Patrick Fitzgerald was in town, and nobody told me?

America’s Hottest Prosecutor picked a great weekend to visit our fair city — after all, it’s blue skies in Seattle till at least May 1. He had a few things to say at the University of Washington last night. Namely, it’s up to all of us to fight corruption in politics and business.

The federal prosecutor behind the conviction of former vice-presidential adviser I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says the public has to take more responsibility for corruption in government and private business.

“The answer to corruption is not necessarily at the end of handcuffs,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, speaking Thursday evening at the University of Washington’s Evan’s School of Public Affairs.

The public, Fitzgerald said, needs to stand up when it knows something is rotten, not simply accept graft, bribery and greed as a cost of doing business.

“People can’t do this stuff without someone else knowing about it. The metric of whether or not you’re doing a good job is not whether or not you get indicted.”

Fitzgerald, a career federal prosecutor whose other cases include the first World Trade Center bombing and the conviction of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, delivered remarks and participated in a panel discussion on ethics.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was under The Dauphin’s close supervision for the entire evening. We made an appearance at the local grocery store, went home to have dinner, and watched “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”. That trail of chocolate wrappers and wadded-up Kleenex on the UW campus? I know nothing about that.

:sniff:

-S

Rep. Darrell Issa is POUTRAGED over White House e-mail archiving!

Oh, gosh.

Rep. Issa is Concerned with a capital “c” over any suggestion that the White House staffers may have sent any e-mail at all using Gmail addresses during the Obama administration transition. It seems the e-mail system was not up on the day President Obama took office. As a result, Rep. Issa has now sent a letter to White House Counsel Gregg demanding that the Obama administration put a plan in place to archive all e-mails.

Hey, braniac, I’ll speak slowly and use small words: There already is an archival system for e-mails in place at the White House. It’s been up for quite some time now. The Bush administration deliberately bypassed it, to the tune of oh, five million or so “unrecoverable” e-mails. Ask Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald and CREW how successful they’ve been in uncovering them, especially after the twelve hours lead time former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gave before the servers were locked down via subpoena. How convenient, huh?

LOLLMAOROFLPIMP, Dude. Epic fail, as the kids of today might say.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/19/republican-wants-white-house-e-mail-plan/

A California Republican congressman has called on President Obama to put in place a system that ensures all White House emails be preserved even if official business was done through private e- mail accounts.

Rep. Darrell Issa, the senior Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, made the request in a February 19 letter to White House Counsel Greg Craig.

Issa specifically mentioned the new administration’s brief use of Gmail accounts after Obama was sworn in last month, as they waited for the official White House e-mail accounts to become active.

“As you know, any e-mail sent or received by White House officials may be subject to retention under the Presidential Records Act (PRA),” Issa wrote Craig in the letter.

“The use of personal e-mail accounts, such as Gmail to conduct official business raises the prospect that presidential records will not be captured by the White House e-mail archiving system. Consequently Gmail users on the President’s staff run the risk of incorrectly classifying their e-mails as non-records under the [Presidential Records] Act.”

Somehow, I’m sure whatever staffers used Gmail accounts for the short period of time at the transition have already had those e-mails retained with whatever system the IT guys at the White House use. If they weren’t, they sure as hell are now.

Where are the five million plus missing e-mails from the Bush administration, Rep. Issa?

-S

Phew, it’s hot in Chicago this morning, isn’t it? Patrick Fitzgerald announces the arrest of Governor Blagojevich

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Update, 12/10: Okay. Just for my friend Leinie, here he is: Patrick Fitzgerald

And here you all thought I’d forgotten about him.

Things are hopping in the Windy City. Over the past 24 hours, the Tribune has filed for bankruptcy and now, the sitting governor of Illinois has been arrested on federal charges. This story is developing at a rapid rate, but this is what we know right now.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2008/pr1209_01.pdf

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that was sworn out on Sunday and unsealed today following their arrests, which occurred without incident, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Both men were expected to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Governor Blagojevich, it’s not profound or anything, but it sucks to be you.

Further information can be had at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28139155/

-S

Well, color me shocked: Fitzgerald learned Rove was trying to fire him in 2005

I was a bit out of pocket yesterday due to (finally!) finishing a project. To the blogosphere, this is old news, but to everyone who strongly suspected this last year, it’s vindication. It seems Karl Rove was behind the effort to fire Patrick Fitzgerald when Mr. Fitzgerald was investigating Rove’s role in the Valerie Plame matter.

This news comes as Karl Rove is (conveniently) out of the country.

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rove.fitzgerald.plan.2.706771.html

(CBS) A government witness claims in 2004, Antoin “Tony Rezko” — then the target of an investigation that would lead to his indictment and trial — tried to grease the political skids to get his chief tormentor, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald fired.

Rezko discussed efforts among high-ranking Republicans, including Karl Rove, to have Chicago’s U.S. attorney fired, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday.

Rove, then-White House political director, and Republican national committeeman Robert Kjellander were among those mentioned in the alleged 2004 conversations as being involved in the effort, prosecutor Carrie E. Hamilton said.

Hmm. There’s more.

“Mr. Rezko’s explanation, according to Mr. Ata, is that Mr. Kjellander is working with Mr. Rove to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed so that someone else can come in to the U.S. attorney’s office and individuals who have been cooperating in this investigation with be dealt with differently,” Hamilton said.

Oh, really?

More as this develops. Of course, the oracle of the CIA Leak Case, Marcy Wheeler, has weighed in on this one as well. Please visit http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/07/17/fitzgerald-learned-rove-was-trying-to-fire-him-in-2005-while-rove-was-still-under-investigation/ for more on this story.

I wish I had something to say besides, “I’m not surprised.”

-S

p.s. Here’s a question that’s dumb as a box of hair: Did Karl Rove’s job classification allow him to remove a sitting US Attorney for political purposes, let alone job performance? It was my understanding that US Attorneys must be confirmed by Congress, and the removal process did not run through Mr. Rove’s former office.

The Little Pink Clubhouse welcomes America’s Hottest Prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, to Seattle!

The big day is finally here!

If anyone has some free time this morning (and is in the neighborhood,) we’d love some eyewitness accounts!

The Prosecutorial Ethic
A Tribute to King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng
University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall, Room 138
Seattle, Washington
May 30, 2008

9:20 a.m. Maintaining an Ethical Culture in a Prosecutor’s Office
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Illinois, Eastern Division, Chicago

Of course, TLPC hopes he enjoys his visit. If he’s asked to bring something back for his lovely bride, may I suggest the following?

Fran’s Chocolates www.franschocolates.com

Glassybaby http://www.glassybaby.com/ 

Hannigan/Adams Goldsmiths www.hanniganadams.com

Last but not least, the original Starbucks is still in Pike Place Market!

We hope he’ll enjoy his visit, and I’ll catch up with him on the news!

-S

p.s. Of course, TLPC is also wondering if Mr. Fitzgerald had even the tiniest bit of interest in Scott McClellan’s assertion that Mr. Rove and Mr. Libby spent some time coordinating their stories on the Valerie Plame situation…

Patrick Fitzgerald is appearing in Seattle a week from this Friday!

:sniff:

The readers of The Little Pink Clubhouse have waited years for this, haven’t we? If you live in the area (and can skip out of the office for a couple of hours on Friday, May 30th,) you, too, can see America’s Hottest Prosecutor in person. He’s giving a speech at a tribute to the late King County prosecutor, Norm Maleng. Thanks to Western Gal for alerting me to this fact!

The Prosecutorial Ethic
A Tribute to King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng
University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall, Room 138
Seattle, Washington
May 30, 2008

9:20 a.m. Maintaining an Ethical Culture in a Prosecutor’s Office
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of
Illinois, Eastern Division, Chicago

I hate to break it to my loyal readership, but I won’t be there. There is a line between giggling on a blog and real life, and it’s good to not cross that line. I won’t begrudge anyone else’s wallowing in the fabulousness that is PJF, though, so make your plans now!

Of course, The Little Pink Clubhouse is all about welcoming people visiting my hometown, so here are a few suggestions for things to do while he’s here.

1. My Seattle Mariners are playing the Tigers. We won’t talk about their win-loss record, but the beer’s good. Try the “rally” garlic fries,  or the barbecue on the third level. Plus, it’s a great chance to see Ichiro at his home field.

2. Seafood abounds. There are many great suggestions of places to go to obtain it. Everyone in the country has seen the Pike Place Market’s flying fish guys, so try Tom Douglas’ Etta’s instead. http://www.tomdouglas.com/ettas/index.html

3. If it’s sunny, it’s gorgeous. If it’s raining, only tourists use umbrellas. We have the third worst traffic in the United States, but he’s from the undisputed world champion of awful traffic. Maybe he’s used to it!

4. The one spot he must see? Hmm, let me think… Pike Place Market’s fun, but crowded. Space Needle? Meh. Ferries? With the latest reports, forget it. I hope it will be sunny – he’ll see Mount Rainier if it is! Here’s the place everyone finds amazing: Snoqualmie Falls. http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/ Also, Fremont’s always interesting to visit. He can pose with the statue of Lenin, and see the Fremont Troll!

5. Alki Beach in West Seattle is a good place to go running. Of course, I’m not a runner, so this is an educated guess.

6. The Dilettante Cafe has more handmade truffles than one can shake a stick at. http://www.dilettante.com/ These are good for pacifying slightly irritated wives, or heartbroken women who have a crush on him!

7. There’s hiking, biking, white-water rafting, mountain climbing, kayaking, camping, you name it, we have it. 

8. I’m sure he can find his way to the roughly fifteen million Starbucks locations within the city of Seattle. If not, he can always visit the SoDo world headquarters.

Welcome to my hometown, and I hope he enjoys his visit!

-S

Color me shocked, no, SHOCKED: Feds state Illinois insiders tried to have US Attorney ousted

And here I was, wondering what to write on today’s edition of TLPC…

It seems that there are some politicians in the Chicago area that would prefer Patrick Fitzgerald was doing his thing in someone else’s neighborhood. Anyone who watched the Judicial Committee hearings is now saying, “Duhhhh.”

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=177986

With federal investigators closing in, Illinois political insiders hoped to avoid prison by having Bush administration architect Karl Rove oust U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, according to accusations made in federal court today.

An attorney for Rove and the Republican insider accused of leaning on him, Bob Kjellander, flatly denied the accusations this afternoon.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago dropped the bombshell allegations as part of the federal corruption trial against Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a former Gov. Rod Blagojevich fundraiser and confidant.

Federal prosecutors say two witnesses could testify that they were told by two separate people close to Kjellander that he was working to get Fitzgerald removed by leaning on Rove, his old friend.

The power play was allegedly plotted before Fitzgerald received a questionably low ranking by the Bush Administration and the controversial ousting of eight U.S. Attorneys.

I still remember my mouth dropping open when the architect of the purge list (actually, we still don’t know who did it, do we?) government official after government official insisted that they had no idea how those eight names made the infamous US Attorney Purge list, not to mention Patrick Fitzgerald’s questionably low job ranking.

If you didn’t laugh, you’d cry.

-S

Patrick Fitzgerald urges people to consider public service careers

 

Photo: Christopher Parr 

As the loyal Left Coast headquarters of the unauthorized Patrick Fitzgerald Fan Club, I’m required to report on these things…

Hey, look who’s in the paper!

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/03/27/local/23912092.txt

In a talk that lasted about an hour, Fitzgerald touched on a number of topics: freedom of the press, corruption by public officials, including convicted ex-Gov. George Ryan, and the CIA leak case, where Libby gained his notoriety.

But throughout the evening Fitzgerald came back to the topic of public service.

Recounting his younger days, when he said his view of success was tied largely to financial success, Fitzgerald said his career path was not necessarily chosen but guided by interest.

“There was a difference between doing well and doing good,” he said of financial success versus public service. “Public service was something that I was hoping other people are doing. It was the kind of job you did if you found out you had a trust fund you didn’t know about.”

It’s a great thing to point out that there is a different path. One of the commenters asked a few weeks ago why those who do good aren’t on the cover of “People” magazine, featured in media and generally lauded as numerous celebrities with substance abuse issues and marital problems are. Maybe the reason why is that those involved in looking for something more from their lives aren’t necessarily interested by the attention. Let’s face it, it takes someone with serious character to turn their back on earning potential sufficient to paper one’s bathroom with hundred-dollar bills, doesn’t it?

I know that Patrick Fitzgerald has made several speeches over the past few years about public service. I’m hoping that even ONE person listens and follows in his footsteps. We need more like him, don’t we?

A personal note: One of my friends is a special agent for a certain law enforcement agency. I know she’ll be rolling her eyes when she reads the following, but it’s true. When she goes to work every day, she makes a difference, and she’s been doing it now for twenty-plus years. She works hard to get justice for those who are harmed by the criminal acts of others. On the lighter side, we all tease her about the handcuffs. (She massively pranked me last week — how am I ever going to get paybacks on someone who carries a gun, anyway?) At the same time, I could never, ever do what she does.

I’m honored to call her my friend.

-S

Oooh, what’s this? CVS to pay $37.8 million in Medicaid drug-switching suit

I used to work for a company named Caremark many years ago. They have undergone some significant organizational changes since. Let’s just say this isn’t the first time they’ve come to the attention of government agencies, and it’s not the first time I’ve followed the progress of this kind of thing, either.

http://www.pbn.com/stories/30252.htm

But a complaint filed in federal court in Chicago, by 23 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. government, charged that substituting capsules for tablets was illegal. In some cases, the complaint alleged, the change allowed the company to charge state programs four times as much for each pill.

“Switching medication from tablets to capsules might seem harmless,” Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a statement today. “But when that is done solely to increase profit and in violation of federal and state regulations that are designed to protect patients, pharmacies must know that they are subjecting themselves to the possibility of triple damages, civil penalties and attorney fees.”

“The Medicaid program is an important part of the medical safety net for our neediest citizens,” added Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley. “In today’s economic climate, the state must account for every penny.”

The settlement announced today “calls for payment by the company of $36.7 million, plus approximately $800,000 in investigative costs and other fees,” for a total of about $37.5 million, CVS Caremark said. Illinois pharmacist Bernard Lisitza, who filed the initial complaint in 2003, will receive $4.3 million, Bloomberg News reported.

I’d love to say that I was just too big of a person to snicker under my breath over this one, but guess what, I’m not.

-S

CIA Leak Prosecutor Back On the Hunt, or Cue the “Jaws” Theme!

 

Hey, look who’s in the paper today! :sniff: Good thing I loaded up on the free trade organic chocolate yesterday, isn’t it?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-yYYVFqUav2OlpjuEwvAb2IRN-QD8UV8I1O0

During the last six years, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald — no relation to the former senator — has sent to federal prison one former governor, Chicago’s city clerk, corrupt lobbyists, political fundraisers, influence peddlers and precinct captains.

“Nobody walked away, nobody beat the rap,” said Jay Stewart, executive director of Chicago’s Better Government Association, which last fall named the fast-talking, 47-year-old Fitzgerald its man of the year.

Fitzgerald is the same federal prosecutor who led Washington’s CIA leak investigation, which ensnared Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby only escaped going to the federal pen when President Bush commuted his 2 1/2-year sentence for perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI.

These days, Fitzgerald is back in his Chicago office, and some members of Illinois’ political elite are feeling the heat.

A major trial due to get under way March 3 will focus on an alleged effort to shake down money from management firms seeking business from the $30 billion fund that pays the pensions of downstate and suburban teachers.

It seems that Mr. Rezko also has had some contact with a certain Democratic Presidential candidate, so I’ll be interested to see what comes out of this trial.

In the meantime, I discovered further along in the article that Mr. Fitzgerald’s spokesperson, Russell Samborn, says he’s only given one interview this past year. He has to know that the teeny-weeny soapbox of The Little Pink Clubhouse is always open to him. He’d have a readership of — hundreds! Then again, that audience hangs on his every syllable, so it’s a win-win, isn’t it?

-S