FITZGERALD Press Conference: 11:15am PT/2:15pm ET via C-SPAN and CBS (thanks, Dada). (Catnip will host a new story thread — right above this thread — for the press conference.) Update [2005-10-28 13:34:48 by susanhu]: We will also host another new thread at 3pm ET/noon PT for the press conference by Joseph Wilson’s attorney.
Update [2005-10-28 14:7:41 by susanhu]: Reddhedd, an attorney and blogger at FireDogLake (via Crooks & Liars) has some interesting observations:
I note that Fitz isn’t using anything much from Judy Miller in any of these five counts. I wonder if we will hear more about that down the road — either at the press conference or in any expansion of the investigation if a new Grand Jury is empanelled.
As a first read, I have to say, this looks factually quite well documented and that Libby is a crappy, weaselly person on the stand. I bet the G/J members had an even better take on that as they sat listening to it.
Sorry, the dancing frog was driving me nuts so I took it down. NEW: Atrios has a great statement by Sen. Kennedy. It begins: “Today is an ominous day for the country, signifying a new low since Watergate in terms of openness and honesty in our government. …”
Update [2005-10-28 13:18:11 by susanhu]: RAW STORY has the 22-page indictment. [editor’s note, by susanhu] Fitzgerald’s site now has a press release and the indictment.
Update [2005-10-28 13:13:54 by susanhu]: I. “Scooter” Libby has resigned and the vice president accepted his resignation. The letter was delivered earlier today to Andy Card and then to the President. Libby is no longer at the White House.
Libby’s activities began in May 2003 — before Wilson’s column in June … before the column by Novak. (Wilson was talking to Kristof at that time; the White House became concerned and began gathering information on Wilson. Earlier, Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC said something about Wilson, before he wrote the NYT column, hitting every “green room” in D.C. and complaining about the war in Iraq. (Wolf Blitzer checked the date of the Kristof column, which may have triggered Libby’s “curiosity.” Kristof’s column was written on MAY 6, 2003, Wolf confirmed.)
Libby is indicted on FIVE counts — obstruction of justice, on perjury (two counts — of lying to the grand jury), and making false statements (two counts — for lying to the FBI). Via CNN. (Docs still not up on Fitz’s site.)
Libby is accused of endangering the safety of the nation. But, as Joe DiGenova (GOP, former fed. prosecutor) notes, Fitzgerald has not charged a substantive crime in exposing her identity. Jeffrey Toobin (legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker), however, says that Fitz had to make the case to the jury into a manageable size and that he tailored his case to that end.
AP via WaPo: “The five-count indictment accuses Libby of lying about how and when he learned about CIA official Valerie Plane’s identity in 2003 and then told reporters about it. The information was classified.
“Any trial would shine a spotlight on the secret deliberations of Bush and his team as they built the case for war against Iraq.
“Bush ordered U.S. troops to war in March 2003, saying Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction program posed a grave and immediate threat to the United States. No such weapons were found. The U.S. military death toll climbed past 2,000 this week.”
(That last paragraph in the AP story says it all for me.)
Nobody ever mentions this, but Libby will surely be disbarred. He was a very able attorney at one time. Oh, the price of hubris and ideology.
