Libby's Lawyers Argue Against Prison as Fitzgerald Seeks 30 Months

Defense lawyers argued yesterday that Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff should serve no time in prison for lying about the leak of a covert agent's identity, on the grounds that he is a selfless, apolitical public servant with an otherwise "exemplary" record.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's attorneys asserted in a court filing that a federal prosecutor's proposal that their client spend 30 to 37 months in prison is "grossly disproportionate" to the crimes that provoked a jury's guilty verdict in March.


(snip)
Fitzgerald said the punishment would match the gravity of the offense and the intensity of his investigation into what he considered a serious violation of national security laws. He argued that Libby deserved an enhanced sentence because he "substantially interfered" with the special counsel's probe, which reached into Cheney's office in an effort to determine who might have orchestrated the leak.

Fitzgerald also said that the evidence he collected showed that Libby's lies followed substantial deliberation and were not "inadvertent" or unplanned, as Libby's attorneys had argued.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053102209.html

"Referring to Libby's conviction for lying, the lawyers wrote: 'There is no denying the seriousness of the crimes of which Mr. Libby was convicted. . . . At the same time, there is no denying the kind of person Mr. Libby is and the contributions he has made to his country.'"

inquiring minds want to know!

Scroll down, read it, and have a barf bag handy.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0531072libby1.html

He ought to consider himself LUCKY and just do the time.

Decorum would be heavily pressed by the urge to laugh spontaneously and loudly at the "apolitical" part.

Shit's deep in those 4 words

Libby should do at least 2 years after good time!!

if they're having this conversation, it means that Libby has not flipped. I had hoped he would, but it seems others who said he wouldn't were right.

There'r 4 days left Scooter ! Sing Boy, SING ! the boys down on the ol cellblock are just waiting for ya. It'll be a much different song then, Scoot...:evilgrin: