WASHINGTON -- Former White House aide Lewis Libby has paid a $250,000 fine as part of his sentence in the CIA leak case, but the probation he was scheduled to serve under the commutation of his prison sentence may not be served after all.

According to a July 3 order issued by Judge Reggie Walton, who was the trial judge in Libby's case: "Strictly construed, the statute authorizing the imposition of supervised release indicates that such release should only occur after the defendant has already served a term of imprisonment."

President George W. Bush commuted the 30-month prison term that Libby was scheduled to serve before he served a day of it.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said that under Walton's June 22 sentencing order, Libby was required to report to the probation office within 72 hours of the release from custody to serve his period of supervision by the probation office.

"It's our view that the judge, the attorneys and the probation office can work out the reporting date, and whether it is technically regarded as probation or supervised release in light of the commutation," Stanzel said at Thursday's press briefing. "So the President has been clear in this. He believes that Mr. Libby should serve two years under probation office supervision, pursuant to the conditions and all other components of the June 22 order."

"Well, it's our view that in the reading of the law and the order on the 22nd, that that is the way it should be," Stanzel said.

Stanzel defended the Bush administration from questions that Libby received special treatment because he was the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

"This is a unique case, there's no doubt about that," he said. "And we have said that there are a lot of people on all sides of this issue who've made good points. The President took a very measured approach to it. He believed that the jury verdict should be respected, but he did feel that the sentence was excessive, in terms of jail time. But this is a unique case, and there's no doubt about that."

The White House Thursday also lashed out against Democrats who are criticizing the president's decision -- particularly the Clintons.

Both former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., have tried to draw distinctions between Bush's move and the end-of-term pardons the former president granted to 140 people.

Bill Clinton said Bush's actions show that the administration thinks it should be able to do what it wants, no matter what the law says.

Bush spokesman Tony Snow called the criticism a "gigantic case" of chutzpah.

"I would say that it is amazing to me that they can -- with what they did on January 20, 2001, they can criticize the President for issuing a commutation -- his fourth -- insomuch as they issued -- President Clinton issued 141 pardons on January 20th; over 200 in the period -- in the post-election period in 2000," Stanzel said. "It sort of pales in comparison."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers is planning hearings on Bush's decision to commute the prison term.

Snow said while he's at it, he should look at all of the Clinton pardons.