Statement in Response to Jury's Verdict in U.S. v. I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby

    WASHINGTON, March 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being
 issued by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington:
     First, Valerie and Joseph Wilson would like to express their
 appreciation to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and the entire team of
 federal prosecutors for their professionalism and hard work. Their
 prosecution of a senior White House official illustrates that we are a
 nation of laws and that no man is above the law. The Wilsons respect the
 jury's verdict and thank the jurors for their service. The entire Wilson
 team is pleased by today's verdict and believes that justice has been
 served in this case.
     The Wilsons will continue to pursue the civil case against Vice
 President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr. Rove and Mr. Armitage because it hinges on
 additional and different facts from those underlying the criminal case. The
 criminal trial was about whether or not Mr. Libby obstructed justice and
 committed perjury by lying to FBI agents and the grand jury about the fact
 that he had disclosed to reporters that Valerie Wilson worked for the CIA.
 The civil suit, on the other hand, hinges on whether or not the defendants
 violated the constitutional rights of Valerie and Joe Wilson by making
 those disclosures in a concerted effort to retaliate against Joe Wilson for
 revealing the falsity of the president's rationale for the Iraq war.
     Disturbing facts emerged from the criminal trial that are highly
 relevant to the civil case. For example, the American public learned
 details of how Vice President Cheney orchestrated the concerted White House
 effort to discredit and retaliate against Joe Wilson. Towards that end, the
 vice president enlisted the aid of other senior administration officials
 including former press secretary Ari Fleischer, vice presidential assistant
 Cathie Martin and presidential advisor Karl Rove. Testimony in the criminal
 case also confirmed that Mr. Libby spoke to numerous reporters in an effort
 to persuade at least one of them to publicly reveal Mrs. Wilson's covert
 status.
     Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director and counsel to the Wilsons
 stated, "The civil case may provide the American public with its only
 opportunity to hear directly from Vice President Cheney, Mr. Libby, Mr.
 Rove and Mr. Armitage about what really took place behind the scenes after
 Joe Wilson exposed the truth about the administration's justification for
 the Iraq war."
     Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-
 profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials
 accountable for their actions.
     For more information, please visit http://www.citizensforethics.org or
 contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565 /
 nseligman@citizensforethics.org.
 
 

SOURCE Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington