The United States v. I. Lewis Libby [Paperback]

Murray Waas (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2007

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Murray Waas is our Woodward now...publishing the biggest story in town.”—Jay Rosen, PressThink.Org

“Slowly but surely…Murray Waas has been putting together a compelling narrative about how President Bush and his top aides contrived their bogus case for war in Iraq.”—Dan Froomkin, WashingtonPost.com
“Murray Waas is pretty impressive….he just keeps whaling away with discrete fact after discrete fact until, finally, he sinks the sucker.“—Steve Lovelady, Columbia Journalism Review
“[Waas] suggests a plausible motive for both Scooter Libby and Karl Rove to have misled the grand jury about Plame.”—Greg Sargent, The American Prospect

“Murray Waas is getting his day in the sun…The freelance investigative reporter has racked up a series of scoops. He’s been cited by New York Times columnists Frank Rich and Paul Krugman.”—Howard Kurtz, Media Notes, Washington Post columnist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Union Square Press; First Edition edition (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402752598
• ISBN-13: 978-1402752599
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This generation's Woodward/Bernstein, June 6, 2007

By 

Susan G. McIntosh (Vienna, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The United States v. I. Lewis Libby (Paperback)

Murray Waas may be the most courageous reporter in Washington DC at present. He goes for the deeper story, and the hidden resources, in order to provide us with the truth--a commodity of rare value in this city.

Scooter Libby, sentenced to 2.5 years in prison the day this book came forth, participated in a crime of nearly unthinkable proportions: helping to out a CIA undercover spy during a time of war. Worse, Plame's specialty within the CIA was weapons of mass destruction in not only Iraq but Iran, for which the drums of war are sounding louder by the week. It may be too much to call such behavior treason, but the case remains to be made why there is any good reason that narrow Republican political gain should trump the national interest.

Would the government lie in order to take us to war? Would the government misuse intelligence to persuade the American people to turn over their sons and daughters for death and blown-off limbs? Waas presents compelling evidence that Libby and his co-workers in the Office of the Vice President have already done this once, for the war against Iraq. It seems the strings are warming up for a second movement, called Iran.

If only some conscientious writer would help the average American figure out what is really going on. Good news: the cavalry is here. Thank you Murray Waas.

4.0 out of 5 stars More Editing and more exhibits would have made this story, August 15, 2011

By 

Savy Shopper "Amy S." (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The United States v. I. Lewis Libby (Paperback)

I finished this book today and feel like I accomplished a great deal, because I had to burn so much time and energy in reading the trivial and collateral impeachments and rehabilitations by the attorneys--primarily from defense counsel. I really could have enjoyed this book more if I did not have to read such attenuated and minor arguments and could have spent more time reading the many exhibits discussed, but not provided with the text!

The only reason this book gets four stars is because of the compelling story it tells. I do not think Waas did a good job of editing, such that the reader easily and truly understood the whole story behind this fantastic and terrible crime. Kudos to the prosecution, Fitzgerald et al., but that is all.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guilty until proven innocent. Another victim of Bush's wars., September 16, 2007

By 

Mohamed F. El-Hewie "Mohamed F. El-Hewie" (Hackensack, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The United States v. I. Lewis Libby (Paperback)

Poor Libby had devoted his career defending Bush's administration on its decision to do Iraq, yet was thrown to the Jaws of brutal injustice for trivial mistakes. On June 11, 2003, he was provided with a report from a subordinate, Marc Grossman, as well as from an insider in the CIA, Robert Grenier, that revealed the identity of a CIA agent, the wife of ambassador Wilson, who was sent to Niger to verify the connection between Iraq and the procurement of uranium. Libby never knew or sought such trail of classified information. His main objective was to prove that the guy who was sent to the Niger did not do so on behalf of the Libby's boss, Vice President Cheney.

Even before Libby's release of the agent's name to journalist Miller on June 23, Armitage had already done so on June 13, to Woodward. Armitage never been tried. Both Grossman and Grenier never told Libby that the information they provided him was classified and should not be used, assuming that he should have known better, I guess. The loose cannon Grossman had already broadcasted the information to Armitage and omitted to sort out what was classified and what was not.

So, no matter what Libby did or did not do, the classified information has been leaked from Grossman, to Armitage, to Woodward on June 13. Libby leaked it on June 23 to Miller. Libby paid the high price for simply not saying: Sorry, I did not know that was a big deal or admitted to making a mistake. Instead, Libby made up (or may have been genuinely inflicted with poor memory) a story of his own wishful imagination. Perjury and Obstruction of justice had cost Libby his job, reputation, and more for attempting to defend a losing war in Iraq and exonerating his boss. He had to be sacrificed by an incompetent president who blames the CIA for deceptive information, and who rejected every opinion that opposed his obsession with Saddam.

The book was published in June 2007, merely three months after the March 6th verdict. The book briefs the transcripts with reasonable accuracy. The book defaults on truncating parts of the transcripts that describe the witnesses' background, among others, omitting the minute-by-minute timeline of each question and answer, and its unorganized and incomplete appendix of exhibits. The reader would not be able to discern the time or duration of each witness's testimony, since the trial transcripts were thrown into the book without due concern of such aspect of witnesses' reaction to examination.

The major default in the book is the lack of the real trial's audio recording, which could have conveyed the real demeanor of the witnesses and the efficacy of the defense and prosecutor. The tone of voice of the witness in responding to questions and the timing of response to question could not be conveyed by a written text alone.

The prosecutor seems to have entangled an innocent citizen who simply failed to say, "I did not know it was a big deal", as did Ari Fleischer, who also refused to cooperate without being granted immunity from persecution. Or, I guess no one could be innocent in defending the Vice President who plotted the entire fiasco of Iraq. How much money would it take, for a single person like Libby, to defeat a resourceful government team of prosecutors?

Would the reader shed a tear on the injustice done to one of the collaborators of the Iraq's debacle? I guess the answer is relative. Dr. Rice had lied to the whole world and did more damage to the nation by blaming the CIA for the sixteen words in the state of the union address. (I forgot Tenet's appearance with Powell in the UN in their deceptive presentation on WMD). Yet, real culprits always go unpunished. Dr. Rice should have been first in paying the price for abuse of power in democracy. The reader justifiably should be concerned over the waste of national treasure over persecuting the trivial players while letting the corrupt leaders head national policy.

Aside from the lack of audio and poor exhibiting, the book's price, organization, and timing of publication are well appreciated.

Mohamed F. El-Hewie.
Author of
"Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training"
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training