From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald

If Sloppy Journalism Were a Crime....

2008-12-13T13:05:00.007-05:00

I would double my case load!

Profile: Patrick Fitzgerald, a modern-day Eliot Ness

"His internet blog, which is subtitled 'Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way', reveals there was no time for a honeymoon."

...or a fact check...?

The BBC Rocks and Rolls...

Brilliant!

" Sen. Patrick J. Fitzgerald (I) IL ???" - King Solomonojevich

2008-12-10T13:06:00.005-05:00

U.S. Senator by Default - Fond Ties Have Grown Between Chicago and Its Corruption Fighter

The Lord works in mysterious ways, but no thanks, Rod... ;)

Open Thread

2008-10-08T18:08:00.001-05:00

Have at it....

Marriage Is Not A Word...

2008-06-19T11:32:00.006-05:00

it is a sentence. ;)

Love, Etc.

Married: Very Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, 47, to Head Start teacher Jennifer Letzkus, 35, sometime "last week," a rep for the Chicago federal prosecutor (once the most eligible bachelor in Washington wonkdom) confirmed yesterday. Spokesman Randy Samborn would not tell us exactly when or where, only that "he is wearing a ring." What about a honeymoon? "He's back at work."

Happily guilty as charged.

Gov. Spitzer - Pimp Or John...?

2008-03-10T13:11:00.013-05:00

Linked to prostitution ring? DEVELOPING....

Surely, it must be an under (the) cover sting run by his office!
Uh oh...

The Smoking Gun's Smoking Gun...

My "Fleeting Moment Of Brutish Triumph..!"

2008-03-04T20:13:00.007-05:00

Disgraced CEO begins serving prison term

Defiant former mogul calls sentence a 'travesty - a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.'

Conrad Black,the disgraced former newspaper baron, noted historian and British peer who began serving his prison sentence Monday in Florida, could be feeding convicts or fixing their toilets or their pet.

Black went through a regular screening at the Coleman Federal Correction Complex, before he was handed an inmate guidebook and began serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud and obstruction of justice.

There is a compulsory work call at 7 a.m. <more>

I understand that to some Justice can be a bitch in more ways than one. ;)

Valentine's Day...

2008-01-25T03:03:00.000-05:00

is fast approaching...

Happy New Year..!

2008-01-06T17:30:00.001-05:00

2K8 is going to be my best year ever!

AG Mukasey Appoints Four New Members to Attorney General's Advisory Committee

CNN’s Blitzer Correctly Implies White House Officials Will Lie in CIA Matter

Happy Monday...

2007-12-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

Convicted newspaper baron Conrad Black headed for slammer

Libby to Drop Pointless Appeal in CIA Leak Case

ABA Award Winning Blog... <-----------

2007-11-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

awwwww shucks :)

PATRICK FITZGERALD'S BLOG PICKED AS ONE OF THE ABA JOURNAL’S BLAWG 100

(WASHINGTON, DC - NOV 28, 2007) – Editors of the ABA Journal today announced they have selected From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald as one of the top 100 best websites by lawyers, for lawyers.

Now lawyers are being asked to vote on their favorites in each of the Blawg 100’s 12 categories. To vote, go to here. Voting ends Jan. 2, 2008.

From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald is penned by the very special prosecutor himself. If you don't believe us just read his profile or ask the BBC.

“Lawyers nationwide are using the power of the Internet to educate the public about developments in the law, market their practices and attract new clients,” says Edward A. Adams, the Journal’s editor and publisher. “Our list of the 100 best lawyer blogs is the cream of the crop from our directory of more than 1,500 blawgs in dozens of categories, including blawgs focused on almost every state, law school and major federal court in the nation.”

Randall Samborn issued the following statement from Fitz when reached for comment on this breaking news:

"Having grown up in Flatbush, I am very honored and humbled to receive this prestigious national honor and recognition. It proves that with the power of the pen, amplified by the reach of the Internet, one can truly think globally and prosecute locally to fight for truth, justice and the American way."

About the ABA Journal:
The ABA Journal is the flagship magazine of the American Bar Association, and it is read by half of the nation’s 1.1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. ABAJournal.com features breaking legal news updated as it happens by staff reporters throughout every business day, a directory of more than 1,500 lawyer blogs, and the full contents of the magazine.

About the ABA:
With more than 413,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

To vote for yours truly, click on the image below....

Car Maf54 Where Are You...?

2007-11-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

Rove Prober Scott Bloch Wiped and Swiped by Nerds for Hire

The Journal reports that Bloch called the tech support service Geeks on Call for help deleting computer files instead of using his agency's own in-house computer technicians. That company "dispatched a technician in one of its signature PT Cruiser wagons," according to Wilke, who adds that Bloch confirms contacting Geeks on Call but maintains it was part of an effort to "eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer."

"Mr. Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed using a 'seven-level' wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense Department data-security standards," the report continues, describing a process which makes it "nearly impossible for forensics experts to restore the data later. Technicians were also directed to erase laptops used by Bloch's former political deputies, Wilke adds.

"Geeks on Call visited Mr. Bloch's government office in a nondescript office building on M Street in Washington twice, on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, 2006," according the paper's review of a company receipt. "The total charge was $1,149, paid with an agency credit card, the receipt shows. The receipt says a seven-level wipe was performed but doesn't mention any computer virus."

The manager of the Geeks on Call franchise involved told the Journal that the so-called seven-level wipe was not a typical remedy for a computer virus. "We don't do a seven-level wipe for a virus," he said. <more>

Scott, what were you thinking or DOING!?

I Never Unpack My Suitcase...

2007-11-20T17:04:00.000-05:00

Scott McClellan blames President George Bush for CIA leak deceit

Former spokesman says both president and VP up to their ears in cess

Full excerpt from the book:

“The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the President himself.”

I have missed those Old Ebbitt Grill hamburgers...between you and me -- I hear agents of a certain campaign have been telling Robert Novak that I will be proactively mentioned as their choice for AG before the Iowa caucuses...ask Randall! ;)

Open Thread...

2007-11-11T04:31:00.000-05:00

Quite the the JJ Dinner, eh?

Only 48 Days Until Christmas...

2007-11-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

I got my present early this year. :)

The Costume Remains The Same...

2007-10-31T19:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween.

LIke Sands Through The Hourglass...

2007-10-26T22:39:00.000-05:00

Ryan's appeal denied

I am pleased that the full Court of Appeals has decided to let stand the initial careful opinion of the court’s majority, which held that the defendants received a fair trial.

What's All The Fuss About..?

2007-10-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

Lawyer love The Fitzgerald file...

The day has come!

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is engaged!

One of the nation's most eligible bachelors and one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive" plans to marry a Head Start teacher from Chicago named Jennifer Letzkus, 34, whose family hails from Decatur.

And it was the Washington Post that got the scoop.

"We are obsessed with him," said scoopster Amy Argetsinger, who printed the zinger in Thursday's editions.

"We are so happy for them but we want to respect their privacy," said Peggy Letzkus, Jennifer's stepmother, who is married to Jennifer's dad, Gerald. The couple lives in Decatur, where their daughter may tie the knot in a small, private ceremony this spring.

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for Fitzgerald who helps maintain a lid on his boss' obsessive privacy, chuckled at how long it took us to find out.

"Several of you reporters have known for a few days," he told Sneed. "I'm surprised it took so long to come out."

• • Background: Letzkus, who was described as a former investment banker and a marathon runner, was formerly married to Chicagoan Jeremy Crisup in 2001 and divorced in 2004. She also reported a burglary based on forcible entry to her apartment in 2006.

The heartbreak blog . . .

Chuckle central: Fitzgerald, who has a terrific sense of humor, has handled his share of personal teasing since coming to Chicago . . . but check out this excerpt from the "The Little Pink Clubhouse" blog about his engagement.

"Patrick Fitzgerald is engaged. This is the worst day EVER!

"Ladies, the day we've dreaded is here. Bring your own Kleenex. This will be legendary!

"This calls for chocolate, more chocolate, and chocolate after that! My heart is BROKEN. He's supposed to be pining away for ME, and he gets himself engaged to some gorgeous marathon running, Head Start teaching, former investment banker? How can this BE? She sounds like she's just perfect for my heartthrob. [sob! sob! sniff!] Congratulations, you two. I hope you'll be blissfully happy together.

"In the meantime, I'll be cleaning out the chocolate supply in a three-state area!"

I couldn't have done it without everyone's help - it was love at first sight - my color coordinated suit and tie caught Jen's eye and according to her...I had her at "doh!" ;)

And thank you all for the well wishes and emails, especially Laura Bush -- though not quite sure what she meant by "marriage is not a word - it is a sentence!"

Narrow Stance On Marriage...

2007-10-18T15:09:00.000-05:00

LOVE, ETC.

* Engaged: Patrick Fitzgerald, 46, to Chicago teacher Jennifer Letzkus, 34. We noticed the Very Special Prosecutor in the Scooter Libby case first, and People magazine put him in its "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. Now we've learned he's proposed to Letzkus, described as a former investment banker turned Head Start teacher and marathon runner (hard to compete with that résumé, ladies). First marriage for Fitz, second for her. Plans call for a small, private wedding, probably in the spring.

I am a lucky man.

Crossing I's And Dotting T's...

2007-10-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

Court Gonna Busta Move Against White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. magistrate indicated Wednesday that a federal court may order the Bush administration to preserve copies of all White House e-mails, a move that a government lawyer argued strongly against.

U.S. Magistrate John M. Facciola asked Justice Department attorneys and a private group for suggested wording on a proposed court order in a lawsuit stemming from problems with the White House e-mail system.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued the Executive Office of the President last month, demanding that any e-mails lost from White House computer servers be restored from computer backup tapes.

In the weeks since the group filed its lawsuit, the private organization says it has been unable to get assurances from the government that all White House backup tapes containing copies of e-mails will be preserved. The group, known by the acronym CREW, also says it has been unable to get assurances that the White House is using the backup tapes only once.

Facciola made clear that he is concerned.

Can the government provide assurances that the White House backup tapes of its e-mails have not been "obliterated and recycled?" asked Facciola.

CREW is trying to make sure the e-mail copies are being preserved so that the lawsuit "does not become an academic exercise," said Facciola.

"The Office of Administration is not recycling backup tapes," Justice Department attorney Helen Hong told the judge.

In response, CREW attorney Anne Weismann said the group is concerned about past practices by the Executive Office of the President and private contractors who might have handled backup tapes.

"I don't know how the White House defendants could have been made it more clear," Hong said. She said the administration's position is that there is no need for a court order. She offered to have the administration provide a sworn declaration of what it is preserving.

Facciola adjourned court for 20 minutes, asking the two sides to try to work out wording on an agreement of what has been preserved. After the attorneys said they were at an impasse, Facciola suggested the requirements for a court order had been met.

The Federal Records Act and the President Records Act require that all White House e-mail be preserved.

The lawsuit by CREW last month is similar to one filed earlier by the National Security Archive, a private group advocating public disclosure of government secrets.

The first indication of a problem with the White House e-mail system came nearly two years ago when special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald raised the possibility that records sought in the CIA leak investigation involving the outing of Valerie Plame could be missing because of an e-mail archiving problem.

The issue arose again early this year amid the controversy over the firing of U.S. attorneys. Aides to Bush improperly used Republican Party-sponsored e-mail accounts for official business and an undetermined number of e-mails were lost.

Ultimately, the e-mails will be important years from now to historians delving into the inner workings of the Bush administration.

Citizen Heroes...

2007-10-11T19:02:00.000-05:00

More Questions Over White House E-Mail

WASHINGTON (AP) — An ethics advocacy group asked a federal judge Thursday to order the White House to preserve tapes used to back up its e-mail system.

Asserting that the White House may not have kept copies of e-mails that are at the heart of a dispute over the Bush administration's record-keeping, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a motion asking for a court order to preserve computer backup tapes.

"The White House is refusing to confirm that they have maintained e-mail going back to the beginning of the administration as they are required by law to do," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

The group placed on the public record two Justice Department letters stating that the White House is maintaining all backup tapes that were in the possession of the White House Office of Administration as of Sept. 25, 2007, the date CREW sued the Executive Office of the President in the e-mail controversy.

The private group asked the Justice Department for information about what backup tapes were in the White House's possession, but the Justice Department has not provided an explanation.

The possibility that backup tapes may not contain copies of all White House e-mail is a new dimension to the controversy, which first arose in early 2006. CREW alleges that millions of White House e-mails are missing, and that the backup tapes contained the lone remaining copies.

"At present the missing e-mail records exist only on backup tapes and other mediums, if at all," CREW said in its court filing. "Thus, those backup tapes contain the only copies of important historical evidence of this presidency."

CREW is entitled to a temporary restraining order to prevent any further document destruction, the group said in its filing with U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy, an appointee of President Clinton.

In the past, the White House has said it is aware that some e-mails may not have been automatically archived on a computer server for the Executive Office of the President and that the e-mails may have been preserved on backup tapes.

In response to the latest court filing, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said that because the matter is in court, he is referring to previous White Houses comments on the issue.

The White House has said that its Office of Administration is looking into whether there are e-mails that were not automatically archived and that if there is a problem, the necessary steps will be taken to address it.

The first indication of a problem came in nearly two years ago when special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald raised the possibility that records sought in the CIA leak investigation involving the outing of Valerie Plame could be missing because of an e-mail archiving problem at the White House.

The issue arose again this year amid the controversy over the firing of U.S. attorneys. Aides to Bush improperly used Republican Party-sponsored e-mail accounts for official business and an undetermined number of e-mails were lost.

"Vicious And Slashing,.."

2007-10-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

Two at the top share their view from out house

Karl Rove keeps a newspaper picture of Lewis "Scooter" Libby and his wife on the day Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak case. Rove says he holds onto it to remember.

"I'm really sad about Scooter," he said.

Although he does not say it, the picture may also be a reminder of what he avoided.

Rove adamantly denies doing anything wrong, but the investigation, which hung over him for years before special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald decided against seeking an indictment, gave more grist to enemies who see a ruthless Machiavellian willing to destroy his critics. Rove sees it the other way around; he sees a hunt for a crime that did not exist.

The investigation, Rove said, was his lowest moment at Bush's side. "It was really hard for me," he said. "I'm not bitter about it. But I'll tell you, my wife is bitter about all the people who carry those little badges that say, 'Press.' "

Foes assumed Rove's resignation as deputy chief of staff was connected to his role in the U.S. attorney firings, but Rove scoffs at that notion.

"I'm the evil genius," he said, mocking his reputation. More seriously, he said, "I understand there are people out there who really don't like me. And the question is, am I going to let it bother me? I ignore the ugly things that are said." <more>

Mouth Zero...

2007-10-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Novak: Wilson did not forcefully object to naming of CIA wife in column

Columnist Robert Novak said Saturday Ambassador Joe Wilson did not forcefully object to the naming of his CIA operative wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, when Novak spoke to him prior to the publication of a column that sparked a federal investigation and sent White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to jail.

“He was not terribly exercised about it,” Novak said.

Instead, Wilson focused on not being portrayed as simply an opponent of the Iraq war. Wilson also stressed that his wife went by his last name, Wilson, rather than Plame, Novak said.

Novak forcefully defended his handling of the column and the legal wrangling that surrounded the special counsel investigation in a seminar on the CIA leak case at the 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Convention.

“It was an off-hand remark to a question I asked in an interview I requested,” Novak said. “This was not a conspiracy in the federal government to go after Valerie Plame Wilson.”

Novak said he complied with prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s subpoena to testify because his lawyer told him he had no legal grounds to resist, and losing a court fight could erode the legal protections of the press. He noted that, as a syndicated columnist, he had to pay the legal fees himself, to the tune of $160,000. His home newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times, contributed $30,000, he said.

He was surprised when the questioning began, that he was not pressed on his source. The reason, he said, was that Fitzgerald already knew that it was then Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

At one point, he recalled, former White House aide Kenneth Duberstein called Novak on Armitage’s behalf, asking if Armitage was the source.

“I said, ‘I can’t give you that information,’” Novak said with a grin.

Novak said his critics, including those in the press, have attacks his ethics, when in fact their quarrel was with his ideology.

“I was stunned by how little editorial support I received. I was under assault from editorial writers from across the country,” Novak said. “It is startling how little is known about this case by the people who are commenting on it.”

He said his case shows the need for a shield law like the one approved last week by a Senate committee. But he added, “Is it not hypocritical for my critics to support a law that would have saved me from three years of confrontation?”

My Point Of View...

2007-10-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

Shield Law Perils . . .
Bill Would Wreak Havoc on a System That Isn't Broken

By Patrick J. Fitzgerald

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a "shield law" for journalists that would radically alter the way national security investigations are conducted. Unlike state shield laws, a federal shield law poses unique obstacles to the protection of national security. We must know whether the proposed law squarely addresses a real problem before taking such a significant step.

Let's start from the common premise that a robust and free press and fair and effective law enforcement are both vital to our democracy. Since the Supreme Court ruled 35 years ago that reporters are obligated to comply with grand jury subpoenas, there has been no shortage of whistle-blowers -- from Watergate to Abu Ghraib. And the Justice Department operates under rigorous regulations restricting the issuance of subpoenas to journalists. These regulations, which require balancing the competing public interests in law enforcement and the flow of information to the media, have yielded only a trickle of subpoenas.

Against this background, a compelling case has not been made for jettisoning the legal framework that has guided this process for the past 35 years.

A threshold question lawmakers should ask is whether reporters will obey the law if it is enacted. They should ask because the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press calls for a shield law while urging journalists to defy the law when a court upholds a subpoena for source information. Any shield bill should require that a person seeking its protection first provide the subpoenaed information under seal to the court, to be released only if the court orders the information disclosed.

The proposed shield law poses real hazards to national security and law enforcement. The bipartisan Sept. 11 commission and the Robb-Silberman commission on prewar intelligence both found our national security at great risk because of the widespread leaking of classified information. The proposed law would have the unintended but profound effect of handcuffing investigations of such leaks. In many cases, authorities would face the Catch-22 of being required to prove specific criminal activity -- in a hearing before a judge, often resulting in notice to the subjects of investigation or their associates -- before they could take the investigative steps to determine whether criminal activity had occurred. In effect, the law would require "trial before investigation." Even worse, in cases involving leaks of classified information, the law would require the government to disclose in a hearing the specific damage caused by the leak -- information often more sensitive than the leak itself.

On a practical level, the bill would cause delays -- measured in years -- in national security investigations because prosecutors would be litigating (and appealing) instead of investigating serious crimes. As but one example, if classified nuclear secrets were published in a newspaper citing official sources at the Pentagon, the FBI would need to litigate with the newspaper before being allowed to use subpoenas to follow the trail of the Pentagon's own telephone or e-mail records. And the FBI might well lose because the bill, puzzlingly, requires that agents prove that the leak occurred without relying on the newspaper article.

The bill would have other serious consequences. "Journalism" is so broadly defined that it includes not just newspapers and bloggers but also criminal organizations that disseminate information widely. In recent cases in Chicago, this bill would have qualified as journalists:

"Charity" groups that raised money through Internet postings, purportedly for widows and orphans, but that actually diverted the funds to groups affiliated with al-Qaeda.
An Iraqi spy who had a cover job as a journalist.
A violent street gang that pirated a religious radio station to broadcast messages to gang members.
Child pornographers who shared information over the Internet.

The shield bill appears to address the first two cases but does not. The bill does not protect people if the government proves they are acting on behalf of a foreign terrorist group or foreign power. But the bill also handcuffs investigators from taking the steps necessary to obtain that proof. The bill does not even purport to exclude domestic terrorists, gangs or pedophiles. No senator or legitimate journalist wants to extend protection to terrorists or other criminals, but such is the vice of a law defining journalism.

Any shield bill raises important questions for our democracy and warrants close scrutiny. Certainly those who advocate a shield law do not wish to compromise national security or public safety. Similarly, those who oppose such a law intend neither to cripple the free press nor to suffocate dissent. Before acting in this sensitive area, Congress should take care that any legislation addresses demonstrated needs and does not create dangerous unintended consequences for national security and law enforcement. Congress -- and the public -- ought to be assured that the people who propose the shield law will themselves obey it. The proposed bill fails all these tests.

The writer is the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Senate Panel Approves Press Shield Bill

Raw Video...

2007-09-28T22:24:00.000-05:00

Feds Detail Alleged Murder-For-Hire Plot Fitz-TV

I think I did medium well. ;)

The Big Mo...?

2007-09-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

landed in my email today...

From: Barack Obama <info@barackobama.com>
Date: Sep 28, 2007 1:56 PM
Subject: Hey

I'm just now leaving New York, and you've got me fired up. Nearly 25,000 people came together last night for the rally.

Here's the video:

We're still shy of our goal of 350,000 people giving to the campaign by Sunday's deadline.

Make a donation now and get us there:

More soon.

Barack
P.S. Serious problems require serious solutions.
P.S.S. Run, don't walk to my rally.
P.S.S. Bill Clinton Says He Was More Experienced Than Me?

Polls, schmolls! Go Mets!

Law Enforcement Good...

2007-09-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

torture bad!

Alleged torture by police is now a Fitz matter

"After years of listening to calls for a federal investigation into the Chicago police torture scandal that allegedly ran from the 1970s into the early 1990s, U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald announced Wednesday that his office is engaged in a criminal investigation of the matter.

Without using the names of former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge or the detectives who worked under him, Fitzgerald said his office would look into whether any of the officers lied under oath or obstructed justice as part of the civil litigation resulting from allegations that police tortured dozens of suspects."

"We're not going to prejudge what will happen," Fitzgerald said at a news conference called to announce an unrelated arrest. "We're not going to predict whether there will be charges or anything beyond that, but we do want to make clear that we're very, very serious about this investigation." <more>

Romper, Bomper, Stomper Boo...

2007-09-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

"Tell me, tell me, tell me, do. Magic mirror, tell me today. Have all my "authors" had fun at play?"

"Imaginative Author: The skeleton in Pat Fitzgerald's closet" - Rawstory

Away Go Troubles Down The Drain...

2007-09-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

‘Most corrupt’ list members keep vanishing

After creating a list called “The 22 most corrupt members of Congress (and two to watch),” one must make haste in releasing it.

That’s because those pesky designees have a way of disappearing.

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonprofit watchdog, released its third-annual list on Sept. 18.
It included Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), who announced on Sept. 22 that he wanted to spend more time with his family and would retire next year.

Yes, the decision was 100 percent about his family, and had nothing at all to do with the list or a Chicago Tribune investigative series of stories that uncovered omissions in his financial disclosure filings.

Sen. Craig, who is one of the “two to watch,” is on his way out the door at month’s end — at least, his Republican leadership hopes he is.

At this pace, CREW can hope to get results like its list did last year. Of the 25 lawmakers who earned the distinction in 2006, 10 are no longer in Congress and eight more are under federal investigation.

But not everybody is impressed by the organization’s work. Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), who is the target of a Justice Department probe and two-time winner of a slot on the list, fought back, informing the local Auburn Journal that he doesn’t like CREW anyway.

“I just really think it’s unfair and wrong for an underhanded and vile organization like CREW, who disagrees with me because I’m a conservative Republican, to attack me on that,” he reportedly said.

I heart CREW for demonstrating that with a little sunshine, elbow grease and diligence -- (extra)ordinary citizens like them CAN make a difference in cleaning up Congress!

Brownmail Alert - White House Approved Lobbying Effort to Block Approval of California Vehicle Standards

Very Good Yontif...

2007-09-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

Federal grand jury issues subpoena for Buckham payroll records
A federal grand jury has subpoenaed payroll records from the House for Ed Buckham, former chief of staff to ex-House Majority Leader and exterminator Tom DeLay.

The subpoena, issued by a grand jury in Washington, D.C., is the first formal notification that Buckham is the focus of a federal corruption probe by the Justice Department. The subpoena was sent to Daniel Beard, chief administrative officer for the House, and formally read into the Congressional Record this afternoon, although Buckham was not mentioned in the official notification.

Buckham served as DeLay's chief of staff before leaving to become a lobbyist. He had extensive dealings with now imprisoned GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and a former buiness associate Tony Rudy - also a former DeLay aide - has already pleaded guilty to accepting payments from Abramoff's clients while working for DeLay. The gifts, including payments to Rudy's wife, were in exchange for helping Abramoff and his clients with legislative matters, according to Rudy's plea agreement with DOJ.

Rudy also pleaded guilty to violating the one-year ban for former senior aides to approach their former bosses as lobbyists. It is unclear if the Justice Department is pursuing the same allegation against Buckham. Neil Volz, ex-chief of staff to imprisoned former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), pleaded guilty to same charge as well.

Buckham, an ordained minister, remained very close to DeLay after he left the Texas Republican's staff, advising DeLay on numerous political and legislative matters.

In recent months, a number of ex-DeLay staffers have been subpoenaed - or voluntarily came in for questioning - by the Justice Dept. to discuss the day-to-day operations of DeLay's office, including the role Buckham played once he left DeLay's staff, according to several sources familiar with the investigation.

Buckham also has ties to other lawmakers under federal investigation, including Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.). Buckham's lobbying firm hired Doolittle's wife, Julie Doolittle, to do consulting work. Doolittle's house was recently raided by FBI agents as part of the continuing Abramoff investigation.

DeLay and Buckham have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, although a number of former associates have pleaded guilty to corruption charges as a result of the Abramoff probe.

Roger That...

2007-09-21T10:06:00.000-05:00

Indictment sought for Good Cop/Bad Cop Burge
Aldermen urge Fitzgerald to look into federal charges

As always, if you have any questions, speak to Randall or post them on here.

Protocol - WWJD..?

2007-09-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

Pope 'refused to meet with Rice'

Snub by the Vatican towards the Bush administration

What I learned at Regis: Confession is good for the soul and -- Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it! Psalm 34: 14

Until I Am Red In The Face...

2007-09-18T13:25:00.000-05:00

Just say "No, thank you!" to graft!

Today, CREW released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch). This encyclopedic report on corruption in the 110th Congress documents the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted members of Congress. CREW has compiled the members’ transgressions and analyzed them in light of federal laws and congressional rules. <more>

Top U.S. Official Eyed For Blocking Probes
Investigation Alleges State Dept. Inspector General Blocked Investigations Into Baghdad Embassy Graft

Freedom Of X...

2007-09-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

FOX bleeps Sally Field’s anti-war Emmy speech

The network really doesn't like her?

Blowing Shofars..!

2007-09-16T22:50:00.000-05:00

The Decider nominates new AG
Nice 12 month sentence, Judge! Shana Tova.

Mukasey - Deep Background...hush hush on the QT

Don't Cry For Me Abu Ghraib...

2007-09-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

Gonzales receives praise, standing ovations at farewell ceremony

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales received an emotional and staunchly supportive send-off in the final hour of his last day on the job at the Justice Department on Friday.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gets emotional during a farewell ceremony on his last day of work Friday.

With a handful of protesters noisily celebrating his departure on the sidewalks outside, Gonzales was praised by no fewer than 10 Justice lieutenants and agency heads -- some with their voices cracking, others crack smoking.

Gonzales himself at one point wiped tears from his eyes and praised the Justice Department as "a place of inspiration" in his farewell speech. <warning --tissue zone>

Sing it, Madonna...

I Once Developed A Deep...

2007-09-14T17:53:00.000-05:00

thigh bruise after bumping with Condi while dancing after a heated evening of Klingon Scrabble.

After she became secretary of state, she came to a party at Blacker's house, kicked off her shoes, and began dancing through the night to rock and and roll. Blacker, who is gay, wanted to show his partner how tight her behind is; he postulated that if he aimed a quarter at her butt, it would bounce off like a rocket. He was right. Rice, who was dancing, didn't realize what he had done until everyone began laughing hysterically. She was flattered -- and proud.

It's true! ;)

Hat tip: Condi, chose, public service, over a budding song writing, career! And that's the rest of the story, good day.

That's A Pricey Meatball..!

2007-09-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Munchies Take Big Bite Out of DOJ Budge

My AG Party Evite Must Be Lost...

2007-09-13T10:38:00.000-05:00

somewhere in the Internets.

A GOODBYE AT JUSTICE
Gonzales Ready to Leave the Stage

Democrats to make AG nomination less political -- Vow to block Olsen

Harry Reid vowed on Wednesday to block former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson from becoming attorney general if President George W. Bush nominates him to replace Alberto Gonzales. <more>

Surely, a big going away party is planned for AG Gonzalez? Hello? Anyone?

UPDATE: my Evite <-----woo hoo!!!

When The Moon Hits Your Eye...

2007-09-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

Wiseguys and Cop -- Guilty In Chicago Mob Trial

A federal jury found five aging men guilty Monday in a racketeering conspiracy that involved decades of extortion, loan sharking and murder aimed at rubbing out anyone who dared stand in the way of the ruthless Chicago mob.

The verdicts capped an extraordinary 10-week trial that laid bare some of the inner workings of The Outfit. <more>

Next!

TGIF Potpourri...

2007-09-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

Teamsters Local 743 Officer and Former Employees Indicted

CHICAGO, Sept. 7 -- An officer of Teamsters Local 743 and three former union local employees were indicted on federal charges for allegedly conspiring together with others to steal ballots in an effort to rig two elections in favor of an incumbent slate of officers in 2004, officials of the U.S. Justice and Labor departments announced today.

In two closely-contested elections just months apart, the defendants and others allegedly diverted to their friends, family and confidantes hundreds of mailed, official ballot packages that were intended for delivery to Local 743 members, and then cast the ballots or caused them to be cast to ensure election of the incumbent slate. Local 743 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, based in Chicago, represents more than 12,000 members engaged in warehouse, office, medical, service and other industries, and is one of the largest Teamsters locals in the country.

The seven-count indictment was returned yesterday by a federal grand jury, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; Don Todd, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards; Gordon S. Heddell, Inspector General of the Labor Department; and Thomas P. Brady, Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. <more>

Judith Miller joins conservative thunk tank!!!

Nifong not only rogue prosecutor???

Loose Lips S-to-tha-izzink Ships...

2007-09-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

Ahead of tha Posse

Accord'n ta White Hizouse playa there were plans fo` ho-slappin' Attorney General Alberto Gonzales ta resign, but not as early as he did cuz its a G thang. "We wizzy pimpin' it over Labor Day weekend, not a week drug deala sez a White Hizouse staffa�.

In fact, few if any senior staff at tha Department of Justice were prepared fo` tha Monday (August 27) resignizzles of Gonzales. Ho-slappin' ta DOJ aides, Gonzales wrote his very brief remarks at tha press conferizzles wit gangsta n policy advisa completely in tha dizzy of wizzle was ho-slappin'

So why tha speed up? Ridin' ta DOJ staff, revelizzles tizzle tha Department was doggy stylin' ta improperly vet partna fo` Muslim outreach programm'n were brew'n, particularly wit tha resignizzles of tha heezee of tha departments civil rights division.

"Its bizzy an ongo'n issue, n there was politics at play, as well," accord'n ta a DOJ source.

Earlia in August, it was reported tizzy tha department had canceled a Muslim outreach event at Washington heezeequarters, W-H-to-tha-izzich would hizzy featured Gonzales, afta it was learned one of tha cosponsors had ties ta a Muslim organizzles tizzle was an unindicted co-conspirizzles in tha federal Holy Land Foundation terrorist hatin' prosecution.

And why was there concern `bout these stories? Coz tha U.S. Attorney pimpin' tha Holy Land case is nizzy otha tizzy Patrick Fitzgerald, of Scoota Libby fame. Fitzgerald is believed by some inside tha White Hizouse ta have been tha source of tha earlia Muslim leak T-H-to-tha-izzat embarrassed Gonzales.

American Spectator, word to your mother!

Firedoglake sez...

Who Knew..???

2007-09-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

DOJ Seeks to Recover From Gonzales' Tenure
Many observers say the AG leaves behind a Main Justice in disarray

Demoralized. Discredited. Dysfunctional.

These words are among those used to sum up the state of the Justice Department under the watch of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who last week announced he will step down Sept. 17.

Much like a wounded patient in an intensive care unit, the department is in need of critical attention to revive its core mission: law enforcement.

Exactly how much influence Gonzales exerted throughout the department is still open to debate, but as his 2½-year tenure comes to a close, this much is clear: Main Justice is in disarray.

Current and ex-career employees, former political appointees, legal scholars, detractors, and supporters all tell the same story: The shortcomings are numerous and the successes few and far between.

With ongoing internal and congressional investigations into the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys, the controversial warrantless surveillance program, the politicization of the Civil Rights Division, and Gonzales' own testimony to Congress, it's hard to find observers willing to step out and put a positive spin on Gonzales' tenure. His detractors aren't so shy.

"There is no reasonable doubt that Alberto R. Gonzales will be remembered as one of the worst attorneys general in history and perhaps the most embarrassed, and embarrassing, Cabinet officers ever," says Daniel Metcalfe, a 30-year veteran of Justice who has become an outspoken critic since retiring in January as head of the department's Office of Information and Privacy. Some current Justice employees are just relieved to hear that Gonzales is stepping aside.

"The departure was a reassurance for a lot of people," says a career attorney in the Civil Division. "I'm looking forward to better times."

Not everyone is so critical of Gonzales' stewardship. His defenders highlight the creation of the National Security Division within the department and his emphasis on child exploitation as key accomplishments by the man who replaced John Ashcroft in February 2005.

"As for his legacy, the ironic thing is, I think he did a pretty good job as attorney general," says Viet Dinh, a former high-ranking official at the Office of Legal Counsel under Ashcroft.

RUBBER STAMP FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

Needless to say, not too many observers share Dinh's sunny assessment. Looking over the department's 40 offices, divisions and components, critics point to the Civil Rights Division and the Office of Legal Counsel as being the most tarnished under Gonzales' leadership. They also point to the Executive Office of Immigration Review as being heavily politicized under both Ashcroft and Gonzales. Records show that dozens of former Republican activists and loyalists without immigration law experience got jobs as judges there in recent years.

Evan Peterson, a Justice spokesman, last week strongly denied that politics had influenced some of the department's divisions or that the offices had become extensions of the White House.

But Douglas Kmiec, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, says the office that oversaw the application of Gonzales' famed memo on interrogations must reinforce its commitment to independence.

"Much of the difficulty over torture memos and signing statements started in that office," says Kmiec, who teaches at Pepperdine University School of Law. "Somehow it lost its way. It lost its ability to say no. [The office] needs to get its act in order."

Dawn Johnsen, a former head of the Office of Legal Counsel under Attorney General Janet Reno, agrees.

"There are just appalling examples of the Department of Justice and its counsel acting as a rubber stamp for unlawful programs that the White House wanted to pursue," says Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University.

The office is currently headed by Steven Bradbury, who holds the title of principal deputy assistant attorney general and whom the Senate has refused to confirm as the official head of the office for more than two years. Bradbury has been accused of using the office to facilitate White House legal requests and recently wrote a memo advising former White House officials, including former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, to ignore congressional subpoenas.

Democratic senators have questioned Bradbury's credentials and have asked the White House to appoint someone else to head the office. They also are upset that an inquiry by the Office of Professional Responsibility into Bradbury's role in the warrantless surveillance program was quashed by President George W. Bush, who refused to grant OPR investigators security clearances.

Justice spokesman Peterson said in an e-mail statement that the Office of Legal Counsel "has provided rigorous and objective legal advice" to the White House and the executive branch.

"There is no basis to assert that OLC has been politicized or is a rubber stamp for the White House," Peterson said.

At the Civil Rights Division, meanwhile, some career attorneys say their influence has diminished as new department heads and political appointees sought to reverse decades of key civil rights law enforcement under Gonzales and, earlier, Ashcroft.

"The damage done to one of the federal government's most important law enforcement agencies is deep and will take time to overcome," Joseph Rich, a former chief in the voting section of the Civil Rights Division who retired in 2005, said in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year.

Some career staff complain about being overruled on key re-districting plans -- which were later challenged in court. Other controversial practices, such as diverting the hiring duties from career staff to political appointees, began under Ashcroft, but ex-career officials say Gonzales let them continue unchecked. <more>

Got Pretzels..?

2007-08-31T16:10:00.000-05:00

One step ahead of scandal -- Karl Rove chokes up on final day at White House

Late...Breaking...News...Wash Hands Before Returning To Work

"Nasty, Bad, Naughty Boy." - Sen. Craig

Stupid Pet Tricks...

2007-08-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

Letterman -- Top Ten Reasons Alberto is Stepping Down

NBC5.com - Durbin: Fitz Could Be Long Shot To Replace Gonzales

CHICAGO -- U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Monday the top federal prosecutor in Chicago might be a long shot to replace outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The Illinois Democrat praised U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for being a career prosecutor who has proven time and again that he looks at the law and not politics. Fitzgerald's Chicago office has prosecuted several high-profile cases, including former Illinois Gov. George Ryan.

Durbin has been a frequent critic of Gonzales. He said he is glad Gonzales is leaving his post next month, but he wonders about the timing of it.

Dick, the timing is perfect -- my lease is up next month.

Hey...

2007-08-27T09:49:00.000-05:00

hey hey, hey hey hey

US Attorney General Gonzales resigns

Heaven holds a place for those who pray...

Gone Fishin'...

2007-08-16T20:22:00.000-05:00

Come September...

No Surprises Here...

2007-08-14T23:36:00.000-05:00

RNC Now Seeks Shelter of Executive Privilege

The Republican National Committee said it will not abide by a subpoena and turn over documents to a Congressional committee investigating the firings of at least eight US attorneys last year because the RNC is waiting to see if the White House will assert executive privilege over RNC documents at the center of the controversy, according to an outside law firm retained by the RNC. <more>

The only surprise here is that Jason has not yet won a Pulitzer...

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do...

2007-08-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

Rove Leaving Bush

Karl "the Architect" Rove: It will be a long time before this Administration falls apart. It was built to last forever like the Pyramids in Egypt.

You can't compare the Pyramids to this White House. The Pyramids were designed to be tombs.

Sing it, Turdblossom...Audio

Oopsie...

2007-08-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

file this under...?

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire

The Good Fight...

2007-08-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Ex-DOJ employees spar with administration

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales knows well the ways of sparring with the Senate Judiciary Committee, but increasingly he is facing an uncommon and more effective adversary: former Department of Justice career attorneys who are out to settle the score with Gonzales and the administration.

After months of scandal, firings and some testimony from Gonzales that many on Capitol Hill found wholly unsatisfying, these ex-Justice Department employees are taking a rare step and fighting back. <mas>

Think "rope-a-dope."

Abu Gonzales Visits Baghdad...

2007-08-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

How Quaint.

AG Gonzales arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for his third trip to Iraq to meet with department officials who have been there to help fashion the country's legal system.

"I am pleased to see firsthand...the progress that the men and women of the Justice Department have made to rebuild Iraq's legal system and law enforcement infrastructure while affording all Iraqi citizens the full protection and rights of the Second Amendment," Gonzales said in a statement released by the department.

His optimistic assessment came despite the frequent sectarian lawlessness and killings in the country. <more>

FLASHBACK - "In my judgment, this new paradigm renders obsolete Geneva's strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint some of its provisions."

Gonzales also argued that dropping Geneva would allow the president to "preserve his flexibility" in the war on terror. His reasoning? That U.S. officials might otherwise be subject to war-crimes prosecutions under the Geneva Conventions. Gonzales said he feared "prosecutors and independent counsels who may in the future decide to pursue unwarranted charges" based on a 1996 U.S. law that bars "war crimes," which were defined to include "any grave breach" of the Geneva Conventions. As to arguments that U.S. soldiers might suffer abuses themselves if Washington did not observe the conventions, Gonzales argued wishfully to Bush that "your policy of providing humane treatment to enemy detainees gives us the credibility to insist on like treatment for our soldiers."

The Dog Days Of Summer...

2007-08-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

TGIF -- or is everyone still still grumpy from when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies in 2001?

Blowin' In The Wind...

2007-08-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

is the answer my friends...

Looking For a Whistling Leaky Leaker

Aug. 13, 2007 issue - The controversy over President Bush's warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant, raided the suburban Washington home of a former Justice Department lawyer. The lawyer, Thomas M. Tamm, previously worked in Justice's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR)—the supersecret unit that oversees surveillance of terrorist and espionage targets.

The agents seized Tamm's desktop computer, two of his children's laptops and a cache of personal files. Tamm and his lawyer, Paul Kemp, declined any comment. So did the FBI. But two legal sources who asked not to be identified talking about an ongoing case told NEWSWEEK the raid was related to a Justice criminal probe into who leaked details of the warrantless eavesdropping program to the news media. <more>

Clarice, how do you feel about sharing that recent award with others?

Cheap Eats...

2007-08-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

beat making dinner.

CHICAGO - Hundreds of officers and local law enforcement leaders turned out to send off retiring Chicago Police Superintendent Phil Cline. <video>

...and a good gathering to "serve" a few local officials. ;)

No Cooler for the Scooter...

2007-08-02T22:23:00.000-05:00

Dick sings one for his Libby, and one for the road.

Equal Time...

2007-08-02T21:36:00.000-05:00

for the Hypocrite of the Year - Clarice Feldman

Alberto Gonzales Agonistes

Democrats are playing political games with national security and mongering phony scandal. It amounts to a program of harassment of the Bush Administration's efforts to defend us against attack by uncovering terror plots using intelligence agencies.

It has been nothing short of a miracle that we have been spared another attack after 9/11; this has occurred through the Administration's use of various techniques almost all of which were leaked to the press. National security secrets were disclosed with no punishment to the leakers or publishers at all.

I'm talking about leaks of real national security significance--<more>

This is the year of the boar, yes?

Call Me Like This...

2007-08-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

and you will be lucky if you only need OxyContin.

U.S. Attorney Became Target After Rebuffing Justice Dept.

The night before the government secured a guilty plea from the manufacturer of the addictive painkiller OxyContin, a senior Justice Department official called the U.S. attorney handling the case and, at the behest of an executive for the drugmaker, urged him to slow down, the prosecutor told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday.

John L. Brownlee, the U.S. attorney in Roanoke, testified that he was at home the evening of Oct. 24 when he received the call on his cellphone from Michael J. Elston, then chief of staff to the deputy attorney general and one of the Justice aides involved in the removal of nine U.S. attorneys last year. <more>

High Noon - High Drama...

2007-07-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Specter: WH must clarify Gonzales testimony by noon Today

"The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), emerged from a crucial Monday briefing and gave the Bush administration 18 hours to resolve the controversy over apparent contradictions in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s congressional testimony."

"Specter aides released a statement late Monday that suggested a bombshell to come on Tuesday afternoon." <more>

"People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care." - High Noon

UPDATE: White House ignores Arlen's deadline

Wisdom from a recent fortune cookie - "Ultimatums ring hollow unless one is prepared to back them up. Lucky numbers 7 12 9 24"

UPDATE II: My Dog Ate My Homework
UPDATE III: Invisible Ink?

Get Healthy Soon, Chief Justice Roberts...

2007-07-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

So relaxing in Maine...is there any chance you forgot to refill a Rx for Xanax...doctors say one must "taper" off certain medications.

Chief Justice Roberts has seizure, falls

BTW, how do you feel about suspicionless drug testing of students, government employees, elected officials?

D.C. Climate Change...

2007-07-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

FBI, IRS search home of Sen. Ted Stevens

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service on Monday searched the home of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, an official said.

Investigators arrived at the Republican senator's home in Girdwood shortly before 2:30 p.m. Alaska time, said Dave Heller, FBI assistant special agent.

Heller said he could not comment on the nature of the investigation, but suggested "Senator Stevens might freeze his assets off in Alaska and D.C."

The Justice Department has been looking into the seven-term senator's relationship with a wealthy contractor as part of a public corruption investigation. <more>

Graft and corruption does not discriminate based on age, race, gender or political party - just say "No, thank you!"

"...freeze his assets off." Good one, Dave! Randall, why don't you write me zingers like that? ;)

Peak On Boo..?

2007-07-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

Update On Bush’s Illegal Spying

"The controversy over the Bush Administration’s illegal surveillance of Americans and the Attorney General’s role in concealing it became more intense over the weekend. Much of the focus was on the side show of whether Attorney General Gonzales did or did not mislead or lie to Congress when he claimed there was never any significant disagreement over the “program the President has confirmed.” But the “underlying crime,” which the Administration keeps trying to sweep under the rug, is and always has been the illegal spying on Americans. And bit by bit, the Administration has been forced to concede it engaged in these crimes for years." - FDL

Gonzales's Honesty Disputed
Claims of misstatements made by attorney general to shield Bush "hang over" from 90's

Alberto Gonzalez & The Deathly Hallows...

2007-07-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

Gloom Over D.O.J.

"When you have a Minister of Magic with his personal integrity and credibility so repeatedly reduced to shreds, not to mention in so public a forum, that's just antithetical to the very nature of the Justice Department and its role in upholding the rule of law," -- "This is the Department of Justice and the attorney general, where absolute integrity is Job 1."

When I'm stuck with the day that's gray and lonely
I just stick out my chin and grin and say, ohhh

The sun will come out, tomorrow
So you gotta hang on 'til tomorrow
Come what may...

Tomorrow, tomorrow
I love ya, tomorrow
A resignation is always a day away...

Death Eaters Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Shamed

Countdown: A Clear Case Of...

2007-07-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

self-inflicted Legitimate Cause...

"Mommy, why is the lying man still in charge of the law?"- Daily Show video

DOJ Comedy Central - no laughing matter, but does leave one susceptible to the occasional whizgigging...

Otra Vez..?

2007-07-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Help Wanted: Consultor Especial

"We ask that you immediately appoint an independent special counsel from outside the Department of Justice to determine whether Attorney General Gonzales may have misled Congress or perjured himself in testimony before Congress," four Democratic senators wrote in a letter Wednesday...adding "It has become apparent that the Attorney General has provided, at a minimum, half-truths and misleading statements" to the Judiciary Committee, while readying festive Piñata sticks...

And...Karl has been subpoened...

“Democratus Liberalas..?”

2007-07-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

Patrick Fitzgerald’s Politics.

"Ever since he became U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, many people…including I…have been trying to deduce Patrick Fitzgerald’s politics. An Irishman born to a lower middle class family whose patriarch was a Catholic Manhattan apartment house doorman may mean (a) a Reaganesque Republican, blue collar, possibly pro-union but with traditional family values or (b) a hard-shelled Democrat who believes the Republican party is less interested in people than in preserving the patrimony for Wall Street and entrepreneurialism. Which is it?"

"Patrick Fitzgerald is a blooming species 'democratus liberalas' elitist snob, superior, condescending, patronizing…Democrat in deep blue hue, probably pro-Obama with a hidden desire to STIG (Stand Tall in Georgetown)." <more>

And I thought I was an "ENFJ".

Go, Dog. Go..!

2007-07-24T18:32:00.000-05:00

"It's Getting Hot Up Here!"

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter told Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Tuesday to consider appointing a very special prosecutor to investigate the firings of federal prosecutors. - Video

See, kids. See! Dogs all over the place. Big ones. Little ones. Green. Blue. Red. Doggies sporting spots and hats. Sta-sta-ammerrring. Political-whee-eling. Stone-wall-hollering. Pillow-thwack-fighting. Testi-fi-lying. In hot water. Up in trees. Some with fleas. Boinggg — on trampolines. In and out of zoom, HONK!

This is a rollicking free-for-all of chicanine-ery. A big and little political world of doggy fun. Time to get going. Go, dogs. Go!

Hop on Pop

Senator stumps Gonzales over authority granted to Cheney to intervene in Justice probes

Radio Daze...

2007-07-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

“This is the biggest Chicago guy or gal there is, with the possible exception of Oprah or Ferris Bueller.” - NY Times

NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - Audio

Mrs. Roxanne Fitzgerald???!!!

Note To Self...

2007-07-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

Next time listen to Randall -- anything with "PR" in it is HIS job!

Fitz's Nina Totin' Bag

Endearing himself further to the Volvo-driving, latte-sipping, NPR listening liberal left (guilty on counts myself), Patrick Fitzgerald last night participated in the public radio quiz show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me."

"Fitzgerald blushed when asked about his inclusion in People magazine's 'Sexiest Man Alive' list."

"In commemoration of the event, Sagal presented Fitzgerald with a child's scooter engraved with, 'To Patrick Fitzgerald, USA, This one will stay where you put it.'"<more>

Note to R.S.: Please issue press release DID NOT BLUSH.

Free Beer, Rafting, Darts And Spelunking...

2007-07-20T06:53:00.000-05:00

Crikey! Don't try this at home.

"Fitzgerald Deserves Top U.S. Law Post"

July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Patrick Fitzgerald won the convictions of four Osama bin Laden associates in May 2001. In March, he got Shooter's "Scooter" Libby. Last week, he nailed Conrad Black.

Fitzgerald, 46, isn't saying what may be next in his career. Friends and colleagues say he probably will remain a prosecutor rather than join a law firm. One colleague says Fitzgerald's destiny may include the top law-enforcement job in the country: U.S. attorney general.

"I think he would make a spectacular attorney general," said former Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Comey - "He certainly is one of the very best federal prosecutors in America."

Fitzgerald once competed fiercely in rugby and darts, said Comey, who got to know him as a law student when they shared a summer house in Spring Lake, New Jersey. "He drank a lot of beer without paying for it," Comey said with a laugh.

Fitzgerald now enjoys traveling, exploring caves in New Zealand, going white-water rafting, and visiting relatives in Ireland, Comey said. <more>

Jimmy, please. Not all my secrets!

Youth of America, words from the wise - never mix darts and rafting or pints in a cave with a six foot ceiling, but most importantly -- just say "no, thank you" to graft and resist the powerful urge to pop your collar!

Do You Like Apples..?

2007-07-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

First Plame Case Film Set to Roll

Variety reports - "Matt Damon would be the prosecutor..."

A Red Sox fan and Edie Falco? What were they thinking?

MSNBC's - The Daily Show...

2007-07-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

Chris Matthews is always good for a laugh, especially when it concerns Judy Miller.

Keith - is he in the running for tonight's "Worst Person in the World" or "Worst Fair & Balanced"?

On a more serious note..?

AG Finally Gives Junkyard Dog Prosecutor a Bone

"Good job," Gonzales said, extending his trembling hand to Fitzgerald.

Not My Job..!

2007-07-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Patrick Fitzgerald, the Chicago-based U.S. attorney, will make an appearance on Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!, the Chicago-based Saturday comical hour on National Public Radio.

With national fame earned from his role as special counsel in the leak of a CIA agent's identity and his prosecution of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter'' Libby for obstruction of justice in that investigation, Fitzgerald will take a seat on the nationally broadcast radio program as someone pressed to talk about something he knows nothing about.

In the "Not My Job'' segment of the show, celebrities are quizzed out of field. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer faced questioning about the habits of rock stars. Elizabeth Edwards, wife of the former senator from North Carolina, John Edwards, seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, was asked about celebrity rehab treatment. Ted Koppel, the longtime host of ABC's Nightline, was quizzed about the box-office bust, Sahara.

“Several times recently I thought about getting tickets to go watch it, but never got it done,” Fitzgerald is quoted as saying about the show. “Now I know I have a seat.”

While Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! takes the show on the road sometimes, its home base is Chicago. And Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, will be close to home when it’s taped this week in the city’s Millennium Park.

The show is aired by 425 member stations -- the first media appearance for Fitzgerald since Libby's conviction and then commutation of his prison time by the president.

"We're going to subject Patrick Fitzgerald to the rigors of our quiz, and whether he wins or loses is entirely up to him,” says show host Peter Sagal. "Of course, if he does lose, we expect the president to intervene and change the result. It'd only be fair, right?"

Airing the weekend of July 21-22 on NPR Member stations nationwide. It will be available as an NPR podcast beginning Sunday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at www.NPR.org.

Can Hollywood be far behind? ;)

McTuff On Crime..!

2007-07-16T08:04:00.000-05:00

do you want fries with that..?

DOUBLE STANDARD
Bush's leniency for Libby doesn't jibe with administration's push to enforce mandatory minimum sentences

President Bush's rationale for sparing Lewis "Scooter'' Libby from prison -- that his 2 1/2-year sentence was more severe than the former vice presidential aide deserved for lying to a grand jury -- is at odds with his support of new legislation that, by the administration's description, would make such sentences mandatory.

The president's critics are contrasting his leniency for Libby with his overall advocacy of stiff sentences, his insistence that federal prosecutors seek strict compliance with sentencing guidelines, and the Justice Department's support of life terms for petty thieves with long criminal records under California's "three strikes" law.

Defense lawyers in San Francisco and elsewhere, meanwhile, have seized on Bush's commutation to argue for lighter sentences for white-collar defendants -- filing what some attorneys are calling "Libby motions." <more>

NCPC

"Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur..."

2007-07-14T22:18:00.000-05:00

Let's Review...

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton Perplexed

What "Media Tycoon"..?

2007-07-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

Sir Conrad Black -- Member of Britain's House of Lords - GUILTY of Fraud

Now go out and get yourself some big black frames
With the glass so dark they wont even know your name
And the choice is up to you cause they come in two classes:
Rhinestone shades or cheap sunglasses
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

Conrad Black, Three Codefendants Convicted
I hope the Queen Mother doesn't commute this sentence...

Doin' His Business...

2007-07-12T11:19:00.000-05:00

Bush seeks to put Libby issue behind him

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday sought to put to rest the controversy over his decision to spare a top former White House official from going to jail, saying it was time to put it behind us, flush and move on. <more>

President Bizzy on the Televizzle

Mr. Wilson...

2007-07-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

goes to Congress.

Statement of Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV (ret.) To the House Committee on the Judiciary

July 11, 2007

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking member, members of the Committee,

Thank you for the invitation to appear before you at this hearing on the possible abuse of Presidential authority in the commutation of I. Lewis Libby, convicted on four counts of lying to federal investigators, perjury and obstruction of justice. I am not a lawyer, but I have understandably followed this case closely. This matter, after all, involves the betrayal of our national security, specifically the leaking of the identity of a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, my wife, Valerie Wilson, as a vicious means of political retribution.

After it became apparent in Spring of 2003 that one of the key justifications for war in the President's State of the Union address was not supported by the facts, I felt an obligation and a sense of responsibility to the American people and to our men and women in uniform to share my first-hand knowledge about the unsubstantiated allegations of uranium yellowcake sales from Niger to Iraq. Accordingly, In a New York Times article on July 6, 2003, I disclosed the deliberate deceptions surrounding the justification for the invasion, conquest, and occupation of Iraq. Eight days later Valerie's status as a CIA operative was made public in a newspaper column by Robert Novak. We now know from testimony and evidence presented in the United States vs. I. Lewis Libby that Novak's column was the end product of a process that was initiated by Vice President Cheney who directed his chief of staff, Scooter Libby to supervise it.

Never in my twenty-three years as a member of the diplomatic service of the United States did I ever imagine a betrayal of our national security at the highest levels.

Fifteen years ago this week, I was sworn in as George Herbert Walker Bush's Ambassador to two African countries - Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe. Seventeen years ago I served as his acting Ambassador to Iraq in the first Gulf War. I was the last American diplomat to confront Saddam Hussein about his invasion of Kuwait prior to Desert Storm. As acting Ambassador, my embassy was responsible for the safe evacuation of over 2,000 Americans from Kuwait and Iraq and the release of close to 150 Americans held hostage by Saddam and his thugs.

I was proud to serve my country mostly overseas, for twenty-three years, in both Republican and Democratic administrations, and to promote and defend the values enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. I was honored to be then President Bush's envoy to Iraq and to have been part of the foreign policy team that managed the international crisis created by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Members of that foreign policy team remain among my closest colleagues and friends.

Given my service, it has been therefore disconcerting to see my family and my targeted in the crosshairs of a character assassination campaign launched by the Vice President and carried out by his chief of staff, and by the President's chief political aide, Karl Rove, among others.

Ultimately, this concerted effort to discredit me, ruining my wife's career along the way, has had a larger objective. This matter has always been about this administration's case for war and its willingness to mislead the American people to justify it. In order to protect its original falsehoods, the Vice President and his men decided to engage in a further betrayal of our national security. Scooter Libby sought to blame the Press, yet another deception. He was willing even to allow a journalist to spend eighty-five days in jail in a most cowardly act to avoid telling the truth.

President Bush promised that if any member of the White House staff were engaged in this matter, it would be a firing offense. However, the trial of Scooter Libby has proved conclusively that Karl Rove was involved, and although he escaped indictment, he still works at the White House. We also know as a result of evidence introduced in the trial that President Bush himself selectively declassified national security material to attempt to support the false rationale for war. The President's broken promise and his own involvement in this unseemly smear campaign reveal a chief executive willing to subvert the rule of law and system of justice that has undergirded this great republic of ours for over 200 years.

Make no mistake, the President's actions last week cast a pall of suspicion over his office and Vice President Cheney. Mr. Libby was convicted of, among other crimes, obstruction of justice - a legal term used to describe a cover-up. The Justice Department's Special Counsel, Patrick Fitzgerald, has said repeatedly that Mr. Libby's blatant lying had been the equivalent of "throwing sand in the eyes of the umpire", thereby ensuring that the umpire, the system of justice, cannot ascertain the whole truth. As a result, Fitzgerald has said, "a cloud remains over the Vice President." In commuting Mr. Libby's sentence, the President has removed any incentive for Mr. Libby to cooperate with the prosecutor. The obstruction of justice is ongoing and now the President has emerged as its greatest protector. The President's explanation for his commutation that Mr. Libby's sentence was excessive turns out to be yet another falsehood because the sentence was quite normal, as Special Counsel Fitzgerald noted. The President, at the very least, owes the American people a full and honest explanation of his actions and those of other senior administration officials in this matter, including, but not limited to the Vice President.

In closing, let me address the question of the underlying crime. Mr. Libby's attorneys and his apologists have tried to downplay his conviction on the grounds that nobody was actually indicted for the leak of Valerie's status as a covert CIA officer. Libby's propaganda is an effort to distract from his crime - his obstruction of justice, his cover up. Who is he protecting?

I would like the committee members and all Americans to think about this matter in this way: If senior American officials take time from their busy schedules to meet with a foreign military attaché for the purpose of compromising the identity of a CIA covert officer, what would we call that? Although that scenario is hypothetical, the end result is no different from what happened in this case - the betrayal of our national security.

I look forward to answering any and all legitimate questions.

Great Scott! He cut right through the fiddle faddle...and now for something completely different...

Congress -- Hard at work?

No Shizzay...

2007-07-10T14:28:00.000-05:00

Playa Libby: Probations All Right wit Me

All parties agreed today that Scoota Libby should, in fizzay serve two years of probation, most likely pav'n tha way fo` tha judge ta conclude tha same.

Judge Reggie Walton had asked Libbys cracka n Special Prosecizzles Patrick Fitzgerald ta weigh in on tha special predicizzle created by tha presidents commutizzles of Libbys sentence last wizzy: Bizzle had eliminated tha jail time, but left in place tha two-year period of supervised releaze thizzay was ta follow incarceration.

In his motion today, Fitzgerald argued that Libbys probation should have started July 2nd, tha dizzle of tha commutizzles fo shizzle. Fitzgerald also pointed out in saggin' that Libbys sentence, W-H-to-tha-izzich bizzle judged "excessizzles had bizzle on tha "izzle low-end of tha applicable Pimpin' Guidizzles range." In addition ta Libbys 30 months in prison n two years of probation, Libby was hit witta $250,000 fine, whizzay he paid last week.

Libbys lawya echoed tha White Hizouse line, mizzy official in a shot calla frizzom counsel Fred Field'n poser today, that tha president's commutizzles should rule over any discrepizzles wit tha sentenc'n statute.

You can read Fitzgeralds argument here like old skool shit. Its not clear when Judge Walton will makes his final decision.

Just-Ice On The Rocks...

2007-07-07T11:58:00.000-05:00

How Scooter Skated

Pat Buchanan

Why did Bush do it?

Why did he suddenly barge into the legal process and erase the entire 30-month sentence of Scooter Libby?

For, from his own statement, Bush found the act deeply distasteful.

In that statement, Bush calls Libby's crimes "serious convictions of perjury and obstruction of justice." He praises Patrick Fitzgerald as "a highly qualified professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged."

Bush indicated no disagreement with the verdict.

"[A] jury of citizens weighed all the evidence and listened to all the testimony and found Mr. Libby guilty of perjury and obstructing justice. . . . our entire system of justice relies on people telling the truth. And if a person does not tell the truth, particularly if he serves in government and holds the public trust, he must be held accountable."

"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush added.

Bush went on to detail the punishments that will stand.

"My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby. The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. . . . The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting."

This reads like the preamble to Judge Reggie Walton's imposition of the two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Yet, this is contained in Bush's explanation for wiping out Libby's entire sentence. It is mystifying.

Why did Bush do it? Why did he intervene at all? Why now? Why not let Scooter go to jail and commute the sentence at Christmas, if he thought it excessive?

The suddenness of Bush's action is easiest explained. Hours before he tossed his commutation statement to the press, the court had turned down Libby's last request that he be allowed to stay out of prison as his appeal is heard. Bush's need to act was obvious. Scooter was on his way to prison.

But why did Bush rush to spare him even one day behind bars?

Three explanations come to mind.

The first is that Bush capitulated to intense pressure from the neoconservative commentariat led by The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard.

To these folks, Scooter is no felon. Scooter is a hero. In the neocon network, Scooter was the pivot man in the veep's office moving the cherry-picked intel on Saddam's WMD, Saddam's nukes, Saddam's ties to 9/11 and al Qaeda to a collaborationist press as determined as he was to smash Iraq and Iran, secure Israel and control the Middle East.

So what if Scooter lied to cover up the White House campaign to carve up Joe Wilson? If Scooter did it, good Straussian that he is, he did it for the highest of motives in the noblest of causes.

To the neocons, Scooter is, in Ahmed Chalabi's phrase, "a hero in error," one of the boys. And as they saved him from the slammer, they will not stop until they secure him a pardon — to which Bush has now opened the door.

The second explanation is that Vice President Cheney went to Bush, closed the door, and asked, as a personal favor, that he spare Cheney's faithful friend and loyal aide the disgrace and pain of prison. And Bush did this distasteful and shameful act at the behest of a vice president to whom he feels an immense debt.

The third explanation is that Cheney, and perhaps the president, fears that if Scooter goes to prison, and is staring at disgrace and 30 months away from friends and family, he may think he has been abandoned by people whose secrets he kept at the cost of reputation and freedom. An idle mind being the devil's workshop, Scooter might sit down and write a book, or phone "Bulldog" Fitzgerald and tell him he just remembered something.

Whatever the motives of President Bush, this was a radical not a conservative act. Whoever pressured Bush to wipe out Scooter's sentence was more a friend of Scooter than a friend of Bush. For the president has damaged his reputation as a just ruler, so Scooter could elude what other men have to face.

Will the student deferments for these fellows never end?

The act reeks of cronyism. The perception is that Scooter Libby got preferential treatment, a get-out-of-jail-free card because he was chief of staff to Cheney and assistant to Bush.

That perception is correct.

Because of whom he knew, Scooter got preferential treatment, big-time. The Godfather took care of the consigliere.

Nothing new. After all, one recalls that the attorney who rustled up a pardon for Marc Rich from Bill Clinton was also a Beltway hustler by the name of Scooter Libby. The insiders take care of their own.

And that is how the game is played in the big city.

Bush unpardonably gives Libby a break

Payday Loans...

2007-07-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

...and insufficient words.

President respects and deflects justice
So he lifted excessive sentence but left convictions, fine, probation.

By Tony Snow

President Bush commuted part of Lewis Libby's sentence because he considered a 30-month stretch in prison too severe. Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury; was fined $250,000; must serve two years probation; and will likely lose his license to practice law. That qualifies as a stern penalty for a first-time offender with a long history of public service

The Constitution gives the president the power to grant clemency in a wide range of cases, at his discretion, with no restrictions. In the final hours of the Clinton administration, this unfettered authority was embodied in a mad rush to push through pardons with dizzying haste � 141 grants on Clinton's final day in office, part of 211 in the final nine weeks.

In contrast, no president in recent history has made more careful use of the pardoning power than George W. Bush: The president believes pardons and commutations should reflect a genuine determination to strengthen the rule of law and increase public faith in government.

The Libby case was one such situation. After a highly publicized trial, involving calm legal analysis in the courtroom (but vicious vilification outside), Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice. In reviewing the case, the president chose to rectify an excessive punishment, and at the same time, the president made clear that he would not second-guess the jury that found Libby guilty. He believes it is important to respect the jury's work. The concept of judgment by a jury of peers forms the backbone of our judicial system. So the president left intact the felony convictions and two of the major punishments � the fine and probation.

Many analysts cleverly avoid grappling with either of these issues, and instead try to analyze the commutation as a raw political exercise. That sort of analysis is off-base. The president was not motivated by politics in making this decision. If he had made the decision based on opinion polls, he wouldn't have lifted a finger.

Instead, he did what he does normally, and what makes those of us who work for him proud. He proceeded on the basis of principle, and arrived at a sound and just decision � knowing he would take hits in the court of public opinion, but also knowing he was doing the right thing.

Tony Snow is White House press secretary.

EXTRA EXTRA....

2007-07-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

read all about it!

Front Page News

"not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy this Pres. asked to stick his head in the meat grinder because of the incompetence of others."

Why does the media always miss the BIG picture?

Cheney's Smokin' Gun Pointed At Bush...

Obstruction Of Justice

Whitewash Of A Cover-up Of A Crime...

2007-07-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT: Randall Samborn 312-BITE-ME

MONDAY JULY 2, 2007

STATEMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

Statement of Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald regarding today’s decision by President Bush to commute the 30-month prison sentence of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby:

“We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.

We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as “excessive.” The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.

Although the President’s decision eliminates Mr. Libby’s sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process.”

...as in a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham...

Jenna - be sure Judge Walton takes his blood pressure medicine and cuts back on the salt with his tequilla tonight. OK?

Fitzgerald is an honest prosecutor who worked like a dog for this conviction and got mocked by pissy members of the beltway entitlement set for his efforts. Now his work gets swept away by the chief crook seeking to obstruct justice. I’m gonna guess he’s righteously pissed. I know I am. - Firedoglake

The Decider Strikes...

2007-07-02T16:59:00.000-05:00

President Bizzush Commutes Libby Prison Sentence

Tha boi K-to-tha-izzept his grill shizzay, his lips sealed, n wuz a loyal soldia through thick n thizzin.

What's a prosecizzles supposed ta do?

"Statement" by the "President"

Statements by Obama, Amb. Wilson, Reid, Pelosi, others...

Statement by C.R.E.W.
“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is an administration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”

A Few Good Men...

2007-07-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

just doing their job and the right thing.

Court Denies Libby Ploy To Remain Free

A federal appeals court ruled today that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, must report to prison shortly to begin serving his 30-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about his role in leaking a CIA officer's identity.

In a one-paragraph order, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Libby's request to remain free while he appeals his conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.

The judges said that Libby's appeal does not raise "a substantial question" close enough that it is likely his conviction will be overturned. <more>

Libby Becomes Inmate No. 28301-016

2007-06-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

For years he was known as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney and assistant to President Bush. On Wednesday, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby became federal inmate No. 28301-016.

Libby, who was convicted in March of lying and obstructing an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity, faces 2 1/2 years in prison.

The assignment of an inmate number by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons represents another step on the road to prison. Inmate numbers stay with prisoners even after their release.

Libby, however, is hoping that an appeals court will intervene and put the sentence on hold before he is ordered to surrender.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has not indicated how quickly it will rule. Lawyers in the case said Libby had not yet been assigned to a prison or given a date to surrender.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald opposes Libby's bid to delay his prison term. He says Libby does not have a good chance of having his conviction overturned and should begin serving prison time immediately.

Libby's friends have asked President Bush to step in and pardon him, a request that Bush has sidestepped while the legal case drags on.

Libby, 56, is the only person charged in the leak scandal, which erupted after CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity was revealed in a 2003 syndicated newspaper column. Libby was not the source for that leak and neither of the two Bush administration officials who provided the information were ever charged.

When confronted by prosecutors and FBI agents, however, Libby lied about how he learned about Plame and whom he told, a jury found. He is the highest-ranking White House official sentenced to prison since the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s.

The Bureau of Prisons does not say where its inmates will serve until they begin their sentence. Normally, prisoners are assigned to facilities within 200 miles of home. As a nonviolent, first-time offender, Libby likely will be placed in a minimum security prison camp.

Who's Your Daddy..?

2007-06-22T13:57:00.000-05:00

Judge Reggie Walton Files Expanded O p i n i o n
Details Decision Not Allowing Libby to Remain Free

A federal judge is adding the heft of a 30-page legal opinion to his decision last week not to permit a former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, I. Lewis Libby Jr., to remain free while he appeals his convictions for obstructing the CIA leak investigation.

Judge Reggie Walton's decision to file a detailed and carefully-reasoned justification for his ruling adds some incline to the uphill battle Libby faces in trying to convince a federal appeals court panel to grant him a stay of his 30-month prison term while his lawyers fight to overturn his conviction. The lengthy opinion could also be viewed as a shot across the bow of the appeals court panel, which is certain to face claims it had more of an eye on politics than law if it chooses to upend Judge Walton's decision.

In a footnote to the opinion he filed Thursday, Judge Walton said he wanted "to ensure that the Circuit Court has a clear record of this Court's conclusion and reasoning" in denying the motion to stay Libby's sentence.

The issue of a stay is politically sensitive for President Bush. If a stay is granted, Mr. Bush can put off a decision about whether to pardon Libby for the duration of the appeal, which could last a year or more. If Libby's convictions are overturned, there might be no need for a pardon at all.

However, if Libby is denied a stay and must report to jail in the next few weeks, the White House will face intense pressure from Libby's allies to grant a pardon.

A jury convicted Libby in March on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury before a grand jury, and making false statements to the FBI. All the charges arose during an investigation of the disclosure in the press of the identity of a veteran CIA officer, Valerie Plame. No charges have been brought for the leak itself.

Most of Judge Walton's new opinion (link) is devoted to the argument of Libby's attorneys that the special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, was unconstitutionally appointed because he acted without supervision by the Attorney General or any other official confirmed by the Senate. The judge rejects claims by Libby's legal team that letters giving Mr. Fitzgerald broad discretion to conduct his probe amounted to the kind of unfettered authority that could run afoul of the Constitution's appointment clause. "They do not confer upon Fitzgerald as Special Counsel the prosecutorial equivalent of James Bond's license to kill, and are unlikely to be read by any court as a blank check," the judge wrote. "The Special Counsel was and is clearly a subordinate within the Department of Justice, even if he has not been closely supervised or directed on a day-to-day (or even week-to-week) basis in a manner that might cause his independence and impartiality, so necessary in an investigation of this type, to legitimately be questioned."

Judge Walton said Mr. Fitzgerald was subject to removal at any time by a senior Justice Department official and his authority could have been circumscribed as well at any point. The judge said it was "resoundingly clear" that Mr. Fitzgerald's appointment was constitutional under the tests set forth in a 1988 Supreme Court case, Morrison v. Olson, which upheld the constitutionality of an independent counsel appointed under a 1978 law, the Ethics in Government Act. The independent counsel provision expired in 1999, but the Justice Department has appointed special counsels since then from outside the department and from inside, as is the case with Mr. Fitzgerald who is also the top federal prosecutor in Chicago.

In his written ruling, Judge Walton also accepted Mr. Fitzgerald's claim that the defense engaged in a "talmudic dissection" of the language in the judge's earlier rulings "in a manner that deprives it entirely of context."

Judge Walton's latest opinion could also be seen as a further retort to 12 legal scholars, some of the eminent in the profession, who filed an amicus brief arguing that Mr. Fitzgerald's appointment raised serious constitutional questions. If that was Judge Walton's intent, it may have been overkill since the appeals court on Wednesday refused an amicus brief from the same scholars.

Based on the schedule the appeals court set for briefs, it seems that the panel could make a decision as soon as next week on Libby's request for a stay.

If the court turns him down, he could seek relief from the Supreme Court. Another possibility, first raised on National Review's Web site, is that Mr. Bush could issue a form of clemency known as a respite, which could have the same effect as a stay.

Who Needs HBO..?

2007-06-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Chicago's Biggest Mob Trial in Years

Public Service - Good Medicine...

2007-06-17T09:55:00.000-05:00

Doctor of Laws and Evildoer Hunter

Since graduating from Amherst College 25 years ago, Patrick Fitzgerald ’82 has proved himself one of the nation’s best prosecutors, and one of its most remarkable citizens. <more>

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald '82 speaks on

"What I Did Not Know About Public Service When I Graduated."
Listen to speech
Photos galore and more...

In other news... Karl Rove be illin'
DOJ - HELP WANTED
U.S. attorneys fallout seeps into courts

And That's The Way It Is...

2007-06-16T07:14:00.000-05:00

Begging His Pardon

From the Desk of Bill Moyers

We have yet another remarkable revelation of the mindset of Washington's ruling clique of neoconservative elites — the people who took us to war from the safety of their Beltway bunkers. Even as Iraq grows bloodier by the day, their passion of the week is to keep one of their own from going to jail.

It is well known that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby — once Vice President Cheney’s most trusted adviser—has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for perjury. Lying. Not a white lie, mind you. A killer lie. Scooter Libby deliberately poured poison into the drinking water of democracy by lying to federal investigators, for the purpose of obstructing justice.

Attempting to trash critics of the war, Libby and his pals in high places—including his boss Dick Cheney — outed a covert CIA agent. Libby then lied to Libby cover their tracks. To throw investigators off the trail, he kicked sand in the eyes of truth. "Libby lied about nearly everything that mattered,” wrote the chief prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. The jury agreed and found him guilty on four felony counts. Judge Reggie B. Walton — a no-nonsense, lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key type, appointed to the bench by none other than George W. Bush—called the evidence “overwhelming” and threw the book at Libby.

You would have thought their man had been ordered to Guantanamo, so intense was the reaction from his cheerleaders. They flooded the judge's chambers with letters of support for their comrade and took to the airwaves in a campaign to “free Scooter.”

Vice President Cheney issued a statement praising Libby as “a man…of personal integrity” — without even a hint of irony about their collusion to browbeat the CIA into mangling intelligence about Iraq in order to justify the invasion.

“A patriot, a dedicated public servant, a strong family man, and a tireless, honorable, selfless human being,” said Donald Rumsfeld — the very same Rumsfeld who had claimed to know the whereabouts of weapons of mass destruction and who boasted of “bulletproof” evidence linking Saddam to 9/11. “A good person” and “decent man,” said the one-time Pentagon adviser Kenneth Adelman, who had predicted the war in Iraq would be a “cakewalk.” Paul Wolfowitz wrote a four-page letter to praise “the noblest spirit of selfless service” that he knew motivated his friend Scooter. Yes, that Paul Wolfowitz, who had claimed Iraqis would “greet us as liberators” and that Iraq would “finance its own reconstruction.” The same Paul Wolfowitz who had to resign recently as president of the World Bank for using his office to show favoritism to his girlfriend. Paul Wolfowitz turned character witness.

The praise kept coming: from Douglas Feith, who ran the Pentagon factory of disinformation that Cheney and Libby used to brainwash the press; from Richard Perle, as cocksure about Libby’s “honesty, integrity, fairness and balance” as he had been about the success of the war; and from William Kristol, who had primed the pump of the propaganda machine at THE WEEKLY STANDARD and has led the call for a Presidential pardon. “The case was such a farce, in my view,” he said. “I’m for pardon on the merits.”

One beltway insider reports that the entire community is grieving — “weighted down by the sheer, glaring unfairness” of Libby's sentence.

And there’s the rub.

None seem the least weighted down by the sheer, glaring unfairness of sentencing soldiers to repeated and longer tours of duty in a war induced by deception. It was left to the hawkish academic Fouad Ajami to state the matter baldly. In a piece published on the editorial page of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Ajami pleaded with Bush to pardon Libby. For believing “in the nobility of this war,” wrote Ajami, Scooter Libby had himself become a “casualty” — a fallen soldier the President dare not leave behind on the Beltway battlefield.

Not a word in the entire article about the real fallen soldiers. The honest-to-God dead, and dying, and wounded. Not a word about the chaos or the cost. Even as the calamity they created worsens, all they can muster is a cry for leniency for one of their own who lied to cover their tracks.

There are contrarian voices: “This is an open and shut case of perjury and obstruction of justice,” said Pat Buchanan. “The Republican Party stands for the idea that high officials should not be lying to special investigators.” From the former Governor of Virginia, James Gilmore, a staunch conservative, comes this verdict: “If the public believes there’s one law for a certain group of people in high places and another law for regular people, then you will destroy the law and destroy the system.”

So it may well be, as THE HARTFORD COURANT said editorially, that Mr Libby is “a nice guy, a loyal and devoted patriot…but none of that excuses perjury or obstruction of justice. If it did, truth wouldn’t matter much.”

Nice post and blog, Bill!

Motion - DENIED..!

2007-06-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

Scooter Libby, Do Not Pass Go...

WASHINGTON -- A 'no BS' federal judge said Thursday he will not delay a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a ruling that WILL send the former White House aide to prison within weeks.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton's decision will send Libby's attorneys rushing to an appeals court to block the sentence, demand payment in full from their client and could force President Bush to consider calls from Libby's kool-aid drinking supporters to pardon the former aide.

No date was set for Libby to report to prison but it's expected to be within six to eight weeks. That will be left up to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which will also select a facility and new nickname for Scooter. <more>

Location, location, location...

Justice is now being served. Next!

I Got Your Back...

2007-06-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

Judge Walton Received Threats

"I received a number of angry, harassing mean-spirited phone calls and letters," U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said. "Some of those were wishing bad things on me and my family."

Walton made the remarks as he opened a hearing into whether to delay Libby's 2 1/2-year sentence. He said he was holding the letters in case something happened but said they would have no effect on Thursday's decision.

Think Progess - Think Judge Walton...

2007-06-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Hello, Dolly!

Judge smacks ‘luminaries’ defending Libby.

A dozen mostly libertarian and conservative legal scholars, including rejected Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, submitted an amicus brief to Scooter Libby trial Judge Reggie Walton “arguing that that there are serious constitutional questions about the legal authority” of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. Emptywheel highlights this bitingly sarcastic response from Judge Walton:

It is an impressive show of public service when twelve prominent and distinguished current and former law professors of well-respected schools are able to amass their collective wisdom in the course of only several days to provide their legal expertise to the Court on behalf of a criminal defendant. The Court trusts that this is a reflection of these eminent academics’ willingness in the future to step to the plate and provide like assistance in cases involving any of the numerous litigants, both in this Court and throughout the courts of our nation, who lack the financial means to fully and properly articulate the merits of their legal positions even in instances where failure to do so could result in monetary penalties, incarceration, or worse. The Court will certainly not hesitate to call for such assistance from these luminaries, as necessary in the interests of justice and equity, whenever similar questions arise in the cases that come before it.

Dozen Top Legal Scholars Line Up for Libby Appeal - Wa Po
Reggie is one of a kind - I support cloning!

A Winning Combination...

2007-06-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

Team America, Judge Reggie Walton and Justice for All....

Libby Gets 30 Months in Prison, $250,000 fine, 3 Hots and a Cot, 2 Years Probation, 400 Hours Community Service and $400 in Court Fees

From Amb. Joseph Wilson:

As Americans, both Valerie and I are grateful that justice has been served, reconfirming that our country remains a nation of laws.

We are also saddened for the pain that Mr. Libby has inflicted on his family, friends, and the nation. Mr. Libby benefited from the best this country had to offer: the finest schools, a lucrative career as a lawyer and many years of service in Republican administrations. That he would knowingly lie, perjure himself and obstruct a legitimate criminal invetigation is incomprehensible.

It is our hope that he will now cooperate with Special Counsel Fitzgerald in his efforts to get to the truth. As Mr. Fitzgerald has said, a cloud remains over the Vice President.

Every official in this administration must be held accountable for their actions.

Libby Sentenced: 30 Months in Jail Because "Truth Matters" - David Corn

We need the truth from government officials.

Dear Reggie...

2007-05-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

SO ORDERED - Pre-sentencing letters - coming soon...

Full moon - Open Thread

Letters written on behalf of Scooter (18MB pdf)

"Dozens of people, including former Bush administration figures, submitted letters in recent weeks to U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton seeking to weigh in on the appropriate sentence for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Most expressed support for Libby's probation, although several people _ including one identified only as an "angry citizen" _ urged the longest possible sentence to show that no one is above the law."

Some excerpts from the letters:

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:

"I know a great many of our fellow citizens hope and pray that those who serve in our federal government will be individuals of strong character and integrity, who cherish our freedoms and our way of life. Over these past decades, I have had the privilege of serving with a great many people of that type, and among them, without hesitation, I would include Mr. I. Lewis Libby. ...Our country has been fortunate to have had his service rivaling only mine in competency."

___

Paul Wolfowitz, departing World Bank President and Libby's former mentor and professor at Yale University:

"It is painful for me to reflect on the fact that his life would have been very different if we had never met that warm summer's eve. He would almost certainly now be a successful attorney in Philadelphia, enjoying a comfortable life with his wonderful wife and their two beautiful children. However, our country would have also been deprived of the very considerable service that he has rendered. ...Mr. Libby has made many other contributions to our common security and put in many long hours of selfless hard work not out of ambition but solely out of a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to make this country safer from all of us."

___

Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State in the Nixon and Ford administrations:

"I met Scooter early in the second Bush administration, when he served as chief of staff to Vice President Cheney. ...He is a man of strong views, some of which I do not share. But in my observations, he pursued his objectives with integrity and a sense of responsibility. I would never have associated the actions for which he was convicted with his character. Nor do I believe that they will ever be repeated now that he has been so busted."

___

Mary Matalin, GOP strategist, joined by husband James Carville, a Democratic strategist:

"My lifelong view, which has only been validated in adulthood, is that kids are the most honest and true evaluators of people. Watching my children with Scooter, and all children with him, including my husband James you'd think he hung the moon. He is gentle and caring. He is genuinely interested in others' well being and still inspires me to this day. He is a compelling teacher and extraordinary role model for integrity and humility. ...My family is praying the wisdom and mercy you bring to bear in determining Scooter's future will include a consideration of his family, the price they have already paid and what further justice would be served by additional devastation to them and the many other children who love Scooter and Michael Jackson."

___

John R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations:

"Keeping every detail straight is impossible, especially the truth. No one has a photographic memory, and no one has perfect recall. ...I fully understand that letters such as this are not permitted to re-litigate issues before the court, but if I can accomplish nothing else, I hope to convey that Scooter Libby was busy with matters of state of the highest urgency and moment for the American people. As such, information flowed across his desk on a daily basis like water coming out of a high-pressure fire hydrant, with more demands for action than could be humanly met by ."

The BBC Rocks..!

2007-03-15T17:25:00.000-05:00

and rolls.

MSNBC Video - Worst: 'Fair and balanced' - Countdown with Keith Olbermann

BBC - Profile: US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

In his blog, "From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald", Mr Fitzgerald describes himself as a long-time opponent of corruption, listing among his interests rugby and "prosecuting evil doers". "I grew up in Flatbush, kept my nose clean, went to law school," he says.

"Now that I am in Chicago and D.C. I have found... the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty - a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham."

[Note: This story was updated at 0809 GMT on 16 March, 2007, removing three quotes mistakenly attributed to Mr Fitzgerald. We regret the error.]

WASHINGTON POST - GET THIS!
Those enterprising British journalists! A profile of Patrick Fitzgerald posted on the BBC's Web site yesterday linked to, and quoted from, what it described as the Very Special Prosecutor's blog: "In Chicago and D.C. I have found . . . the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty -- a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham."

Yeah . . . you guessed it. The blog? Not really his. "I think it is widely recognized to be a parody," said the prosecutor's spokesman Randy Samborn, adding that Fitz, sadly, does not have a blog.

Oh, and the hilarious "travesty of a mockery" line? A quote from Woody Allen's "Bananas."

MSNBC.COM - BANANA NEWS DU JOUR
The BBC, in profiling Patrick Fitzgerald yesterday, quoted from what it said was the Special Prosecutor's blog: "Now that I am in Chicago and D.C. I have found... the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty - a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham."The Washington Post this morning, pointing out that the quote is obviously from Woody Allen's "Bananas" and the blog itself is, of course, a fake.

SLATE - TODAY'S PAPERS

The Post's Reliable Source reports that a profile of Patrick Fitzgerald posted on the BBC's Web site yesterday quoted from what it said was the prosecutor's blog: "Now that I am in Chicago and D.C. I have found ... the rampant graft and corruption to be a travesty—a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham." The line is actually from Woody Allen's Bananas and the blog is, of course, a fake.

MEDIA BISTRO - AFTERNOON ROUNDUP

The Reliable Source ladies report that the BBC was had by a fake Patrick Fitzgerald blog.

DC BLOGS* - SPECIAL NOTE:

"Many of the posts by the anonymous writer of From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald are witty, thoughtful and, it turns out, so good that it has left some convinced that Fitzgerald actually wrote the blog. For the latter point thank the BBC, which profiled the U.S attorney in a story on its Web site. It’s a fine profile, even if it pulls quotes from the fictional blog in the mistaken assumption that the blog has been penned by the real Fitzgerald. See the BBC story here."

"With the conclusion of the Libby case, From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald closed. If you didn’t follow this blog, it’s important to note that, for its humor, this writer was on a mission. It included criticisms of press coverage as well as respect for what Fitzgerald set to accomplish. The BBC gaffe adds a period to the point. In a note, the writer of the blog offered a reaction:

My apologies to the BBC for fooling them too…I always thought the Brits had a higher aptitude for dry wit.
Isn’t reporting factual information the number one rule of journalism? This not so flattering oversight by the BBC only reinforces the point made repeatedly on this blog: to a large degree the MSM was complicit in the selling of the War in Iraq by both their actions and inaction.
During the investigation and throughout the trial, the true colors of many publications and reporters became glaringly apparent — partisan, factually incorrect, sloppy and some might say corrupt.
If not for Joe Wilson’s Op-Ed and Fitzgerald’s investigation, the American public may never have learned this glimmer of truth on how this Administration repeatedly lied, deceived and then tried to hide the truth of why it went to war with Iraq.
This goes way beyond the sixteen words in the State of The Union Address. This is also about the millions upon millions of words not written and tough questions never asked by the media. I hope there are many lessons learned from this.
Countdown to BBC srubbing story from website … t - minus…”
Randall, nice save! I could have been fired over this, thus ruining my current visit in Ireland. I have a bottle of Jameson with your name on it, buddy! And who is Woody Allen? ;)

What A Long Strange Trip Its Been...

2007-03-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

Epi-prologue ;)

"We're all going back to our day jobs." - Patrick J. Fitzgerald - March 6, 2007

From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald story began as a blog experiment in October 2005, shortly after the Grand Jury handed up an indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Now, after 18 months and 1512 posts -- this one being 1513 (a small irony in itself) -- it's time to say goodbye.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I was inspired to develop a creative outlet to channel my passion for truth, justice and the American way as well as my affinity for humor, political satire, and groundbreaking investigative journalism. I also wanted to shine a light on good government -- the open, honest and accountable kind -- in a country where the Bill of Rights and Constitution are revered and adhered to; where a zero tolerance for graft, corruption and evildoers are dealt with justly, quickly and efficiently...a country where fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.

"I guess they can't revoke your soul for trying." - Grateful Dead

This forum quickly morphed into a seemingly never ending blog session fueled by the worst political and corporate scandals of our time all wrapped up in the 109th Congress and the White House. In a nutshell, everything that is wrong with the Bush Administration - its war, its policies, and its total disregard for the truth, was discussed ad nauseam on this little old blog.

"Do you have what it takes for a career in public service?" - PJF

During this process, I have developed a deep and profound respect for Team America and the thousands of other overworked, underpaid and underappreciated dedicated public servants throughout our government, military, and NGO watchdog groups. That includes scores of citizen journalists, bloggers and the many, many visitors and regulars to this blog who have had the courage to speak out, stand up and fight the good fight in this all important battle to protect our freedoms, liberty and Republic.

Who is this "Fitz?"

And finally, as to the inevitable question as to who I am? Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a person behind a blog. Beneath this blog there is more than flesh. Beneath this blog there is an idea...and ideas are bulletproof. People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

My answer is this...From the Desk of Patrick J. Fitzgerald was an idea...and he was my father. And my mother...my brother...my friend. He was you...and me....He was all of us.

Merry Fitzmas, Peace, Love, Cheers and Maholo...

You -TIME 2006 Person of the Year ;)

P.S. "Nothing can come of nothing." - Shakespeares and a hoaloha.

As to an Eplilogue...one never knows what the future may hold, but it includes the proverbial "spend more time with my family" because I have observed that they grow up as quickly as I age, and there was a very special person in my life....who never fully understood my time spent on this pupule blog with "online phantoms" -- to her I can only say I am sorry (cue Willie Nelson song) and quote her favorite poet, W. S. Merwin...

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.

Kiki, e kala maioe iau.
Ko Aloha Makamae E Ipo.
Aloha No Au Ia 'Oe. Ho'i Hou Ke Aloha.
A hui hou.

The Post-It On His Back Read "Kick Me..?"

2007-03-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

The Fall Guy

"The trial was not a satisfying end to the leak case. Fitzgerald's mission was not to discover the whole truth of the saga and reveal all to the public (as he pointed out when speaking to reporters today). He was on the hunt for a crime--and for criminals. He ultimately concluded he could not prosecute the leakers--Rove, Libby, and then Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage--for having disclosed information regarding Valerie Wilson. (The law prohibiting government officials from intentionally revealing information about clandestine intelligence officials requires a prosecutor to prove the leaker knew the officer was undercover.) So his criminal investigation focused on whether Libby lied. (He also investigated Rove for having possibly lied to the grand jury but ultimately decided not to indict him.) Consequently, only information from his investigation related to the Libby cover-up became public. What else Fitzgerald uncovered remains a secret. And per the rules governing criminal cases, it will stay a secret, he told reporters.

After the verdict was delivered, only one juror, Denis Collins, a Washington Post reporter in the 1980s, spoke to the press. He noted that jurors more than once asked, Why was Libby here, not Rove, not someone else? "Where are these other guys?" he said. The jurors were convinced, he noted, that Libby was guilty as charged (on four of the counts). But the jurors also believed he had been ordered by Cheney to talk to reporters as part of the White House's spin operation. In other words, some White House wrongdoers or conspirators (if not conspirators in the strict legal definition of the word) had gotten off. But there was nothing the jurors could do about this, he said: "It was not a question of who we could punish about going to Iraq." What about the prospect of a presidential pardon? one reporter asked Collins. Will you feel cheated if Bush pardons him? No, Collins replied: "He's been pilloried. We found him guilty." (Conservatives have already started a campaign for a Libby pardon.)

Scooter Libby, once Cheney's top aide and one of the chief architects of the Iraq war, is now a criminal. He is the first White House official convicted of a crime since the Iran-contra scandal that tarred the administrations of President Ronald Reagan and the first President Bush. He is also a symbol of an administration that has lost credibility. How Bush and Cheney misrepresented the case for war and their disingenuous and dishonest post-invasion assertions about the war are more serious matters than the lies of the leak case. But the leak affair represents how this White House has done business and how it has mugged the truth. Libby is not only a fall guy for Cheney; he's a poster-child for the Bush administration. The guilty verdict applies only to Libby, but the guilt extends beyond." <more>

Cheney's Henchman Gets His

Scooter, I will lend you my hand if you want to roll over.

Let's Be Frank...

2007-03-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald at the top of his game.

A federal jury Tuesday convicted Lewis "Scooter" Libby in the CIA leak, perjury trial. The conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide is the latest in a remarkable string of courtroom victories Patrick Fitzgerald, the US attorney in Chicago. He was named special prosecutor in the CIA case. ABC7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie has more on Fitzgerald's amazing track record in this Intelligence Report.

Patrick Fitzgerald grew up playing an often bloody game called rugby. During rugby games, opposing players swarm over the ball and fight for possession in what is known as a scrum. For the last four months, Fitzgerald has been in Washington, in a legal scrum, and his competition has been some of the top criminal defenders in the nation. At the center of the scrum: the truth about the vice president's chief of staff. Tuesday afternoon, Fitzgerald emerged with the ball.

"Any lie under oath is serious. Any prosecutor would tell you in my days in New York, in my current days in Chicago, that we cannot tolerate perjury. The truth is what drives our legal system. If people don't come forward and tell the truth, we have no hope of making the judicial system work," said Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. special prosecutor.

Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is at the top of his game. Tuesday, he led the team that beat Scooter Libby's defense. After Fitzgerald's four year investigation, five month trial and 10 days of deliberations, Libby was convicted of one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury and one count of lying to the FBI about how he learned the identity of CIA official Valerie Plame and who he told.

Ron Safer is a former federal prosecutor in Chicago and now a top criminal defense lawyer. Despite Tuesday's conviction, an embarrassment to the Bush administration, Safer told the I-Team he thinks Fitzgerald will be U.S. attorney in Chicago through the rest of the Bush presidency but not to look for him ever as attorney general.

"He would be happy going back to being an assistant U.S. attorney," said Safer.

Fitzgerald proved that Libby learned about Plame from Vice President Dick Cheney, who counted Libby as his most trusted adviser. Libby then discussed her name with some reporters and concocted a story to cover-up those discussions when he realized that he was a target.

"I do not expect to file any further charges. Basically the investigation was inactive prior to the trial. I would not expect to see any further charges filed," Fitzgerald said.

"I was somewhat surprised to hear that and somewhat disappointed to hear that," said Safer. "The investigation was obstructed to some extent, as the jury found today, but that's not the nub of the case, and unfortunately they never got to the nub of the case."

When Pat Fitzgerald gets back to Chicago -- probably by car, he prefers to drive -- he will find a full plate on the desk of his office where he frequently dines and sleeps, starting with the Conrad Black/Sun-Times fraud trial, and then the Operation Family Secrets mob murder and rackets case.

The prize Fitzgerald would really like is leftover from his days as a terrorism prosecutor in New York: Osama Bin Laden.

And see President Bush keep his word and fire those responsible.