WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Co-Chairman of the Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, today issued the following statement in response to President Bush's announcement that he was commuting the 30-month prison sentence former Vice President Cheney Chief of Staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby for his perjury conviction in the Valerie Plame leak case:

“The President’s decision to commute Scooter Libby's sentence is a travesty of justice. Four years ago, Valerie Plame's identity as a covert CIA agent was revealed, in apparent retaliation for her husband blowing the whistle on the Administration’s inaccurate claims that Iraq had been seeking access to uranium from Niger. A criminal investigation ensued, and Scooter Libby now stands convicted of having lied under oath when asked about which reporters he had told about her true identity.

“By taking the extraordinary step of commuting Scooter Libby’s sentence, the President has signaled both a disregard for justice, a disregard for the harm done to Ms. Plame, and a disregard for the risks posed by all CIA covert agents – who now see that their identities can be disclosed without serious consequences. He should be ashamed of himself.”