WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says he doesn't consider former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby a criminal, even though Libby is a convicted felon.
Hatch, speaking Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," said he sees nothing wrong with President George W. Bush's commutation of Libby's 36-month prison term.
"The fact of the matter is, is that Libby had given a lifetime of service to our country. He certainly is not a criminal," Hatch said. "He's a person who has sacrificed throughout his lifetime to serve this country, and he certainly has been doing it over the last number of years."
But Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he'd like to see Patrick Fitzgerald -- the prosecutor in the Libby case -- brought before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about the case. Schumer said he thinks committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., might be inclined to call Fitzgerald as a witness.
Schumer noted Fitzgerald questioned Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney about the Libby matter "and he might have some very interesting things to say."
Hatch also said he thinks the White House is within its rights to declare executive privilege in the firing of several U.S. attorneys. Schumer disagreed, saying Congress is looking into a specific incident of alleged wrongdoing.
