A Website designed to raise money for the defense of an indicted ex-aide to Vice President Cheney that launched today was registered last December, RAW STORY has found.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff, was indicted last October 28 on five charges related to the investigation of the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name, including one count of obstruction of justice and two each of perjury and making false statements. The trial is set to start in January of 2007.
Scooterlibby.com is the address for the Libby Legal Defense Fund, which according to reports has already raised more than $2 million dollars from friends and supporters.
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RAW STORY has learned, via a WHOIS search at Network Solutions, that the domain name was registered on December 19, 2005 by Blank Rome, LLP with Barbara Comstock listed as the Administrative Contact.
According to her biography at Blank Rome Government Relations, Comstock's prior jobs include "former Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice," "chief spokesperson and communications strategist for Attorney General John Ashcroft," "Director of Research and Strategic Planning at the Republican National Committee and was responsible for developing and managing the research operations utilized for the Bush 2000 campaign."
Although Comstock has been quoted in many media reports regarding the fund, and described as an official "helping the fund's steering committee" (link), her name does not seem to appear anywhere on the site.
Some bloggers maintain that Comstock shouldn't be involved at all with the defense fund, because of prior conflicts of interest. Charles Carreon at Ragingblog.com wrote that "Comstock is up to her eyeballs in unethical conduct, and a cauterizing needle may be required to restore sight to the blind eyes that allow her to overlook it."
The banner for the Website contains an endorsement from Vice President Cheney: "Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known."
