Same as Lewis Libby clemency controversyJan 19th, 2009 - 21:38:29

'Scooter' Libby jail sentence commuted by US President George Bush
After Libby was denied bail during his appeal process on July 2, 2007, President Bush commuted Libby's 30-month federal prison sentence, calling it 'excessive', but he did not change the other parts of the sentence and their conditions. That presidential commutation left in place the felony conviction, the $ 250,000 fine, and the terms of probation. Yet, it has been highly controversial; not only are presidential commutations rarely granted, but, when granted, they generally occur after the convicted person has already served a substantial portion of his or her sentence:
'We can't find any cases, certainly in the last half-century, where the president commuted a sentence before it had even started to be served', said former Justice Department pardon attorney Margaret Colgate Love. Reportedly 'outraged' by Bush's commutation of Libby's prison sentence, on July 2, 2007, Wilson told CNN: 'I have nothing to say to Scooter Libby. ... I don't owe this administration. They owe my wife and my family an apology for having betrayed her. Scooter Libby is a traitor. Bush's action ... demonstrates that the White House is corrupt from top to bottom'.

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NSKJan 20th, 2009 - 11:56:42

Re: 'Same as Lewis Libby clemency controversy'
You're copying and pasting from the wrong blogspots. So far Libby has not been pardoned and his sentence not commuted. Whether he should be pardoned or not is questionable. And President Bush would be right to avoid it. Bush would be raked over the coals if he pardons him, and will probably be raked over the coals if he doesn't. If Obama wants to pardon him later on, he could do it and no one would care.

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