April 26, 2006: Judge Refuses to Dismiss Libby Charges

Judge Reggie Walton refuses to dismiss felony perjury and obstruction charges against former White House official Lewis Libby. Walton turns down a bid by Libby’s defense lawyers to have the charges dismissed on the grounds that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald lacks the constitutional authority to bring any such charges (see March 31, 2006). Walton writes that he does not need to “look far” in the law to reject the claim, and affirms that the attorney general can indeed delegate his functions, as was done in the Fitzgerald appointment (see December 30, 2003). “There was no wholesale abdication of the attorney general’s duty to direct and supervise litigation,” he writes. “This case provides the clearest example of why such broad discretion is necessary,” Walton notes. “Here, the attorney general [John Ashcroft] believed there was a conflict of interest.… It was, therefore, entirely appropriate for the attorney general to remove himself completely from the investigation.” [Associated Press, 4/26/2006]