Rove Didn't Want Fitzgerald As U.S. Prosecutor, Says Former Illinois Senator

November 11, 2006

Before Patrick Fitzgerald became the special prosecutor for PlameGate, he was first appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), where he still serves in that position.
According to the former maverick Republican senator who recommended Fitzgerald for the position, Rove didn't want an "outsider" to come into the job. (Fitzgerald was a New York federal prosecutor at the time.)

The implication was that the White House wanted someone who would not prosecute or less aggressively pursue then Republican Governor George Ryan -- or pose prosecutorial danger to Illinois Republicans.

The U.S. Senator at the time, Peter Fitzgerald (no relation to the U.S. Attorney), didn't listen to Rove or other Republican higher-ups who wanted a more partisan U.S. Attorney in the key Chicago position.

As a result of the former Senator's unusual insistence on bringing in an aggressive "outside" U.S. Attorney, Ryan was convicted of multiple felonies -- and Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed special prosecutor for PlameGate (while also remaining U.S. Attorney in Chicago).

And, as they say, the rest is history.

[This information was reported in a November 10th Chicago Tribune article, detailing a previous day's speech by the former U.S. senator from Illinois. You can find the article here.]

For ongoing updates on the PlameGate investigation, please read http://www.buzzflash.com.