Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is dropping his appeal in the CIA leak case, said his attorney on Monday.
Attorney Theodore Wells, however, still defended Libby by saying "we remain firmly convinced" of his innocence.
"However, the realities were, that after five years of government service by Mr. Libby and several years of defending against this case, the burden on Mr. Libby and his young family of continuing to pursue his complete vindication are too great to ask them to bear," he told reporters.
Libby, 56, served as U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and national security adviser from 2001 to October 2005. He resigned after being indicted in the investigation into whom leaked identity of a secret CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson, whose husband criticized the Iraq war.
Libby was found guilty of obstructing the investigation and was sentenced to 30 months in jail in June.
He was also fined 250,000 U.S. dollars and placed on probation for two years following his release from prison.
President George W. Bush, however, spared Libby from serving the 30-months jail term in July, arguing the sentence was too "harsh" for Libby.
Well said that the appeal would only lead to a retrial which would "last even beyond the two years of supervised release," costing more than the 250,000-dollar fine.
Source: Xinhua
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