CIA Leak Case,  Politics

CIA Leak Case Watch: Charges Don’t Directly Address CIA Leak

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald speaks during a press conference regarding the CIA leak criminal investigation at the Justice Department in Washington, Friday, Oct. 28, 2005. I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice.

The ASSociated Press has Charges Don’t Directly Address CIA Leak.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s first charges in the White House leak case don’t get to the heart of his two-year probe: the leak.

The indictment of vice presidential adviser I. Lewis “Scooter’ Libby Jr. is built on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury — and it will rest primarily on testimony from a handful of Washington reporters.

The charges in the Friday indictment are similar to the ones used inMartha Stewart’s criminal case. She was convicted last year for obstructing justice and lying about why she sold ImClone Systems stock, just before a negative government decision on an ImClone drug. She served a five-month prison term followed by home confinement.

“Very rarely do obstruction of justice cases and perjury cases come as neatly tied as Martha Stewart’s … it is by no means a slam dunk,” said Viet Dinh, a law professor at Georgetown University and former Justice Department lawyer in the Bush administration.

The prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Libby “knowingly and willfully” made false statements and lied to the grand jury. He could claim that any misstatements were not intentional.

22 Months and over $70 million…… worth it?