White House accuses Clintons of hypocrisy in Libby case
Reuters) - The White House on Thursday accused former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, of hypocrisy for criticizing President George W. Bush's decision to spare ex-aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby from prison.
The administration is on the defensive after Bush commuted Libby's 2-1/2-year sentence in a CIA leak case. It took aim at Clinton for granting 140 pardons, including one for fugitive financier Marc Rich, in the last hours of his presidency.
"The hypocrisy demonstrated by Democratic leaders on this issue is rather startling," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters.
Bush's decision on Monday was widely seen as an attempt to shore up support among fellow conservatives increasingly skeptical of his Iraq war policy and resisting his domestic agenda in his final 19 months in office.
Libby was saved from jail for his conviction in March on charges of lying and obstruction of justice in an investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA officer, Valerie Plame. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence to justify the Iraq war.
Clinton, in Iowa to promote his wife's presidential candidacy, told a radio station on Tuesday that the prevailing view in Bush's administration is "they should be able to do what they want to do, and that the law is a minor obstacle."
Clinton also drew a distinction with his own controversial pardons, saying, "I think the facts were different."
Hillary Clinton said in a speech that Bush administration had "elevated cronyism over the rule of law."
Bush said he concluded that the sentence given to Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, was too severe. Continued...
reuters.com
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