For more than a decade, our friend and colleague, Scooter Libby, has endured the burden of a terrible injustice with strength and dignity. We rejoice that this wrong has been corrected. All of us at Hudson Institute join Scooter, Harriett, and the Libby family in thanking President Trump for issuing a pardon.
We let Scooter speak for himself:
"My family and I are immensely grateful to President Trump for his gracious decision to grant a pardon. For over a dozen years we have suffered under the weight of a terrible injustice. To his great credit, President Trump recognized this wrong and would not let it persist. For this honorable act, we shall forever be grateful.
"We also want to thank the witness who came forward to admit to having been misled into testifying falsely in my case. That difficult admission, and the diligence of those who have subsequently studied and criticized this unjust prosecution, have contributed to exposing how unfairly I was treated.
"This moment should not pass without expressing gratitude to the thousands of Americans who stood with us during the darkest days and stand with us still. For all the defects in our system -- defects so evident in the handling not just of my matter, but also that of Senator Ted Stevens and others -- the solace and remedy lie in the wisdom and innate fairness of the American people, as well as in the determination of wise leaders who know that injustice diminishes us all.
"Lastly, over these past years, many good and noble Americans have told me that, having seen how I was treated, they would never go into public service. No one understands their misgivings more than I do. Perhaps one day public service in America will prove less of a blood sport. Until then, we are all fortunate that there are those who will enter the arena for their love of country and our freedoms."