Tag: Libby Trial (page 7)

I'm over at Huffington Post live-blogging the Libby trial today. Come on over. For the blow by blow, check out Marcy Wheeler at Firedoglake.

This morning has been taken up with determining Andrea Mitchell won't testify, the NY Times' Jill Abramson had no recollection of Judy Miller suggesting she assign someone to cover the Joseph Wilson/Niger story and Cheney NSA Advisor John Hannah testifying how busy Libby was with heavy national security issues.

Arianna wrote a few days ago that there are two trials going on in the Prettyman courthouse in D.C. One is designed to determine whether Scooter Libby is guilty of making false statements to federal investigators, lying to the grand jury and obstructing justice. The other is a referendum on the symbiotic relationship between prominent journalists and high ranking Administration officials.

The currency in Washington has always been information. That's nothing new. But the Libby trial has laid bare, for anyone caring enough to take a look, how the Administration used the press to present its unfounded case for war.

The directive to combat Joseph Wilson's July 6 op-ed came from Cheney himself. To get a sense of how Libby and others snapped to attention when he cried "fetch," consider the July 12th flight to Norfolk. It was on this flight, carrying Cheney, Libby and Cheney press aide Cathie Martin to the commemoration of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, that Cheney gave his directive as if he were Tony Soprano: Go after this guy Wilson. So seriously did Libby and Martin take the command that they started roto-dialing reporters from Andrews Air Force Base the moment the plane returned from Norfolk.

I'm over at Huffington Post today, live-blogging the Scooter Libby trial. Come on over!

For a blow by blow of the testimony and arguments, also check out Marcy at Firedoglake.

It may be Saturday, but Fitzgerald and Team Libby have filed new briefs arguing about the admission of two Washington Post articles from October, 2003 by Walter Pincus and Mike Allen, both of which were contained in Libby's files and had been underlined in part. They argued about this in court this week and Judge Walton told them to file briefs. [Note: This post is ridiculously long because it contains detailed quotes from the briefs.]

Fitz's brief is here and Libby's brief is here.

Government Exhibit 422 is a copy of a three-page article by Walter Pincus and Mike Allen entitled, “FBI Agents Tracing Linkage of Envoy to CIA Operative,” which was published in the Washington Post on October 12, 2003.

Looking ahead to next week in the Scooter Libby trial, I doubt that Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby are the only witnesses Team Libby will call in the defense portion of the case.

Let's go back to the list of possible trial witnesses the Court read off to the jury on opening day.

Both NBC reporter David Gregory and former Time reporter John Dickerson are on the list.

Ari Fleischer testified he told them about Joe Wilson's wife working for the CIA on the Africa trip in July, 2003 before Robert Novak's column appeared. He said he learned it from Scooter Libby at lunch on July 7, the day Fleischer left for Africa with President Bush. Dickerson and Gregory were two of the reporters on the trip. Libby denies telling Fleischer about Valerie Wilson.

John Dickerson has been in the courtroom during the trial, blogging for Slate. He writes that Ari is mixed up, he never told him about Wilson's wife working for the CIA.

Team Libby told the jury in opening argument that the White House initially threw Scooter Libby "under the bus" in an attempt to shield Karl Rove. They did this by having then-White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan initially clear Rove but not Libby.

Then, according to Libby, Vice President Cheney intervened on Scooter's behalf and directed McClellan to also clear Libby. According to White House Press Conference tapes, McClellan did so. The jury has now heard portions of those tapes.

How does Bush enter into this? Jason Leopold and Mark Ash write at Truthout that Ted Wells' purpose in bringing a handwritten note of Cheney's before the jury while David Addington was on the stand was not only to show Libby was upset about Rove being cleared but not him, but also to show how the Veep scratched out "this pres" from his note to McClellan. Read Team Libby's way, the note in original form would read:

"not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy this Pres. asked to stick his head in the meat grinder because of the incompetence of others." The words "this Pres." were crossed out and replaced with "that was," but are still clearly legible in the document.

Noted jurist John Henry Wigmore described cross-examination as the "greatest legal invention ever invented for the discovery of truth." (5 J. Wigmore, Evidence §1367 (J. Chadbourn rev. 1974.) Put another way, it's a great tool for ferreting out untruths in the courtroom.

It's Fitzgerald's job in the Libby case to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Scooter Libby lied to federal agents and the grand jury and obstructed justice.

It's the defense's job to test that proof.

Patrick Fitzgerald has placed a lot of faith in Judy Miller and Matthew Cooper and their less than perfect memories and note-taking skills. The defense chipped away at both today. There were no Perry Mason moments, but neither came across as 100% sure of what Libby told them.

Team Libby has finished cross-examining Judith Miller. She was stronger today than yesterday and Bill Jeffress did not (in my opinion) make any inroads with her or trip her up. I think that the jury will find her credible.

Bottom Line: She is sure that Scooter Libby was the first to tell her that Joseph Wilson's wife worked for the CIA and that it happened on June 23 and again on July 8. She can't say it with 100% certainty but that's her belief based upon her memory and her notes and she has zero recollection of anyone else telling her.

Libby told investigators and the grand jury he learned of Wilson's wife from Tim Russert on July 10th. He says he was so preoccupied with pressing national issues, he forgot that he first learned of Valerie Wilson from Dick Cheney.

If he was so busy with other matters, why was he having a two hour meeting during the workday with Judith Miller at the St. Regis on July 8?

Fitzgerald redirects, a little bumpy, no big deal. Then the legal wrangling starts over Miller's notes and Libby's Aspen letter to Judy.

What an afternoon at the Scooter Libby trial. This is what I came to Washington for -- that sense of being right in the middle of the action, totally engrossed in the moment, never once looking at my watch, and when 5:00 came, wishing we didn't have to go home.

The day began slowly enough, with David Addington still on the stand and Libby lawyer Ted Wells questioning him about documents for almost two hours. Enough about that.

The main attraction was journalist and former New York Times reporter Judith Miller. She looked stunning, very pretty and impeccably groomed. The reporters in the courtroom all turned to watch her stride into the courtroom, chin up. Her lawyer, Washington powerhouse Bob Bennett, took a seat behind the Government's table. She was calm as she took the stand.

Judith Miller testified today in the Scooter Libby trial. She sailed through Fitzgerald's direct examination but started on a downhill course as soon as Bill Jeffress began cross-examining her.

The lawyers and judge are in deep debate over Paragraph 5 to Judith Miller's affidavit in support of a motion to quash.

I'll have details at Firedoglake later tonight. In the meantime, check out Marcy's live-blogging of the testimony, as well as Rory and Clarice at Mediabloggers.

It's week two in the Scooter Libby trial. Marcy has done a great job of live-blogging todays testimony. Today was my first day at the trial. I spent most of it in the courtroom, seated behind Mrs. Libby, and some in the media room. There were a lot of veteran PlameGate reporters on hand: David Corn of the Nation, David Schuster of MSNBC, Michael Isikoff of Newsweek, Byron York of the National Review and John Dickerson of Time, to name a few. Also following the action: Kelly O'Donnell of NBC News, David Stout of the New York Times, Nina Totenberg of NPR.

Being in the courtroom has advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, you get the big picture, being able to watch the interaction between the prosecution and defense teams, Scooter Libby and his lawyers, the jury and the Judge. You also get to see what seems of interest to the jurors, what they smile and laugh at and what doesn't faze them.

On the minus side, it was stifling hot, many of us (including the Judge at one point) were using paper to fan ourselves and if you leave while court is in session, you can't get back in. Also, you are reduced to handwritten notes since no laptops are allowed in the courtroom.  This is not a high-tech trial. The lawyers aren't tapping away at computers. The exhibits aren't fancy. There are a lot of assistants on both sides.

Now for the substance. Cathie Martin, Cheney's former press secretary, was the first witness of the day, where she underwent cross-examination by Libby lawyer Ted Wells. He took her through a chronological version of her testimony from last week.

If there was anything new, I didn't learn it. If he had a point, I didn't get it.

Don't change that dial. Marcy and I are at the Plame House in D.C., getting ready to head to the courthouse for the Scooter Libby trial.

Marcy will be live-blogging the testimony at Firedoglake from the media courtroom while I will be in the actual courtroom, taking hand-written notes (no laptops allowed there.) I'll have a wrap-up of the day's coverage tonight at Firedoglake and Huffpo, and eventually here.

If I get online at lunch, I'll post some snippets as an update here. Also check out MediaBloggers for some live coverage.

Cheney former press aide Cathie Martin will be first up today, finishing her testimony from last week. Then it's Ari Fleischer's turn. The Judge hasn't yet ruled on whether he will allow Fitz to ask him why he sought immunity.

I'm really looking forward to this. A big thanks to TChris who has been posting other news here while I've been traveling and settling in.