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Get Fitzgerald! (Round Two)
Last week, prosecutors in the trial of Tony Rezko revealed that a government witness would testify that Rezko had said he was plotting to get U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald canned. His buddy and Republican bigwig Robert Kjellander was in talks with Karl Rove, the story goes.
Both Rove and Kjellander denied ever speaking of canning Fitzgerald, and the plot did seem to fall somewhat short. The alleged plotting happened back in 2004, right when Fitzgerald was in the thick of the Valerie Plame leak investigation. As I said last week, it would have been an unbelievably bold move even for Rove. Nevertheless, it does appear that Kjellander would have been looking for any opening to get rid of Fitzgerald.
Today the Rezko trial brought another aspect of the somewhat hapless plot:
Tony Rezko associate Elie Maloof just testified that when he received a grand jury subpoena, Rezko told him not to talk to the feds. Why?"The federal prosecutor will no longer be the same federal prosecutor," Maloof just testified that Rezko told him. What did Rezko mean, prosecutor Chris Niewoehner asked.
"That Patrick Fitzgerald would be terminated and Dennis Hastert will name his replacement. The investigation will be over."
Maloof said Rezko told him of Fitzgerald's replacement: "That they will order the prosecutor to stop the investigation."
Unfortunately for Rezko, four years later Fitzgerald is still plugging away.
Comments (9)
I've always wondered about Governor Blagojevich's.
Remember, Rezko is on trial here for "shaking down state pension business for millions of dollars in kickbacks and campaign contributions."
And the trial has so far told us that Rezko was somehow in charge of Blagojevich's state jobs appointments process.
I've "wondered" because Blagojevich uses "Reflectiosn Photography" whenever he's in DC. This is the same GOP-only outfit that takes every Bush, RNC and candidate snap and sells them. This is the same company that took the Abramoff photo and "erased it" as well as others of Abramoff as Josh detailed way back in 2006.
Here's another interesting graf:
Hmm, a White House visit... Do tell more.
Hmmm,
April 28, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
So we know that Kjellander, Rezko, Levine and others were at the White House on December 3, 2003. Take that fact and mix with this item from Paul Kiel a few days ago:
Would one of those times Rove was "frequently approached" happen to be on Dec 5, 2003 at that holiday party? Who else participated in the "approach?" Who else witnessed the approach? Was Fitgerald a problem for anyone yet?
[Ashcroft officially recused himself from Plame on 12/30/2003, maybe Fitzgerald's name was already being bandided about?]
April 28, 2008 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll answer my own question.
Kjellander, Levine, Rezko and William Cellini were at that 12/03/2005 White House holiday party. Both Levine and Cellini had lonstanding Republican ties and would certainly have been connected in to former Illinois Governor George Ryan, who is now incarcerated, largely by the efforts of Patrick Fitgerald. Ryan was running a pay-to-play operation in the state and appears to have been under invesitagion by the US Attorney's Office since 1998. Indictments were closing in on Ryan's associates in 2002. Ryan himself was indicted by Patrick Fitzerald 14 days after the Christmas Party in 2003.
So there would have been some bad blood between those GOP powerbrokers in 2003 at that party and Pat Fitzgerald. They knew their necks and livelihoods could be on the line.
Who could they turn to?
April 28, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
ROVE THE PSYCHIC
Any lingering doubts as to Rove's Super Psychic abilities are forever dispelled. Dispatching Fitz would have denied the GOP their Straw Dog Dem AA candidate and a defining moment for the sociopathic Wright to set back civil rights 100 yrs.
HOPE CHANGE won't spook the Goober in Indiana!
April 28, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
this is by far one of the most hilarious comments ive seen posted today. that you were able to squeeze so much meaningless drivel into so few words is a testament to how intellectually vapid you are. wow.
April 28, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ooops. Above I meant William Cellini, one of the White House party attendees, was a Illinois state GOP bigwig (not a dem).
April 28, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is great. Republicans thought the Rezko trial would hurt Obama but it is blowig back on Rove-Bush-Cheney!
Ha-ha!
April 28, 2008 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
This case is getting very interesting. The fact that Rezko was so "matter of fact" and sure of himself re: Fitz's being replaced is very telling of how the DOJ has been completely undermined under this administration and possibly earlier. I hope we are able to ferret-out these shitheads before more damage can be done to our justice system.
April 28, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
One more of the many trails of breadcrumbs leading somehow back to Hastert?
No wonder he jumped ship when the D's took back the gavels, he's got more skeletons than a ghost- ship hiding in his congressional closet.
April 29, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink