When You Have No Shame, There Is No Limit On How Low You Can Go

The administration still hasn't lost its capacity to amaze or to communicate in Newspeak.

It seems that the GW Bush “respects the jury's decision” in the Libby case, but has decided to overturn it — by commuting Libby's jail sentence.

So the good soldier, who took one for team by lying to the Justice Department, walks. His $250,000 fine will undoubtedly be paid by well-wishers or through speaker fees, so the net effect of the sentence is two years of probation and transfer to the talk show circuit.

I admit that when I first saw the headline, I thought it was a joke. But it's real. Statement by the President On Executive Clemency for Lewis Libby (full text after the jump). No matter how low they go, they show they can go lower.

I agree with John Edwards:

“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush's America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”

And with Nancy Pelosi:

“The President's commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people.

“The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”

Harry Reid:

“The President's decision to commute Mr. Libby's sentence is disgraceful. Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter of national security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President's Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”

Note that Libby's sentence was not excessive. It was within the (now non-binding) sentencing guidelines — and that Libby didn't take responsibility for his crime. Which gives him a great deal in common with his bosses.

Note also that by commuting but not pardoning Bush (1) ensures that Libby won't talk to prosecutors in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence; and (2) ensures that Libby retains the right to take the 5th is questioned by prosecutors or by Congress (modulo immunity…)

And finally, please note that, as the Poor Man reminds us, Gov. GW Bush presided over 152 executions in Texas and never commuted a single one. At the time he said,

I don't believe my role [as governor] is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own, unless there are new facts or evidence of which a jury was unaware, or evidence that the trial was somehow unfair.

[UPDATE: an astute commentator ('The Editors') corrects me regarding Bush's Texas record: then-Gov. Bush did commute one death sentence but for which the execution total would have been 153. I didn't know that and I am grateful for the correction.]

As Howard Dean said,

“Once again President Bush and the GOP have undermined a core American value: equal justice under the law for every American. By commuting this sentence, President Bush is sending a clear message that the rules don't apply to the Bush White House or loyal Republican cronies. After promising that anyone who violated the law would be 'taken care of,' President Bush instead handed Scooter Libby a get out of jail free card. Though Libby was convicted by a jury of lying about a matter of national security, President Bush is sparing him the consequences ordinary Americans would face. This conviction was the first moment of justice in a Bush Administration void of accountability. It's a sad day for America when the President once again puts protecting his friends ahead of equal justice under the law.”

Full text of Statement by the President On Executive Clemency for Lewis Libby:

I have said throughout this process that it would not be appropriate to comment or intervene in this case until Mr. Libby's appeals have been exhausted. But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision.

From the very beginning of the investigation into the leaking of Valerie Plame's name, I made it clear to the White House staff and anyone serving in my administration that I expected full cooperation with the Justice Department. Dozens of White House staff and administration officials dutifully cooperated.

After the investigation was under way, the Justice Department appointed United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald as a Special Counsel in charge of the case. Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged.

This case has generated significant commentary and debate. Critics of the investigation have argued that a special counsel should not have been appointed, nor should the investigation have been pursued after the Justice Department learned who leaked Ms. Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak. Furthermore, the critics point out that neither Mr. Libby nor anyone else has been charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act or the Espionage Act, which were the original subjects of the investigation. Finally, critics say the punishment does not fit the crime: Mr. Libby was a first-time offender with years of exceptional public service and was handed a harsh sentence based in part on allegations never presented to the jury.

Others point out that a jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. They argue, correctly, that our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable. They say that had Mr. Libby only told the truth, he would have never been indicted in the first place.

Both critics and defenders of this investigation have made important points. I have made my own evaluation. In preparing for the decision I am announcing today, I have carefully weighed these arguments and the circumstances surrounding this case.

Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation.

I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison.

My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting.

The Constitution gives the President the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby's case is an appropriate exercise of this power.

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4 Responses to When You Have No Shame, There Is No Limit On How Low You Can Go

  1. The Editors says:

    Gov. GW Bush presided over 152 executions in Texas and never commuted a single one.

    I believe he commuted at least one.

  2. PHB says:

    There is no reason for Congress not to grant Libby use immunity. They know that Bush will give Libby a full pardon before he leaves office.

    They can also force Libby to appear in front of them and plead the fifth in person with the cameras rolling. This is a political enquiry, not a judicial one. It may not be allowed in court these days but Congress regulates its proceedings, not the courts.

    As far as practical matters go, now would be a good time to cancel the state of the Union speech. If Bush wants a platform, he can find one by himself.

    This makes impeachment of Gonzalez much more likely. His impeachment being simply a trial run for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

    The only question of importance here is how many Senators this has cost Bush, is it enough to convict yet?

  3. LACJ says:

    Hit Lieberman now and the dams will burst. Strip him of his chair status and begin the bloodletting.

    The White House just turns off the phones, but the newspapers have to listen and so do the Senators and Congressmen.

    Plus we have the internet.

    Once the mindless press gets into the groove, it will be all impeachment, all the time. They have to go with the flow to some extent.

    They will resist to the last, but this is what has to happen. However belatedly, the policies and actions of the administration must be soundly rejected, or in all honesty I fear for our future.

  4. Dave says:

    Michael, I’d be interested to see a post with your opinion comparing the Libby situation with Victor Rita who just received 33 months for something similar to LIbby (perjury, obstruction of justice).

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