Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald does not dispute the prerogative that allows the President to commute Scooter Libby’s sentence, but adds:
We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence
imposed by the judge as “excessive.” The sentence in this case was imposed
pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this
country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument
from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws.
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.