Fitzgerald On Libby Verdict
Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald addresses the media after Libby is found guilty on 4 of 5 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. David Shuster a
Greenwald has a post up at Salon examining the implications of the verdict:
Today's event sends a potent and unmistakable message, one that is absolutely reverberating in the West Wing: If Libby can be convicted of multiple felonies, then any Bush official who has committed crimes can be as well. Not only are Bush officials subject to the rule of law (their radical theories of executive power to the contrary notwithstanding), they are also vulnerable to legal consequences (the defeatist beliefs of some Bush critics notwithstanding). Having the nation watch this powerful Bush official be declared a criminal -- despite having been defended by the best legal team money can buy -- resoundingly reaffirms the principle that our highest political officials can and must be held accountable when they break the law.