"Certainly, perjury is a felony, the last time I checked." - Sean Hannity
If only Sean Hannity had written those words concerning the recent conviction of Vice-Presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Hannity would be in a position that is rare for him: He would actually be right.
But the truth of the matter is that he wrote those words in a different political climate. Like Libby, the defendant in the earlier case was accused of perjury in connection with an event that was not, by itself, a crime. The year was 1998, and the accused was none other than the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.
Flash forward to 2007, and here's what Hannity had to say about Libby in Libby's perjury case:
This is a case that never should have been brought... Literally no crime was committed... - Sean Hannity 3/6/07
The problem with Hannity's current assertion is that one has to accept as a premise the notion that lying is not a big deal. But the crime of perjury is actually very serious. US juris prudence is founded on the principle that justice will be arrived at after truthful testimony is given. Without truth as a foundation, the entire legal system becomes suspect.
But the seriousness of perjury is not the only factor that hurts Libby's chances of gaining a Presidential pardon. Federal guidelines for Presidential pardons suggest that defendants should serve at least some of their sentence and express contrition for their offense. So far, Libby has done neither.
The chances of Libby receiving a pardon from this President wane with each passing day. The Vice-Presidential aide would scarcely have time to serve any of his sentence before the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue leaves office in January of 2009.
And deviating from those aforementioned Presidential pardon guidelines can stir up a political firestorm. President Clinton came under heavy criticism after he pardoned fugitive financier Marc Rich in January of 2001. Critics denounced Clinton's decision by accusing Clinton of being bought off with donations made by Rich's ex-wife.
And who laid the groundwork to get Rich's application for a pardon before President Clinton? None other than an attorney named I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.