Washington scandals come and go, but the one surrounding the investigation into the leaking of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity—now in its fourth year—has had unprecedented staying power. In October 2005, when I. Lewis Libby was indicted on five felony counts of making false statements to the FBI, perjury, and obstruction of justice, his trial became the latest chapter in the saga.
Murray Waas, one of today’s finest investigative journalists, has edited and assembled this instant book that covers the trial from start to finish. He combines the trial transcript, pivotal testimony from key witnesses, and his own original, incisive reporting and an over-arching introductory essay. The subject is certainly one with which Waas is intimately familiar: he’s done groundbreaking work for the National Journal covering the Plame investigation, as well as the Bush Administration’s use (and misuse) of pre-war intelligence. No one is better qualified, or has done more, to inform the public of these shrouded events than Waas.
Like the published reports from the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group, this definitive study is sure to become one of the most significant political documents of this Bush era.
Readers fascinated by politics and the law will want to pick up this book, which features edited trial transcripts from the federal case against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, who was convicted of obstruction of justice and making false statements in the investigation of the alleged outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame (in a July, 2003 column by Robert Novak). Waas begins with a detailed chronology of events, a list of people involved in the case and an insightful introduction, setting the scene nicely for the trial. The bulk of the book is composed of trial testimony from various witnesses, some minor celebrities among them (like NBC newsman Tim Russert). Waas interjects from time to time with background information or analysis, and introduces each witness with a short biography explaining his or her connection to the case. Opening and closing statements from both sides provide a good summary of the issues, and an interesting appendix contains copies of original documents, such as Libby's handwritten notes and Cheney's own copy of Novak's Plame-naming op-ed piece. While this holds limited appeal for all but the most diehard politicos and legal types, it makes an excellent resource for anyone who wants to understand the scandal in general and Libby's case in particular.
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