{"id":67196,"date":"2018-04-13T14:25:28","date_gmt":"2018-04-13T18:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/trump-pardons-scooter-libby-is-it-a-message-for-manafort-and-flynn\/"},"modified":"2018-04-13T14:25:28","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T18:25:28","slug":"trump-pardons-scooter-libby-is-it-a-message-for-manafort-and-flynn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/trump-pardons-scooter-libby-is-it-a-message-for-manafort-and-flynn\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Pardons Scooter Libby: Is it a Message for Manafort and Flynn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump Pardons Scooter Libby: Is it a Message for Manafort and Flynn?<\/b>
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Chief of Staff I. Lewis \u201cScooter\u201d Libby in the President\u2019s Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), 2001 \/ National Archives<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Donald Trump has pardoned Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney\u2019s former Chief of Staff who was convicted in 2007 of lying to the FBI and obstructing the investigation into the leak of the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.<\/p>\n

Some are speculating that the pardon was a message from Trump to Manafort and Flynn that they will be pardoned if they protect him.<\/p>\n

The full White House statement:<\/p>\n

Today, President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Grant of Clemency (Full Pardon) to I. \u201cScooter\u201d Lewis Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Richard Cheney, for convictions stemming from a 2007 trial. \u00a0President George W. Bush commuted Mr. Libby\u2019s sentence shortly after his conviction.\u00a0 Mr. Libby, nevertheless, paid a $250,000 fine, performed 400 hours of community service, and served two years of probation.<\/p>\n

In 2015, one of the key witnesses against Mr. Libby recanted her testimony, stating publicly that she believes the prosecutor withheld relevant information from her during interviews that would have altered significantly what she said.\u00a0 The next year, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals unanimously reinstated Mr. Libby to the bar, reauthorizing him to practice law.\u00a0 The Court agreed with the District of Columbia Disciplinary Counsel, who stated that Mr. Libby had presented \u201ccredible evidence\u201d in support of his innocence, including evidence that a key prosecution witness had \u201cchanged her recollection of the events in question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before his conviction, Mr. Libby had rendered more than a decade of honorable service to the Nation as a public servant at the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the White House.\u00a0 His record since his conviction is similarly unblemished, and he continues to be held in high regard by his colleagues and peers.<\/p>\n

In light of these facts, the President believes Mr. Libby is fully worthy of this pardon.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know Mr. Libby,\u201d said President Trump, \u201cbut for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly.\u00a0 Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Politico reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Plame, appearing on MSNBC on Friday, suggested that Trump is telegraphing a message to Manafort and other aides, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are key figures in the Russia investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is definitely not about me. It\u2019s absolutely not about Scooter Libby. This is about Donald Trump and his future,\u201d Plame said before the formal announcement hit. \u201cIt\u2019s very clear that this is a message he\u2019s sending that you can commit crimes against national security and you will be pardoned, so I think he\u2019s got an audience of three right now. That would be Manafort, Flynn and Kushner, and perhaps others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message being sent is you can commit perjury and I will pardon you if it protects me and I deem that you are loyal to me,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

And the irony of the pardon, on the day when Trump attacked former FBI director James Comey for being a liar and a leaker, wasn\u2019t lost on anyone.<\/p>\n

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Calling @Comey<\/a> a \u201cproven LEAKER & LIAR\u201d while you\u2019re about to pardon Scooter Libby, who leaked the identity of a covert CIA employee and was convicted for lying about it to the FBI \u2014 well, that\u2019s quite a thing.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 13, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The post Trump Pardons Scooter Libby: Is it a Message for Manafort and Flynn?<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Trump Pardons Scooter Libby: Is it a Message for Manafort and Flynn?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n