Libby Sentence Commuted

President Bush has commuted the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, who was recently convicted of obstruction of justice in the case of "just who leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to just which newspaper."

"I respect the jury's verdict," said the President in a statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

The $250,000 fine remains intact. This is not a pardon, and Libby's criminal record will remain on the books. More [here].