Legal News

Cheney ?Strongly Disagrees? With Bush?s Decision Not to Pardon Libby

By Dan Slater

We opined on Tuesday that the Bush Pardon Party had gone out with a whimper. The former Veep, it seems, agrees.

Dick Cheney, right, and, from left, Washington attorneys I. Lewis Libby, Steve Hadley, and Cheney’s special assistant, Mary Cheney, watch television reports on the Florida vote recount, Nov. 9, 2000. (AP)

Cheney told the Weekly Standard that his former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, whom he described as a “victim of a serious miscarriage of justice,” deserved a presidential pardon.

Asked for his reaction to Bush’s decision, Cheney said: “Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and honorable men I’ve ever known. He’s been an outstanding public servant throughout his career. He was the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice, and I strongly believe that he deserved a presidential pardon. Obviously, I disagree with President Bush’s decision.”

The Weekly Standard writes:

So why did Bush refuse to pardon Libby? There are some indications that he believes Libby was guilty. When Bush commuted Libby’s 30-month prison sentence in the summer of 2007, he issued a statement that suggested a pardon for Libby would be unlikely. “I respect the jury’s verdict,” Bush said at the time, noting only that he found the sentence “excessive.” He added: “The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting.” Earlier, Bush had praised special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald for running his investigation in “a very dignified way.”

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on January 22, 2009 (boomark / email).