— Patrick Fitzgerald, Special Prosecutor
UPDATES FROM BRAD:
In meetings, on deadlines, and following several items at once is BRAD BLOG Libby Trial correspondent Margie Burns, with whom we’ve been in contact from the courthouse. She’s now back at her home office, and we’ll have details from her soon.
For the moment, we’ll point to coverage from the two outlets that bothered to investigate and report on this story while the MSM was completely ignoring it:
+ RAW STORY’s coverage…
+ Huffington Posts’s coverage…
+ Libby Trial bloggers (firedoglake, etc.) react, Wilson/Plame statement…
We’ll also point you to Burns’s earlier piece this morning concerning questions worth asking, which are even more relevant, in our opinion, now that Libby has been found guilty. What exactly were Cheney and Bush and their aides told about the CIA findings that the Iraq/Niger uranium yellowcake story was bogus way back in 2002? Burns examines here…
FURTHER UPDATE 12:42pm PT:
FROM BRAD BLOG LIBBY TRIAL CORRESPONDENT MARGIE BURNS
Margie sends in the following based on her observations and notes from this morning, as the verdict was read and beyond…
Courtroom upstairs is crowded, somewhat tense ““ full complement of journalists but defense and prosecution tables empty for a little while. Then the defense team, defendant and his wife file in, none of them looking happy.
The entire prosecution team including spokesman Randall Samborne comes in next, looking ““ not perky by any means, but calm and pretty confident. The jury’s notes have indicated that the jurors had been 1) meticulous and 2) paying attention, which is what you want in these circumstances.
After a pause, Judge Walton comes in, two quiet announcements: “The jury has sent a note saying they have reached a unanimous verdict on all five counts.” And, second: “After the jury has rendered its verdict, there should be no response from anyone in the courtroom.” (Crowd of scribbling journalists takes this all down, adheres to it when the verdict is read, too.)
Jury comes in, about 12:05 (casually dressed; so much for the conventional wisdom that jurors dress formally when they’re returning a verdict). Juror #12, the foreperson, on the second row, reads with aid of a court microphone (she is a woman in about her thirties ““ so much for the consensus that the foreman was one of the men on the front row). Count One: guilty. Count Two: guilty. Count Three: not guilty. Count Four: guilty. Count Five: guilty.
In answer to the judge’s question whether either side has anything to add, the prosecution has nothing. Mr. Wells for the defense rises, asks that the jury be polled individually; the judge complies. Each juror individually answers “guilty” on each of four counts. [N.b. It would be interesting to know the breakdown on Count Three: there has been media speculation on a “holdout” from the first moment of this trial, but I know of no signs of one. Of course, I’m not an attorney. On the other hand, I was once a holdout.]
Judge Walton thanks the jury, adds that he will thank them again in his chambers, says that he has never seen “a better group of jurors,” one that so conscientiously went through all the evidence and testimony, and further praises them ““ appropriately ““ by saying that what they did “epitomizes what our judicial system is supposed to be about.”
The jury leaves, the judge and the two sides rough out a schedule for sentencing investigation, etc; Wells rises again to mention that he will submit motions for a new trial. By 12:15 the judge does, too. Defense team hugs, prosecution team huddles, and the trial is over except for subsequent statements outside the courthouse by both sides.
Wells announces outside that defense will file motions for a new trial and if those are denied, will appeal. Still asserting Libby’s innocence. [N.b. WHY did ANYONE think Cheney, of all people on earth, was going to testify under oath?] More later.
Well, that is a drop in the bucket but at least something. Next will be the presidential pardon of course.
I just keep wondering what it will take to remove this administration, how many Walter Reeds, how many Katrinas, how many more have to die? Where is a leader to bring America back to ethics, honor and values?
Been following along on the trial with folks over at gabbly.com/firedoglake. This guilty verdict feels GREAT! Next we have the civil trial, and information coming from that could (hopefully) result in more indictments.
Pay attention to Patrick Fitzgerald’s words, he chooses them carefully. Although he said, “the investigation is inactive” and “I foresee no more charges at this time”, he also mentioned Congress and the possibility of “parallel investigations”
Remember – impeachment – it’s not just for blowjobs anymore!
All signs point to Cheney…keep your fingers crossed.
Yes, I noticed that too. Fitzgerald seems to be saying: “all Congress has to do is ask” and we’ll furnish whatever we have and do whatever they want to further an investigation. I do not know if Congress can authorize Justice to do anything, but it surely sounded like Fitzgerald was leaving a wide crack in the door.
Christy Smith at Firedoglake transcribed it this way:
(Q to Fitz)
“Is your investigation over now? Fitzgerald says that he does not expect to file any further charges. If information comes to light or if new information comes forward that warrants further investigation, we will do that. The case is now inactive. We are going back to our day jobs.”
I hope you liberals are happy. Enjoy it. But don’t expect Libby to go to prison, because he will be PARDONED by BUSH.
Oh ya …
Libby will get pardoned.
How does that work for you liberals?
You like that?
By the way, didn’t Bill Clinton pardon Hillary’s brother? YES HE DID.
And here are some pardons by Clinton that the drive-by media fails to talk about. Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican nationalist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States usually in New York City and Chicago, convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition, as well as for firearms and explosives violations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi...ns_controversy
CAN YOU LIBERALS SPELL THE WORD ‘PARDON’.
lmao….
Guilty of OBSTRUCTION of JUSTICE … one cannot obstruct that which does not exist. Therefore, justice needed to be done but was not.
What JUSTICE was obstructed?
The prosecution of the crimes of Rove, Cheney, and Bush?
That seems to be the justice that was obstructed.
whose your momia? Washington criminals are both Republican and Democrap asshole so keep breathing in your moronic partisan opinion but don’t inhale the stench of the lying murderous/anti-environmentalist destructors aka the fascist bushit administration. One day hopefully soon they will fall hard and fast like World Trade building #7.
Someone asked me “How could he be so stupid as to lie about these things?”
I said it is not a matter of being smart or being stupid, it is a matter of habit.
These people in the regime are habitual liars so that they do it as second nature. They can not stop lying.
Who’s your daddy?
Get real. Clinton was no saint but Bush, Cheney and co. are just downright, in-your-face corrupt. You want to be a partisan shill and think that your “side” can do no wrong, go right ahead. People here believe in fairnes and justice, no matter what party they belong to. This administration has proven itself to be a bunch of liars and manipulaters without the public’s interest in mind but that of their special interest backers. They will eventually go down in flames, if not in this world, then at least, the next.
Comment #9:
Hey Roger,
Keep drinking that kool-aid, it’s working wonders for you.
lmao…
IMPEACH AND JAIL THE BUSHIT ADMINISTRATION ASESINOS. 47 story steel concrete buildings do not fall without the help of arab hijacked commercial jets slamming into them right corporate mass media? Right who’s your momia (comment #10)?
Comment 10: Open your mind just a little farther and choke on this:
9/11 GUILT
THE PROOF IS IN YOUR HANDS,
a new, 78-minute dvd
by Don Paul, Jim Hoffman and Celestine Star.
Provides conclusive evidence that the Twin Towers and Building 7 of the World Trade Center were brought down by controlled demolitions on September 11, 2001.
The dvd goes on to offer substantial evidence for further investigation (through indictments)
of five individuals:
Larry Silverstein,
Peter G. Peterson,
David Rockefeller,
Richard Cheney,
and
George W. Bush.
http://www.wireonfire.com/donpa...1guiltdvd.html
Who’s Your Daddy said:
Don’t know if he did or not, but I assume from the above that you supported Clinton in doing so?
Further, I’m not aware, but did Hillary’s brother actually out a covert CIA agent and destroy a network working to monitor WMD during a time of war?
For some I don’t believe he did.
But if you’re in favor of outting CIA agents and networks, that would make you, I guess “the most insidious of traitors” as George Bush Sr. said of such folks. Why do you hate America?
It is now clear that the Bush Administration committed treason with Scooters conviction. With RICO the man at the top is responsible AKA Bush.
It is also coming out that plans to destroy Plame’s covert CIA operation Brewster -Jennings was the real target and decided upon before Joe Wilson even wrote his article. The Joe Wilson smear spin is just that, spin that the MSM has swallowed hook line a sinker.
Brewster-Jennings was our Nation’s most important intelligence operation tracking Nuclear and WMD acquisition and development in the Middle East. Cheney and Bush wanted tnis destroyed so there would be no ‘pissant’ cia trying to meddle in their Iran and Iraq war plans.
It is also rumored that Plame’s Brewster-Jennings just prior to Plames exposure had been instrumental in stopping a load of WMD headed for Iraq through Turkey, and it has been conjectured that this was the shipment and Bush operation to plant the WMD’s in Iraq.
When Brewster-Jennings was destroyed, people were killed as a result and a multi-year and multi-million dollar covert front company was destroyed. Covert front companies are the most complicated covert operations to create, and maintain, and they historically provide the best intelligence.
Bush and Cheney destroyed our nation’s most important and primary WMD/Nuclear proliferation intelligence efforts in the Middle East. And for this they should be tried, impeached and perhaps put to death for treason.
This is the most disgusting and reprehensible thing that has ever been done to our country. Sy Hersh published some whiffs on this awhile back but was ignored.
Plame’s outing was a heinous and treasoness conspiracy with no equal. The Joe Wilson smear angle was BS from the start and is pure Rovian mis-direction. It may even be the case that Cheney’s office sent Wilson to Niger to get the conspiracy and mis-direction rolling.
Think about it, and try to stop yourself from throwing up or running for the pitchfork.
Who’s Your Daddy: You put party before country, even against your best interests. That’s neurotic, I hope you know. Sounds like you’re “HAPPY”, if Libby gets pardoned. How does that help YOU??? That’s what’s WRONG with people like you! You care about WINNING…even if it’s WORSE for you. Why are you up for criminals??? Why are you GLAD if a criminal gets pardoned, just because he’s from “your party”??? So, that’s putting “party before country”, and “party before YOURSELF”. I’m one who could never understand that!!!
Wow. I woke up to good news today. First the 4 guilty counts on Libby. Then the 1000% better color scheme on BradBlog (good going Brad).
So, when does Cheney get his conviction not only for the Plame outing but for war crimes? That’s what I want to know. Of course, with so many do-nothing Dems in Congress I am not counting on it. Maybe they will pleasantly surprise me.
Brad, thanks for coming to Tucson a few weeks ago. Our lawsuit deposition went well according to Brakey. We have 16 election bills in the state legislature (one really bad one already got defeated on the third reading in the Senate) so there is some hope there too.
If you are interested in presenting at DemocracyFest again this year (New Hampshire June 9-10th) let me know. I am going to submit a speaker’s wishlist again and this year my NH contacts tell me they are asking all the Dem presidential candidates to speak too.
Cheryl
By the way, Huffington Post was not one of the first to cover the Plame case. Firedoglake and Marcy Wheeler have first and foremost. They were covering it before Huffington Post was even a website. 🙂
Cheryl rightly notes that Jane Hamsher and friends at Firedoglake have been the go-to source for the most extensive and in-depth coverage of every Libby and Plame.
By request, the blogosphere is limiting links to Firedoglake to preserve their servers.
I hear Cheney has a thrombosis and might have to step down. Awwwww.
Cheney Resigns.
Replacement confirmation stalls in Senate.
Impeachment of Bush.
Trial of Bush in Senate.
Conviction of Bush.
Pelosi resigns as Speaker of the House, replaced by Al Gore (Speaker need not be a member of the House, look it up)
Bush is removed from office.
Gore takes over as President, 7 years after he was legally elected. Appoints Edwards as V.P., since he was also elected to that position and never got to hold that office.
Impeachment of Roberts, Alito, Scalia, & Thomas begins.
Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez, Ashcroft, Pearle, Faith, Bolton, Hadley, Rove, et al. are transferred to the Haige for war crimes trials.
Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
That’s my dream.
My nightmare is that Fitz (loyal Republican) did exactly what he was hired for — drag out the investigation past 2004 elections, past 2006 elections, and then have the trial of the chosen scapegoat/fall guy end quickly so that it could fade from memory by 2008. Appeals drag out until January 20th or so in 2009 and Bush pardons Scooter.
That’s my nightmare — that the American people care more about the dirty pictures of the American Idol than they do about the total destruction of the “rule of law” and the obstruction of justice in the west and east wings of the White House.
George Bush made the comment that, “the constitution was only a piece of paper.” And he treats it like used toilet paper. This administration has sold our country, our people, our environment in every way possible. And you think you should be loyal to this?
You can dispise Democrats but how about cleaning up the party you are loyal to.
WHERE’S KARL?
LOL, Karl Rove skewered by way of Eminem…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDaRFf7Cd6M
Charlie L – i feel yer pain:)
With countries like the destructive US run by the criminal murderous Bushit administration and Russia run by a thug who puts hits on journalists exposing their vulgar display of corruption our world really seems fcked. What i get off on is these lying bastardS forever toting the fear/terrorist card that these fascist oil barons created by orchestrating wargames on 9/11. A public that has generally accepted the bushit lies with the support of the complicent corporate mass media (9/11 evidence was of course destroyed never investigated). Washington for years have sold their newest line of sophisticated arms to unstable countries and has helped flourish the deadlinest drug trades on the planet in their plan of corporate domination. Allow the drugs to flow, lie to the American people about an anti-drug position and then throw people who get hooked or smoke pot into jail.
Even if these fcks destroy the world, it will be my life’s ambition to see that the real history of the biggest loser to run our country is told.
Thank you Bradblog.
Well considering Fitzgerald has been in on the scam from the beginning you can bet NOTHING is going to happen to all the guilty parties.
A REAL prosecutor would obviously have had Cheney charged from the very beginning and both of them charged for TREASON.
Fitz was in on the 1993 WTC cover up also.
As for complete imbeciles like this “Who’s your daddy” freak, how sickening these cretins are.
As “Big Dan” stated above, how the hell do these people sleep at night? To them TREASON apparently is no problem, outing CIA agents & exposing a very sensitive under cover operation that took decades & 100s of Millions to set into place, murdering 3000 American citizens, 655,000 innocent Iraqis, lying profusely to take the country into an unjust & illegal war of aggression, stealing BILLIONS of tax payer dollars & putting the country into 9 TRILLION in debt and counting.
To brainwashed idiots like him none of that is of any concern because “his party” is doing it.
How utterly disgusting is that?
I used to be a Democrat now I’m leaning towards Green/Independent.
I absolutely HATE the Rethuglicans because lets face it they are stark raving insane, they are as close to full blown Nazi’s as this country has seen.
I cant stand the Democrats because they are completely spineless and when it comes right down to it are almost as crooked as the Rethuglicans just not as insane.
ALL OF THEM need to be run out of Washington on a rail, they are ALL on the take, ALL are in the pocket of Big Oil & Big corps and really don’t give a flying crap about that other 98% of the population.
I am an American, not a Democrat, not a rethuglican *shudder*, I have always put country first in that respect as I believe most everyone here on BradBlog does.
Sadly hard core rethuglicans are so brainwashed by Rush Limbaugh & FAUX news continuous stream of bald faced lies that they really don’t have a clue what is really going on around them.
They are Delusional Psychotics full of pure hate wrapped a flag dipped in blood.
I hope everyday when I wake up that today is the day that 50% of us that KNOW what the hell is going on finally wakes up out of our collective stupors and start to organize a full blown REVOLUTION to take this country back because that is the ONLY way this is going to stop.
Charlie L:
That’s quite a thought there. That would, as George likes to say, “send a message”, wouldn’t it?
If the media acts like they have been since just before the Clinton impeachment, (yes, he was impeached), this will be framed as:
They got the bad guy, now let’s move on.
I’m glad he was found guilty of obstruction, my hat’s off to Fitz, the judge and the jury. The civil trial will be interesting and even more informative of the evil wrong doings of this regime, I’m sure. Hope they get every cent Libby has.
With that trial over now (sentencing is moot with the pardon on the way), when is Cheney and a couple others going to need a defense team for the TRUE crimes committed against the Plame’s AND this country? Not just for who covers them up. Damn, shouldn’t take years, we don’t have years! There is so much freaking evidence of multiple, ongoing, crimes.
At the start of the 110th congress, I was convinced this congress lacked the political will and voice to pursue impeachment.
After reading this, and Fitz’s keenly worded comments after the trial, and toss in Chuck Hagel’s words in another thread, and I hope that I can say…
I was wrong.
And impeachment needs to look beyond Bush. Gonzalez, Rice, Cheney, Ashcroft…and even into congress as well. But Rove and the RNC and the continuing corruption probe spawned by the Abramoff/Ney/Cunningham/Delay embarrassment. People DIED at the edges of this corruption mess, and I am not even referring to war in Iraq or 9/11.
And don’t forget about the BILLIONS in Iraqi funds that disappeared in an Iraqi war zone, airlifted in on PALLETTS?!?!?! LOL..If you think that money got within 1000 miles of Iraqi airspace, man you are naieve.
Oh, and the swept under the table Boys town orphan sex scandal too, and one just now hitting the airwaves involving Texas orphans. The most vulnerable members of society being used as sex toys for the rich and powerful and to compromise members of our own government.
And that, my friends is just the tip of the iceberg.
It won’t get better until the political will has momentum and courage enough to start exposing some of this ugliness that pervades Washington, DC.
And it starts with the will of the people, and an HONEST media, and the integrity of the vote.
And that, my good people, is why Brad just got 50 bucks from me. And I’m a republican too, for over 25 years. I hate what they’ve become though, and will fight to the death (and pay a bit too), to try and restore integrity to the political process here in America.
The HuffPo is running an image capture of Fox’s reporting. Big letters in the caption space. “Libby Found Not Guilty of Lying to FBI Investigation”. Priceless. I saved it to my desktop and am sending it to friends who still believe Fox is a legitimate source of news.
#19 Charlie L , you say “My nightmare is that Fitz (loyal Republican)” I usually agree with most of what you say on here so I’d like to know where this comes from, that Fitzgerald is a loyal Republican? (The leftcoaster tried to stop those rumours? in 05) http://www.theleftcoaster.com/a...ves/005706.php
I have read as many articles as I can find about him and all say he is an independent. In fact to avoid aligning himself with a party, he doesn’t vote in primaries. He has prosecuted cases involving both Democrats and Republicans.
How would anyone really know his political views as he is a very private person.
Do you have links that say he is a loyal to the Republicans. Convince me.
This has been a bad week for Shooter but maybe not as bad as weeks to come.
What say ye, Mr. Conyers?
TWL – #29,
Mr Conyers is kinda busy working on the impeachment of a certain Mr Gonzalez.
Evidence from the Grand Jury and the trial showed Armitage, Rove, Fleischer and Libby outed Plame. They have to be indicted and tried. And, if the trail leads to a wider conspiracy, then the investigation has to follow that lead to everyone involved. There is no justice in stopping here — not when the evidence is before the eyes of the public.
“Countdown” with Keith Olbermann had an entire show without any fluff. Hope this becomes the norm!
There’s no shortage of serious news.
Brad #13
My research indicates that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was the lawyer for one of the people President Clinton pardoned. I think it was the guy who did the book “Hubris” who revealed this fact.
In other words Libby presented the case to Clinton as a lawyer for Libby’s client who was convicted of felony behavior. Clinton pardoned Libby’s client.
El strangeo … eh?
Anyone else heard of that story?
Will someone please tell me how that walking sarcophagus Robert Novak escaped all this without any charges leveled against him? Didn’t he unlawfully expose Valerie Plame in the first place?
Will Scooter Stay Free on Bail During An Appeal?
The governing statute is the Bail Reform Act of 1984 which is codified at 18 U.S.C. § 3143, et. seq. The courts have said of it:
(US v Colon-Munoz, 1st Cir., 2002, emphasis added).
The Eighth Circuit has said:
(US v Marshall, 8th Cir., 1996).
The Sixth Circuit has said:
(US v Chilingirian, 6th Cir. 2002).
It would seem to be an uphill climb for Libby to stay free after sentencing. Judge Walton should only do it if he thinks the case will be reversed or the sentence substantially reduced.
Thus, the pressure will really mount and put the white house on the fast track to pardon Libby.
Another scandal will begin if the Judge does not make him go to jail, or if the white house pardons so he does not have to go to jail.
Here comes The Libby Pardon Scandal?