by Andrew Zajac
Downstate Illinois Republican powerbroker Robert Kjellander stoutly denies going to the White House to try to get Chicago federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald fired. But former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, who recommended Patrick Fitzgerald for his Chicago post in 2001, said there's no doubt in his mind that top White House political operative Karl Rove knew of his long-time pal Kjellander's unhappiness with the prosecutor.
According to Peter Fitzgerald, Rove, in late 2003, told him that "Kjellander felt that I was out to get him through my U.S. attorney appointments."
Fitzgerald said he's baffled by that perception. "What would any law abiding person have to worry about from a U.S. attorney?" he said.
Yes, but was Peter Fitzgerald using his prosecutorial picks to get fellow Republican Kjellander? Peter Fitzgerald said that's a 'when did you stop beating your wife' question and declined to answer directly. "I brought in U.S. attorneys who I thought would be independent and aggressive...and would be the best possible U.S. attorneys in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois," he said.
Efforts to get rid of Patrick Fitzgerald were a surprise development this week in the Chicago influence-peddling trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko.
The 2003 exchange was at least the second time Rove made his aware of displeasure with Patrick Fitzgerald in Illinois. In 2002, Peter Fitzgerald said Rove told him that the new prosecutor was winning plaudits but had "ticked off the base...I said, Well, Bob Kjellander's not the base. I knew he was talking to Kjellander." (The Fitzgeralds aren't related.)
Rove and Peter Fitzgerald were not strangers. Rove did the direct mail advertising for Fitzgerald's successful 1998 Senate campaign against incumbent Democrat Carol Moseley Braun.
Fitzgerald said his one-time political consultant is too smart to have tried to dislodge Patrick Fitzgerald once he was named special prosecutor in the high-profile, politically charged Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation in December 2003.
Peter Fitzgerald said he knew nothing about a brief 2006 effort by a senior Justice Department aide to add Patrick Fitzgerald's name to a list of U.S. attorneys slated for sacking.
But by then, said Peter Fitzgerald, unhappiness with Patrick Fitzgerald in certain circles was widely enough known that the aide, D. Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, "may have thought he was doing Karl Rove a favor, polishing the apple for Rove" by trying to get the Chicago U.S. attorney fired.
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Comments
Does it surprize anyone that a person under investigation would like to have a US attoney removed. What I would like to know is how did people like Hurtgen know they were being investigated?
According to news reports Hurtgen was having testimonials written about "what a good guy" he was before he got indcited.
Considering Hurtgen gave Kjellander nearly $1mm- half of which ended up in rezko's acoount- it seems strange. Also, Rezko was listed as a lobbyist for kjellander.
These guys are illinois bad.
Posted by: BigWindy | April 26, 2008 9:03 AM
Clyburn is right.
Hillbillary has went well beyond enthusiasm to manic obsession to win at all costs.
Posted by: Doug "Hussein" Zook | April 26, 2008 9:35 AM
Doug, this Swamp item is not about Clyburn, Clinton and Obama.
Anyway, the Illinois GOP MUST get rid of Kjellender. While this filth is connected with the Illinois GOP, the Illinois GOP will not see one cent from me.
Posted by: John D | April 26, 2008 11:07 AM
"What would any law abiding person have to worry about from a U.S. attorney?"
This is why I like both Fitzgeralds. :-)
Posted by: Tom J | April 26, 2008 3:15 PM
This is bizarro!
Posted by: Rezko= Kjellander=Obama? | April 26, 2008 7:38 PM
He did carry a lot of water suppressing the free speech of state employees....
Posted by: Obama=Blagojevich? | April 27, 2008 3:48 PM
If you do not understand how things are done in IL than you might want to follow the Rezko trial and the reference to the "Combine".
If we, i.e, that is most of the little GOP elected office holders, could we would dump all the state leadership.
Some of the top dummies maybe clean, but they also did nothing to stop the BS. It is ALL about the $$$, 1st .
Posted by: Ruffer | April 28, 2008 7:44 AM
It's time the press took this a step further and investigate the influence Rove and Kjellander have had on elections in Illinois, not just the influence on the DOJ.
Kjellander and Rove go way back to the Nixon days. Kjellander proved to the GOP that he was the right stuff while working on Big Jim Thompson's campaign in 1982. Thompson only won by fraud.
Posted by: Illinois Mom | April 28, 2008 11:22 AM
Kjellander (pronounced Shil-lander) ain't afeared of anybody in Illinois politics. The conservatives can't touch him, Thompson, Edgar, McKenna, Cellini (pronounced Sell-anything) and Ingemunson have his back, He was bunk buddies with karl Rove in college.
Only problem is that Pat Fitzgerald is outside the political circle. They tried to bear trap him with the Plame Libby mess. If W had not given Libby the Get Out Of Jai Freel card, the knife was going to cut higher. Undoubtedly he has been offered any higher position in DC that he wants -- by the Repubs and the Dems. Get the Sheriff out of Dodge.
He can't be bought and he hires good Assistants..
Posted by: Truthful James | April 28, 2008 5:06 PM