I have a new piece up today about Matthew Cooper’s testimony at the Libby trial. The remarkable thing about Cooper is that he is the basis — the sole basis — of two of the five counts against Libby. (That’s no fault of Cooper’s, who no doubt wishes this case had never happened.) The entirety of the allegation in those two counts, one of perjury and one of making false statements, is this: Libby says in a conversation on July 12, 2003, he told Cooper that he, Libby, had heard about Valerie Plame Wilson from reporters, and Cooper says that no, Libby didn’t say that. That’s it. There are no notes or other documents that support either man’s contention — nothing except this brief excerpt from Cooper’s notes, quoted below precisely as they appear in the original:

had somethine and about the wilson thing and not sure if it’s ever

What does that mean? Cooper, who hastily typed that line during his conversation with Libby, doesn’t remember. And of course, no one else can make it out, either. So, given the lack of any other notes or documents, the two counts against Libby — both felonies — rest entirely on Cooper’s memory. And by the way, if Libby were to be convicted just on those two counts, he would face a maximum of ten years in prison.