02/15/07

Libby ends abbreviated defense testimony; closing arguments next


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The testimony phase of the long-anticipated trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby ended with a whimper rather than the bang of testimony from high-profile defense witnesses like Vice President Dick Cheney and Libby himself.

Libby's attorneys rested a trimmed down defense Wednesday after the judge barred much of their classified evidence because Libby decided not to testify in his perjury trial.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wrapped up the government's rebuttal in minutes.

That clears the way for the jury to hear closing arguments next Tuesday over whether the former chief of staff to Cheney lied to the FBI and a grand jury about whether he leaked to reporters in 2003 that Valerie Plame, the wife of prominent Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA.

In 14 days of testimony, the trial never filled an overflow courtroom, with a video hookup, to handle the crowds expected -- particularly for the cross-examination of Libby and Cheney.

Nevertheless, testimony showed that Cheney was intimately involved on a daily basis in July 2003 in rebutting Wilson's allegations that President Bush had lied about intelligence to push the nation into war with Iraq.

Cheney was described by his own aides as particularly upset that Wilson suggested the vice president knew one key justification -- that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa for nuclear weapons -- had been debunked by Wilson in 2002.

The defense put in a handwritten note in which Cheney told the White House press secretary to exonerate Libby in the leak and not sacrifice him to protect Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.

The trial also brought top-level Washington reporters, including five Pulitzer Prize winners, and some of their usually unidentified government sources into the courtroom. The defense, with limited direct evidence to rebut the government's case, used these witnesses to raise questions about the memory, techniques and ethics of reporters who had testified against Libby.

In the process, they illuminated the interactions between top reporters and officials.

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Testimony in the CIA leak trial

By The Associated Press

A summary of testimony from witnesses in the obstruction and perjury trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby:

PROSECUTION:
MARC GROSSMAN: A former undersecretary of state, Grossman said he told Libby on June 11 or 12, 2003, that Valerie Plame, the wife of a prominent war critic, worked at the CIA. Under cross-examination, Grossman acknowledged some inconsistencies in his statements, such as whether the conversations were face to face or over the phone.

ROBERT GRENIER: The former No. 3 official at the CIA testified that he told Libby about Plame on June 11, 2003. He originally told investigators he did not recall such a conversation but said he "developed a growing conviction" that he must have said it.

CRAIG SCHMALL: Libby's daily CIA briefer, Schmall testified that Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, were discussed during Libby's briefing on June 14, 2003. Schmall based that on his notes from the briefing.

CATHIE MARTIN: Cheney's former spokeswoman, Martin testified that she told Libby sometime before July 6, 2003, that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.

ARI FLEISCHER: A former White House press secretary, Fleischer recalled Libby telling him about Plame over lunch July 7, 2003, and saying the information was "hush hush." Fleischer relayed that information to reporters. He received immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.

DAVID ADDINGTON: A former counsel to the vice president who now serves as Cheney's chief of staff, Addington said Libby asked him what documents would be available if a CIA employee's spouse was sent overseas. As the leak investigation began, Addington said Libby asked how someone could know a CIA officer was undercover and told him, "I didn't do it."

JUDITH MILLER: A former New York Times reporter, Miller says Libby discussed Plame on June 23 and July 8 of 2003 -- days before Libby says he first learned about the operative. Miller acknowledges she spoke with other government officials, has a spotty memory and cannot be "absolutely, absolutely certain" she did not learn about Plame elsewhere.

MATTHEW COOPER: A former Time magazine reporter, Cooper said he had an off-the-record conversation in which Libby confirmed he, too, had heard that Wilson's wife was involved in sending him on the trip to Niger. That appears nowhere in Cooper's notes, however, and his description of the ground rules of the conversation have changed. Defense lawyers say Libby told Cooper only that he had heard that, too, from other reporters and did not know whether it was true.

DEBORAH BOND: The chief FBI agent in the leak investigation described the bureau's two interviews with Libby, on Oct. 14 and Nov. 26 of 2003. She said Libby said he first learned Wilson's wife worked for the CIA from Cheney about June 12, 2003, but had forgotten that conversation. Libby told the FBI he thought he was hearing the information for the first time from NBC reporter Tim Russert on July 10 or 11 of 2003.

TIM RUSSERT: The host of NBC's "Meet the Press," Russert testified that Plame never came up in a July 2003 phone call with Libby. Libby says Russert told him "all the reporters know" Plame worked for the CIA. Libby says he repeated the information based on Russert's comment.
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DEFENSE:
WALTER PINCUS: The veteran Washington Post reporter testified that Fleischer told him that Plame worked at the CIA. He said the topic never came up in discussions with Libby.

BOB WOODWARD: An assistant managing editor at the Post and an author, Woodward testified that in June 2003, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told him that Plame worked at the CIA. Woodward did not recall the topic coming up in discussions with Libby.

DAVID SANGER: A New York Times reporter, Sanger testified that he talked to Libby in July 2003 and Libby did not bring up Plame.

ROBERT NOVAK: The columnist who identified Plame on July 14, 2003, Novak testified that he had two sources: Armitage and White House aide Karl Rove. He testified that Libby was not a source.

GLENN KESSLER: A Washington Post reporter, Kessler testified that he interviewed Libby on the same day as Cooper but said Libby never brought up Plame.

EVAN THOMAS: A Newsweek magazine reporter, Thomas said he is sure Libby never told him Plame worked for the CIA.

CARL W. FORD JR.: The former assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, Ford testified for just minutes. He said he prepared a memo on Wilson for Grossman but his dates conflicted with Grossman's.

JILL ABRAMSON: The New York Times managing editor, Abramson said she did not recall Miller ever telling her to pursue a story on Plame. Miller had said she told Abramson that after her conversation with Libby.

JOHN HANNAH: Libby's former deputy and currently the national security adviser to the vice president, Hannah testified that in mid-2003 Libby was dealing with diplomatic crises, terrorist threats, war strategy and nuclear programs in Pakistan, Iran and North Korea. He described Libby's memory as spotty. He conceded that if Libby took two hours out of his busy day -- as he did for Miller -- it meant Libby considered Plame a key issue.