Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby scooted out of the White House permanently on Friday after being indicted on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Valerie Plame leak case. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald also extended the term of the Grand Jury and will continue his investigation. Presidential political adviser Karl Rove was not indicted, but remains under investigation.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney both praised Libby's service to the administration but failed to acknowledge their categorical denial of his involvement in the case in June 2003. CIA under cover operative Valerie Plame's identity was revealed in 2003, after her husband Joseph Wilson publicly spoke out against the Bush administration and the Iraq War. Democratic leaders, who have been largely silent regarding the leak case, criticized the president and vice president for not their weak handling of the situation.
