Trump pardons former top aide to Dick Cheney

US President Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted of revealing the identity of an undercover CIA agent while serving as chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney in 2001-2005.

"I don't know Mr. Libby, but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly. Hopefully, this full pardon will help rectify a very sad portion of his life," Trump said on Friday, Efe news reported.

In 2007, Libby was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice.

The jury determined that the former official serving in the George W. Bush administration had lied to investigators regarding his conversations with journalists about CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The CIA agent's name appeared in the press after her husband, former US diplomat Joseph Wilson, published an article criticizing the Bush administration's justifications for launching the Iraq war.

Libby was sentenced to 30 months in jail, although Bush commuted Libby's sentence, who was still forced to pay a $250,000 fine and remain on probation for two years.

The White House statement regarding the full pardon notes that Libby paid the fine, served the two years of probation and performed 400 hours of community service.

During his eight years in the White House, Bush granted 189 pardons, although he did not pardon Libby, drawing criticisms from Cheney.

Trump had already used his power to pardon in 2017, sparing the controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Apraio a jail sentence after he was convicted of continuing to have his officers racially profile Hispanic drivers in defiance of a court order.

--IANS

pgh/