Scooter Libby is getting a full presidential pardon. Libby was former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. He was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI in connection with the outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. In a White House statement, President Trump suggested that Libby was treated very unfairly. He expressed hope that the pardon will "rectify a very sad portion of his life." Libby's prison sentence was commuted by then-President George W. Bush before he left office.
Bush rejected pleas by Cheney to issue a full pardon. Valerie Plame is married to former Ambassador Joe Wilson, who tangled with the Bush administration over the rationale for invading Iraq. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi condemned the pardon. In a statement, Pelosi said it's clear that President Trump has "contempt for the rule of law." She argued that the pardon is a "troubling signal to the President's allies that obstructing justice will be rewarded."
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