Patrick Fitzgerald is a Republican "stooge"??

[kentuck]

Yes, he investigated and convicted the Republican Governor of Illinois but he had no choice. He was the US Attorney for that area and the evidence was too strong to cover up. Doesn't that prove that he is an independent investigator? No.

He had oodles of evidence against Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and the White House operatives and he tippy-toed around it for years. He was not aggressive in the investigation.

Now, we find he is going after the Democratic Governor of Illinois. Did he decide to do that on his own or was he persuaded to do so by the White House Justice Department? I am not convinced.

I know he has his followers and supporters here but I do not trust the guy. And Barack Obama has already said he is going to re-appoint him as US Attorney. He will regret that day.

[Hokie]

1. I was never part of the Fitzgerald fan club around here

Am I the only one who thinks we was setting up a run for office yesterday?

[terrya]

2. I trust Patrick Fitzgerald.

I wish someone would explain to me why the White House would order Fitzgerald to go after Rod Blagojevich. Obama was never really close to Blagojevich.

Patrick Fitzgerald is a good US Attorney. He also convicted world class right wing scumbag Conrad Black.

I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to respecting Fitzgerald as a US Attorney. Obama did the right thing by retaining him.

[Frustratedlady]

10. No, you are not alone.

He has taken dangerous steps to clean up Illinois government and should be praised, not criticized. We have bad Democrats and they have bad Republicans. The sooner the bad apples are cleaned out of the basket, the less rotten apples we'll have in the future.

Go, Fitz!

[JDPriestly]

26. Explain to me. What did Blagojavich actually do?

Fitzgerald described alleged deals that ended in no action (apparently on either side). I just heard that Jesse Jackson Jr. may be the witness. So, I will wait and see.

[trollybob]

27. Not only that, he states his own conclusions and inferences

about what he did. I'm waiting to hear how Blago actually tried to "sell" the senate appointmt.

[JDPriestly]

37. I'm waiting too. I don't exactly doubt that it happened, but I see

a poisoning of the jury pool in process. If a prosecutor who has a lot of respect goes to the press and proclaims that he has evidence but doesn't really explain the evidence and maybe doesn't even have the evidence yet, that can ruin the opportunity to get a conviction at trial. This is now a national story. I haven't read all of the complaint. I just have not had the time yet.

[TheWraith]

35. Planning to commit a crime IS A CRIME in and of itself.

Regardless of whether or not he actually made any illegal transactions--and I wouldn't bet that he didn't--the act of attempting to set up an illegal deal is conspiracy to commit.

[JDPriestly]

38. Depends on whether and what acts he actually did.

If threatening to murder someone was a basis for a conviction for murder, what percentage of Americans would be sitting in jail?

There has to be more than discussing possibilities, things you might do in your wildest dreams with your friends.

It's unbelievable to me that this guy Blagojevich could have been so naive as to think he was going to get buy with such blatant bribery in the state of Illinois considering the fates of so many of his predecessors and associates. I'm of the school that thinks he is emotionally unstable. He should not be in office even if he is talking this way, but whether he committed actionable crimes, I'm not sure. I read part, but not all, of the the complaint. I gave up in disgust when it seemed to me that the allegations were speculative.

Was there enough to charge conspiracy?

I'm not sure.

An agreement between two or more persons to engage jointly in an unlawful or criminal act, or an act that is innocent in itself but becomes unlawful when done by the combination of actors.

Conspiracy is governed by statute in federal courts and most state courts. Before its CODIFICATION in state and federal statutes, the crime of conspiracy was simply an agreement to engage in an unlawful act with the intent to carry out the act. Federal statutes, and many state statutes, now require not only agreement and intent but also the commission of an OVERT ACT in furtherance of the agreement.

Conspiracy is a crime separate from the criminal act for which it is developed. For example, one who conspires with another to commit BURGLARY and in fact commits the burglary can be charged with both conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary.

Conspiracy is an inchoate, or preparatory, crime. It is similar to solicitation in that both crimes are committed by manifesting an intent to engage in a criminal act. It differs from solicitation in that conspiracy requires an agreement between two or more persons, whereas solicitation can be committed by one person alone.

http://law.jrank.org/pages/5597/Conspiracy.html

He spoke with aides about doing stuff, but did they really agree to do it? I don't know.

[WillowTree]

46. Not naive. Arrogant.

There's a difference. And Blagjovich is supremely arrogant.

[JDPriestly]

60. And mindbogglingly stupid.

[KoKo]

44. The 76 Page Indictment is online. There are quotes overa t Firdoglake by the lawyers there..

How can you know unless you've read synopsis of the "Indictment?" Or, have you been over to "TPM" and heard the snips from Fitgerald's Press Conference? I watched it all on CNN and Fitz convinced me..reading from the few wiretaps and his reasoning of why Blago had to be stopped before he appointed a "Pay to Pay" Senator when "after he'd done it...it couldn't be stopped." Fitz said he was heading off an "illegal act based on evidence he had that one would be committed" to save a Senator being appointed who would never be seen as legally appointed. :shrug:

Google has a lot and You Tube has snips of Fitz's Presser.

[Captain Hilts]

15. I trust Patrick Fitzgerald. nt

[kentuck]

16. Basically, no one trusts this Justice Dept.

And what role did they play in this investigation? Were they targeting someone else and ended up with the Governor ensnared? Were they eavesdropping on their political opponents, namely Barack Obama? There is a lot we do not know.

[JDPriestly]

39. I do not. He should have convicted someone for something other

than perjury in the Plame case. I have never understood why Armitage was free to talk about Plame's status and never prosecuted. If Armitage did not know that her status was classified, how did he learn what she did? Who told him? The whole Plame investigation and prosecution was poorly handled in my view.

[PatSeg]

24. Same here

Having spent most of my life in the Chicago area, I understand Illinois politics. The bad ones are rotten to the core, regardless of party. People like Fitzgerald are refreshing. Blagojevich was careless and stupid, as well as corrupt. He was asking to be arrested.

[JDPriestly]

25. That's easy, terrya. Blagojavich is a Democrat and from Chicago.

For Republicans, that's close enough no matter what the facts are.

I think I'm missing something in the Blagojavich scandal. The allegations that Fitzgerald stated at his press conference were all speculative. This or that could have occurred. A bill that was never signed. A grant that was not given. A position that was not filled. And no names of witnesses who admitted to receiving something in exchange for giving or doing something for Blagojavich. Was this governor just having a nervous breakdown and thinking about how he could get money in a squeeze? Does he have a history of extortion and bribery? I haven't heard anything about what he is supposed to have actually done. Compare with Abramoff. You can see the money. You can trace the money and then the performance of reciprocal favors. But in the Blagojavich case, the allegations aren't that clear. Maybe they will be. But thus far, something does not fit.

[PeaceNikki]

29. So, Fitz is also The Amazing Kreskin?

He knew 3 years ago when he started the Blagojevich investigation that Obama would not only run, but win the nomination AND the election? Remarkable.

Oh, also, here's what he did: in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich sought to be appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Energy, or ambassador, or alternatively, that he could receive a lucrative job offer from a union in return for designating a pro-union appointee. He allegedly also mentioned corporate boards his wife could be appointed to, for which she could receive $150,000 a year compensation. If he could receive nothing for the seat, the indictment says, Blagojevich considered appointing himself, to position himself for a 2016 presidential run and to give himself increased resources to mount any potential legal defense.

In addition, federal investigators alleged that Blagojevich pressured the Tribune Company, parent company of the Chicago Tribune, by threatening to withhold state funds in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field unless they fired certain members of the editorial board who were critical of the governor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich#Federal_arrest_on_corruption_charges

[JDPriestly]

40. Blagojevich got 10% more votes than the Republican opponent just a

couple of years ago. (2006) Didn't people know then if he was so corrupt?

The Wikipedia allegations are conclusions, not facts. It is hard to prove conspiracy to sell offices. The Tribune thing sounds ridiculous.

My wild theory is that Fitzgerald is looking for information about Rezko dealings, including with Obama.

Blagojevich spoke in a disorganized manner to an aide about possible things, many of them, that he could do. He was all over the place. Did he agree to do anything specific? Did he then change his mind? He talked a lot, but whether there was an actual agreement may be difficult to prove when he seemed to be talking on and on about so many different possible things that he might do.

[nancyr]

3. Fitzgerald didn't put words in the governor's mouth.

[trollybob]

28. That's EXACTLY what he's doing. When did Blagojevich actually say

he was "selling the senate seat to the highest bidder"?

[PM7nj]

42. "I want to make money?"

I think the meaning of that is pretty clear.

[cali]

4. you are making one baseless assumption after another

it may or may not be true that he had "oodles of evidence against Rove and Cheney", but you provide not a shred of evidence for your assertion. Nor do you provide a shred of evidence for your assertion that Fitzgerald had no choice but to prosecute Ryan.

And to my knowledge, Obama has not said he'll reappoint him as U.S. Attorney.

Your OP is virtually fact free.

[kentuck]

8. Well, not exactly...

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/obama_wants_fitzgerald_to_stay.php

<snip>
Republicans Demand Obama Say He Wants Fitzgerald To Stay -- Even Though He Already Has
By Greg Sargent - December 10, 2008, 9:26AM

Hoping to milk the Blago mess for all it's worth, Republicans are demanding that President-elect Obama say whether he wants Patrick Fitzgerald to stay as U.S. Attorney -- even though he's already on record saying that he does.

In an interview published today by Politico, Illinois state Republican chair Andy McKenna, demanded that Obama say whether he favors keeping Fitzgerald in his post. "Some have wondered if Barack Obama would keep Fitzgerald," McKenna said. "It would be great if he confirms that he plans to."

Asked for comment, an Obama transition aide pointed us to a June 5 article in the Chicago Tribune which noted that Obama had been asked if he would keep Fitzgerald in an editorial board meeting with the paper in several months earlier. His reply (via Nexis):

"I still think he's doing a good job. Yes."

Asked why he would keep him, Obama continued:

"I think he has been aggressive in putting the city on notice and the state on notice that he takes issues of public corruption seriously."

[Frustratedlady]

5. I think Fitz stays away from party affiliations.

I have a close relative that works for him and is a strong Democrat. He is dogged and works hard to put all the pieces together. I agree that Rove and Cheney should have been pounded on the Plame affair, but he also had to have irrefutable facts...particularly with Cheney...to get the verdict needed. With the DOJ loaded for the Repugs, that was even more important. They probably would have thrown it out before it ever saw a courtroom.

We should not go after Fitz for this latest discovery. Blagovich has long been the target of rumors of raw and illegal dealings. The fact he is a Democrat shouldn't matter. If he did wrong, get rid of him. We don't need that kind in the party. If he is innocent, the party will back him.

[JDPriestly]

41. I am concerned here that he may not have enough facts to convict.

Also, Blagojevich may be mentally ill. He sounds rather manic depressive or something that causes him to have very disorganized thoughts. Blagojevich is a disgusting person, and he talked about a lot of possible conduct that is reprehensible, but did he even reach and agreement with anyone to really do something wrong? I can't tell from reading generalized allegations or bits and pieces of conversations. I just hope that if Fitzgerald is going to bring a case, he has the evidence to win and is being patient enough to get that evidence and smart enough to ask the right questions when he needs to. I do not think he did a good job with the Plame case.

[onenote]

6. and yet when he was appointed special prosecutor, the rw howled that he was a

Democratic stooge and was biased against repubs.

As for his not being able to ignore Ryan's misdeeds, first, any prosecutor who wants to bury a case can do so. Second, if he couldn't ignore Ryan's misdeeds, he sure as hell couldn't ignore what Blago was up to, either. And Ryan fought his conviction at every possible stage through the courts, a situation that could have, if the prosecutor was so inclined, led to a plea bargain for a reduced sentence in exchange for dropping the appeals. That the prosecutors didn't seek such a deal is further evidence that Fitzgerald wasn't acting as a "stooge" for the repubs

[blondeatlast]

9. I figure that anyone who pisses off the zealots from both sides is doing something right.

Fitzgerald is a STELLAR example.

That he managed to get ANYTHING out of the Scooter Libby case is an accomplishment; just think of the legal and political muscle Libby was privvy to.

[Marr]

7. He seems like a professional to me.

His conclusions in that Plame leak affair seemed rational and reasonable to my ears, as do his actions in this case. He strikes me as a man who goes about his job as dispassionately as possible, with an eye to the actual evidence and what can stand up in a courtroom.

[KittyWampus]

11. I would be embarrassed to post something this ludicrous on DU.

[kentuck]

12. Well, good for you!

Bravo! :-)

[Peregrine Took]

19. Study Illinois political history - the U.S. Attorney and the Cook County atty

positions have both been a springboard to high political office in the past for ambitious young prosecutors.

He is a young man with a huge reputation - do you think he is above capitalizing on his "victories" to advance his career?

The Blago scandal is already dirtying up Obama, don't you think the Bushie's are loving every minute of this?

Mighty convenient timing on Fitz's part which just happens to sully the Democratic party.

With a proposed "open election" we might lose the Dem Senate seat altogether as the local rethugs are already salivating for the position.

[madrchsod]

21. i disagree with you on fitz but this open election thing----

it will take every democrat in chicago to overcome the resentment out here in "downstate" of the democratic party. there will be no 70% this time. the only thing we have is a better organization but you know the republicans will cash out everything to get that senate seat.

blago can go join ryan up there in wisconsin and the sooner the better.

there`s never a dull moment in chicago and illinois politics is there....by the way what`s richie been saying about this...

[nemo137]

23. If Fitz had waited til Blago named a successor we'd lose the seat in 2010

The take home from all this? Blago fucked up for himself and the state party.

[glowing]

13. Never trust a lawyer...

[varkam]

34. I'm suing. eom

[fumsm]

14. With such enthusiasm

Didn't see much of that (none) when he was going after Rove and co. New drugs perhaps. He was so proud yesterday. Another gop wackjob. It's all about the power. Power brings unlimited money potential.

[Garbo 2004]

17. Plame: check the timetable & the "oodles" of evidence: 1+ yr to get Miller & Cooper to talk.

(Russert folded in mid 2004.) Cooper and Miller appealed to SCOTUS which as I recall refused to hear the case in summer 2005. Miller went to jail before she talked in Fall 2005. Cooper's and Miller's testimony was used in charges against Libby. IIRC within two months of Miller's testimony before the grand jury, Libby was indicted.

"oodles of evidence" sufficient to you may not actually be evidence that will stand up in court as proof before a judge and jury. As it was, in Libby's trial it boiled down to who do you believe: the testimony of a number of witnesses and how Fitgerald connected the dots or Libby's attorneys' stories in court. IIRC as it was Libby was found not guity on one count. (Involving Cooper conversation IIRC.)

Cooper's grand jury testimony was bad for Rove, but would it be sufficient in court and after defense attorneys got through with it? Investigators believed Novak & Rove spoke and agreed to a cover story regarding their conversation: how to prove when both stick to their story? Where's the "evidence?" beyond a reasonable doubt to put before a jury?

Libby was always a bigger fish than Rove, although he had a lower public profile: Instumental in Iraq invasion, instrumental in Plame. And Libby led straight to the VP. But without Libby flipping, where was the smoking gun directly implicating Cheney? It was no accident that Libby's prison sentence was commuted by Bush before he ever had to serve a day in prison.

The Plame investigation was comfortably buried and going no where when Fitzgerald took over. And it could have remained buried under a cursory review and people refusing to talk. Actually look at the history of the case, the stonewaling and the documents and information made public during the course of the trial and you will find that Fitzgerald was far more agressive than you portray.

As for the Illinois investigation that according to you gave Fitzgerald "no choice" but to indict Gov Ryan, who was in charge of that investigation?

So you're saying Fitzgerald pursued his investigation into Illinois state gov't corruption so agressively that he gave himself "no choice" but to indict the Repub Ryan? Perhaps then in Blago's case the evidence was "too strong" and Fitzgerald similarly gave himself "no choice" but to indict Blago? But since Blago's a Dem it must be a case of selective prosecution? Huh?

[Peregrine Took]

18. Amen, Kentuck, I've never trusted him either. He's following the "Big Jim"

Thompson path of gaining notoriety for himself while prosecuting the sitting Il governor.

He's, also, made it very hard for Obama to dump him now for a new Democratic U.S. attorney as it will look like politics as usual - a risk that the cautious Obama can ill afford right now.

With all the strongly pejorative wording Fitz used yesterday at his lengthy press conference - wasn't he guilty of tainting the jury pool?

One more thing...what was with the handcuffing at 6 AM and pulling Blago out of his house? I heard a talking head say last night on local Chicago TV that is was unnecessary and he didn't know "why" Fitzgerald did it.

Fitz lovers on DU forget he's a rethug appointee and, very likely, an ambitious one.

[JDPriestly]

49. One possible explanation for the rough tactics: Fitzgerald may want to intimidate Blogjevich

Blagojevich into telling what he knows about Rezco. He may think that Blagojevich knows all the dirty stuff on Rezco that other people don't know.

It may be that Fitzgerald is willing to be overly hasty with regard to Blagojevich in order to find more about Rezco, and possibly more about Rezco and Obama. I am admittedly just speculating.

I have wondered what happens to Blagojevich now. Does he go back to being governor while he awaits trial? If so, can't he still appoint the new senator. If I were he and I wanted to really embarrass Fitzgerald, I would go back to the governor's office, appoint Obama's choice to the Senate, give the hospital and the Tribune what they want and sign that bill that is allegedly sitting on his desk and then get a third party to wonder whether Fitzgerald was just intimidating Blagojevich. I assume that Fitzgerald has more on Blagojevich than he stated in his press conference. But I don't know, and if not, then Blagojevich could really turn the tables on Fitzgerald (and Obama) with this strategy. People will still hate Blagojevich, but . . . .

[madrchsod]

20. we`ll be glad to keep him here in northern illinois

i was afraid he`d go to washington but he`s staying and that`s fine with me.

he does`t register to vote in the primary here so there`s no "proof" he is a republican. his best friend does`t even know.

as for the white house thing. he was limited to what his investigation was authorized to do. after the libby trial he informed the appropriate house and senate committees that if they subpoenaed the grand jury testimony and any material he had that he would turn it over to them. we know they refused to do this -not fitzgerald.

one has to study the case against george ryan to understand how he works.

this is the first i heard he`s staying...good . it puts notice on the drug gangs,aryan nation,and other criminals from the streets to the boardroom...he`s has the best and the brightest group of investigators in america and they going to get them.

[peacetalksforall]

22. What we have learned about Fitzgerald is that he spends time

getting something that will stick and is very cautious when verifying that it will stick. I think he cares about the integrity of the justice system, not just his personal reputation. I don't think he does deals for politics or money. Hope that's true and stays true.

[KharmaTrain]

30. I've Seen This Man Up Close...At Work

In 2000 I served on a Federal Jury...a straw gun buyer case which Fitz was handling. Here was a man who looked you in the eye, spoke it straight. He said that his responsibility isn't to bring a prosecution unless he is fully convinced the prosecution will end up with a conviction...that there's more than enough evidence to surpass reasonable doubt. He runs an extremely professional department that has gone after Democrats and repugnicans...those deserving and have broken the law.

Sorry, no free passes just cause someone has a (D) after their name...especially someone who has demonstrated the same arrogance and hubris along with the corruption we're seeing play out here.

So he wasn't aggressive enough in the Plame case? And you could have done better? That he could have indicted Rove and gotten a conviction? Even worse, how about a half-ass prosecution that would have led to an acquittal...or even better, boooshie pardons Rove and helps him avoid not just this prosecution but other ones.

If Obama regrets renaming him, it's because Obama fucked up...and if anything I see Obama encouraging Fitzgerald to get to the bottom of this latest mess.

In the end, it's not what Fitzgerald says that matters, it's what 12 jurors do, be it a Grand Jury or Trial jury...and the case put in front of them.

[slackmaster]

31. Did you reach a verdict on that straw gun buyer case?

If so, good on you.

[KharmaTrain]

32. Yes...And It Wasn't What You Think...

The case was a sting set up by Chicago PD to shut down suburban gun shops that they believed were selling Tech 9s and other hand guns to buyers without valid FOID cards or who'd bring in a friend with a valid card but giving certain signals to the shop owner that it was the person without the FOID card who would be taking possesion of the gun.

I was very anti-hand gun at the time and laughed when I got impaneled...I couldn't see how I coudn't do anything but convict the dealer. But then one hears the testimony, examines the charges and reads the law. Sounds so simple, until you realize that your deliberations could send someone to jail for years and ruin a lot of lives...if you're gonna do it, you make sure it's solid. In this case it wasn't. The gun shop owners, to their credit, knew the laws cold...kept meticulous records and operated within the letter of the law. The problem were the laws themselves...some that were written very ambiguous or had loopholes that made a strict interpretation impossible. For example, there was a law that said you could give a gun as a present and not have to report the transaction...so person A couldn't sell the gun, but they sure could give it as a present. Go figger.

In the end, I saw both a very solid prosecution team...doing the most with what they had to work with, and an even better defense who did what they needed to do...keep doubt in the jurors mind.

Cheers...

[slackmaster]

36. Thanks. I have served on two civil case juries and one criminal

In both civil cases we found for the defendant. In the criminal case, multiple burglaries of offices of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, we convicted a man on every main count (involving safecracking and assorted theft), and acquitted on one degree issue.

I have always found JD to be a rewarding experience even when I don't get picked. I think juries get it right about 98% of the time, and rarely convict someone falsely (but that surely does happen).

[leftofthedial]

33. I'm not a fan.

Not at all.

[KoKo]

43. Why?

[leftofthedial]

50. I think he backed down (or worse)

on the Plame investigation.

Every time he got a whiff of Cheney (which was just about every day), he stopped and went in another direction.

He finally settled on charging a pawn with a minor crime.

[whippo]

51. What evidence on Cheney did Fitz "back down" from?

[leftofthedial]

52. god I'm sick of answering this question.

there was and is voluminous evidence.

[whippo]

53. Ok, got it.

[Missy Vixen]

54. Better answer it one more time

I followed the trial, along with several thousand other people at www.firedoglake.com. Libby was the smoking gun. He would not turn, he would not divulge what he knows, and even trying that case was a landmine of greymail. Why do you think Libby's sentence was commuted before he served one day in jail?

I can't wait to hear about your "voluminous evidence". If those trying the case didn't believe they had the goods to convince a judge and jury, why do you think YOU know better than they do?

Julie

[leftofthedial]

55. I "better answer it"--??

What's with the threatening language? We exhausted this (and my patience for Fitzgerald's cult of defenders) long ago.

I know you find it hard to believe that someone might not take it as a matter of faith that Fitzgerald pisses holy water. You believe his elaborately concocted story. I believe what I've learned elsewhere. I believe with greater than 80% certainty that Fitzgerald's "investigation" was intended from the beginning to inoculate cheney (and other high-up bushies) against prosecution for treason they actually committed. Libby was not a magic gatekeeper for the truth. The truth resides throughout that gang. Fitzgerald either feared cheney or was protecting him or both.

[Missy Vixen]

56. "Threatening language"? Hardly.

You've claimed on a couple of instances now to have information that is not factual, such as Patrick Fitzgerald's political affiliation. I'm asking you to prove your assertions. I can prove that he's said repeatedly he does not belong to a political party, and considers himself apolitical.

>I believe what I've learned elsewhere.<

So, let's hear it. With sources.

Anyone who actually followed the run-up to the Libby trial and the trial itself knows that gaining any conviction in that case was nothing short of a miracle. If you're going to shoot at the king, better kill the king, and PF was not going to indict anyone he couldn't come away with a conviction of.

The reason why he pointed Congress towards Bush and Cheney is because first of all, he needed Libby's testimony and he can't get it. Secondly, Congress can indict and try Bush and Cheney without greymail issues because of their security clearances. Greymail would have gotten any case Patrick Fitzgerald filed tossed before discovery. Those who actually know what they're talking about knew this and continue to know it. I know there are those here who believe that they could defy every rule of jurisprudence. After all, they know much more than a federal prosecutor with 20 years' experience.

I hate to break it to you, but I don't think Patrick Fitzgerald "pisses holy water". What I do think is that he's methodical, he's scrupulously honest, he can't be bought, he doesn't move till he has an overabundance of evidence, and he and Robert Grant are not going to flush their careers over charging someone they didn't have the goods on. In respect to your precious Governor Blago, let's just say that he waited till a grand jury was convened for an indictment despite knowing Blago was actively shopping that seat. Let's just say that Blago managed to find some sucker that would pony up either money or favors to get their candidate into Obama's seat. I'm betting he did, and that was the reason for the speed. I can only imagine what would be said then: "Well, he didn't do his job."

Whether you and the other Blago defenders like it or not, he's going down. One would think those on this site would celebrate the exposure of yet another crooked politician, but ohhhh, nooooooo: The armchair prosecutors here know better.

Julie

[leftofthedial]

59. that's bullshit. I never claimed to have any information about his affiliation.

someone asked what it was and I said I thought he was formerly republican.

What's more, I have never defended Blagojevich. I think he's a crooked piece of crap who belongs out of the party and in jail, as I have said at least ten times in the last couple of days.

fer fucksake. take your demands to someone who gives a shit.

armchair prosecutor. :rofl:

[ColbertWatcher]

45. He's not a stooge, the GOP just played him like they do everyone. n/t

[tritsofme]

47. This is one of the dumbest things I've seen posted on DU.

Won't even waste time responding.

[bluesmail]

48. I was going to write that I am on the fence with the guy. But after

all that has happened since the verdict of I Lewis Libby and his commutation I find Fitzgerald very * suspect *. Lordy the Octopus Lives On.

[Missy Vixen]

57. Do you honestly think that Libby's commutation was engineered by Fitzgerald?

You might want to rethink that tinfoil hat.

Bush commuted Libby's sentence because he can't pardon him. According to the former federal prosecutors at www.firedoglake.com, to pardon Libby is to set him free to testify against Bush and Cheney. Commutation keeps him on the ranch, so to speak, whereas if he were pardoned and called to testify, he could not take the Fifth.

Congratulations on ferreting out the ugly truth that the thousands who've worked for and with Patrick Fitzgerald, and who praise him for his dedication to his job and to the truth, just couldn't see. After all, he's really unscrupulous and power-grasping, and everyone's just too afraid to speak up. Those people who praise his honesty, incorruptibility, and his unwillingness to feather his own nest are just pulling your leg. :sarcasm:

Julie

[deaniac21]

58. >He was the US Attorney for that area

You mean is.

[backscatter712]

61. If Fitz really wanted to fuck with Democrats...

He would have busted Blago just before the election - Happy October Surprise!!!

Fitz, despite being Republican, strikes me as an actual professional, not a political hack.

[acmavm]

62. Yeah, he puzzles me as well. I thought that he was tits for a long time, up

until Libby ended up taking the fall for Cheney. And then I figured out that he wasn't all that people made him out to be.

[aldo]

63. Amen, Fitz the Putz is a Repuke fixer

The Libby prosecution was an exercise in damage control. His orders: get only the small fry.

And now, why didn't he wait until he could get an indictment? Use your brains, it's obvious.

I'll give him this much, he can sure talk a good line . . . of bullshit.


Republicanists = economic terrorists. They hate the American way of life. They hate the middle class.

[TexasObserver]

64. Yes, he is.