CNN is reporting that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has dropped his appeal of his federal convictions of perjury, false statement and obstruction of justice. Libby was convicted of the multiple felonies in the course of leaking to the press the name and CIA identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, an undercover CIA agent working to stop the proliferation of "weapons of mass destruction," and the husband of administration critic and former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.
http://www.cnn.com/...
Of course, President Bush has already commuted Libby's sentence, wiping out his prison term. And he's already paid the fine -- he did that the day after his sentencing, presumably with money collected by his highly-placed defense fund committee and donated from his very well-connected friends and supporters. What remains is the conviction itself and the period of federal supervision (probation). I wonder if Scooter has gotten the signal that there will be a full Presidential pardon coming at the end of this President's term?
Now that his case is over and the judgment of conviction final, this would seem to remove the option of pleading the fifth (invoking his fifth amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination) in any proceedings -- including congressional hearings. I bet Senators Leahy, Whitehouse, etc. are paying close attention to this!