally reviewed by the Justice Department, which investigates the case and seeks input from the federal prosecutor who brought the case before issuing a recommendation to the president. A government official said that Bush did not consult with the Justice Department before rendering his decision.
Snow said Tuesday that Bush "spent weeks and weeks consulting with senior members of this White House" before deciding on the commutation.
Plame had worked in the CIA's counter-proliferation division before the March 2003 invasion. She told a congressional committee in March that her exposure effectively ended her career and endangered "entire networks" of agents overseas.
Plame's name became public when Robert Novak named her in his column on July 14, 2003.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has admitted he disclosed the information to a reporter. Novak pointed to another "senior administration official" -- Bush political adviser Karl Rove -- as the second source for his column.
Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is the highest-ranking White House official ordered to prison since the Iran-Contra affair.
"This decision ... sends a signal that if you have friends in high places then you can get out of serving jail time," said Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, a conservative nonpartisan foundation in Washington.
Polls suggest the American public may not be happy with Libby's commutation.
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A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll taken in March asked if Bush should pardon Libby -- 69 percent said no, 18 percent said yes.
"I think the White House probably made the calculation that the only people left standing by this president are conservatives and they want him to keep Libby out of jail. Therefore, not much left to lose," CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider said.
I'll take that bet, what do you want to lay on it?
To be honest though, I have the unfair advantage of having read the link before posting, so I know Bush already commuted Scooters sentence instead of actually pardoning him (there is a difference).
you are right on the second count though- it is a joke to see what is happening to our executive level of government. The history of these days will be one of corruption, and impunity.
Philip
He commuted Scooter NOW, but he's absolutely going to pardon him before he leaves office if Scooter hasn't had a successful appeal by that time (and it's very unlikely he will given the speed things move). Bush only acted now because he had to to keep Libby out of prison. He did the minimum, he'll finish the deal later before he walks out the door..
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Worst admin in history.
He had to protect Libby so he will not tell all he knows later.
I agree, a pardon will come at the end of his term.
He had to protect Libby so he will not tell all he knows later.
I agree, a pardon will come at the end of his term.
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