Opening arguments in the Scooter Libby trial began today, and wow... Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald most definitely is not playing around. Here's how ThinkProgress summarizes what we know so far:
Under oath, Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff Scooter Libby told a grand jury that he first learned that Joe Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA agent from conversations with the media. In fact, he first learned that information from Vice President Cheney himself.
Libby is now on trial for perjury. His defense is that he simply forgot who told him that Plame worked for the CIA. But in court today, prosecutors outlined a powerful case establishing that Libby had reason to remember who told him and motive to cover it up. MSNBC’s David Schuster said today’s revelations from prosecutors are “new and will astound a number of people, even those who have been following this case.” Among the new claims:– “Vice President Cheney himself directed Scooter Libby to essentially go around protocol and deal with the press and handle press himself…to try to beat back the criticism of administration critic Joe Wilson.”
– Cheney personally “wrote out for Scooter Libby what Libby should say in a conversation with Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper.”
– “Scooter Libby destroyed a note from Vice President Cheney about their conversations and about how Vice President Cheney wanted the Wilson matter handled.”
The Obstruction of Justice charge makes much more sense now. Fitzgerald isn't just charging Libby with lying, he's also claiming he destroyed evidence, and that he did so on VP Cheney's behalf.
For months, Libby's defenders have been claiming that this was all accidental, and that a man who is famous for his detailed memory (he knows all of the Star Trek episodes by name and number, for example) simply forgot who he talked to and when. Fitzgerald isn't just trying to undermine that defense, he is trying to shred it.
Cheney "wrote out" what Libby should say during one off the key conversations in this entire mess? He directed him to "go around protocol" to counter administration critics? This wasn't accidental; it was carefully orchestrated by the Vice President himself.
Now, lest you think all of the fireworks are coming from the prosecution, check out this summary of Libby's defense, as described by Byron York of the uber-conservative National Review:
Attorney Ted Wells has finished the first part of his opening argument in the Libby case, and the court is now on a lunch break. Wells repeated again and again that Libby believed he was being set up by Karl Rove and the White House for the blame over the "16 words" controversy and the revealing of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity.
It looks like Libby defense will involve throwing Rove overboard. I had suspected they might take that approach, but I never thought they would be so overt about it. This trial should be very, very interesting to watch...
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