WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced on Friday.
Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, perjury, and making false statements in connection with the investigation of the 2003 leak of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
President George W. Bush commuted Libby's 30-month prison sentence shortly after his conviction, although he was still required to pay a $250,000 fine, perform 400 hours of community service, and serve two years of probation.
Sanders indicated the decision to issue the pardon partly stemmed from one of the key witnesses against Libby recanting her testimony.
Libby was also unanimously reinstated to the bar by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Sanders noted.
'I don't know Mr. Libby,' Trump said in a statement, 'but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life.'
However, Democratic lawmakers argued that the pardon sends a troubling signal to Trump's allies that obstructing justice will be rewarded.
'President Trump's pardon of Scooter Libby makes clear his contempt for the rule of law,' House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.
'The suggestion that those who lie under oath may be rewarded with pardons poses a threat to the integrity of the Special Counsel investigation, and to our democracy,' Pelosi added. 'Neither the President nor his allies are above the law.'
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
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