Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Bush grants Libby "Executive Clemency" & Wolfowitz joins AEI

Via WarandPiece, the WH commutes Libby's sentence, see the "grant of Executive Clemency" here, and Wolfowitz joins the AEI, here. And Fitzgerald's statement below:
Here's Fitzgerald's statement:

"We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.
We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as “excessive.” The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.
Although the President’s decision eliminates Mr. Libby’s sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue toseek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process.”
and finally this preview of things to come:
""I hope it puts pressure on the president. He's a man of pronounced loyalties and he should have loyalty to Scooter Libby," said former Ambassador Richard Carlson, a member of Libby's defense fund. "It would be a travesty for him to go off to prison. The president will take some heat for it. So what? He takes heat for everything."" (Yahoo )
Pardon coming up!!

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