Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he lied to federal agents and a grand jury that were investigating the leaking of a CIA officer's name. That plea from I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby sets the stage for a trial next year that could cause problems for the White House.
Libby is the only person in the administration charged with any crime relating to the leak or the investigation that followed. (Related video: Libby arrives for court)
Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald could seek testimony from Cheney and top Bush administration officials about whether the administration deliberately tried to discredit former diplomat Joseph Wilson and in the process "outed" Wilson's wife, CIA officer Valerie Plame. Wilson had publicly accused the White House of overstating its case for going to war with Iraq. His wife's identity was revealed July 14, 2003, by columnist Robert Novak. (Related story: Indictment downplays Novak's role)
"This is a trial the White House would rather not see happen," says Randall Eliason, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia. "It's going to be next spring, not too long before the midterm elections, and it could tell a pretty unflattering story about what went on in the vice president's office. ... For the White House, it could be a circus."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/libbypleamaycausepoliticalcircusforbush