28 October 2005
Grand Jury Indicts Top Bush Administration Aide in CIA Leak Case
President, Vice President Cheney accept resignation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney accepted the resignation of senior White House official Lewis “Scooter” Libby after a grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA agent’s identity returned a five-count indictment against Libby on October 28. Libby, Cheney’s chief of staff, is accused of felony obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements.
Libby will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He could face as much as 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
In remarks to the press following the indictment, Bush said that while he is saddened by the news of the indictment, “we remain wholly focused on the many issues and opportunities facing this country.”
The president said the ongoing investigation and legal proceedings into the case are “serious” and that, with the indictment, “the process moves into a new phase.”
Cheney, in a written statement, said that he accepted Libby’s resignation “with deep regret,” and that under the American legal system, an accused person is presumed innocent “until a contrary finding is made by a jury after an opportunity to answer the charges and a full airing of the facts.”
The full text of the vice president’s statement is available at the White House Web site.
Following is the transcript of the president’s remarks:
(begin transcript)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE RESIGNATION OF SCOOTER LIBBY
White House South Lawn
October 28, 2005
3:51 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Today I accepted the resignation of Scooter Libby. Scooter has worked tirelessly on behalf of the American people and sacrificed much in the service to this country. He served the Vice President and me through extraordinary times in our nation's history.
Special Counsel Fitzgerald's investigation and ongoing legal proceedings are serious, and now the proceedings -- the process moves into a new phase. In our system, each individual is presumed innocent and entitled to due process and a fair trial.
While we're all saddened by today's news, we remain wholly focused on the many issues and opportunities facing this country. I got a job to do, and so do the people who work in the White House. We got a job to protect the American people, and that's what we'll continue working hard to do.
I look forward to working with Congress on policies to keep this economy moving. And pretty soon I'll be naming somebody to the Supreme Court.
Thank you all very much.
END 3:53 P.M. EDT
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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