2007年VOA标准英语-Libby's Fate Now With Jury in CIA Leak Case

The fate of former White House aide Lewis Libby now rests with a jury in Washington, D.C.  Libby is accused of lying and obstructing¹ justice in the investigation² into who leaked the identity of former CIA covert³ officer Valerie Plame in 2003. National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.

Lewis 'Scooter' Libby arrives at US Federal Court in Washington,  21 Feb 2007

Prosecutors⁵ contend Libby lied about his conversations with journalists concerning Valerie Plame. Plame is married to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the Bush administration's justification⁶ for the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Defense⁷ attorneys argued that Libby is the victim of a bad memory and that there is no proof he deliberately⁸ lied to FBI agents and a grand jury investigating the Plame case.

James Gordon Meek⁹ has been covering the Libby trial for the New York Daily News. He spoke¹⁰ on the C-SPAN public affairs TV network.

"It seems like a simple case," he said. "Did the guy lie or not? But the way it has been presented in court every day is very confusing, even for those of us who have been covering the leak probe all along. The government has made an incredibly, I think, very solid case. And Libby's lawyers, who are very expensive and very talented, have done a hell of a job to defend their client."

Prosecutor⁴ Patrick Fitzgerald said Libby leaked Plame's CIA identity as part of a White House effort to discredit¹¹ her husband.

Libby's defense attorney said Libby was preoccupied¹² with national security matters in his role as Vice¹³ President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and was too busy to recall what he told journalists about the Plame matter.

Plame's name first surfaced in an article by syndicated columnist¹⁴ Robert Novak in July of 2003.

If convicted, Libby could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison.