Dean Statement on the Libby Indictment and Fitzgerald Investigation

For Immediate Release
October 28, 2005
Contact: Karen Finney, 202-863-8148

Dean Statement on the Libby Indictment and Fitzgerald Investigation

Washington, DC - Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald today indicted
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on two
counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements and one count
of obstruction of justice. Libby was known to have been part of a group
of White House officials that included Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Karl Rove, Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, White House
Chief of Staff Andrew Card, and Press Secretary Scott McClellan who were
charged with selling the Bush Administration's rationale for the Iraq
war to the American people.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the
following statement:

"This is a sad day for America.

"Beyond the evidence that the White House manipulated the intelligence
used to justify the war in Iraq, a group of senior White House officials
not only orchestrated efforts to smear a critic of the war, but worked
to cover up this smear campaign. In so doing, they ignored the rule of
law, endangering our national security and the brave men and women who
dedicate their lives to protecting our nation's security. I. Lewis Libby
was a part of this internal White House group.

"This is not only an abuse of power, it is an un-American abuse of the
public trust. As Americans, we must hold ourselves and our leaders to a
higher standard. We cannot fear dissent. We cannot fear the truth. And
we cannot tolerate those who do.

"More importantly, we can't ignore the glaring questions this case has
raised about the rationale the Bush Administration used to send us to
war in Iraq, a war that continues. American soldiers are still in harms
way. Over 2,000 brave Americans have lost their lives, thousands of
American soldiers have been wounded, and thousands of American families
have made the ultimate sacrifice. Still, the President has no plan and
no exit strategy. And still he hasn't answered the question, what are we
doing in Iraq and when can our troops come home?

"President Bush faces a serious test of leadership; will he keep his
pledge to hold his Administration to high ethical standards and give the
American people what they deserve, and will he answer to the American
people for these serious missteps?"

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www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.

Keep the pressure on the crooks who have done so much damage to our country and our name.

They have abused every area of government and they need to be held accountable, no matter how much power they have stolen. They are only as big as we allow them to be.