Tingog.com

President George W. Bush has commuted Scooter Libby’s prison sentence. Scooter Libby is a former White House aide that was charged for lying under oath in relation to the leaking of a CIA official. A commutation is a sort of semi-pardon in which the convicted person will not serve time but will still have the conviction on his record. According to lawyers, President Bush can still give Scooter Libby a full pardon which will effectively make the entire conviction seem as if it never happened in the first place.

The statement that came from the White House is as follows:

WHEREAS Lewis Libby was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case United States v. Libby, Crim. No. 05-394 (RBW), for which a sentence of 30 months’ imprisonment, 2 years’ supervised release, a fine of $250,000, and a special assessment of $400 was imposed on June 22, 2007;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, pursuant to my powers under Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, do hereby commute the prison terms imposed by the sentence upon the said Lewis Libby to expire immediately, leaving intact and in effect the two-year term of supervised release, with all its conditions, and all other components of the sentence.

IN WITNESS THEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

In my view, this is just another case in which George Bush still thinks that he and his crew can get away with anything. But in many views coming from pundits, George W. Bush’s presidency has effectively ended, and so, he only needs to keep those who support him happy. And that means keeping the far right, neo-conservatives happy.