Patrick Fitzgerald news stories on Newser

Defiant Blago: Trial a Big Waste of Money

John Johnson — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:33:51 CDT

Because federal prosecutors got Rod Blagojevich on only 1 of 24 counts , we get to do this all over again. Let the posturing begin, as rounded up by the Chicago Tribune : Rod Blagojevich: "The government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, and on every charge but one they...

Blago Judge: No Head-Butting in My Court

Caroline Miller — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:15:46 CDT

The judge in the Rod Blagojevich trial doesn't intend to let the pugnacious former Illinois governor turn it into a grudge match with his nemesis, US attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. After a day of Blago antics —a rant in which he called prosecutors 'cowards and liars," challenged Fitzgerald to meet him...

Chicago Cabbie Charged With Helping al-Qaeda

M. Morris — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:22:10 CDT

A Chicago cab driver was arrested without incident this morning and charged with trying to send money overseas to help al-Qaeda. Raja Lahrasib Khan, 56, a native of Pakistan who became a naturalized US citizen in 1988, was ordered held without bond. He allegedly also talked about bombing a stadium...

Cheney: Wilson Mission Was CIA 'Amateur Hour'

Polly Davis Doig — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 CDT

Dick Cheney's memory may have been a little iffy about the Valerie Plame leak, but Politico reports that the former veep left no room for doubt about his opinion of her husband's trip to Niger to investigate an Iraqi purchase of plutonium. "It was amateur hour out at the CIA,...

Cheney on Plame Leak: I Can't Recall

Nick McMaster — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:02:07 CDT

After years of effort by the Bush and Obama administrations to keep documents related to the CIA leak case secret, redacted portions of the special prosecutor’s 2004 interview with Dick Cheney released today show plenty of nothing. The then-VP apparently suffered acute memory loss: Cheney told Patrick Fitzgerald he couldn't...

Blago Book: Senate Deal 'Routine' Politics

Harry Kimball — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:07:38 CDT

Rod Blagojevich’s memoir makes the case for his innocence with a lot of help from Shakespeare, the Chicago Tribune reports. While blaming his woes specifically on five enemies, he likens his plight to that of Othello and Lear. “You might as well throw in a little Richard the Third," he...

Evidence Tying Cheney to Plame Leak Grows

Harry Kimball — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:01 CDT

The Obama Justice Department is continuing its efforts to maintain the Bush administration's secrecy over Dick Cheney's role in the Valerie Plame CIA leak scandal, the Washington Post reports. A filing this week, intended to bolster the current administration’s case for keeping secret details of the then-VP’s 2004 interview with...

Daily Show Argument Exposes Obama as Bush Lite

M. Morris — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:51:25 CDT

A Justice Department lawyer argued in court yesterday—with a straight face—that releasing statements Dick Cheney made during the Valerie Plame investigation could cause future administration officials to hold back out of fear their statements would “get on The Daily Show .” The judge overseeing the hearing seemed skeptical, and...

Blago Fails to Boot Federal Prosecutor

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:49:39 CDT

Rod Blagojevich has failed to get Chicago's top federal prosecutor kicked off of his case, the Chicago Tribune reports. A judge ruled today that comments made by Patrick Fitzgerald—which Blagojevich called inflammatory—did not warrant removing him from the corruption case. Nor did Fitzgerald's release of wiretap transcripts that...