Lawyers Seek Leniency for Libby
Lawyers for the vice president’s former chief of staff argued yesterday that their client should be spared from prison because of his distinguished record of public service.
Lawyers for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby said in a court filing that the prison term of 30 to 37 months requested by prosecutors is “grossly disproportionate” to his crime, the Washington Post reports.
A federal judge will sentence Libby on Tuesday for lying to a grand jury and FBI agents trying to learn the name of the source who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Wilson.
Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald has argued that Libby deserved the longer sentence because he substantially interfered with the leak probe.
Judge Reggie B. Walton will decide not only the sentence but also whether Libby must begin serving it immediately, a decision that could affect a presidential pardon, according to the New York Times.
