US News
Bush commutes sentence for former Cheney aide
Jul 2, 2007, 22:03 GMT
Washington - US President George W Bush on Monday lifted the 30-month prison term of Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide, who was convicted over the leak of a CIA agent's identity.
Bush commuted the sentence of I Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, but left Libby's 250,000-dollar fine and two years of probation intact.
Bush said he had 'concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.'
'My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr Libby,' Bush said in a statement, stopping short of the full pardon demanded by many Republicans.
Libby was convicted in March on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators looking into the leak, which touched off a political scandal reaching to the White House.
A US district judge in June refused to let him remain free pending appeal, increasing pressure by conservatives for Bush to help Libby.
The case centred on whether Libby, 56, lied to a grand jury and to FBI investigators probing whether the US administration intentionally leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame to retaliate for her husband's criticism of the Iraq war.
Libby was not charged with leaking Plame's name to the media but with hampering the probe into who did. He resigned in 2005 after being indicted.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Simply amazing. We will be in prison for life.
George Bush represents all the corruption and fraud that is destroying America. Go to hell Mr. President.
shooting Libby might have been excessive...the operative word being 'might'.
These crooks think they are above the law and since americans are too busy worrying about Paris Hilton they will get away with it. Keep wavin that flag red necks!
Laughable President. Laughable Cheney. The worst administration in the history of the US continues. Hope you people that STILL drive around with the Busch/Cheney 2004 bumper stickers are happy.
No matter what anyone in the White House does, no matter how horrible the crime is, and no matter what the courts say, good ol' W has the power to play 'get out of jail free' card, and he always does. Why is that nobody in our government will accept responsibility? They're all cowards and hypocrites. Disgusting.
I hate that our leaders are immune from justice. It's simply wrong.
This is the most shamelessly criminal administration in recent history. They are making saints out of Nixon and Reagan with their measly Watergates and Iran-Contras.
George Bush personifies the corruption and fraud that is destroying America. Go to hell Mr. President.
All you folks in Ohio: Remember, you elected this idiot who is trampling all over the United States Constitution. Now he reversing the orders of judges who heard the evidence in this court case. Nothing political here. No sir.
I get it...the guy does the dirty deed and get a get out of jail free card by the very people who assigned him the dirty deed....What I don't get is how a president can continuously violate the spirit and letter of the law and there is no outrage by congress or the media or the people....observe the decline of a once great nation so steeped in corruption it doesn't recognize it when it smacks it in the face...God help us survive this amazingly incompetent loser and his cronies. Mr. Nixon resigned over much less serious crimes than what this guy has done.
Yeah this is outrages. This is the first administration to ever do something like this... err wait actually this isn't all that uncommon but damned if us bush haters wont yell about it anyway.
Not even the ultra conservatives can stand him anymore. ...Good thing he has Putin to go fishing with.
Are ya saying they don't have a vaild gripe about this?
Morally reprehensible. Where are our leaders? May they all rot in hell.
Here we go again.... 200 countries and 5 Billion (whatever) people on this planet and this tiny little nothing story gets all this attention .
I blame no one else other than ' me ' . Everyday there are hundreds of ' corruption ' stories that make this look like nothing yet we ignore it all and hammer on this ....
Here we go again.... 200 countries and 5 Billion (whatever) people on this planet and this tiny little nothing story gets all this attention .
I blame no one else other than ' me ' . Everyday there are hundreds of ' corruption ' stories that make this look like nothing yet we ignore it all and hammer on this ....
if this was any average American, they would be going directly to jail, do not pass go do, not collect 200 dollars.....but for anyone in the almighty Bush administration...they are above the law!!!
Just one question for the media and the Bush administration. How many other sentences did his royal highness(Bush) and the hemorrhoid(Cheney) commute this week for being excessive ?? (my bet is , not one !!)
Looks like Dubya is trying to justify it.
Not only it makes Nixon look a saint, it emboldens corrupt leaders all over the world. Plain and simple shameless. So called flag bearers of democracy will be dictorial if had a chance. Wonders how could this administrator preach democracy? Scale may be different but principles are compromised.
This is the most criminal administration in history. George Bush personifies the corruption and fraud that has destroyed America. Ohio hang your head in shame you voted this idiot back in to power. What will it take for people to wake up, the destruction of the planet? oh yeah he's doing that too. Arnie for president I say
page: 1
That was the deal ...Jul 2nd, 2007 - 22:19:24
Scooter blocks the investigation to protect Cheney et al.
Cheney and Bush agree to help him stay out of prison.
Done deal.
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