Scooter Libby Declared Guilty

After 5 weeks of testimony , on March 6, 2007 former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was found guilty. The verdict came down just before noon EST. Libby was found guilty on four of the five counts he was charged with. He was found guilty of perjury for lying to the court of his conversation with Time Russert, and a second count of perjury for lying to the court about other conversations he had with media members.

His other two guilty charges include obstructing justice by intentionally deceiving the grand jury investigation concerning the revelation of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, and of making false statement when he lied to agents about the Russert conversation.

While he was cleared of a fifth charge, making false statements concerning a conversation with Time Magazine's Matt Cooper, his other four charges carry a sentence of up to 25 years in prison (not to mention a hefty fine nearing the million dollar mark).

Mr. Libby's problems started when he decided to try and damage the reputation of a man by attacking his wife. Former ambassador Joseph Wilson publicly announced that he believed the Bush administration did not have the proper intelligence regarding Iraq and the purchase of uranium, allowing them to pursue development of weapons of mass destruction. Trying to make light of the situation, Mr. Libby believed he could damage Mr. Wilson's statement by mentioning Mr. Wilson's wife's profession as an undercover CIA operative. Despite this, he was acquitted of outright exposing Ms. Plame.

Mr. Libby and his lawyer, Ted Wells, have plans to file requesting a new trial. If in the case that this is denied, he will most likely try to appeal the court's decision. Mr. Wells has been adamant in trying to prove his client's innocence and is trying every venue available to vindicate him.

Before coming to the verdict, the 11 jurors heard from 19 witnesses over the 5 week period that encompassed the trial. While the 19 did not include Libby himself, it did include the journalists with whom Libby had had conversations with regarding the confirmation of Ms. Plame's identity.

Democrats appear to be in favor of the decision, as many of them believe Bush's administration has been full of intelligence manipulation and fabrication regarding the current war. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vocalized his approval of the verdict, and that he hopes accountability for actions such as Libby's will be firmly enforced.

Source: NBC7 Breaking News, 03/06/2007.
Source: Trial history: CNN.com, Foxnews.com