[Alberta's Child]

If the information I read on another Russert thread yesterday was correct, then Russert’s testimony was correct and Libby’s was not. According to what the poster said on yesterday’s thread, it was LIBBY who changed his testimony after Russert testified.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Basically, Libby went to jail for confusing a meeting with Tim Russert with a meeting he had with Bob Woodward.

[griswold3]

Did it come down to ‘credibility’ of testimony?
Why DID Libby change his testimony? As an attorney, he should have known.

Strange thing, I say.

Bottom line, this was a conviction arrising out of the investigation of Plame/Wilson. No one was charged with exposing her.

[freespirited]

If the information I read on another Russert thread yesterday was correct, then Russert’s testimony was correct and Libby’s was not.

That's the big if. IIRC there was reason, based on comments Andrea Mitchell had made on TV, to wonder if Russert had his facts straight. The judge, who IMHO was very biased against Libby, would not allow the defense to call her as a witness.

There was also evidence to impeach Russert's honesty as to claims he made about his knowledge of rules governing grand jury testimony. The judge would not let that be heard either.

I did not have a good feeling about Russert's testimony. But this does not strike me as the best time to be revisiting all the little details.

[antonia]

please see;

February 20, 2007 12:00 AM
The Libby Trial: Did Fitzgerald Prove His Case?
We've heard the witnesses and seen the evidence. What's the verdict?
By Byron York

[lepton]

From what I have read, Woodwards statement on the conversation that he had with Libby comported pretty much exactly with what Libby stated his conversation with Russert was.

[antonia]

Scooter Libby was convicted largely on the testimony of Tim Russert.

Andrea Mitchell commented, on CNBC on October 3, 2003, that Valerie Plame's employment as a CIA agent was "widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger. So a number of us began to pick up on that."

This matched Libby's account. Libby, you'll recall, contended that he learned of Plame's status from Russert. Russert was Mitchell's boss.

The fact that Libby contended he'd learned of Plame from Russert while Russert denied it was the core of the perjury case against Libby.

On the witness stand, Russert denied any knowledge of Plame.He stated that it was "impossible" for Libby to have learned of Plame from him. He was somehow oblivious of that which his employee, Mitchell, said was "widely known" by people like him.His testimony convicted Libby.

With Russert gone, Libby will stay convicted. Bush should grant him a full pardon. (To date, he has commuted Libby's prison sentence.)

Libby dropped his appeal last year.