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Irving Lewis"Scooter"Libby
Former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff
Cheney's Right Hand, Convicted Leaker, Pardoned Felon
Overview
Scooter Libby served as Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff and was the only official convicted in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. He was convicted of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements for lying about his role in exposing a covert CIA officer. His sentence was commuted by Bush and he was later pardoned by Trump, preventing full accountability for the conspiracy to retaliate against Iraq War critics.
Key Affiliations
Office of the Vice President
Chief of Staff (2001-2005)
agency
U.S. Department of Defense
Deputy Undersecretary for Policy (1989-1993)
agency
U.S. Department of State
Director, Policy Planning (2001)
agency
Project for the New American Century
Founding Signatory
organization
Hudson Institute
Senior Vice President
organization
Controversies & Concerns
VALERIE PLAME LEAK: Leaked identity of covert CIA officer to reporters including Judith Miller
CONVICTED FELON: Found guilty of obstruction of justice, perjury (2 counts), false statements
PROTECTED CHENEY: Took fall for Cheney, Special Counsel Fitzgerald noted"cloud over VP"
SENTENCE COMMUTED: Bush commuted 30-month prison sentence before he served a day
TRUMP PARDON: Full pardon from Trump in 2018 erased conviction entirely
PNAC ARCHITECT: Signed 1998 letter calling for Iraq regime change, pre-planned war
JUDITH MILLER PROTECTION: Miller went to jail protecting him as source
CHENEY'S NOTES: Cheney's handwritten notes on Wilson op-ed showed coordination
OBSTRUCTION PATTERN: Lied repeatedly to FBI and grand jury to protect superiors
Related Investigations (2)
Criminal Charges & Violations
4 documented violations
18 U.S.C. § 1503Obstruction of Justice; Impeding Plame investigation (CONVICTED)(Obstruction)
18 U.S.C. § 1623Perjury; False testimony to grand jury (CONVICTED, 2 counts)(Federal)
18 U.S.C. § 1001False Statements; Lying to FBI (CONVICTED)(Federal)
50 U.S.C. § 421 (IIPA)Intelligence Identities Protection Act; Plame leak (not charged)(National Security)
Known Associates & Connections
Dick Cheney
Vice President, direct boss, protected by
Karl Rove
Fellow Plame leaker, both testified to grand jury
George W. Bush
President, commuted sentence
Donald Trump
Pardoned by, erased conviction
Paul Wolfowitz
Former professor, fellow neoconservative
Sources & Documentation
6 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- August 22, 1950
- Birthplace
- New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Also Known As
- Scooter, The Fall Guy
Education
- •J.D., Columbia Law School (1975)
- •B.A., Yale University (1972)
Key Timeline
August 22, 1950
Born in New Haven, Connecticut
1972
Graduates Yale, studies under Paul Wolfowitz
1975
Graduates Columbia Law School
1989-1993
Serves in Pentagon under Cheney (then SecDef)
1997
Co-founds Project for the New American Century
1998
Signs PNAC letter calling for Iraq regime change
January 2001
Becomes Cheney's Chief of Staff
July 6, 2003
Joseph Wilson op-ed criticizing Iraq War intel
July 8, 2003
Discusses Plame with Judith Miller
July 14, 2003
Robert Novak column outs Valerie Plame
October 2003
FBI interviews Libby about leak
2004-2005
Testifies to grand jury, makes false statements
October 2005
Indicted on 5 counts, resigns from White House
March 2007
Convicted on 4 of 5 counts
June 2007
Sentenced to 30 months in prison
July 2007
Bush commutes prison sentence
2007
Special Counsel Fitzgerald:"Cloud over Vice President"
April 2018
Trump grants full pardon, erases conviction
Present
Hudson Institute senior vice president