June 5: Scooter Libby Imprisoned

Irve Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the son of a Jewish investment banker, was sentenced on this date in 2007 to 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine after his conviction on several counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Libby, who was chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, covered up the leaks that led to the exposure of Valery Plame as a CIA operative. Plame (who has a Jewish paternal grandfather) was the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, who had bucked pressure from the Administration to lie about Iraq’s alleged quest for nuclear weapons. Libby’s sentence was commuted in June, 2007 by Bush, who voided the prison term. Libby is a longtime neoconservative activist and a signatory to the Project for the New American Century think tank, which developed many of the policies implemented by Bush and Cheney, including the concept of preemptive war and “regime change.”

“Libby was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice, three counts of perjury, and one count of not being as smart as Karl Rove.” --Jon Stewart