On Hardball , O'Donnell suggested that commutation of Libby sentence
 
Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:53:09 -0400

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<p><b>On <em>Hardball</em>, O'Donnell suggested that commutation of Libby
sentence shows he is not "above the law" </b></p>
<p><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707030006?src=clip200707030006">http://mediamatters.org/items/200707030006</a></p>

<p>On the July 2 <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=clip200707030006&http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19581774/">edition</a> of
MSNBC&#39;s <i>Hardball with Chris Matthews</i>,
reporting that President Bush had commuted the 30-month prison sentence of former vice presidential chief of staff I.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, NBC News White House
correspondent Kelly O&#39;Donnell claimed that "[p]olitically," the commutation
"allows the president to split the difference." O&#39;Donnell
then said, "A full pardon could have been viewed by critics as really
allowing someone who worked for the president to be above the law." O&#39;Donnell
did not explain why "critics" would not view the commutation itself
as "allowing someone who worked for the president to be above the
law."</p>

<p>Libby&#39;s sentence stemmed from his <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=clip200707030006&http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06cnd-libby.html?ex=1330837200&amp;en=19b94ede3bb66a01&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss">conviction</a>
on charges of perjury, lying to the FBI, and obstructing justice in the CIA
leak investigation.</p>

<p>From the 5 p.m. ET
hour of the July 2 <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=clip200707030006&http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19581774/">edition</a> of
MSNBC&#39;s <i>Hardball with Chris Matthews</i>:
</p><blockquote>

<p>O&#39;DONNELL: So the president is
doing something short of a pardon, which would wipe the slate clean, take away
the convictions. And in this case, he is sparing Libby from jail time, but he
remains a convicted felon, as I mentioned, will likely lose his law license, will have to pay $250,000 in fines that were deemed by the court, and
he will continue to be on probation.</p>

<p><b>Politically, this
allows the president to split the difference. A full pardon could have been
viewed by critics as really allowing someone who worked for the president to be
above the law.</b> At the same time, many conservatives were pressuring
the president to take some sort of action. And when, today, the appeals court
said that Libby&#39;s prison time could not be stayed while he appealed, the
president decided to take this action.</p>

<p>It is a two-page statement from President Bush clearly
laying out the criticism, his consideration of what happened, and this dramatic step that he is taking
today. Reverend Al [Sharpton, guest
host]? </p></blockquote><table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Kelly O'Donnell</b></td>
<td valign="top"></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Hardball</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="mailto:hardball@msnbc.com">hardball@msnbc.com</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>MSNBC</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="mailto:viewerservices@msnbc.com">viewerservices@msnbc.com</a>
<br />MSNBC TV
<br />One MSNBC Plaza
<br />Secaucus, N.J. 07094
<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3303518/">MSNBC contacts</a></td>
</tr>
</table>



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