Posted on 12/14/2008 5:53:36 PM PST by jimbo123
Conventional wisdom holds that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ordered the FBI to arrest Rod Blagojevich before sunrise Tuesday in order to stop a crime from being committed. That would have been the sale of the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
But the opposite is true: Members of Fitzgerald’s team are livid the scheme didn’t advance, at least for a little longer, according to some people close to Fitzgerald’s office. Why? Because had the plot unfolded, they might have had an opportunity most feds can only dream of: A chance to catch the sale of a Senate seat on tape, including the sellers and the buyers.
The precise timing of Tuesday’s dramatic, pre-dawn arrest was not dictated by Fitzgerald, nor was it dictated by the pace of Blagojevich’s alleged “crime spree.” It was dictated by the Chicago Tribune, according to people close to the investigation and a careful reading of the FBI’s affidavit in the case.
At Fitzgerald’s request, the paper had been holding back a story since October detailing how a confidante of Blagojevich was cooperating with his office.
Gerould Kern, the Tribune’s editor, said in a statement last week that these requests are granted in what he called isolated instances. “In each case, we strive to make the right decision as reporters and as citizens,” he said.
But editors decided to publish the story on Friday, Dec. 5, ending the Tribune’s own cooperation deal with the prosecutor.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
For this alone, I hope they go out of business
Emanuel, you magnificent bastard.
The Tribune OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE!! They are STILL trying to save Obama’s ASS.
Fitz...a set up.....to stop the crime from actually being committed...political hack...Fitz
I think we know why they wanted the investigation to come to a dead end.
It'll be funny if Blago walks because of the timing. The melodrama of the a.m., at home, arrest was too much.
(.....well, the former, not the latter, as I'm a Cub fan living in Florida).
Leni
Explains why Fitz hit the Trib with a subpoena last week.
In the context of Ci-cago, it looks like they thought if they did the One a favor he could, in office, steer some bailout funds their way, or at least a cut on some funds going to Ci-cago.
Did you read the article
It was the tribune that forced Fitzgerald to move early
does seem that way, at this point at least.
I love the comments. It’s a big F U to the mainstream media. In the end, Obama and the Mainstream Media will go down in flames over all of this process...otherwise America will.
Maybe they were protecting JJ,Jr. To publicize this right as the deal is about to go down is highly suspicious
Barbara Streisand!
They’re covering for Fitz’s covering for 0bama.
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ordered the FBI to arrest Rod Blagojevich... Members of Fitzgerald's team are livid the scheme didn't advance, at least for a little longer, according to some people close to Fitzgerald's office. Why? Because had the plot unfolded, they might have had an opportunity most feds can only dream of: A chance to catch the sale of a Senate seat on tape, including the sellers and the buyers. The precise timing of Tuesday's dramatic, pre-dawn arrest was not dictated by Fitzgerald, nor was it dictated by the pace of Blagojevich's alleged "crime spree." It was dictated by the Chicago Tribune... At Fitzgerald's request, the paper had been holding back a story since October detailing how a confidante of Blagojevich was cooperating with his office. Gerould Kern, the Tribune's editor, said in a statement last week that these requests are granted in what he called isolated instances. "In each case, we strive to make the right decision as reporters and as citizens," he said. But editors decided to publish the story on Friday, Dec. 5, ending the Tribune's own cooperation deal with the prosecutor.Subpeona the phone records of everyone involved in this at the Trib -- smokin' gun is probably in there.
By the way, I think the Tribune was in communication with Obama and his cohorts and they timed the whole thing to let Jackson get caught up in the net and then shut down the whole operation before it got too close to Obama, and since Obama knew from the beginning of course he only was willing to give “appreciation”. Obama worked the whole thing. Hopefully, the prosecutors are angry enough now that somebody might be more careful in setting a snare in front of Obama next time.
This might have been interesting for the country to know before the election . Hearing dates in June also . Just think if Palin had a hint of this crap going on ...
How did the Tribune become aware of the investigation? Fitz, did you leak it?
May the Chicago Tribune and the rest of the Zell empire, go down in flames.
Screw the Cubs. Screw Chicago. Screw Zell.
The ‘prosecution’ of Blago is nothing but protection for O’bummer. Fitz moved to prevent his underlings from developing a workable case, so that Blago can’t pull the rug out from under ‘the One.’ Blago walks, O’bummer moves into the Whitehouse, fires all the prosecutors that are investigating him, and they all live happily ever after. (Clinton redux)
Well obviously someone was talking to the Tribune. How convenient...
If it's true, why the bumbling-fumbling response from Team Obamessiah??
They would have had their stories straight, and not the deer in the headlights, "I better wait until I read the wire tap transcript before muttering another word" type of gameplan.
It’s no longer the Department of Justice. It is the Department of Pre-Crime.
They would have had their stories straight, and not the deer in the headlights, "I better wait until I read the wire tap transcript before muttering another word" type of gameplan.
Have they dealt with any controversy well? I believe they were going to bribe him, but on their own terms, to protect Obama.
I’m reserving judgment on this. Some unnamed associates in Fitz’s office say it’s the Tribune’s fault, and apparently leak that to Cam Simpson at the WSJ.
How on earth do we know whom to believe?
I did a bit of googling on Simpson, and found this:
http://kellyaward.com/mk_award_popup/simpson_c.html
He won an award while he was working for the Chicago Tribune, a typical hit piece on Halliburton for its sins in Iraq. Then he went to the WSJ in 2006. So, how did this story happen to get to him? Who the hell knows? But he does seem to be a typical leftist operative.
I suppose after the Tribunes let-down at the last Fitzmas (Scooter Libby) they thought it only fitting and proper to ruin ours!
Who is to be believed anymore?
That would be a first out of the Chicago Fibune, for sure.
rolling eyes!
It was the only story they had that could gin up interest to subscribe to that rag. So they ran it since they’re just about on the skids.
Protecting Obama.
I still think this investigation came to light when the incoming Justice dept was being briefed by Bush’s dept...
I’m not so sure I buy this.
The Chicago Tribune and Blogo were not on good terms at all. Blogo wanted the leadership of the Tribune fired in exchange for helping with the sale of the stadium.
Then why would the Tribune help Blogo?
There must have been some overriding pressure
I just sent the most drunken, out of control email I’ve ever sent to anyone, to the Trib. And I’m not sorry. They are absolute scum.
There's nothing inherently hack-ish of a U.S. Attorney attempting to "stop [a] crime from actually being committed." In a terrorism investigation, should the prosecutor wait until the bomb explodes? Of course not! So, in this case, which strikes at the heart of our democracy, why should we expect Fitzgerald to sit back and watch someone obtain a U.S. Senate seat through bribery/corruption?
Look, I'd like to take Obama down as much as anyone else (though, judging from the indictment, I don't think this case was ever going to lead all the way to the top), but I don't think it's worth a prosecutor sitting back and watching our democracy get bought & sold
Not to mention that, in this case, numerous crimes had already been committed.
If Obama colluded with the Chicago Tribune, it is an impeachable offense.
bttt
they didn’t do it to help blago, imo, they did it to help obama.
bump
If the Tribune has known about this investigation since October, who else have they leaked to over the last couple of months (Obama staff?). It is curious that JJJ and Blagojevich are the players that get caught when this story breaks. Who’s playing whom?
I disagree. Though newspapers should exercise some discretion when prosecutors/government officials ask them to hold off on publishing a story, they are (with some narrow, national-security-based exceptions) within their First Amendment rights to ignore such requests. Frankly, with an Obama administration coming in (and with all of the 'unofficial' DNC control over the media that comes with that), I don't want the government to have any more control over what the media does/does not publish than is absolutely necessary for national security.
It is a good thing Fitz went ahead bomba would have fired him anyway
I heard over the weekend(don’t remember where) that had the senator been appointed, it would have been very difficult to remove them from office. Surely if a person bribed there way into the senate and was caught, then they would be arrested and have to resign?
I think there will be many theories forwarded to confuse and divide the opposition(and drones). The little I’ve watched of the msm is all minimizing the issue.
Who does it hurt? (Blago and JJ., Jr.)
This sentence caught my eye?
In addition, the Dec. 4 conversation appears to have been the first substantive chat about allegedly selling the seat since Nov. 13.
The current complaint left us hanging with Blago sending messages via D.C. Adviser B that he was very anxious to talk to Jarrett and Pres.-Elect Adviser (RE) in the days up to and including Nov. 13.
The sentence I excerpted seems to imply that Blago's entreaties to be in touch with Jarrett and RE were not followed through on. Since D.C. Adviser B is frequently in contact with Blago as detailed in the complaint, it seems odd that contact via Adviser B would adruptly stop the contact.
I think the info in this article came either from the Obama team or someone at the Tribune sympathetic to Obama.
Also very interesting:
At that same moment, FBI agents also knocked on the doors of witnesses. These were just a few of the people agents wanted to interview before cellphones started ringing across the city and others who had been caught on tape had a chance to get their stories straight.
Someone leaked to the Tribune just before Dec. 5 to blow the cover off the investigation. Why did the Tribune suddenly decide to undo its cooperation with the Feds at that particular moment? Someone in the shadows is pulling strings, wrecking the Fed. investigation before everyone could get rolled up.
Many thanks to the Mediascum at the Chicago Tribune for trying to undermine this investigation before it was complete. Cannot imagine an investigation of Republicans being treated this way by the Mediascum.
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