By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press
Former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby said Friday he no longer plans to ask for a new trial in the CIA leak case but still expects to appeal his conviction.
Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted last month of lying and obstructing an investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.
Requests for new trials are seldom granted. In documents filed in federal court Friday, Libby’s lawyers said they will mount their arguments before an appeals court rather than asking for a new trial as they had planned.
During Libby’s monthlong trial, attorneys disagreed with several of U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton’s decisions, including allowing prosecutors to present evidence to the jury that Libby’s defense team viewed as prejudicial.