What is former Vice President Chief of Staff and Special Assistant to the President I. "Scooter" Libby up to these days you ask? Apparently he has given up hope of appealing his role in the very public outing of former CIA operative Vaelrie Plame. As you may recall, he took one for the team and was convicted of four counts of perjury and obstruction which led to a 3o month jail sentence that was quickly commuted by President Bush. He is now serving the tailend of his 20 month probation and has paid a fine of $250,000.
"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence," attorney Theodore Wells said. "However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear."
The decision to drop his appeal is also a tactical one. Even if a federal appeals court overturned Libby's conviction, it would only lead to a new trial. If Libby were convicted again, a presidential commutation wouldn't apply, meaning he might have to serve jail time. And by that time, President Bush likely would be out of office.
Mr. Libby was hired in 2006 at the Hudson Institute, a Washington D.C. based think tank located four blocks from the White House and "will focus on issues relating to the War on Terror and the future of Asia. He also will offer research guidance and will advise the institute in strategic planning," the think tank announced in a media release. "Scooter Libby brings decades of experience to Hudson Institute that will strengthen our robust research efforts. We look forward to drawing on his expertise," said Hudson Institute Chairman Walter P. Stern.
According to Al Kamen at the Washington Post, Libby is on"a team of conservative thinkers that includes Robert H. Bork , Michael Horowitz and former National Security Agency director William E. Odom . We're told that his salary is on par with the going rate for the deep thinkers -- presumably at least as much as his $160,000 White House gig -- and that, if he wants, he'll probably still have time to do some consulting or work on a second novel."
As of mid-March 2007, however, Libby's bio page was no longer available on the website, and his name was not included on the organization's list of scholars.
In case he is unemployed and if you would like to help by donating your two cents (which I suppose would actually cost his supporters given the cost of processing crdit cards) go to his legal defense site.
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