Libby Pardoned By Bush: White House Cover-up

July 2, 2007

Washington, DC - President Bush, himself under suspicion for crimes committed regarding the political firings of several U.S. attorneys, has commuted the prison term of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who lied to the FBI and faced 30 months in prison.

President Bush, himself under suspicion for crimes committed regarding the political firings of several U.S. attorneys, has commuted the prison term of former White House aide Lewis Scooter Libby, who lied to the FBI and faced 30 months in prison.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted in March of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators probing the 2003 disclosure of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson's identity. A federal judge in Washington sentenced Libby to prison in June, and a federal appeals court rejected the ex-official's bid to remain free while appealing his conviction earlier Monday.

In a written statement issued hours after that ruling, Bush called 30-month term "excessive." But he also rejected calls for a pardon for Libby, and said the onetime adviser will still have to pay a $250,000 fine and remain on probation for two years.

"The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting," Bush said. But he said Libby was given "a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury."