I have a feeling Mr. Fitzgerald is in no rush
Posted on 07/23/2005 12:31:16 AM PDT by STARWISE
The life of a prosecutor targeting public corruption does not get any more rewarding than the past few weeks have been for Patrick Fitzgerald, US attorney in Chicago.
On Monday Mr Fitzgerald filed criminal complaints against two city officials in Chicago, alleging "pervasive fraud" at city hall and charging them with using political patronage to award jobs and faking tests for employees. The arrests marked the first time an 18-month corruption investigation had reached inside Mayor Richard Daley's office.
Mr Fitzgerald was also shuttling to Washington as special prosecutor, investigating whether White House officials illegally leaked the name of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame. The inquiry gathered pace this month when Judith Miller, a New York Times reporter, was jailed for refusing to disclose her sources and a Time magazine reporter, Matt Cooper, admitted that Karl Rove, the president's political adviser, was a source for his CIA story.
And, on September 15, the former Illinois governor, George Ryan, will go on trial for his part in a wider state scandal that has led to 79 arrests and 73 convictions.
"I can't think of any prosecutor who has done so much in a short time," says Jay Stewart, director of the Better Government Association, a Chicago citizens' group. "Even by prosecutorial standards he stands out as highly aggressive, with a relentless work ethic."
(snip)
For White House officials keen to predict the future, Bruce Braun, partner at Winston & Strawn, a law firm in Chicago, points to his record. "He is patient, methodical and willing to work his way up the chain to get to the heart of the fraud. He is not content with getting minnows but goes after the bigger fish. He will leave no stone unturned."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.ft.com ...
LOL, Fitzpatrick = Fitzgerald :-)
Yea, wish he would hurry up already.
When he came to Chicago from NY and he shook up the criminal underworld, I thought that he'd killed. I'm sure organized crime (including gangstas) had a bounty on him. He's been tough and I haven't heard efforts to take his life.
CIA 'outing' might fall short of crime
Though that key law may not have been broken in leaking the name, Fitzgerald must still be pursuing evidence of some type of wrongdoing, said Victoria Toensing, another of the attorneys who helped draft the 1982 act. Like Sanford, she doubts Valerie Wilson, as she now refers to herself, qualified as a "covert agent" under that law. She and Sanford also doubt Fitzgerald has enough evidence to prosecute anyone under the Espionage Act. That law makes it a crime to divulge "information relating to the national defense" that "the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury" of the nation.
But, Toensing said, "reading between the lines, I'd say he's got a 'Martha Stewart case' " involving perjury or obstruction of justice. In other words, though a crime may not have been committed at the start, one may have occurred during the investigation when someone lied to Fitzgerald or to a federal grand jury.
Over here, stuff about Fitzgerald !
"He is patient, methodical and willing to work his way up the chain to get to the heart of the fraud. He is not content with getting minnows but goes after the bigger fish. He will leave no stone unturned."
Hmmmmm ... very interesting
If he was targeted, would you know?
Perhaps we've been guessing correctly about all of this. I sure do hope so.
I have a feeling Mr. Fitzgerald is in no rush
Though narrowing it down to exactly what is really going on sure has been puzzling
There are a number of possibilities
And I really DO have the feeling that when the smoke clears and all is said and done, it's going to be the self proclaimed "victims", who are hoisted on their own petards.
Hmmmmm ...
Notice the prosecutor's office ain't leaking. That's the sign of a nonpolitico, right there. I like this a lot. It's a good sign he's doing his job, and not worrying about who might be happy with the results.
.. in case you haven't read it. It's SO disturbing
Attempts, yes .. that would certainly be public .. I thought you were saying you would hear if there was a contract out on him.
holy cow .. Thanks for that link
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