Trump Pardons Famous Victim of “Special Counsel Gone Amok”

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Donald Trump has pardoned Scooter Libby, who was convicted in 2007 of lying about his role in exposing an undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame, because her husband was an annoyance to the Bush administration. There’s very little point to this pardon, since Libby never spent a day in jail and has long since been readmitted to the bar. However, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway explained, “Many people think that Scooter Libby was the victim of a special counsel gone amok.”

Hmmm. A special prosecutor run amok. I wonder who else might be a victim of a special prosecutor run amok? Oh right:

I suppose all of Mueller’s victims deserve pardons too, don’t they? Of course they do.

On the subject of Libby, however, I’ll offer up this hot take: he was basically just a spear carrier for his boss, Vice President Dick Cheney. As long as Cheney is walking around free, I don’t really have a big problem with pardoning the fall guy.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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