Posted on 04/03/2007 9:36:19 PM PDT by smoothsailing
Fitzgerald's Cover-Up
It's time to hold the special prosecutor accountable.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT
For a prosecutor who claims to be a truth-seeker, Patrick Fitzgerald sure can be secretive. Even now that the Scooter Libby trial is over and his "leak" investigation is all but closed, the unaccountable special counsel wants to keep his arguments for creating a Constitutional showdown over reporters and their sources under lock and key.
Mr. Fitzgerald is fighting release of the affidavits he filed with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to justify compelling two reporters to testify about their conversations with Mr. Libby, and to throw one of them in jail for 85 days until she did so. Also under court seal are eight pages of a redacted 2005 D.C. Circuit opinion by Judge David Tatel that explained the court's decision to support Mr. Fitzgerald's pursuit of the reporters.
In January, Dow Jones--which publishes this newspaper--and the Associated Press requested that the D.C. Circuit release this material now that the case is wrapped up. By demanding that the reporters betray their sources, Mr. Fitzgerald caused a legal collision that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The public, the press and other prosecutors all have what the Dow Jones-AP motion calls "an undeniable and overwhelming public interest" in knowing the arguments and information that Mr. Fitzgerald made to the court.
His demand and the D.C. Circuit ruling set a precedent that may well encourage other prosecutors to force journalists to betray their sources too. His effort also appeared, at least to us, to violate long-standing Justice Department guidelines concerning such pursuit of journalists. His pursuit is all the more puzzling in retrospect because we now know that Mr. Fitzgerald already knew--
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
If he didn't lie to the courts, they'd be the only people Fitz didn't lie to regarding this case.
Fitzgerald started his "investigation" and directed it specifically against White House when he knew from Day One who talked to Novak and that statute did not apply to Valerie Plame. He asked (threatened) people not to talk about their real "involvement" in the case to keep confusion going in order to entrap the ones who were not "involved" in the "leak", and thus also kept Wilson's and Dems lies and accusations going.
Nifong, OTOH, didn't know at first whether crime was committed, only had a flaky victim/witness in the beginning, yet he kept going and then started to lie and cover up when it became obvious that his "case" was falling apart.
Conclusion: Nifong has nothing on Fitgzerald. Conclusion: Both should be disbarred, but it is Fitzgerald who should be made an example of abuse of prosecutorial power run amok for political and personal gain.
Fortunately, both of them failed to be successful in their cover ups. When appeals court overturns Libby's conviction whatever is left of Fitzerald's legal career will be over. He might as well then find a safe Democrat district and be a "Congressman for life" and continue to mooch off the taxpayers for the est of his miserable life. Worked for Clintons.
Well said! Concise and very accurate.
Scooter and Clarice Bump!
Fitzfong is a fraud and a charlatan who must be disbarred. It is long past time to put his misconduct in the spotlight and make him answer for it. btw, I have no sympathy for people who want any sort of federal “shield law” or absolute protection for journalists’ sources in sensitive cases, but in this matter Fitzfong has acted so recklessly and unethically that his misbehavior will give weight to arguments for a federal shield law.
You don’t go after journalists’ sources when you already know who the leaker was (and you’re not even interested in the “real leaker” because you know that no crime was committed) ........ Fitzfong was on a fishing expedition to try to get the WH any way he could...... he wanted to troll around journalists’ sources and records to see if he could come up with anything, and that is way over the line.
I agree with you. My post was merely to point out the prosecutorial misconduct that occurred in both cases.
And thanks for the clarification and elucidation of the difference between the two prosecutors. I learned from your post.
Thanks again. ‘Pod.
See this?
BTTT!
Yes, I got it, sorry if my post seemed a bit like a rant. It's just that, as I described, I feel that both chronologically and historically Fitzgerald's case supersedes Nifong's, and so, by far, my preferred way of conveying your sentiment would be Mike Nifong (or so-and-so) is Fitzgerald in a different suit. :~)
Another reason why I feel it's important to put Fitzgerald front and center in comparisons and lessons like these is that, unlike some other unaccountable out-of-control zealous prosecutors, who are willing to abuse their power and engage in prosecutorial misconduct to advance their personal and professional standing or their political views and goals, Fitzgerald didn't get the same kind of exposure on cable TV 24/7 (as Nifong did), and his "investigation" was not scrutinized or overseen by either Congress or DoJ... Comey before leaving, as a "parting gift", appointed David Margolis from DoJ to "oversee" the "investigation", but by that time the process was almost over.
Thanks for your kind words.
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