I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, has been disbarred.
Libby was convicted in March of lying to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the 2003 leak of identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. President Bush commuted Libby's 2 1/2 year federal prison sentence sparing him from prison, but leaving Libby's $250,000 fine and two years probation intact.
I won't defend lying under oath. Nevertheless, Libby's sentence hardly seemed just. Yes he was convicted. Convicted for statements made in the course of a two-year investigation that should have ended the day prosecutor Fitzgerald took it over.
Compare the sentence received by Libby to the slap on the wrist received by former National Security advisor to President Clinton, Sandy Berger. Berger stole classified documents and lied about the theft. The Justice Department negotiated a guilty plea to a misdemeanor, a $10,000 fine and loss of security clearance for three years for Mr. Berger. A settlement which was so lenient it was rejected by the Judge Deborah Robinson and replaced by a $56,000 fine, two years probation, 100 hours of community service and loss of security clearance.
Then there is former President Clinton, who was disbarred from the Supreme Court, had his Arkansas law license suspended for five years, and paid a $25,000 fine for some of his lies.
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