Thursday, March 1, 2007

Libby Trial: Still Waiting


From my "Capital Games" column at www.thenation.com....


I'm still at the federal district courthouse waiting for the verdict in the obstruction of justice tral of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. But this just in: on Wednesday at 3:45 pm, the jurors sent a note to Judge Reggie Walton. It read in its entirety:

We would like another big Post-it pad. The large one for the easel.


The previous day, the jury had sent a question to the judge regarding Count Three of the indictment (which accuses Scooter Libby of lying to the FBI about statements he made to reporter Matt Cooper about former Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife). But by the time the judge was able to respond to the note on Wednesday morning, the jurors had already resolved the issue. "After further discussion," the jury foreperson wrote the judge, "we are clear on what we had to do. No further clarification needed. Thank you. We apologize."

After the matter--or non-matter--was resolved, the question was made public by the court. The jurors had asked, "Is the charge that the statement was made or about the content of the statement itself?" Reporters in the press room subsequently tried to discern precisely what the jurors were asking. It was not clear. Nor was the note a clue that pointed in any direction.

So what do these two notes mean? They suggest the jury is still hard at work, in the weeds, plodding through the details of the case--after six days of deliberation. The eleven jurors--one juror was booted because she came into contact with outside information on the case--are even on to their second easel pad. From that you can draw your own conclusions. I'm not making any guesses.

Posted by David Corn at March 1, 2007 10:19 AM

7 comments:

Saladin said...

HUH?

Saladin said...

Here is an article just about as important as this idiotic trial!

Father of the bungee plans record jump

By Nick Squires in Sydney
Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 28/02/2007

It will be the ultimate bungee jump — a terrifying 4,920ft free fall from a helicopter, the equivalent of plunging nearly 30 times the height of Nelson's Column.

Bungee jump height scale, click to enlarge
Bungee jump height scale: click to enlarge

A J Hackett, the New Zealand adventurer who pioneered bungee jumping and introduced the extreme sport to millions has announced plans for his most audacious stunt yet.

The 48-year-old plans to launch himself out of a helicopter attached to an elastic cord over Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, later this year.

If successful, the stunt will double the existing record for the world's highest bungee jump.

Mr Hackett admitted to feeling nervous about the world record attempt. "I do get a bit scared sometimes but I'm still able to split the emotion from the logic," he told ABC radio yesterday.

The venture has been enabled by breakthroughs in bungee cord technology.

"Last December we opened the world's highest bungee site in Macau," said Mr Hackett, who was in Australia to promote a new biography.

"There we developed this new technology which is a tapered bungee cord, fatter at the top than it is at the bottom. It means you can stretch them a long, long way.

Gerald said...

The wording in the picture on the Twilight Zone is great. It is actually humorous but the play is a tragedy so laughter must be kept to a minimum.

Gerald said...

The reason why I would want a guilty verdict on Libby is because I believe that would open the door to bring charges against Hitler Cheney. Yet, I will be shocked at a guilty verdict.

Anonymous said...

It's a very important trial to many people -- for many reasons. There is nothing idiotic about its purpose.

The results may not yield the desired effect, but it is not idiotic.

Anonymous said...

One obvious reason the Libby trial is not idiotic is that the testimony suggests that impeachable offenses occurred at the highest levels in the WH -- witness cheney's chicanery.

The Libby case may be narrow (that he committed perjury in testifying about his role in the outing of Plame), but the implications of the trial are POSSIBLY going to lead to more investigations. The wheels of justice sometimes move at a glacial pace.

capt said...

New thread!