Bush ‘condones criminal conduct’: Democrats

TOP US Democrats condemned as “disgraceful” and a “betrayal” President George W. Bush’s decision today to commute the jail term of former senior White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people,” Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, said in a statement.

Mr Bush commuted the 30-month jail term imposed on Libby for lying to federal investigators in a case over an outed spy which highlighted doubts about the administration’s case for the war in Iraq.

Ms Pelosi’s condemnation echoed that of the other top Democrat in Congress, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid.

“The President’s decision to commute Mr Libby’s sentence is disgraceful,” Mr Reid said.

“Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war.

“Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone,” Mr Reid said in a statement.

“The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice-President’s chief of staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”

Announcing his decision to commute the term, Mr Bush said in a statement: “I respect the jury’s verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive.”

Vice-President Dick Cheney’s office issued a short statement saying he “supports the President’s decision”.

Libby was found guilty of lying to federal investigators in a case probing whether White House officials had leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame, but not of actually leaking her name to the press in July 2003.

It was alleged that Ms Plame’s cover as a CIA agent was blown to avenge criticism of the White House’s decision to go to war by her husband, ex-diplomat Joseph Wilson, who argued the case for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq was flawed.

Mr Wilson said the Bush administration was “painting this almost as a compromise here, saying the President could have pardoned Scooter Libby, but rather he commuted the sentence.

“I would remind people that this is the president who was governor of Texas (and) refused to commute the first death sentence of a female prisoner, even after the Pope pleaded for clemency,” he said.

Senator John Edwards, a Democratic presidential hopeful, said the “cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.

“George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences.”

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said “accountability has been in short supply in this Bush administration, and this commutation fits that pattern”.

Yet another Democratic Senator, Charles Schumer, weighed in to criticise Mr Bush’s decision, citing principles of US justice ahead of the nation’s July 4 anniversary of independence.

“One of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle,” he said.

AFP

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