The Tuesday broadcast network morning shows all led with President Bush's commutation of the 30-month prison sentence for Lewis "Scooter" Libby, but CBS displayed "Libby Pardon" on screen throughout a report from Bill Plante; over video of Bush and then Libby ABC put "Above the Law?" on screen to frame its coverage; and both CBS and NBC featured Hillary Clinton's slam at Bush's "cronyism" -- yet failed to bring up the name Marc Rich. NBC's Meredith Vieira scolded Bill Kristol for daring to describe Joe Wilson's claims, that President Bush "subverted the rule of law" and could be "a suspect in an ongoing obstruction of justice case," as "ridiculous." Referring to the commutation, not the prosecution, Vieira lectured: "There are many people who feel that this was a travesty of justice."
[This item was e-mailed and posted a few minutes ago as an MRC CyberAlert Extra and while it has fresh material it overlaps, in part, with two earlier NewsBusters postings. Mark Finkelstein's take on Vieira/Kristol. Scott Whitlock's look at ABC's Good Morning America.]
On Inauguration Day in 2001, President Clinton bypassed standard procedures to pardon Rich, a fugitive from justice over fraud and tax evasion, hiding overseas, and whose ex-wife was a big Democratic contributor. Yet of the three morning shows, only ABC's Good Morning America mentioned his name.
The transcripts in this item were provided by MRC analysts Scott Whitlock (ABC), Justin McCarthy (CBS) and Geoffrey Dickens (NBC).
In that July 3 Early Show story with the inaccurate "Libby Pardon" on screen throughout, Bill Plante asserted:
"Congressional Democrats also lined up to condemn the President's decision."
Viewers then heard from Senator Hillary Clinton on the stump in Iowa:
"What we saw today was elevating cronyism over the rule of law."
Instead of bringing up the Rich case, Plante moved on:
"Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who tried Libby was also not very happy. He put out a press release taking issue with the President's statement that the sentence was excessive and he vowed to work to preserve Libby's conviction through the appeals process."
Over on NBC's Today show, Kelly O'Donnell set up the same Clinton soundbite: “A blast of reaction, quickly, from the campaign trail. Democrat Hillary Clinton, Monday night in Iowa." NBC viewers were then treated to Senator Clinton: "And what we saw today was elevating cronyism over the rule of law." Unlike Plante, however, O'Donnell managed a vague reference to the Rich case as she relayed how "the head of the Republican National Committee said that Hillary Clinton had shown that her head had been in the sand during her husband's administration."
On Good Morning America, the MRC's Scott Whitlock noted in the earlier NewsBusters posting, David Kerley showcased Clinton's "cronyism" shot, but didn't raise Rich's name. However, towards the end of the second 7am half hour segment on the Libby commutation, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos from East Hampton, he acknowledged the oddity of 2008 candidate Hillary Clinton slamming Bush's actions:
"But this could become an issue in the general election because it was such an unpopular decision with the general public, although candidates like Hillary Clinton are subject to a counterattack. Remember, President Clinton had a very controversial pardon of Marc Rich and, of course, President Clinton himself, during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, was impeached for lying to Congress."
Then, during the 8am news update, David Wright's piece noted that "as Hillary lashed out at President Bush for commuting Scooter Libby's sentence" (video of Hillary Clinton saying "elevating cronyism over the rule of law"), Wright continued by pointing out how Bill Clinton, who was campaigning with her, "looked a bit uncomfortable, perhaps mindful that back in the day he did the same for his cronies."
"This morning, above the law? The President decides convicted White House official Scooter Libby should not go directly to jail. He's not going to jail at all. Was justice served?"
When Today show guest Bill Kristol, Editor of the Weekly Standard, described comments from former Ambassador Joe Wilson as "ridiculous," Meredith Vieira demanded: "Why do you say those are ridiculous sir? There are many people who feel that this was a travesty of justice. So those who believe that are ridiculous?"
In the previous segment, Wilson had asserted: "I believe the President has utterly subverted the rule of law and the system of justice that has under-girded this country of ours for the past 220 years." He maintained that the commutation "guarantees that there is a cloud of suspicion put over the Office of the President, and makes him, potentially, a suspect in an ongoing obstruction of justice case." He also quipped: "Al Capone was convicted of, of tax evasion, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a mobster."
The relevant Vieira/Kristol exchange:
VIEIRA: But Bill did he go far enough with conservatives? I want to read a portion of a Wall Street Journal editorial from this morning. This is a quote now. "Mr. Libby deserved better from the President whose policies he tried to defend when others were running for cover." Is it possible that this decision to commute and not pardon will backfire with the President's conservative base, whose patience with him is already tried?
KRISTOL: No, no. Scooter Libby deserved better but he got, he, the President did the right thing. And in politics, sometimes you have to take good and not great and this was a good decision, by the President, a courageous decision. Look at all the screaming and yelling. Look at Joe Wilson's ridiculous comments just now. Look at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the New York Times, the Washington Post. The President showed courage, the President-
KRISTOL: Yeah I think if they look at the facts, the notion that Scooter Libby should've spent 30 months in jail for not leaking, for, for, for having a difference in recollection about a conversation with Tim Russert, which was the only thing he was indicted or convicted on, the only thing he was convicted on, I should say, is, I do think is ridiculous. And this is a kind of vindictiveness on the part of, of people that's unappealing, I think. The President showed character and courage in standing up and doing what he felt was the right thing. I think conservatives have always respected George Bush, even when they've disagreed with him, for showing courage and character and I showed, I think he showed it, in this case.
