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Gore Weighs In On Libby Commutation
Al Gore on MSNBC today weighed in on the Libby commutation:
When asked about his reaction President Bush’s decision to spare Vice I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby 30 months in prison, Gore said he thought it was “very disappointing.” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, was convicted of lying to FBI agents investigating the leak of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to the media.“I thought it was improper,” Gore said of Bush’s clemency order sparing Libby prison time. “He was charged with knowledge that could incriminate his bosses in the White House, which included the vice president and the president.”
Gore also differentiated between the Libby pardon and President Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich:
Gore said the fact that Libby may or may not have acted on behalf of others in the White House makes the order “different” than President Bill Clinton’s pardons of politically connected criminals during his final days in office.
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I wonder why Gore didn't mention that Rich's lawyer was Libby. Has Tweety or anyone brought that up when the Republiscum bring up Rich's name?
July 5, 2007 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Um, is that supposed to be a plus for Clinton? That Bill and Libby were on the same side when it came to giving crooked cronies get-out-of-jail-free cards?
July 5, 2007 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, only that Libby was the really bad guy each time, first as Rich's agent, then as Cheney's boy.
July 5, 2007 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are there any public statements from Hillary Clinton about the Marc Rich, Susan MacDougal and Roger Clinton pardons? I hope some reporter makes sure to get her on the record in specifics about each of those pardons. I think those pardons were an abuse of power just as much as the Libby commutation.
July 5, 2007 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am not sure Libby was actually Marc Rich's lawyer, although he was with the law firm representing Rich. It is undeniable that Libby called Rich to congratulate him when he (Rich) got his pardon.
The real story there is the AIPAC influence in the Clinton WH (in this case, by all accounts, via Ehud Barak), and its connection to neocons like Libby.
July 5, 2007 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
The difference is that there's no reason to think they were payback for a coverup of felonies by the president and vice-president.
July 5, 2007 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Valid criticism on AIPAC.
July 5, 2007 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gore is correct. There is a distinction between situations where the President generally exercises the power to grant pardons, even imprudently, and situations where the power is used to, or has the appearance of being used to, facilitate the cover-up of crimes/misconduct in the Executive Branch. (Including the Dick Branch).
July 5, 2007 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
here's another interesting gem....
"Consider, for example, Mr. Clinton's decision to commute the sentences of four Hasidic men from New Square, N.Y., who were in prison for defrauding the government by inventing a fictitious religious school and using it to attract millions in government aid. The commutations were granted after Mr. Clinton and his wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, met privately in December with supporters of the men, whose politically active sect had overwhelmingly backed Mrs. Clinton in her victorious Senate campaign. Mrs. Clinton denies any responsibility for the president's commutation decision and denies even knowing that commutation would be discussed. But her presence at the meeting surely underscores her interest in accommodating these constituents. The United States attorney in New York, Mary Jo White, vigorously opposed the commutations, which she learned about only at the last minute"
July 9, 2007 11:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
the intent of the pardon is to dispense justice where injustice had clearly demonstrated in specific cases, and is supposed to be used sparingly. Clinton used the pardon for all kinds of AR cronies, many of them for cocaine trafficking, saying these people had "paid in full" their debt to society. Bush -- Clinton -- what's the difference?
July 9, 2007 11:20 PM | Reply | Permalink