October 28, 2005
First Day of Fitzmas is here : Lewis "Scooter" Libby resigns after indictment
by Liza Sabater
CNN.com - Cheney's top aide quits after indictment - Oct 28, 2005 || Libby was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements, court documents show. The indictments were not directly related to the actual leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson's name.
As many citizens around the country and the world, I am glued to the boob tube (CNN, more specifically), awaiting more information on this developing story. If you want to know where I am, Chelsea Piers is the place to be at the moment ... if you are a soccer-gymnastics mom like me. Thank goodness for Wi-Fi.
What am I seeing here in the documents and listening in on the talking heads on the boob tube? Fitzgerald seems to have been very careful how he dispensed the indictments and, instead of going for the kill --aka, conspiracy count-- he is going for the best charges given the evidence. What is even more comforting is the fact that there will definitely be an extension of the investigation.
Here is Fitzgerald.
* Investigators are set up to gather the facts ... who, what, when, where, and why
* Investigations have to be done in secrecy, especially if it involves national security
* You have to have the fact before you let the information out; no charges, no leads
* This was conducted in secrecy because it shows the integrity of the law as well as the dafeguards afforded to citizens put to trial under our countries laws
* This was not just done to Valerie Plame, this was done to all of us
* Obstruction of justice charges as no less than leak of information charges because this has compromised national security
* Scooter Libby is innocent until proven guilty
* The investigation was about gathering information for evidence that there was wrongdoing
* I cannot give you any information or give you any names ... I can't tell you want I am working on ... I don't like this but it's the law ... and I think the law is right
* People in the CIA need to know other government officials are not going to
* Witnesses are not bound by the secrecy of a grand jury but everybody else working on it are --we could go to jail if we leaked any information
* My job is to investigate if Scooter Libby can be charged
* "I wished Ms. Miller would not have spent a minute in jail but I think it has to be done"
There is a lot to learn from a reporter, especially as to how a crime is not committed but when you have a reporter who is a witness of the crime, you haev to do whatever it takes to get the facts [ By the way, this is the one moment he got emotional about this whole case].
* He does not have the jurisdiction for writing a final report. He believes it should stay as a criminal investigation.
* I am not an independent counsel and I am very comfortable with that.
* We have to deal with false statements and obstruction of justice all the time ... our jobs in the criminal justice system is to have people tell us the truth ...
* Might as well hand our jobs if we don't hold high ranking officials to the same standards
Posted by Liza Sabater in Lewis "Scooter" Libby
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