June 8, 2007

 

From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:

 

Libby Sentenced to 30 Months

 

I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced this week to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 for lying and obstructing the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation.  Libby’s attorneys are now scrambling to delay the sentence until the appeals process has been exhausted.  However, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, a Bush appointee who is known as a hard-liner, said he sees no reason for a delay.

 

This, according to The Associated Press:  “[Libby] requested leniency but a federal judge said he would not reward someone who hindered the investigation into the exposure of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame…  ‘Mr. Libby failed to meet the bar.  For whatever reason, he got off course,’ said U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, adding that the evidence of Libby’s guilt was overwhelming.”

 

Many conservatives, meanwhile, are calling on President Bush to pardon Libby now, which, in my opinion, would be a mistake.  The reasoning behind a Libby pardon is purely political, and it goes something like this:  President Bush has angered conservatives over his amnesty program for illegal aliens, and needs to bring them back into the fold.  Pardoning Libby, popular in conservative circles, would be seen as extending an olive branch to the president’s base.

 

If the president wants to appeal to his conservative base, I have a better idea:  Respect the rule of law in both cases.  Allow Libby to serve his time, and enforce our nation’s immigration laws. 

 

The facts in this case are as follows:  Libby was found guilty of four felonies -- two counts of perjury, one count of making false statements to the FBI and one count of obstructing justice.  These are serious crimes.  The legal process ran its course.  And it’s time for Libby to be held accountable for his actions.  Just because the justice system collapsed and did prosecute Bill Clinton for lying and obstructing justice does not excuse Libby’s criminal conduct.

 

In the normal course, pardons are issued after sentences are served.  The exceptions have been for those with political friends in high places, such as Richard Nixon and Marc Rich, the fugitive who was pardoned by Bill Clinton after his wife gave money to the Clinton machine.  (Ironically, Rich was represented by Libby, which was one of reasons the Bush administration and Republicans stopped investigating the lawless Clinton pardons.)

 

So far, the president has deftly avoided the pardon question.  President Bush told reporters that "there’s an ongoing process and it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to discuss (a pardon) while the process is going forward."  This suggests to me that the president has not yet made up his mind on the pardon question.

 

Let’s hope, in the end, he makes the right decision.

 

Islamic “Charities” Named in Lawsuit

 

Not too long ago, Judicial Watch released a special report entitled, “Muslim Charities: Moderate Non-Profits or Elaborate Deceptions?”  According to a recent court filing by federal prosecutors, three of these so-called Muslim charitable organizations definitely fall into the latter category.

 

This according to the New York Sun:  “Federal prosecutors have named three prominent Islamic organizations in America as participants in an alleged criminal conspiracy to support a Palestinian Arab terrorist group, Hamas.  Prosecutors applied the label of "unindicted co-conspirator" to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, and the North American Islamic Trust in connection with a trial planned in Texas next month for five officials of a defunct charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.”

 

Officials from all of these organizations, as per usual, vehemently deny any connection to terrorism, portraying themselves as mainstream humanitarian charities.  One Islamic official from the Islamic Society of North America, who was interviewed by the New York Sun, expressed frustration at the lack of detail in the prosecution's court filing with respect to his organization’s terror ties. "Perhaps there's some evidence.  I just don't really know what it is," he said.

 

I have some idea what the evidence might be.  As we describe in our special report, the Islamic Society of North America specializes in infiltrating Muslim mosques in the United States and replacing moderate leaders with those who subscribe to Wahhabi theology (extreme Islamism).  According to Daniel Pipes, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on Islamic terrorism, the Islamic Society of North America also appears to be a key player in the channeling Saudi Wahhabist money into the United States through its affiliation with the North American Islamic Trust, an Islamic financial clearinghouse with terrorist ties.

 

And finally, Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America during the 9/11 attacks said, “Please all Americans remember that Allah is watching everyone.  If you continue doing injustice and tolerating justice, the wrath of God will come.”

 

Judicial Watch has been active in exposing the financial networks that make terrorism possible, beginning in 2001, when we filed a formal complaint with the IRS over some of these radical Islamic “charities,” including the Holy Land Foundation and their three “co-conspirators.”  The federal government has taken action against some of these institutions, but has left others untouched and uninvestigated.

 

Listing these organizations as “co-conspirators” in the Holy Land Foundation indictment may help call attention to the radical nature of these groups, but additional legal steps need to be taken to punish these groups for their ties to terrorism.

 

House Finally Moves to Investigate Jefferson Following Indictment

 

Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson has been indicted for taking more than $500,000 in bribes related African business deals.  Following the indictment, Jefferson stepped down from his position on the Small Business Committee, while the House of Representatives moved “swiftly” to investigate the matter.

 

According to The Associated Press:  “The House ordered a speedy internal investigation that could oust indicted Rep. William J. Jefferson from Congress before his bribery trial.  Mindful of anti-corruption sentiment among voters last November, the House passed two resolutions Tuesday that require the ethics committee to investigate charges more quickly than in the past.”

 

One of the resolutions, which passed the House 373-26, read as follows:  "Be it resolved that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is directed to investigate without further delay alleged illegal conduct and violations of House rules by Representative William J. Jefferson and report its findings and recommendations to the House, including a recommendation regarding whether Representative Jefferson should be expelled from the House."

 

If Jefferson is convicted on the charges against him, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

Jefferson admits no wrongdoing, which appears laughable in light of the evidence compiled against him.  The FBI caught Jefferson on tape accepting a $100,000 cash bribe.  A subsequent FBI raid of Jefferson’s home uncovered $90,000 in unmarked bills stuffed in Jefferson’s freezer.  Moreover, Brett Pfeffer, a former aide to Jefferson, admitted to soliciting bribes on Jefferson’s behalf, while a telecommunications executive pleaded guilty to paying Jefferson $1 million in exchange for securing business deals in various African nations.  The indictment is well worth a read.  Prosecutors detail a congressman whose chief job seemed to line his and his family pockets with international bribery, extortion, and illegal deal-making. 

 

You may recall that authorities also raided Jefferson’s Capitol Hill office, uncovering more incriminating evidence.  Jefferson claimed before the U.S. Court of Appeals just last month that the raid was unconstitutional, citing the separation of powers.  Judicial Watch filed an amicus brief in support of the constitutionality of the raid, which you can read here.

 

JW Uncovers New Security and Prosperity Partnership Documents

 

Judicial Watch continues to investigate the Security and Prosperity Partnership, launched by President Bush, former Mexican President Vincente Fox, and Former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2005.  The expressed purpose of the partnership is to foster cooperation between the three nations.  However, there are serious concerns that policies being implemented behind closed doors, and with very little oversight and scrutiny, could be sacrificing U.S. sovereignty.  Judicial Watch’s goal is to make this process as transparent as possible.

 

This latest round of documents obtained by Judicial Watch from the Department of Health and Human Services through the Freedom of Information Act, include a financial “work plan” calling for a taxpayer supported program to improve Mexico’s infrastructure.  The objective has a timeline of 6-18 months.  The plan appears to involve the United States government spending large amounts of money on Mexico’s physical infrastructure.

 

Don’t you think this is the type of program the American people ought to know about?  Well I do, which is why Judicial Watch continues to obtain and release these documents into the public domain.  Stay tuned…

 

Until next week,

 

 

Tom Fitton

President

  

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