AP

Ο προηγούμενος προ!ιστάμενος αντιπροέδρου Dick Cheney's του προσωπικού καταδικάστηκε σε 2 1/2 έτη στην Τρίτη φυλακών για να βρεθεί και την παρεμπόδιση της έρευνας διαρροών CIA - ο έλεγχος που παρουσίασε λευκό οίκο που βασανίστηκε με την κριτική της απόφασής του να πάει στον πόλεμο.

Προηγούμενος βοηθός Ι. λευκών οίκων. Το μηχανικό δίκυκλο» Libby, κέντρο Lewis `, παίρνει στο ομοσπονδιακό δικαστήριο εξωτερικών όψεων αυτοκινήτων του στην Ουάσιγκτον, Τρίτη, 5 Ιουνίου 2007. [AP]

Ι. Το Lewis «μηχανικό δίκυκλο» Libby, ο ανώτερος υπάλληλος λευκών οίκων υψηλός-ταξινόμησης που καταδικάστηκε στη φυλακή την Ιράν-ενάντια υπόθεση, που ρωτήθηκε από για την ηπιότητα, αλλά έναν ομοσπονδιακό δικαστή είπε ότι δεν θα αντάμειβε κάποιο που εμπόδισε την έρευνα σχετικά με την έκθεση ενός χειριστή CIA. Ο σύζυγος του χειριστή είχε κατηγορήσει τη διοίκηση για το στρίψιμο της νοημοσύνης για να δικαιολογήσει τον πόλεμο του Ιράκ.

Καμία ημερομηνία δεν τέθηκε ως στόχος αμέσως για Libby να υποβάλει έκθεση στη φυλακή.

«Ο κ. Το Libby απέτυχε να συναντήσει το φραγμό. Για ο, τιδήποτε λόγο, κατέβηκε τη σειρά μαθημάτων,» εν λόγω δικαστής Reggie Β. αμερικανικής περιοχής. Walton.

Πρόσθετος κατήγορος Πάτρικ Fitzgerald, τον οποίο ξοδευμένα έτη που ερευνούν την περίπτωση, εν λόγω, «χρειαζόμαστε για να κάνουμε τη δήλωση ότι η αλήθεια πειράζει πάντα τόσο πολύ.» Είχε ζητήσει μια καταδίκη μέχρι τριών ετών, ενώ Libby είχε ζητήσει τη δοκιμασία και κανέναν χρόνο στη φυλακή.

Η αντίδραση από το λευκό οίκο ήταν ακόμα ενθαρρυντική - αλλά ζοφερός.

Ο Πρόεδρος Bush, που ταξιδεύει στην Ευρώπη, είπε μέσω ενός εκπροσώπου ότι «αισθάνθηκε φοβερός για την οικογένεια,» ειδικά σύζυγος Libby και παιδιά. Το Libby και η σύζυγός του, Harriet Grant, έχουν δύο σχολικής ηλικίας παιδιά, έναν γιο και μια κόρη.

Το Cheney είπε ότι ήλπισε ο προηγούμενος κορυφαίος βοηθός του θα επικρατούσε στην έκκληση.

Το Libby δεν ζήτησε συγγνώμη και έχει διατηρήσει την αθωότητά του.

«Είναι με σεβασμό η ελπίδα μου ότι το δικαστήριο θα εξετάσει, μαζί με την απόφαση κριτικών επιτροπών, ολόκληρη η ζωή μου,» αυτός είπε στις συνοπτικές παρατηρήσεις στο δικαστήριο πριν από την καταδίκη, η πρώτη δημόσια δήλωσή του για την υπόθεση από τη μήνυσή του το 2005.

A Republican stalwart, he drew more than 150 letters of support from military commanders and diplomats who praised his government service from the Cold War through the early days of the Iraq war.

Among Libby’s supporting letter writers were former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, as well as Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, a former longtime House member from California.

Cox said he gave the judge information on Libby’s pro bono work as a private attorney, telling reporters that such letters are common at the sentencing phase. He said he wrote as an individual and not in his official capacity. “I provided to the judge information about Mr. Libby’s pro bono work at an earlier point in his career.”

Libby was convicted in March of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to investigators about his conversations with reporters about CIA official Valerie Plame. Fitzgerald questioned Bush and Cheney in a probe that became a symbol of the administration’s deepening problems.

“Mr. Libby was the poster child for all that has gone wrong in this terrible war,” defense attorney Theodore Wells said. “He has fallen from public grace. It is a tragic fall, a tragic fall.”

Cheney, looking to Libby’s appeal, said, “Speaking as friends, we hope that our system will return a final result consistent with what we know of this fine man.”

Defense attorneys sought to have the sentence delayed until appeals run out. A delay also would give Bush more time to consider calls from Libby’s allies to pardon the longtime aide.

Walton said he saw no reason to put the sentence on hold but agreed to consider it. He scheduled a hearing for a week from Thursday.

Libby and Fitzgerald left court without speaking to reporters.

Among Libby’s supporting letter writers were former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Libby’s attorneys noted that Fitzgerald never charged anyone with leaking Plame’s identity, including former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage or White House political adviser Karl Rove, the original sources of the leak.

“No one was ever charged. Nobody ever pleaded guilty,” attorney William Jeffress said. “The government did not establish the existence of an offense.”

But Walton, a Bush nominee who served in the White House as deputy drug director under Bush’s father, said public officials in particular had a duty to testify honestly. His voice raising at times, he said the leak investigation was a serious one and obstructing it deserved a serious penalty.

“It’s one thing if you obstruct a petty larceny. It’s another thing if you obstruct a murder investigation,” he said.

He fined Libby $250,000 and placed him on two years probation after his prison sentence expires. There is no parole in the federal system, but Libby would be eligible for release after two years.

Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, applauded the sentence, and, though Fitzgerald has said his investigation is complete, they urged Libby to cooperate with authorities.

“As Mr. Fitzgerald has said, a cloud remains over the vice president,” Wilson said.

It was Cheney who revealed Plame’s identity to Libby in June 2003 after her husband began questioning the administration’s prewar intelligence. Several other officials testified that they, too, discussed the CIA operative with Libby as Wilson’s criticism mounted.

Libby said he forgot those conversations and was surprised to learn about Plame a month later from NBC newsman Tim Russert. Russert, the government’s star witness at trial, testified the two men never discussed Plame. Fitzgerald said Libby concocted the Russert story to shield him from prosecution for improperly handling classified information.

The trial also revealed how the White House strategically leaked information and used journalists to make its case for war and defend itself from criticism, often through the cloak of anonymity.

Though the trial is over, the legal fight over the leak continues. Plame and Wilson are suing Libby, Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials, accusing them of violating their privacy rights. A judge is considering whether to dismiss the lawsuit.

Plame is also suing the CIA for allegedly holding up publication of her memoir, in which she wants to discuss details about her 20-year career at the intelligence agency. CIA officials say the material she wants to publish is classified.

Libby left court to shouts of two or three protesters and a throng of reporters and photographers.

“You should go right to jail!” a protester screamed.

Libby said nothing, stepping into a car and being driven away.

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