Posted on 07/03/2007 9:32:47 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
CHICAGO President George W. Bush commuted the 2 1/2 year sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former White House aide convicted in a CIA leak scandal.
As CBS 2’s Katie McCall reports, there was negative reaction in Illinois to the announcement Monday.
”Since the president has intervened in this process, it is now the Congress’ obligation and responsibility to intervene in the executive process and begin an inquiry into these very serious crimes against the constitution of the United States,” said Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Chicago).
Jackson says this time the president went too far. After word that Bush commuted Libby’s sentence Jackson plans to call on House Democrats to start impeachment proceedings.
“I certainly hope Nancy Pelosi will withdraw her initial remarks that impeachment is completely off the table,” Jackson said.
Libby was convicting of lying under oath to cover up the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.
"I respect the jury's verdict,” Bush said in a statement about his rationale for lightening Libby’s load. “But I have concluded that the sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive."
Jackson's weren't the only angry words on the matter.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin evoked another famous convict, saying, “Even Paris Hilton had to go to jail. No one in this administration should be above the law."
There were detractors in the president's own party, including north suburban Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Northbrook), who expressed his disappointment.
“He was indicted by a grand jury and convicted beyond the shadow of a doubt by one of the best prosecutors in America, Patrick Fitzgerald, and didn’t have a single member of a 12-member jury stand up with him,” Kirk said. “At that point, if you’ve done the crime, you should do the time.”
Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who prosecuted Libby, said all citizens should stand before what he called the bar of justice as equals.
Libby still has to pay a $250,000 fine and will be on probation for two years. The president says that is still a harsh punishment.
CBS 2's Katie McCall contributed to this report.
Both Jesse’s are a crime against our species.
Congressman Jackass-son convienlty forgets Marc Rich and the FALN terrorists.
Bush is allowing the legal system to work, to go forward on appeal in a case that even the MSM admits is politically charged. In truth, Libby's prosecution and conviction is nothing more than a political witch hunt of a man over an issue that was not even a crime...a non-crime and his inability to remember all of the events is what these libs wanted on a pike.
So, IMHO, Congressman Jackass-son is simply playing the part of a political whore in trying to make a name for himself so he can move out of his Father's much overrated shadow.
Well, is it a Crime against the Constitution, or is it the Crime of the Century? Make up your minds, moonbats.
The language police at the DNC had better come out with an official phrase pretty soon, or there will be total chaos.
If I remember correctly, didn’t Klinton pardon one of “Jesse’s boys” who was found guilty of having sex with an underage female. Which in turn, Jesse gave him a job with his “Rainblow Coalition”??
UFB!!!!
Huh??? I guess Jesse Jackson has never read Article 2 Sect 2:
Section 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
The more the Media and Rats talk about this the more they demonstrate how dumb they are.
Cisneros should have gone to jail. Same with Sandy Burger. So should “Leaky” Leahy. Ditto Al Gore, if Janet Reno had done her job. Face it—there’s a lot of Dems who SHOULD be in the Gray Bar Hotel, but instead of being called “inmates”, they’re called “Senator” or “Honorable”...
> ”Since the president has intervened in this process, it is now the Congress’ obligation and responsibility to intervene in the executive process and begin an inquiry into these very serious crimes against the constitution of the United States,” said Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Chicago). <
Mr Jack$ss might want to the his copy of the consitution; the one posted online says:
“[The President] shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
Yo JJJ, we the taxpayers would like an audit of your daddy’s organization “Rainbow Coalition” to see how you personally benefit.
Please pardon the spelling.
Yep lets get it all out ... Lets investigate... lets have a full bipartisan commission on the matter... Lets see who really lied... Lets drag Plame and her idiot husband back out to Congress and for once lets get the truth....
What an idiot!
Jr., you ignorant slut.
The new math: Jesse Jackson Junior = JJJ = KKK
All the Jackson..are at the public trough, or else
yelling because us “blacks” are downtrodden..what a
bunch of liberal nitwits...and the funniest part is
they have most of the blacks, with Sharpton, feeling
same way....Whitey is evil...but take their $$..JK
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