Fitzgerald given way out of Libby CIA leak case (MSM Spin)

PMSNBC ^ | 9/21/06 | Mikey_1962

[Mikey_1962]

WASHINGTON - The judge in the CIA leak case ruled Thursday that if Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald feels that admitting certain classified documents at the upcoming trial of I Lewis "Scooter" Libby can jeopardize national security, Fitzgerald can then move to dismiss the perjury charges against Libby.

Judge Reggie Walton cannot automatically allow classified materials to be admitted at trial. He first must go through a series of closed hearings under CIPA regulations. CIPA, the Classified Information Procedures Act, protects and restricts the discovery of classified information in a way that does not impair the defendant's right to a fair trial. It also allows the government to propose a redacted version of a classified document as a substitution for the original, having deleted only non-relevant classified information.

In his ruling this morning, the Judge Walton, has given a technical legal victory to Libby's attorneys concerning the admissibility of classified materials they want to present at trial for their defense.

[Mikey_1962]

If there was no deliberate leak you cannot lie about a leak that did not occur. There is no case and everybody knows it.

[msnimje]

Where does Libby go to get his reputation back? Or his millions of dollars for that matter?

[weegee]

Media Schadenfreude and Media Shenanigans PING

[Suzy Quzy]

I'm still holding out hope that Fitzy is a good guy.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Time for Fitzy to call in the dogs, pee on the fire and go home. This farce is over. Val and her little Joey have their book and movie deals. There's nothing else that needs to be done.

[Hendrix]

Sorry to disappoint you, but he is not a good guy.

[GoBucks2002]

Where does Libby go to get his reputation back? Or his millions of dollars for that matter?

Who cares? He is part of that evil conservative cabal. Besides, all Republicans have massive trust funds from Daddy, don't you know?

The real victim here is Valerie Plame, whose promising career as a covert CIA agent defending America was ruined by the Evil Neocons.

< /sarc >

[SuziQ]

Fitz oughta take the offer and be done with this. Then Scooter oughta sue the hell out of Fitz for putting him through all this, knowing the whole time that Scooter wasn't guilty!

[SaxxonWoods]

Culture of Presumption.

[shield]

LOL...I sure hope DOJ goes after fitz over this whole non-crime case...

[A CA Guy]

He knew who leaked what within the first couple of days and still kept the investigation open, why and how does this all make Fitz in any way even a 10% good guy?

[Brilliant]

I guess he can't find a frog suit that will fit Libby.

[Howlin]

Scooter ping!!!

[tiredoflaundry]

Ping - a - ling

[Mercat]

I'm stealing your emoticon.

[wolfcreek]

Hooooow Convenient!

[Mercat]

*-O(( :-{>. . . .)

[Suzy Quzy]

I'm hoping Fitz is actually looking into leaking secrets.

[ivy]

Has it been established that Fitz knew the leaker was Armitage at the start of his investigation?

If so, he should have the book thrown at him.

[onyx]

So it's in Fitz's court, right?

[river rat]

"I'm still holding out hope that Fitzy is a good guy."

Get real!

Nothing little Fizy does at this point, could possible earn forgiveness for his obviously flawed, corrupt and DNC whore approach to the entire "investigation"..

He came into this as a DNC crusader for "truth" according to the lying Wilson.

The best he can hope for now - is to escape an investigation of HIS behavior.

One should have known that he was a DNC whore, when the DNC, NYT, LA Times and leftist pudits hailed him as a "man of integrety"...

Semper Fi

[THX 1138]

Where does Libby go to get his reputation back?

How about civil court?

Libby v. Powell, Wilson, Plame, Armitage, et. al.,...

[griswold3]

I still would like this "trial" to proceed. I am very curious what or who Fitzgerald believed as opposed to a very competent attorney like Libby. Show the evidence, please.
Curiouser, and curiouser...

[YaYa123]

I'm glad my first take on this appears right on target, and let's hope, (to foil the Wilson's desire), Fitzgerald throws in the towel before the election.
_______________________________________________________

"Judge Hands Libby Defense Initial Win ^

Posted by YaYa123 to Laverne
On News/Activism ^ 09/21/2006 9:27:50 AM PDT · 9 of 42 ^


Now more than just a glimmer of hope that Fitzgerald might be forced to drop his case against Libby. This decision offers a great face-saving excuse for Fitzgerald. Now Fitzgerald can claim successful prosecution is not possible under this ruling, hellsbells, he can even say, "while I'm certain Mr. Libby is guilty, this ruling prevents me from prosecuting the case".
__________________________________________________________

[Alberta's Child]

I should be a lawyer -- or a political prognosticator. I predicted this exact turn of events more than a year ago.

Another angle to this was the refusal of some people in the media to testify before the grand jury, since a defendant like Libby could not possibly mount a credible defense if key witnesses refused to testify. Judith Miller of the NY Times turned out to be a particularly vile b!tch, since she was willing to go to prison to avoid providing information that basically exonerated Karl Rove of any wrongdoing in this case.

[Darlin']

MSM needs to keep up. Sheesh! Fitzgerald is soooooo 5 minutes ago.

[zerosix]

Get over it!!!!

[1rudeboy]

Conservatives have always done a good job of "appropriating" expressions that were originally meant to be derogatory (one example: "Dubya"). Maybe it's time for us to rescue "Fitzmas?"

[BlessedByLiberty]

Thank you! I wonder if this turn of events has anything to do with Clarice Feldman's letter to the DOJ?

Letter to DoJ Office of Professional Responsibility http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1704505/posts


This is a hard one for me: on the one hand i don't want to see Mr. Libby have to continue being victimized - in the truest sense of the word,

However, I so want to see many of the MSM's loudest mouths on the witness stand! Russert, Matthews, Miller, Cooper even Ms. Andrea Mitchell.

Not to mention the joy of seeing the Perky Plames: Val & Joey under oath, sitting in a witness box being asked repeatedly who sent him to Niger, why did he lie, etc.

[roses of sharon]

Culture of Celebrity, Fitz was written up in the Dems Hollywood propaganda mag, People.

Remember he was on a "sexiest" list?

[doesnt suffer fools gladly]

Anyone know the Dummies take on this? I don't have the stomach to climb in the DUmpster.

[PeskyOne]

I'm afraid you may be disappointed, Suzy Quzy. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, this is an instance when his actions spoke louder than his words and he committed an abomination! There can be no doubt now that he knew he was indicting an innocent man, and for that,IMO, there is no excuse. If I had the power, I would disbar him and sentence him to time in a Federal penitentiary. He has personally squandered taxpayers' money plus ruined Scooter Libby's career and reputation. I'm sure Scooter must feel as Reagan's Labor Secretary, Ray Donovan, did when he asked, "Where do I go to get my reputation back?"

[cookcounty]

Can some lawyer explain how Prosecutors in this country have the right to become Persecutors, the constitution be damned????

Are "ethics" just an esoteric "personal" issue? If a prosecutor makes one's life a total mess without cause, am I correct that there is no recourse and no remedies in law????

[nopardons]

Don't.....he isn't.

[nopardons]

Don't.....he isn't.

[nopardons]

THANKS!

[i_dont_chat]

Yes, Armitage told him.

[colorado tanker]

has given a technical legal victory to Libby's attorneys

Fitz takes a hit below waterline, so that's a "technical" victory. I just love reading MSM spin.

[San Jacinto]

Why? Jeez--if he were a "good guy", you would know it by now. He KNEW no law was broken when the ID of the Liar's pencil pushing bureaucrat wife was revealed. He indicted Libby on a carge of nothing--was it Libby or the reporters who best remembered the conversation months before--and who would care anyway?

He seeks to feather his future nest in a government job and to be Mr. Hero to the Bush-hating MSM. He is a low life.

[AmeriBrit]

Thankyou for the ping Howlin.

Now they're scrambling to just brush it under the carpet and hope it will just disappear...FReepers must be getting to close to the truth for them again...LOL

[Stayfree]

Fitzgerald should be disbarred.
The taxpayers should sue him personally and demand that he personally reimburse the government for the money he wasted.
The justice department should file criminal charges against him for fraud, breach of the public trust, etc.
Libby should sue his @ss off.
He should be put in protective custody to prevent some hostile patriot from pinching his head off...like the zit that he is!

[depressed in 06]

Only, if he indites Wilson.

[Defiant]

Fitzgerald has lost his reputation, so maybe Scooter can use that one when this is all done.

[AmericaUnited]

I'm still holding out hope that Fitzy is a good guy.

In my opinion, he's the onlyt real scumbag in this whole deal.

[RedRover]

Maybe it's time for us to rescue "Fitzmas?"

"Fitzmas" now officially means an event that is a heartbreaking disappointment for the Dems. The great thing about Fitzmas, is that it can happen many times a year! I plan to celebrate my next Fitzmas on November 8th.

[Krodg]

I'm still holding out hope that Fitzy is a good guy.

No Suzy, there is no Fitzmas.

[Chode]

that FPOS should be brought up on criminal charges for Prosecutorial Misconduct and Selective Enforcement of the Law.

[meema]

He knew who leaked what within the first couple of days and still kept the investigation open, why and how does this all make Fitz in any way even a 10% good guy?

Maybe the previous poster hasn't been following this farce as well as many of us.
There can be no doubt now that Fitzie was doing a dishonorable job here. Hopefully the DOJ will wake up now and investigate Fitz!

[montag813]

Fitzgerald, like so many prosecutors, was the tattle-tale jerk you hated in school, who ratted to the teacher every minor transgression.

[SuziQ]

I plan to celebrate my next Fitzmas on November 8th.

FITZMAS! I love it!