US jury adjourns in Libby perjury case
Source: Reuters
(Repeats with updated headline) By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A jury adjourned after its first day of deliberations on Wednesday without deciding whether to convict former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby of obstructing an investigation tied to the Iraq war. The jury of 12 is considering whether Dick Cheney's former chief of staff lied to investigators as they sought to determine who leaked the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame in 2003 after her husband accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to build its case for war. Libby is charged with two counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice. He faces up to 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines if found guilty. The jury deliberated for four and a half hours after receiving final instructions from Judge Reggie Walton. They were expected to return on Thursday. Nobody has been charged with intentionally blowing Plame's cover. Libby's perjury trial is the only criminal case to emerge from the investigation. Libby's attorneys say he did not lie to the FBI and a grand jury but simply could not accurately recall conversations about Plame at a time he was swamped with national security matters. In four weeks of testimony, jurors heard government officials and journalists describe how Libby sought information on Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, then passed it along to reporters. Libby says he first heard about Plame from Cheney in June 2003, but forgot about her until a phone conversation with NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert the following month jarred his memory. Russert testified that Plame was not discussed in the phone call. Libby's attorneys sought to undermine Russert and other prosecution witnesses by highlighting inconsistencies in their testimony and challenging their recollection of events. The defense team also said Libby was set up by his White House colleagues to take the blame for Plame's outing. Jurors did not hear from Libby or Cheney.
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