(February 16, 2006): Fitzgerald Accuses Libby Defense of ‘Graymail’ Attempt

Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald makes a filing to the court in opposition to the Lewis Libby defense team’s requests for highly classified information (see December 14, 2005, January 9, 2006, January 23, 2006, January 31, 2006, and February 21, 2006), requests that some have characterized as an attempt to “graymail” the government (see After October 28, 2005, January 31, 2006, and February 6, 2006) by threatening to reveal national security secrets. In his brief, Fitzgerald calls the defense request for almost 11 months of Presidential Daily Briefings (PDBs) “breathtaking” and unnecessary for a perjury defense. “The defendant’s effort to make history in this case by seeking 277 PDBs in discovery—for the sole purpose of showing that he was ‘preoccupied’ with other matters when he gave testimony to the grand jury—is a transparent effort at ‘greymail.’” [Nation, 2/17/2006]