Jury in Libby perjury trial to be questioned

26 Feb 2007 // Jurors in the perjury trial of former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby may have been exposed to information on the case outside of court, the judge said on Monday.

Judge Reggie Walton said he would talk to the 12 jury members individually to determine what they may have learned and whether it would affect their ability to impartially weigh evidence in the case.

"One of the jurors may have been exposed to information related to this case outside of the courtroom, and that conceivably others may have, as a result of that, been exposed," Walton said.

Jurors are supposed to avoid news coverage of the trial until they have reached a verdict.

The jury of eight women and four men has been deliberating since last Wednesday.

Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, is charged with lying to investigators as they sought to determine who leaked the identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame in 2003, after her husband accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence to build its case for war.

Libby is charged with two counts of perjury, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice. He faces up to 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines if found guilty.

Libby's attorneys say he simply could not accurately recall conversations about Plame when he was interviewed months later by the FBI and a grand jury.

Nobody has been charged with intentionally identifying Plame, the wife of former ambassador Joseph Wilson. Libby's perjury trial is the only criminal case to emerge from the investigation.