Washington: A federal jury on Tuesday found former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, I Lewis "Scooter" Libby, guilty on four of five counts in his perjury and obstruction of justice trial.
Libby was convicted of:
- obstruction of justice when he intentionally deceived a grand jury investigating the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame;
- making a false statement by intentionally lying to FBI agents about a conversation with NBC newsman Tim Russert;
- perjury when he lied in court about his conversation with Russert;
- a second count of perjury when he lied in court about conversations with other reporters.
Jurors, who deliberated for 10 days, cleared Libby of a second count of making a false statement relating to a conversation he had with writer Matt Cooper, formerly of Time magazine.
Libby, 56, faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. A hearing on a presentencing report is scheduled for June 5.
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said, "He is virtually certain to go to prison if this conviction is upheld."
A 2003 federal investigation looked into the leaking of Plame's CIA identity to journalists. Libby was not accused of exposing Plame.
Prosecutors contended Libby disclosed Plame's covert profession to reporters as part of a plan to discredit her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador who alleged in a July 2003 New York Times editorial that the Bush administration twisted some intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.
After the verdict was read on Tuesday, Libby was fingerprinted and released on his own recognizance.
Ted Wells, Libby's defense attorney, said he will file a motion for a new trial, or appeal the conviction if that motion is denied.
"We intend to keep fighting to establish his innocence," Wells said outside the federal courthouse.
As he walked into the courtroom to hear the verdict, Libby was calm and smiling. "There was almost a swagger," CNN's Brianna Keilar reported.
As the verdicts were read, Libby blinked and "it seemed as if he was somewhat surprised," Keilar reported.
As court concluded Tuesday, Libby's wife, Harriet Grant, hugged every member of the defense team. She was teary-eyed as she kissed Wells on the cheek.
The White House issued a statement that President Bush watched the verdict and was saddened for Libby and his wife.
Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff and national security adviser, resigned in 2005 after the grand jury indicted him.
"It's sad that we had a situation where a high-level official, a person who worked in the office of vice president, obstructed justice and lied under oath, and we wish that had not happened but it did," special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said.
No further charges are expected in the case, Fitzgerald said, and no further investigation was planned.
"We're all going back to our day jobs," Fitzgerald said outside the courthouse. "If the information comes to light, or new information comes to us that would warrant us taking some action, we will do that."
Plame, Wilson to fight on
A statement from attorneys representing Plame and Wilson said the couple was pleased by the verdict and believed justice had been served.
But the Wilsons said they would continue to pursue a civil case against Cheney, Libby, Bush political adviser Karl Rove and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
"The criminal trial was about whether or not Mr. Libby obstructed justice and committed perjury by lying to FBI agents and the grand jury about the fact that he had disclosed to reporters that Valerie Wilson worked for the CIA.
"The civil suit, on the other hand, hinges on whether or not the defendants violated the constitutional rights of Valerie and Joe Wilson by making those disclosures in a concerted effort to retaliate against Joe Wilson for revealing the falsity of the president's rationale for the Iraq war," the statement said.
One juror, Denis Collins, said, "There was a tremendous amount of sympathy for Mr Libby on the jury.
"It was said, 'Where's Rove, where are these other guys?'
"We're not saying that we didn't think Mr Libby was guilty of the things we found him guilty of. It seemed like he was the fall guy," Collins said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said he welcomed the jury's verdict and called on Bush not to pardon Libby if the conviction stands.
"It's about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics," Reid said.
"Lewis Libby has been convicted of perjury, but his trial revealed deeper truths about Vice President Cheney's role in this sordid affair. Now President Bush must pledge not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct."
The jury ended up with 11 members - seven women and four men. A week ago, one of the jurors revealed that she had obtained outside information that prompted the judge to disqualify her.
The defense said it would accept 11 jurors to avoid having to start deliberations over with an alternate. The prosecution objected, but US District Judge Reggie B Walton overruled, and the panel continued with one chair empty.
During the trial, the defense contended Libby suffered from a poor memory. His attorneys tried to show his overwhelming White House workload, including urgent national security matters, could have caused discrepancies in what he told investigators.
Libby initially told investigators he learned about Plame from NBC's Russert. He later said he got the information from Cheney a month before the telephone conversation with Russert but forgot about it.
Russert said they didn't discuss Plame in their conversation.
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