Traitor Libby Gets 2 and a Half Years

The verdict is in in the sentencing phase of the Scooter Libby trial:

Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison Tuesday for lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation.

Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, stood calmly before a packed courtroom as a federal judge said the evidence overwhelmingly proved his guilt.

"People who occupy these types of positions, where they have the welfare and security of nation in their hands, have a special obligation to not do anything that might create a problem," U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said.

Walton did not set a date for Libby to report to prison. Though he saw no reason to let Libby remain free pending appeal, Walton said he would accept written arguments on the issue and rule later.

If Libby goes directly to jail we get to see if bush supports traitors with presidential pardons sooner rather than later. It also, likely, ups the anti on whether or not Libby will flip cheney...

This is the highest ranking White House official to be found guilty of crimes since the Iran-Contra scandals and judge Walton also imposed a $250,000 fine and a couple of years of probation.

As Patrick Fitzgerald said when asking for a 3 year sentence:

"We need to make the statement that the truth matters ever so much,"

We are one step closer to the truth as long as bush doesn't pardon his neocon buddy.

Firedoglake is all over this, as per usual:

Walton basically accepted the premise of Fitz' sentencing arguments, which put the range for the obstruction up to 30-37 months, but on the basis of the fact that Libby is a nice guy, took the lowest end of that range, 30 months. He gave him 15 on the other countrs, concurrent, but those other counts need to be recalculated, bc one should be lower and one should be higher. So the sentence is 30 months, but on stay until the Probation department does new calculations.

As to bond pending appeal, Walton basically said no, but Defense can submit a memo. That is due on Thrsday, and then the govt's is due on Tuesday, with Libby's response due on Wednesday. If Walton decides against bond pending appeal after reading those motions, then it all goes to the prison system and Libby goes to jail in normal schedule, which would be about 45-60 days.

snip

No pressers. Neither side had a comment, ostensibly because they've got to come back for next week's hearing (on Wednesday) on bail pending appeal.

Now it's either beer thirty or I'm going to try to sneak into the SJC hearing. Can anyone tell me if it's beer thirty in DC?

I think it is Champagne o'clock in most places... But in my budgetzone it makes it beer thirty too! heh

We have all waited a long time for this Fitzmas present that keeps on giving.