Washington – Some well- known journalists testified Monday about news leaks in the Bush administration as attorneys for Lewis “Scooter” Libby tried to cast the former White House aide as a scapegoat. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is accused of lying and obstructing the investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.
Using reporters as their first witnesses, Libby’s attorneys tried to show that the administration was leaking from several sources. And when Libby had the opportunity to leak himself, they said, he did not.
Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus testified he learned about Plame, the wife of former ambassador and war critic Joseph Wilson, from White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. The Post’s Bob Woodward and columnist Robert Novak testified they heard it from State Department Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage.
As for Libby, both Novak and New York Times reporter David Sanger testified that they separately interviewed him and that he never discussed Plame.
Libby is not charged with the leak, but special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald says he lied because he feared prosecution and losing his job. Defense attorneys say Libby had no reason to lie and have suggested to jurors that Libby is being treated unfairly.
