Romney In, Fitzgerald Out?
I wasn’t taking notes during the Republican presidential debate on MS-NBC last night, but it surely appeared to me that Patrick Fitzgerald will not be reappointed Chicago’s U.S. Attorney, if Mitt Romney is elected president.
Fitzgerald’s name was not mentioned, but Romney went into a virtual rant about what the Federal prosecutor did to Vice President Scooter Libby in a question of whether each thought Libby should be pardoned. Fitzgerald, of course, was that Federal prosecutor.
Nothing was mentioned about Fitzgerald’s fight against corruption in Illinois.
In the analysis after, Chris Mathews did mention Fitzgerald’s name.
Bob Kjellander is Romney’s Illinois chairman.
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Sat. 1:26 PM
A commenter below says he has seen no evidence that Kjellander is Illinois chairman. Upon reflection, he may be correct. I talked to Bob about being able to come to Romney's event earlier this year in Chicago and he sounded as if he were in charge of it. That, of course, does not mean he is is the Illinois chairman. If I am incorrect, I apologize for the misrepresentation.
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My first article on how Romney could save the Illinois GOP is here.
And, of course, there is more on McHenry County Blog.
8 comments:
So Cal,
Do you think Fitzgerald was justified in going after Libby, starting after he knew that Richard Armitage was the leak?
Do you think Fitzgerald should release the affidavits he filed with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to justify compelling two reporters to testify about their conversations with Mr. Libby, (again after the fact of knowing that Armitage was the leak)?
Do you think Fitzgerald should run a web portal of information about the George Ryan case, while removing all information from public view related to Bob Creamer and Jan Schackowsky?
I am against corruption, but I am in favor of using prosecutorial power in a temperate manner.
JBP
Well you didn't ask me, but it's a blog with open comments so what the hell, right. My answers are yes, no and I don't know.
1.) Armitage leaked the name, but Libby lied to FBI investigators before Fitzgerald even got to town. Fitzgerald had evidence of this from day one. So of course it made sense to get Libby in front of a grand jury.
2.) There is just no plausible argument that Fitzgerald endangered freedom of the press or that Judy Miller was a 1st Amendment martyr. Testimony from Miller and Cooper provided evidence of Libby's perjury, not the leak itself, which he was never charged with.
3.) I don't know anything about that Ryan portal but it doesn't sound like a very big deal. Was Schakowsky charged with anything?
Rob (or Cal),
1) But as to my quesion...why bring in Libby to begin with? Doesn't he have anything better to do than to interrogate people he knows were not involved in a crime? Or is he out on some vendetta?
2) Fine, then Fitz should have no problem releasing the information. Good luck in ever seeing this.
3) It seemed to me the US Attorney's office was grandstanding on their very shaky trial vs. Geo Ryan. As Ryan was out of office and unpopular, Fitzgerald and his press office made a full blown multimedia website of information about the Ryan trial. At the same time, Bob Creamers information was removed from the website.
It is not a big deal, but it shows a lot about the nature of trying cases in the Press vs. the Courts.
Schakowsky was never charged, though she had Board level reltaionships with lobbying corporations her husband controlled while charged in the Fraud. I suppose Fitz did not think that board members had any responsibility for the actions of the executive, even if a Congresswoman is married to one of the execs.
JBP
Note to former Rep. Skinner: If you believe that a political diphead like Mitt Romney can "save" the Illinois GOP, then you are more brainwashed than Romney's father ever was. I suggest that you should instead put aside an appropriate dark suit for waearing to the wake of the state Republican Party, which by this indication will be in the not-too-distant future.
Cal, you goof. Where is the proof that Kjellander is Romney's Illinois Chairman?
I've seen zero evidence to support that statement.
Well, I talked to Bob about attending the Chicago campaign event and he certainly seemed in charge.
Former Rep. Skinner: that is a classic example of GOP non-logic. Bob K is a hack, Romney is a radical mormon, and Libby was and is a pompus jerk, just like the man he worked for.
Fitzgerald rocks.
Cal-That's to bad that BoB K. is in charge of anything. Romney is not a bad candidate but as far as I am concerned the ILL. GOP and the Romney campaign are both non-starters while Bob K. is in charge.
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