Bush pardons 19 people; Libby left out

by Dave Keating | December 24, 2008 at 08:51 am

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The list of President Bush's pardons was released today, and other than its comparitive short length (President Clinton's list was much longer), the biggest news about it revolves around what's not in it rather than what is. Scooter Libby, the vice presidential chief of staff who was convicted of obstructing justice in the Valerie Plame leak.

Justice officials are saying that Libby didn't apply for a pardon. Libby already had his prison sentence commuted by the president, but without a pardon his conviction remains valid which means he cannot practice law for the rest of his life.

President George Bush granted pardons Tuesday to 19 people convicted of a variety of crimes, the White House said.
CNN reported Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a convicted former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, was not among those pardoned by the president, who leaves office next month.

One of those pardoned was Charles Winters of Boston, who died nearly 25 years ago. He had helped smuggle weapons to Jews fighting in what was then Palestine in the late 1940s.

Winters spent 18 months in jail. He was the only U.S. citizen to serve time for helping fly weapons to Jews struggling to create Israel.

Bush also gave a commutation of a life sentence for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Reed Raymond Prior was ordered released from prison in February 2009, after having served more than 12 years behind bars.