Scooter Libby A little known member of the George W Bush administration until 2005 when he resigned from his senior White House position as Bush’s assistant, Scooter Libby was indicted on five felony counts related to the Plame affair in which he was accused of obstructing the course of justice, making false statements and perjury after being accused of leaking the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative who’s identity was classified. Scooter Libby was born in New Haven, Connecticut to wealthy parents, his father being an investment banker. Scooter’s real name is reported to be Irving Lewis Libby but during an interview with Larry King, Scooter disclosed that the nickname, Scooter, was given to him as a child by his father. Scooter was educated at Phillips Academy in Massachusetts after the family had spent many years traveling from Washington to Miami and then back to Connecticut. In 1972 Scooter graduated from Yale University and then received his degree from Columbia Law School in 1975. After receiving his degree from Columbia Scooter practiced law in Philadelphia. From 1981 through 1985 Scooter worked at the State Department as a member of the State Policy Planning Staff under President Ronald Reagan. Continuing his career in law he went to work at the Pentagon as director of special projects in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Under the Bill Clinton administration, Libby worked for the U.S. House of Representatives and was the managing partner of the law firm Dechert, Price and Rhoads from 1995 until 2001.
During the George H W Bush administration, Libby was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as deputy under secretary of defense for policy. Then in 1999 Scooter was the author of the Defense Planning Guidance draft for the then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. Scooter later went on to become Dick Cheney’s chief of staff but resigned after his indictment in 2005 when he disclosed the name of a CIA operative in a discussion with CNN contributor, Robert Novak. After ten days of deliberation at the end of Libby’s trial in March 2007, the jury convicted him on several counts of perjury, obstructing justice and of making false statements. At sentencing on June 5th 2007 Libby received a 30 month prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. He is the first top ranking White House official to be given a prison sentence since 1875. Libby remains a free man pending an appeal on June 14th 2007. Dick Cheney referred to the sentence as a 'travesty.' Following his appeal in June, on July 2nd 2007, President George W Bush commuted the jail sentence of I Lewis 'Scooter' Libby. Scooter Lewis Libby is married to Harriet Grant, an American lawyer with whom he has two children. ABB |
