CREW Issues Statement on Supreme Court’s Refusal to Hear Wilson Lawsuit

Business Wire, June 22, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order denying any further review of Valerie and Joseph Wilson’s civil lawsuit based on the unconstitutional actions of top Bush administration officials, bringing the case to a close. The Wilsons had sued former Vice President Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, I. Lewis Libby, and Richard Armitage for their concerted efforts to destroy Valerie Wilson’s career in retaliation for her husband exposing lies in President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address concerning Iraq’s alleged efforts to purchase uranium from Niger.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a counsel to the Wilsons said, “The Wilsons and their counsel are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, but more significantly, this is a setback for our democracy. This decision means that government officials can abuse their power for political purposes without fear of repercussion. Private citizens like the Wilsons, who see their careers destroyed and their lives placed in jeopardy by administration officials seeking to score political points and silence opposition, have no recourse.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman at 202.408.5565/nseligman@citizensforethics.org.