WASHINGTON – The White House faces a damaging loss of credibility after the indictment of I Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s right-hand man, for lying to investigators in a CIA leak probe.
The indictment was a severe blow to President George W Bush after the defeat of his Supreme Court pick Harriet Miers and his struggles with high gasoline prices, falling approval ratings and fallout from Hurricane Katrina. Libby’s subsequent resignation is also seen as a tough loss for a White House in which his boss, Cheney, has wielded real influence, particularly on foreign policy.”He functions as a chief of staff, but he also knows Cheney’s thinking on defence and national security issues better than anyone else,” said James Mann, author of a book about the Bush administration’s war cabinet, ‘Rise of the Vulcans’.’DISTURBING TENDENCY’ Officials in the White House “are going to try to stay focused and get their message out”, said Steven Reich, a lawyer who served in the Bill Clinton administration leading legal teams dealing with probes of the former president.”But the real trouble here is that whatever message they are trying to get out gets lost in the clamour, and essentially they spend the rest of the administration on the defence.”The New York Times on Saturday spoke of “a distinct and disturbing pattern of behaviour among very high-ranking officials, including Mr Libby and Vice President Dick Cheney”.QUICK TO QUIT Libby (55) announced his resignation immediately after he was indicted in a case that ignited fresh controversy over the US rationale for war with Iraq.He faces one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements to FBI agents looking into the leaking of the identity of CIA agent Valery Plame.Libby faces as many as 30 years in jail and a US$1,25 million (about N$8,2 m) fine if convicted on all five counts laid by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, which raise the prospect of a gripping and potentially politically damaging trial.Bush’s political guru Karl Rove, also in Fitzgerald’s sights during a two-year probe, was not indicted, but will remain under investigation, his lawyer said.THE PROBE Fitzgerald was tasked with finding out whether senior Bush administration officials broke the law by knowingly exposing Plame, wife of former diplomat Joseph Wilson.Wilson had claimed her cover was blown to discredit him, after he questioned whether the Bush administration had “twisted” intelligence in the push to war with Iraq.The charges said Libby obstructed the course of justice by impeding the grand jury investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of Plame’s identity.He was not however charged with knowingly blowing the cover of Plame.Fitzgerald told Rove, meanwhile, that he had not decided yet whether to indict him, Rove’s lawyer Robert Luskin said, adding he was confident his client would be cleared.Libby also said in a statement that he had done nothing wrong, adding, “I am confident that at the end of this process I will be completely and totally exonerated.”Fitzgerald’s conclusions will reopen debate over whether the administration manipulated intelligence to launch the Iraq invasion in 2003, at the start of a conflict which this week claimed the 2 000th US military death.HIGH COURT OF HISTORY Senator John Kerry, the Democrat who lost to Bush in the 2004 election, said the Bush administration “will be indicted in the high court of history” over its drive to war with Iraq.The Washington Post, in an editorial, said that “the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice filed yesterday against …Libby are serious and appear to be backed by substantial evidence.”The New York Times said the indictment implied that White House officials “knew that they were dealing with a covert officer and used their access to classified information in a public relations campaign over the rapidly disintegrating justifications for war with Iraq.”the Times added.”A jury will determine whether Mr Libby broke the law as a result of that campaign.But it seems clear that he and other officials violated the public trust,” the Times added.Though Cheney appears not to be in legal jeopardy, he may face a political inquisition.He said in a television interview that he did not know Wilson, a former US ambassador to Gabon who was sent to Niger in February 2002 to investigate claims that Iraq had tried to buy uranium for nuclear bombs, one of Bush’s justifications for the war.SHIFTING FACTS Libby told investigators, according to the indictment, that he was told about Plame’s identity by the media.But several reporters later denied this.Now it appears that Cheney told Libby.Wilson said in a statement through his lawyer that the exposure of his wife was “very wrong and harmful to our nation.”I feel that my family was attacked for my speaking the truth about the events that led our country to war.”- Nampa-AFPLibby’s subsequent resignation is also seen as a tough loss for a White House in which his boss, Cheney, has wielded real influence, particularly on foreign policy.”He functions as a chief of staff, but he also knows Cheney’s thinking on defence and national security issues better than anyone else,” said James Mann, author of a book about the Bush administration’s war cabinet, ‘Rise of the Vulcans’. ‘DISTURBING TENDENCY’ Officials in the White House “are going to try to stay focused and get their message out”, said Steven Reich, a lawyer who served in the Bill Clinton administration leading legal teams dealing with probes of the former president.”But the real trouble here is that whatever message they are trying to get out gets lost in the clamour, and essentially they spend the rest of the administration on the defence.”The New York Times on Saturday spoke of “a distinct and disturbing pattern of behaviour among very high-ranking officials, including Mr Libby and Vice President Dick Cheney”.QUICK TO QUIT Libby (55) announced his resignation immediately after he was indicted in a case that ignited fresh controversy over the US rationale for war with Iraq.He faces one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements to FBI agents looking into the leaking of the identity of CIA agent Valery Plame.Libby faces as many as 30 years in jail and a US$1,25 million (about N$8,2 m) fine if convicted on all five counts laid by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, which raise the prospect of a gripping and potentially politically damaging trial.Bush’s political guru Karl Rove, also in Fitzgerald’s sights during a two-year probe, was not indicted, but will remain under investigation, his lawyer said.THE PROBE Fitzgerald was tasked with finding out whether senior Bush administration officials broke the law by knowingly exposing Plame, wife of former diplomat Joseph Wilson.Wilson had claimed her cover was blown to discredit him, after he questioned whether the Bush administration had “twisted” intelligence in the push to war with Iraq.The charges said Libby obstructed the course of justice by impeding the grand jury investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of Plame’s identity.He was not however charged with knowingly blowing the cover of Plame.Fitzgerald told Rove, meanwhile, that he had not decided yet whether to indict him, Rove’s lawyer Robert Luskin said, adding he was confident his client would be cleared.Libby also said in a statement that he had done nothing wrong, adding, “I am confident that at the end of this process I will be completely and totally exonerated.”Fitzgerald’s conclusions will reopen debate over whether the administration manipulated intelligence to launch the Iraq invasion in 2003, at the start of a conflict which this week claimed the 2 000th US military death. HIGH COURT OF HISTORY Senator John Kerry, the Democrat who lost to Bush in the 2004 election, said the Bush administration “will be indicted in the high court of history” over its drive to war with Iraq.The Washington Post, in an editorial, said that “the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice filed yesterday against …
Libby are serious and appear to be backed by substantial evidence.”The New York Times said the indictment implied that White House officials “knew that they were dealing with a covert officer and used their access to classified information in a public relations campaign over the rapidly disintegrating justifications for war with Iraq.”the Times added.”A jury will determine whether Mr Libby broke the law as a result of that campaign.But it seems clear that he and other officials violated the public trust,” the Times added.Though Cheney appears not to be in legal jeopardy, he may face a political inquisition.He said in a television interview that he did not know Wilson, a former US ambassador to Gabon who was sent to Niger in February 2002 to investigate claims that Iraq had tried to buy uranium for nuclear bombs, one of Bush’s justifications for the war.SHIFTING FACTS Libby told investigators, according to the indictment, that he was told about Plame’s identity by the media.But several reporters later denied this.Now it appears that Cheney told Libby.Wilson said in a statement through his lawyer that the exposure of his wife was “very wrong and harmful to our nation.”I feel that my family was attacked for my speaking the truth about the events that led our country to war.”- Nampa-AFP
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