Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials

KR Washington Bureau | 10/29/2005 | Libby indictment raises questions about Cheney, other officials:

"'There's no ability to go past Libby unless Libby were to turn on his boss, and that doesn't seem likely,' said former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey, a prominent Miami lawyer. 'A convicted defendant facing significant jail time can become much more cooperative. That could be a scenario.'

Former federal prosecutor John P. Flannery, now a defense lawyer in Leesburg, Va., said he suspects that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is primarily interested in Cheney.

'Cheney is an objective that may or may not be achieved by Fitzgerald. He needs Libby,' said Flannery, an outspoken Democrat. 'His best option for him and his family is to, A, plead guilty; and, B, cooperate. Is he going to fall on his sword to save Cheney?'

Even if Libby sticks with his defense plea, his trial would almost certainly delve into internal White House discussions that go to the heart of Bush's case for war. Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of exaggerating the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Cheney appears at critical moments in Fitzgerald's indictment of Libby. The prosecutor contends the vice president was among the first to tell Libby about Plame's CIA connection.

The indictment also alleges that Libby sought advice on dealing with questions about Wilson during a July 12, 2003, plane trip with Cheney and other unnamed officials.

It was later that same day, according to the indictment, that Libby discussed Wilson and his wife with two reporters."