> Cheney's former chief of staff disbarred
> a.. District of Columbia court blocks "Scooter" Libby from
> practicing law
> b.. Libby convicted of lying to grand jury and investigators in CIA
> leak case
> c.. President Bush commuted Libby's 30 month sentence, calling it
> "excessive"
> d.. Libby was Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff
> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was disbarred from
> practicing law in the nation's capital on Thursday.
>
> I Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted to lying to a grand jury and
> investigators last year.
>
> The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted
> last year of lying to a grand jury and federal agents probing the
> leak of the identity of a CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson.
> "When a member of the Bar is convicted of an offense involving moral
> turpitude, disbarment is mandatory," the District of Columbia Court
> of Appeals wrote in its opinion, which is posted on its Web site.
>
> "When convictions on more than one count are involved, disbarment is
> mandated if any one of them involves moral turpitude," the court
> added.
> Last July, a court sentenced Libby to a 30-month prison term.
> President Bush later commuted Libby's sentence, calling it
> "excessive."
> The president stopped short of an outright pardon, noting that "our
> entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth."
>
> The clemency grant raised eyebrows among legal observers and prompted
> criticism from Democrats
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