Thursday, November 03, 2005
Michigan's [Republican] Attorney General: Libby Indictment Is a Serious Matter
In a letter to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan's attorney general Mike Cox slaps down the Usual Suspects who are downplaying Lewis Libby's alleged perjury as a "technicality".
I strongly agree with Bronwyn Lance Chester's assertion in her Oct. 28 op-ed column that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the public identification of CIA operative Valerie Plame is no mere technical or political matter ("Perjury? Handle It"). To the contrary, criminal investigations are a serious and vital method for determining the truth. A felony indictment is an essential component of the criminal justice process in any serious investigation. The criminal justice system must be protected, even if the person charged with felony perjury and obstruction of justice happens to be a senior White House official. Until Fitzgerald was appointed to direct a criminal investigation, the circumstances surrounding the outing of Plame had remained shrouded in secrecy. By all accounts, Fitzgerald has methodically reviewed the evidence for more than two years. Convening a grand jury and dispatching federal agents to conduct interviews and gather evidence are two examples of the lengths to which he has appropriately gone to determine the truth of what happened. The public has a right to know if any serious crimes were committed. Fitzgerald has a right to expect that witnesses will cooperate in accordance with the law. Anyone discovered committing perjury, or otherwise obstructing justice, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. Public trust in the criminal justice process compels nothing less. Mike Cox
Michigan Attorney General
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