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Libby enters not guilty plea

His lawyers say Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff wants a jury trial.

By wire services
Published November 4, 2005

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff pleaded not guilty to a five-count felony indictment Thursday in the CIA leak case, signaling a protracted court battle that is sure to prolong debate about the White House's prewar use of intelligence on Iraq.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby appeared at his arraignment with trial lawyers Ted Wells and William Jeffress, known for their ability to win jury acquittals for high-profile clients in white-collar criminal cases.

"With respect, your honor, I plead not guilty," Libby told U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, a former prosecutor who has spent two decades as a judge in the nation's capital.

Cheney and other White House officials could be called to testify if Libby goes to trial. Libby faces charges of obstruction of justice, lying to the FBI and committing perjury to a federal grand jury.

Recovering from a foot injury, Libby leaned his crutches against a lectern from which lawyers normally question witnesses or address the court.

"He has declared to the world that he is innocent," Wells said outside the courthouse after the 10-minute session. "He wants to clear his good name, and he wants a jury trial."

Democrats have tried to use Libby's indictment to again raise questions about the Bush administration's primary justification for invading Iraq, the assertion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Libby is accused of lying to investigators and the grand jury when he was questioned about the leaking of the CIA status of CIA officer Valerie Plame to reporters.

The charges relate to Libby's testimony to the grand jury, and statements he made regarding discussions he had with Tim Russert of NBC News, Judith Miller of the New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.

Plame's CIA status was exposed after her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the administration of twisting intelligence in the run-up to the war.

Wilson made his claims after a CIA-sponsored trip to Africa in which he said he found no evidence to support allegations Hussein had sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.

In court in Washington, Libby waived his right to a speedy trial. It will take his legal team three months to examine classified information that the prosecution must produce to the defense.

Information from the Associated Press and New York Times was used in this report.

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:42:07]