Murray Waas: Libby's noose tightens

from the NATIONAL JOURNAL: Libby Did Not Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation (10/11/05)

In two appearances before the federal grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's name, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, did not disclose a crucial conversation that he had with New York Times reporter Judith Miller in June 2003 about the operative, Valerie Plame, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of his sworn testimony.

Libby also did not disclose the June 23 conversation when he was twice interviewed by FBI agents working on the Plame leak investigation, the sources said.

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald apparently learned about the June 23 conversation for the first time just days ago, after attorneys for Miller and The New York Times informed prosecutors that Miller had discovered a set of notes on the conversation.

Of the many things to be marvelled at in this whole saga, in the end what may stand out most is the hubris of these horse's asses. They saw (indeed, helped facilitate) what Ken Starr did to Clinton, yet they felt they could lie their way past Fitzgerald. Had they done nothing else wrong, they would deserve their punishment for that folly alone.