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Libby pleads not guilty; lawyer promises a fight
WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he lied and obstructed justice in the probe into the leak of a CIA officer’s name.
A lawyer for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby pledged to fight the charges.
“He wants to clear his good name and he wants a jury trial,” Ted Wells said outside the courthouse.
Such a trial could feature the embarrassing spectacle of Cheney taking the witness stand.
Prosecutors say Cheney passed classified information about the CIA officer’s identity to Libby, who then allegedly shared it with reporters.
Libby is charged in a five-count indictment with lying to a grand jury and federal investigators about his conversations with reporters regarding Valerie Plame, a CIA officer and the wife of a prominent critic of the Bush administration.
For Libby, who’s spent much of his career as a behind-the-scenes power broker, Thursday’s court appearance marked an entry into the glaring media spotlight that’s become the hallmark of Washington scandals.
A crush of reporters and television cameras trailed Libby as he hobbled into and out of the courtroom on the crutches he’s using because of a foot injury.
His wife, Harriet, wearing large sunglasses, clutched the hand of her husband’s longtime lawyer, Joseph Tate, as they navigated the crowd.
The almost two-year-old criminal probe into how Plame’s name found its way into a column by conservative writer Robert Novak has focused fresh attention on the intelligence the administration used to justify the war in Iraq.
Plame’s name surfaced soon after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had a piece published in The New York Times that accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence to show that Iraq had attempted to purchase uranium in Niger.
Wilson alleges that the Bush administration outed his wife to retaliate.
Libby is the only person who’s been charged in the case, although the investigation of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove continues.
local/bsu
Speakers discuss human rights
Boise State Student Union and Activities will sponsor its 2005 Point of View conference, themed “Human Rights: A Global Responsibility,” in the Student Union Building Tuesday, Nov. 8 and Wednesday, Nov. 9.
“This academically-focused program is presented annually for the purpose of engaging Boise State students, faculty and staff and the community in a dialogue about contemporary issues,” said Student Activities Program Coordinator Catherine Allen.
Featured speakers will include keynote speaker Amy Herzfeld, director of the Idaho Human Rights Education Center, followed by BSU and community leaders.
Events Tuesday will open at 12:30 p.m. with an orientation in the Farnsworth Room of the SUB and will feature various human rights presentations throughout the day, including a self-defense workshop sponsored by the BSU Women’s Center.
The day will wrap up from 5 to 7 p.m., with a reception in the SUB Gallery, presented by Hispanic Cultural Center Director Donna Vasquez.
The Claudio Beagarie gallery exhibit, “From Delano to Sacramento,” is a collection photographs from the 1960s farm worker movement.
Wednesday’s events begin at
8 a.m. with free coffee in the Bishop Barnwell foyer, SUB.
The day will be filled with more human rights presentations focusing on a wide variety of subjects such as “International perspectives on women in poverty,” environmental views and human rights.
The presentations will break for a free lunch at noon and keynote presentation by Herzfeld.
More presentations and workshops will resume at 1:40 p.m.
The event concludes at 9 p.m. after a screening of the movie, “Hotel Rwanda.”
Information booths will be presented from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Allen anticipates the conference will increase public awareness and inspire an open exchange of ideas among participants.
“It is my hope that lessons learned at the conference will be a springboard for positive change on campus and in the community,” Allen said.
For more information on the conference, call Student Activities at 426-1223 or visit
http://sub.boisestate.edu/pointofview.
-Compiled by Jessica Wigley
Student group brings Libertarian candidate to campus
The Boise State student group, Students for Liberty, will host a lecture by 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Jordan Ballroom, SUB.
The event is free and open to the public. Badnarik will also give a “Constitution Class” for students at 5 p.m. Nov. 12 in the SUB.
Badnarik appeared on the ballot in 48 states and the District of Columbia in 2004, and received 3,844 votes in Idaho.
Badnarik is a software engineer who lives in Austin, Texas.
He is currently the Libertarian candidate for the 2006 congressional elections for the 10th district seat.
He’s also the author of a book, “Good to Be King,” and has given his “Constitution Class” around the country.
The Nov. 12 class is $50 with pre-registration through the Web site www.constitutionpreservation.org. Each student will receive a copy of “Good to Be King.”
For more information, call (817) 727-6510.
what the?
A pleasure doing business with you, ladies
Two sisters in Australia went to court to dispute their mother’s will, in which their half-brother got most of the money. After a lengthy battle, they were awarded an extra $360,000.
Their lawyers charged them $450,000 for their services.
Is there a problem, your honor?
A man came to court in Benton, Ark., to appeal his second drunken driving conviction. He showed up drunk.