Dean: Bush Gives Scooter Libby A Get Out of Jail Free Card
July 2, 2007
Following the announcement that President Bush commuted the sentence of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former Chief of
Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a crime since the
Iran-Contra affair in the 1980s, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:
“Once again President Bush and the GOP have undermined a core American value: equal justice under the law for every
American. By commuting this sentence, President Bush is sending a clear message that the rules don’t apply to the Bush
White House or loyal Republican cronies. After promising that anyone who violated the law would be 'taken care of,'
President Bush instead handed Scooter Libby a get out of jail free card. Though Libby was convicted by a jury of lying
about a matter of national security, President Bush is sparing him the consequences ordinary Americans would face. This
conviction was the first moment of justice in a Bush Administration void of accountability. It’s a sad day for America
when the President once again puts protecting his friends ahead of equal justice under the law.”
ENDS