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Dick Cheney on Crime

Vice President of the United States under George W. Bush

 


Aggressively sought Scooter Libby pardon in 2007 & 2009

Critics alleged that someone had committed a crime by intentionally leaking the identity of a CIA operative, [Valerie Plame, in the 2003 Iraq-Niger case]. Dick's chief-of-staff, Scooter Libby, was indicted for perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. Scooter was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

I faced an agonizing decision. I could let Scooter go to jail. Or I could commute his sentence. Some in the White House, led by the vice president, pushed aggressively for a pardon. In 2007, I announced, "The prison sentence given to Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the sentence."

In the closing days of the administration in 2009, Dick pressed his case that Scooter should be pardoned [to clear Libby's criminal record]. I reached the same conclusion as in 2007, and I informed Dick that I would not issue a pardon. He stared at me with an intense look. "I can't believe you're going to leave a soldier on the battlefield," he said. In 8 years, I had never seen Dick like this.

Source: Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush, p.103-105 , Nov 9, 2010

Cap non-economic damages and limit awards for attorneys

CHENEY: We need to cap non-economic damages, and we also think you need to limit the awards that the trial attorneys take out of all of this. Over 50 percent of the settlements go to the attorneys and for administrating overhead.

EDWARDS: I’m proud of the work I did on behalf of kids and families against big insurance companies, big drug companies and big HMOs. We do have too many lawsuits. And the reality is there’s something that we can do about it. We want to put more responsibility on the lawyers to require to have the case reviewed by independent experts to determine if the case is serious and meritorious before it can be filed; hold the lawyers responsible for that, certify that and hold the lawyer financially responsible if they don’t do it; have a three-strikes-and-you’re-out rule so that a lawyer who files three of these cases without meeting this requirement loses their right to file these cases. That way we keep the cases out of the system that don’t belong in the system.

Source: Edwards-Cheney debate: 2004 Vice Presidential , Oct 5, 2004

Funds to fight gangs; more parole; juvenile clearinghouse

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes , Jan 1, 1988

Character education; community service; pay restitution

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes , Jan 1, 1988

Death penalty OK for espionage & treason

Source: Thomas Register of Congressional Votes , Jan 1, 1986

Co-sponsored bills for stricter & mandatory sentencing