Jury convicts former aide to Dick Cheney in Plame case
{{date|March 6, 2007}}

A [[w:United States|U.S.]] jury has found [[w:Lewis Libby|Lewis 'Scooter' Libby]] guilty of four counts of obstructing justice, lying and perjury during the investigation into the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Libby faces up to 30 years in prison with the conviction announced at the [[w:United States District Court for the District of Columbia|E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse]] in Washington, D.C.  on Tuesday. Sentencing for the guilty verdicts are expected to be handed down on June 5. The defense lawyer for Libby says he will ask for a new trial or an appeal.

Once the chief of staff to [[w:Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[w:Dick Cheney|Dick Cheney]], Libby resigned in October 2005 after charges were brought against him by [[w:Patrick Fitzgerald|Patrick Fitzgerald]] over the [[w:Plame affair|Plame affair]]. The conviction is vindication for the role played by special prosecutor Fitzgerald, who some believed went too far by bringing charges against Libby when no indictments were made stemming from the original offense investigated. 

"It’s sad that we had a situation where a high-level official person who worked in the office of the vice president obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that it had not happened, but it did." said Fitzgerald according to ''MSNBC''. What effect the verdict will have on the [[w:United States Congress|United States Congress]] and the credibility of the [[w:George W. Bush|Bush]] administration's run-up to the [[w:Iraq War|war in Iraq]] is unclear.

The conviction came after what Fitzgerald originally alleged, by way of a [[w:Baseball|baseball]] analogy, was the equivalent of Libby "throwing sand in the face of an umpire."
 
==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17479718/ 
|title=Jurors convict Libby on four of five charges
|author=
|pub=MSNBC.com
|date=March 6, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6424319.stm
|title=White House official Libby guilty
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=March 6, 2007}}
*{{source|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/22/AR2007022201935.html 
|title=A Nonpartisan Reputation at Stake
|author=Carol D. Leonnig
|pub=The Washington Post
|date=February 23, 2007}}

==External link==
*[http://users.adelphia.net/~edbrown855/drawings/political_cartoons/libby_deeks_fitzgerald.html Libby deeks Fitzgerald ]

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[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Valerie Plame scandal]]
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:North America]]
A U.S. jury has found Lewis 'Scooter' Libby guilty of four counts of obstructing justice, lying and perjury during the investigation into the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Libby faces up to 30 years in prison with the conviction announced at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.  on Tuesday. Sentencing for the guilty verdicts are expected to be handed down on June 5. The defense lawyer for Libby says he will ask for a new trial or an appeal.

Once the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby resigned in October 2005 after charges were brought against him by Patrick Fitzgerald over the Plame affair. The conviction is vindication for the role played by special prosecutor Fitzgerald, who some believed went too far by bringing charges against Libby when no indictments were made stemming from the original offense investigated. 

"It’s sad that we had a situation where a high-level official person who worked in the office of the vice president obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that it had not happened, but it did." said Fitzgerald according to MSNBC. What effect the verdict will have on the United States Congress and the credibility of the Bush administration's run-up to the war in Iraq is unclear.

The conviction came after what Fitzgerald originally alleged, by way of a baseball analogy, was the equivalent of Libby "throwing sand in the face of an umpire."
Politics and conflicts Valerie Plame scandal Crime and law United States North America