White House Defends Libby Decision

The US president today refused to rule out granting a full pardon in the future to the disgraced White House staffer Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

George Bush faced a blizzard of criticism today for commuting a jail sentence imposed on Mr Libby last month for perjury in relation to the Iraq war.

Although Mr Bush commuted the two-and-a-half-year jail term, Mr Libby still faces a $250,000 (£125,000) fine, probation and a ban on picking up his legal career. A pardon would allow Mr Libby to resume work as a lawyer.

Asked today about a pardon, Mr Bush said: "I felt the punishment was severe, so I made a decision that would commute his sentence, but leave in place a serious fine and probation. As to the future, I rule nothing in or nothing out." Mr Bush could pardon Mr Libby when his presidency ends in January 2009.

Democratic presidential hopefuls were united today in denouncing Mr Bush, accusing him of cronyism. The Republican field was divided, with some calling on Mr Bush to go further by granting him a pardon while others, fearful of the fallout, downplayed the issue.

The focus now is on opinion polls. Former presidents such as Gerald Ford suffered sharp drops in public support after granting pardons. But with the president already registering some of the lowest poll ratings for any modern president, he does not have much further to fall.

Mr Libby, 56, who was chief of staff to the vice-president, Dick Cheney, is appealing against his conviction. The president's decision could encourage the Democrats in Congress to expand investigations into suspicions about the role in the CIA leak of Mr Cheney, and Mr Bush's chief of staff, Karl Rove.

Mr Libby was accused of obstructing an FBI inquiry into the outing by the Bush administration of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame, ending her career. The administration may have been taking revenge for outspoken criticism of the Iraq war by her husband, the former US ambassador, Joe Wilson.

In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight, Mr Wilson asked whether the scandal reached all the way to Mr Cheney and Mr Bush, and whether Mr Bush was party to a criminal obstruction of justice and cover-up.

He said: "The question is begged whether or not this is not in fact an attempt on a part of the president not so much to commute Mr Libby but also to ensure that the light of day is never shined on the vice-president's role and indeed perhaps the president's role in the betrayal of the identity of a covert CIA officer."

Mr Bush's press spokesman, Tony Snow, fielding questions from journalists for more than 30 minutes, and refused to confirm whether Mr Cheney had pleaded with Mr Bush to commute the sentence. "I don't have direct knowledge. But on the other hand, the president did consult with most senior officials, and I'm sure that everybody had an opportunity to share their views."

Mr Bush's record on commutations and pardons is far from generous compared with many predecessors, commuting only three other sentences, for drug offenses.

The judge who imposed the sentence, Reggie Walton, said today it would be inappropriate to comment. The prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, was less coy: "It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing."

Barack Obama, a Democratic hopeful, said the president's decision "cements the legacy of an administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division".