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Patrick J. Fitzgerald
From SourceWatch
On December 31, 2003, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald once again made national headlines by being appointed to continue the investigation into the Valerie Plame CIA leak frequently referred to by the media as "Leakgate". Fitzgerald was named after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the case.
U.S. Dept. of Justice -- Office of Special Counsel -- Website: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/
Contents |
Investigating the Investigator
Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas "intends to preside over hearings on the intelligence community's use of covert protections for CIA agents and others involved in secret activities."
Roberts spokeswoman Sarah Little added that "the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence could hold hearings on the use of espionage cover soon after the U.S. Congress returns from its August recess, ... [and] would also review the probe of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has been investigating the Plame case for nearly two years." --David Morgan, Boston Globe, July 25, 2005.
Smear Campaign
Joe Conason wrote in the August 1, 2005 (issue) of the New York Observer that the "Republicans [Are] Ready to Slime Fitzgerald":
- "Circled in a bristling perimeter around the White House, the friends and allies of Mr. Rove can soon be expected to fire their rhetorical mortars at Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the White House exposure of C.I.A. operative Valerie Wilson. Indeed, the preparations for that assault began months ago in the editorial columns of The Wall Street Journal, which has tarred Mr. Fitzgerald as a 'loose cannon' and an 'unguided missile.'".
Profiles
According to an October 24, 2001, press release by U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL):
"Patrick J. Fitzgerald, 40, began his prosecutorial career in 1988 by handling significant drug trafficking cases, and prosecuting major heroin smuggling rings. In 1993 he and another lawyer prosecuted, and won convictions against, John Gambino, a capo of the Gambino Crime Family and three other members of the Gambino Crime Family crew for a variety of charges, including murder and racketeering.
"In June of 1994, he became counsel in the prosecution of the 'blind sheik', Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 other defendants, who were accused of a seditious conspiracy involving the bombing of the World Trade Center and a plot to bomb the United Nations, the FBI Building in New York, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, and to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The nine-month trial resulted in convictions.
"The following year, Fitzgerald was named Co-Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Section of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Shortly thereafter he became National Security Coordinator for the Office. In these capacities, he was responsible for supervising the investigation and development and prosecution of the case against Osama bin Laden. He was the chief counsel in the prosecution of those alleged to have perpetrated the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania."
Related SourceWatch Resources
External links
Profiles
- Presidential Nomination (cache file): Patrick J. Fitzgerald as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in the Department of Justice; appointment announced September 19, 2001; date of confirmation by U.S. Senate, October 23, 2001. [1]
Articles & Commentary
- "Jailing Reporters," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 1, 2005.
- "Karl Rove, Whistleblower. He told the truth about Joe Wilson," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 13, 2005.
- David Morgan, "Congress plans to scrutinize Plame-related issues," Boston Globe, July 25, 2005.
- Joe Conason, "Republicans Ready to Slime Fitzgerald," New York Observer, August 1, 2005 (issue).
- "Fitzgerald not packing his bags," Chicago Tribune, August 4, 2005: "U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, his future in Chicago uncertain as his four-year term nears its end, said Wednesday he plans to keep at work 'until someone tells me they'd like someone else to do the job.... You're very lucky to get the job, you do your job, and if someone tells you it no longer serves the pleasure of the president, then you pack your bags and move on,' Fitzgerald said in answer to reporters' questions at a news conference."
- Adam Entous, "CIA leak probe extended," Reuters, November 18, 2005.
