Defense Fund Raises Money in Libby Case
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By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: February 3, 2006
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 ? The trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. has not begun in earnest, but efforts to raise money for his defense are moving ahead briskly.
Lawyers are still wrangling over pretrial motions in the case of Mr. Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, who has pleaded not guilty to five charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with the exposure of a C.I.A. operative's identity.
But the managers of the fund-raising effort on behalf of Mr. Libby say they have already reached the $2 million mark and expect to increase the pace when they start a fund-raising Web site. "It's a particularly excellent start," said Mel Sembler, the chairman of the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust.
Mr. Libby was indicted in October by a special prosecutor who charged that he had misled investigators about his role in disclosing the identity of the C.I.A. operative Valerie Wilson in discussions with reporters. He has pleaded not guilty. In court filings, his lawyers have strongly suggested that any inaccurate responses he gave were the result of innocent confusion and his being preoccupied with more important policy matters.
Mr. Sembler, a Florida developer who is the former finance chairman of the state's Republican Party and the Republican National Committee, said Mr. Libby's lawyers had estimated that a solid defense would cost at least $5 million or $6 million.
The fund is not obliged under the law to disclose any details, including the number of donors, their identities or the amounts given. Barbara Comstock, a Republican communications strategist and an official of the fund, declined to disclose any of those details, except to say that there had been "hundreds of individuals."
Mr. Sembler said that there was a practical limitation in that federal law requires that taxes be paid on any gifts over $11,000 given in 2005 and over $12,000 this year. He said several donations had been made in those amounts.
"Scooter was a good friend and an excellent senior worker in our government," Mr. Sembler said. "He couldn't possibly afford this kind of legal defense on his own."
The fund's steering committee is composed of several prominent Republicans, a few Democrats and several friends of Mr. Libby. It includes three former Republican senators, Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming and Spencer Abraham of Michigan; two former Republican presidential candidates, Jack F. Kemp and Steve Forbes; and Prof. Bernard Lewis of Princeton and Prof. Francis Fukuyama of Johns Hopkins .
Dennis Ross, another committee member, has worked on Middle East issues for both Republican and Democratic administrations.
"He's been a friend of mine for 25 years," Mr. Ross said, "and I believe in him as a person and that he has a right to defend himself. It's a measure of friendship that you're there when people need you, not just when it's convenient."
Mr. Sembler dismissed any suggestions from critics that people might donate to ensure that Mr. Libby continue to battle the charges instead of providing prosecutors with any information damaging to other administration figures." These are activists who are concerned about this public servant and we're standing by him," he said. "It's not devious and there's nothing else to it"
