Libby drops appeal in CIA leak case

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The former chief of staff to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Monday dropped his appeal of convictions linked to the leak of a CIA officer's identity.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted in March 2007 of four felony counts: one count of obstruction of justice as they investigated the leak of the identity of then-covert CIA operative Valerie Plame, one count of giving false statements to the FBI and two counts of committing perjury before the grand jury for lying.

Libby's attorney, Theodore Wells, said in a statement the success of Libby's legal efforts would lead to a retrial that would likely stretch beyond the two years of probation that Libby must serve, cost millions of dollars beyond the fines he's paid and consume countless hours of preparation, The Washington Post reported.

He was given a $250,000 fine and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, but before he began to serve his sentence President Bush granted him executive clemency. The president's move stopped short of pardoning him, which would have essentially erased the conviction.

Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, allege that the leak was retaliation for Wilson's criticism of the Bush administration's policies on Iraq.