OK, I think that he's doing it because he knows he won't get a fair trial in DC but I know the left will look at this as an indication of his guilt. So, go ahead, lefties have your say.
Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is no longer appealing his conviction in the CIA leak case, a tacit recognition that continuing his legal fight might only make things worse.(via)
Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction but President Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence in July. Had Libby won a new trial, that commutation would be meaningless and Libby would again face potential prison time.
"We remain firmly convinced of Mr. Libby's innocence," attorney Theodore Wells said Monday. "However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear."
Libby was convicted of lying and obstructing an investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. He was the only person to face criminal charges in the case.
After Bush's commutation, Libby paid a $250,000 fine and remained on two years probation. There was no guarantee Libby would do any better if he persuaded an appeals court to grant a new trial. In fact, by the time that new trial was over, Bush would likely be out of office and the result of that trial would almost certainly stick.
"The appeal would lead only to a retrial," Wells said, "a process that would last even beyond the two years of supervised release, cost millions of dollars more than the fine he has already paid, and entail many more hundreds of hours preparing for an all-consuming appeal and retrial."
