and he has already proven himself to be a liar. On Dec 11, 6:53 am, mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > obama already said he had no intention of replacing fitzgerald . > > On Dec 11, 6:40 am, "merry Christmas! mark" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > no no no. President Bush is still being accused of violating > > something, somewhere for firing the US attorneys. since he obviously > > was not allowed to do that, then I guess nobama cannot do so either. > > > On Dec 11, 5:47 am, Cold Water <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Will Obama Fire Patrick Fitzgerald? > > > Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:02 PM > > > > By: David A. Patten > > > > Once he assumes office, President-elect Barack Obama will face a severe > > > “trial by fire” over whether to fire U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald > > > and other U.S. attorneys, following Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod > > > Blagojevich’s arrest Tuesday for allegedly offering to sell Obama’s > > > vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder. > > > > Ordinarily, legal and political experts say, an incoming president has > > > broad authority to change both the Cabinet and the U.S. attorneys who > > > serve at his request. But with unanswered questions swirling over the > > > degree of interaction Obama's team has had with Blagojevich, and the > > > alarming level of Illinois corruption exposed by the probe, any move to > > > fire Fitzgerald would be highly controversial as a possible conflict of > > > interest. > > > > “There are enough connections between the worlds of Blagojevich and Obama > > > that the whole thing has the potential to grow beyond a colorful Chicago > > > tale of corruption to entangle members of the presidential transition > > > team, to test Obama’s carefully cultivated reformist image, and to > > > distract the president-elect just as he is preparing to take office,” > > > Time.com reported Wednesday. > > > > Many of the concerns revolve around a statement Obama made Tuesday > > > afternoon, which ultimately raised more questions than it answered. > > > > "I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not -- > > > I was not aware of what was happening," Obama said, leaving open the > > > possibility that his staff did have contact with Blagojevich. "And as I > > > said, it's a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don't think it's > > > appropriate to comment." > > > > Obama’s statement evoked concern among the mainstream media that it was > > > too tepid to quell the rising hubbub. “I think it was a very passive > > > statement by Obama yesterday. I don’t think it was enough,” NBC political > > > director Chuck Todd told MSNBC viewers on Wednesday morning. > > > > Concerns over what Obama’s staff knew regarding the blatant solicitation > > > of bribes, and when they knew it, only deepened Wednesday morning as > > > Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod recanted a November statement that > > > Obama did meet with Blagojevich that month. > > > > Wednesday afternoon, apparently in response to media rumblings, Obama > > > commented again, saying via a spokesman that Blagojevich should step down > > > as Illinois governor. Obama has not been considered particularly close to > > > Blagojevich, but did voice strong support for him during his 2006 > > > reelection campaign. > > > > Citing the equivocal statements coming out of the Obama camp, Heritage > > > fellow and legal scholar Robert Alt tells Newsmax: “You already have the > > > whiff of cover-up in the air” inside the Beltway. > > > > “If these sorts of stories continue,” Alt says, “and it starts to look > > > like he’s covering up contacts with Blagojevich, if he then sacks > > > Fitzgerald, that would look very bad indeed.” > > > > In his news conference, Fitzgerald went out of his way to avoid > > > implicating the Obama team, stating “there’s no reference in the > > > complaint to any conversation involving the president-elect or indicating > > > that the president-elect was aware of it.” > > > > Alt, the deputy director of the Center for Legal and Judicial studies at > > > Heritage, says he sees no indication in the criminal complaint against > > > Blagojevich of any improper involvement on the part of Obama’s > > > representatives – but he adds Obama must now tread very carefully. > > > > “It will be a baptism by fire,” Alt tells Newsmax. “Any time there is an > > > investigation touching on the president or close presidential allies, the > > > sensitivity of hiring and firing the prosecutors becomes a high concern. > > > It’s been previously said there’s not much time for on-the-job training > > > for the presidency. And on the issue of U.S. attorneys, he’ll have to > > > make some tough calls right away.” > > > > Republican leaders are already challenging Obama to pledge that after he > > > becomes president on Jan. 20, he will keep Fitzgerald in office. > > > > “What he should do tomorrow is say, ‘Patrick Fitzgerald has a job and can > > > have it for as long as he wants,’” the state Republican chairman of > > > Illinois, Andy McKenna, told reporters. “Some have wondered if Barack > > > Obama would keep Fitzgerald. It would be great if he confirms that he > > > plans to.” > > > > That Fitzgerald suddenly sees Republicans lining up to defend him is > > > profoundly ironic, given that both prominent Republicans and Democrats > > > have found themselves in his investigatory crosshairs over the years. > > > > A former rugby player, Fitzgerald once told a reporter he’d left plenty > > > of blood on the field because “that was the whole point.” No one has ever > > > doubted Fitzgerald, 47, plays for keeps. > > > > Born into a working-class Brooklyn family, Fitzgerald’s father of worked > > > as a doorman in Manhattan. The future scourge of corrupt politicians > > > attended Amherst, and after earning a law degree from Harvard University > > > practiced civil law before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in New > > > York in 1988. There, Fitzgerald made his reputation prosecuting > > > terrorists like Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric who > > > sought to bomb city landmarks. He also tried four men accused of bombing > > > the East African embassy. > > > > As Fitzgerald was demonstrating his prosecutorial chops, a maverick > > > Illinois senator named Peter Fitzgerald – no relation – was looking for a > > > U.S. attorney who would clean up the state’s infamously twisted politics. > > > According to The Washington Post, Sen. Fitzgerald called former FBI > > > Director Louis Freeh and asked, “Who’s the best assistant U.S. attorney > > > you know of in the country?” > > > > Freeh didn't hesitate: “Patrick Fitzgerald in the Southern District of > > > New York.” > > > > The senator then called the head of the New York office, asked the same > > > question, and got the same answer: Patrick Fitzgerald. > > > > That was when the senator recruited his namesake to be U.S. attorney in > > > Chicago, and the rest is history -- bitter history for those Fitzgerald > > > has caught trying to scam the public. > > > > Fitzgerald’s delicious gift for offending the rich and powerful on both > > > sides of America’s partisan divide was never more evident than in the > > > Valerie Plame Wilson case. On the one hand, Republicans were troubled > > > that Fitzgerald decided to prosecute I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former > > > top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, for perjury charges that had > > > little or nothing to do with the concerns that originally triggered the > > > investigation -- namely, that a Bush administration official may have > > > broken the law by leaking the identity of Plame, a CIA operations > > > officer, to columnist Robert Novak. Libby was convicted, but President > > > Bush commuted his sentence in July 2007. > > > > During his investigation, Fitzgerald also was targeted by the left and > > > The New York Times, which pounded away at Fitzgerald in its editorial > > > pages, stating that “in his zeal to compel reporters to disclose their > > > sources, Mr. Fitzgerald lost sight of the bigger picture.” > > > > Among Fitzgerald’s other high-profile prosecutions: The 2006 conviction > > > of GOP Illinois Gov. George Ryan, for steering state contracts in return > > > for payoffs. > > > > Having survived repeated prosecutorial run-ins with powerful people bent > > > on breaking the law, now the question is whether Fitzgerald will survive > > > the transition that brings the once-junior senator of Illinois to the > > > White House. Ousting Fitzgerald could raise serious questions about the > > > sincerity of Obama’s commitment to do away with old-school politics. > > > > In September, the former senator who recruited Fitzgerald warned his > > > protégé’s days might well be numbered once Obama moves into 1600 > > > Pennsylvania Ave. > > > > “My guess is if Senator Obama got elected, one of the first things that > > > would happen is that they would remove Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago,” > > > the former senator told WIND’s John & Cisco In The Morning show. “And > > > he’d have pressure to do so from all sorts of Daley administration > > > people.” > > > > Bill P. Marshall, a deputy counsel in Bill Clinton’s White House, tells > > > Newsmax that it is rare for U.S. Attorneys to stay on after a shift in > > > power. > > > > Obama’s main task, Marshall says, is “returning some credibility to the > > > Justice Department, but the point is if [Obama] keeps him on, that is the > > > exception rather than the rule.” > > > > Firing Fitzgerald could cause Obama more trouble than it’s worth. The > > > nightmare scenario for Obama would be if the Blagojevich investigation > > > evolves into a smoldering, enduring controversy along the lines of the > > > Whitewater scandal, which dogged and distracted the presidency of former > > > President Bill Clinton. > > > > For now, that appears to most observers rather unlikely. But given the > > > president-elect’s admission of what he described as “boneheaded” > > > involvement in a real estate deal with top Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony > > > Rezko, questions are likely to linger. > > > > And then there is Illinois’ daunting reputation for political corruption. > > > > Law professor James Lindgren, a Chicago-area law professor at > > > Northwestern University, tells Newsmax: “There is enough corruption in > > > Illinois so that all it takes is someone who is serious about finding it > > > to uncover it. If a U.S. attorney is not finding corruption in Illinois, > > > they’re not seriously looking for it.” > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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