Libby jury hears final arguments

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Lawyers in the perjury trial of a former top White House official are making final efforts to sway the jury.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the ex-chief of staff to Vice-President Dick Cheney, is accused of lying to an inquiry into the leak of a CIA agent's identity.

The prosecution argues that Mr Libby lied to hide his role in leaking the information, while the defence says any untruths were due to his bad memory.

The trial has shed light on the inner workings of the Bush White House.

Testimony from current and former White House officials and high-profile journalists has painted a picture of an administration that kept a close eye on its critics as the case for the war in Iraq began to collapse.

The trial revolves around the outing in the media of CIA operative Valerie Plame after her husband publicly doubted a key justification for the Iraq war.

It can be a crime to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA agent.

No-one was ever charged with the leak itself, but Mr Libby was charged with lying to the FBI and the grand jury investigating the case.

Brief defence

The jury heard about a month of testimony - the vast majority of it from prosecution witnesses.

The defence spent less than three days making its case, apparently banking on having sufficiently discredited prosecution witnesses.

It did not put either Mr Libby or Vice-President Cheney on the stand, despite early indications it would do so.

Testimony from a sitting vice-president in a criminal case would be unprecedented in recent history.

The two sides in the case have been given three hours each to make closing statements.

The jury is expected to begin considering its verdict on Wednesday.