WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after President Bush commuted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s prison sentence:

“It is very disappointing that the President has chosen to substitute his judgment for that of the trial judge who heard all the evidence in Mr. Libby’s case, as well as the federal appellate panel which ruled today that Mr. Libby could not delay serving his prison term.  The charges against Mr. Libby were not insubstantial; a jury convicted him of lying to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the public disclosure of a CIA operative’s identity.  In the last election, accountability for wrongdoing was a major issue.  With this decision today in the Libby case, the President continues to demonstrate that he rejects accountability for wrongdoing in his Administration.”