Libby Guilty of Perjury in CIA Leak Case

Mar 06, 12:58 PM

Current Headlines: A Washington jury has found Lewis Libby, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, guilty of four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Libby resigned in 2005 after being indicted by a grand jury before which he had testified about his role in the leak of a CIA agent's name that was then printed in a nationally syndicated column.

The jury on Tuesday acquitted Libby on one charge of perjury but convicted him of two others involving discussions with reporters, a third for deceiving a grand jury and a fourth count making a false statement to the FBI, CNN reported.

The 56-year-old faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, although after court recessed, his defense attorney Ted Wells told reporters he would file a motion for a new trial and, if denied, an appeal would be filed.

The politically charged trial heard allegations CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked in retaliation for a newspaper opinion piece written by her husband that criticized the Bush administration's justification for going to war in Iraq.