Empowering a federal prosecutor to create crimes out of thin air

Posted by William L. Anderson

II. While people may be cheering the indictment of Scooter Libby and the continuing investigation into Karl Rove, I am not one of them. (...)

Harvey Silverglate, who is one of the premier civil libertarians in this country, told me today that once again, what we have seen is the abuse of power by federal prosecutors. Yes, what Libby and the others have done regarding the Iraq war is wrong, and we need to deal with this issue. However, by empowering a federal prosecutor to create crimes out of thin air through an investigation into an act that was not illegal, we have managed to cheer on the very people who are destroying our freedoms.

Keep in mind that Fitzgerald had news reporters testifying before a grand jury as to who told them what. Do we really want prosecutors to have that kind of power? Does anyone realize the Pandora's Box that has been opened here?

People on this page were incensed at the Martha Stewart conviction, and well they should have been. (...)

Those of you who have read my articles on Martha Stewart know where I stand with federal prosecutors. Yes, I want Bush and Cheney and Libby and Rove and all of the other architects of this blasted war to pay a price. But I am NOT willing to empower federal prosecutors to do so. This is not a situation in which we have to be on the side either of Bush or Fitzgerald. It is a situation in which we have to be on the side of rule of law. If that makes me a sellout, then so be it." Via LRCBlog