Libby hires expert in criminal law on national secrets

[sabra]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/22/MNGHSFS9RH1.DTL&type=printable

Libby hires expert in criminal law on national secrets
S.F.-based partner with a national firm

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who is charged with obstructing justice and lying in the CIA leak case, has hired a leading expert in using classified information in criminal trials, giving an early hint of his possible defense strategy.

Libby, who was Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff until his indictment last month, has retained John Cline, an unusually experienced attorney in cases involving classified information. Cline is a San Francisco-based partner with Jones Day, a major national law firm.

Cline has been involved in several high-profile criminal cases whose outcomes turned in part on demands for the introduction of such government secrets at trial. These have included the criminal defense of Oliver North and the case of Wen Ho Lee, a former nuclear scientist who had been accused of mishandling nuclear secrets. Reached in Washington on Monday, Cline confirmed that he had been retained by Libby, but he said he could not comment on the case.

...

"This is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the government," said Robert Weisberg, a criminal law expert at the Stanford Law School. "This suggests they are going to use a very concerted and aggressive strategy."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

1. Heh ! He needed a lawyer who specialized in Lying son of bitches ! n/t

[TheGunslinger]

10. No kidding.

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. No, it suggests they expect an appended indictment for

conspiracy to violate the espionage act.

Why would you need experts on national secrets to defend you from charges of perjury and obstruction? Wouldn't experts on perjury and obstruction be better there?

[sabra]

3. Exactly, I was wondering the same thing...

:popcorn:

[SpiralHawk]

4. Ahhh so - a Mystery no longer !

Good analysis,
Alcibiades !

[blm]

6. Right. Remember, in BCCI Poppy Bush fought tooth and nail the release

of documents when Kerry went to court to have them made public so the press and the public would see the level of deceit involved and the criminal characters Bush was aligned with.

Robert Mueller was the US attorney assigned to the fed case. Kerry had to keep going around him where he could because Mueller was a Bush man all the way. the same Mueller that Bush2 tapped to head FBI.

Mueller was the exact opposite of Patrick Fitzgerald.

It's a very tough case but Fitzgerald can probably pull it off. He's no Mueller.

[dkofos]

5. Makes you wonder if he really understands

what he has been charged with.

[Moosepoop]

7. I think he understands

what he has YET to be charged with. ;-)

[Jim__]

8. If this is true...

from the article: "In this case the defense doesn't have to win on every element of their claims, they just may want to scare the daylights out of the government at this stage," said Weisberg.

If this is true, I think they may be barking up the wrong tree. Fitz doesn't strike me as the type that scares very easily. But, Libby has that whole pile of money for his defense, so he may as well spend it.

[Miss Chybil]

9. Why? He was "only" indicted for lying? What's the big deal with that?

:sarcasm: