Blagojevich retrial, Protecting Obama, Patrick Fitzgerald conspirator?, Fitzgerald and Justice Dept delayed arrest of Blagojevich
Patrick Fitzgerald has zero credibility with me. However, with rats jumping ship left and right, will Fitzgerald throw Obama under the bus?
From the Chicago Tribune.
“Moments after a rare setback, a chastened U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was acting nothing like the swaggering prosecutor who just 20 months earlier proclaimed he had arrested a sitting governor to stop a political crime spree.
He would not take questions from reporters about his office’s failure to convict former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 23 counts against him, winning a guilty verdict only on a single count of lying to the FBI, among the least serious of the charges he faced.
Instead, Fitzgerald vowed to retry the case, then quickly ending his news conference.
“So, for all practical purposes, we are in the mode of being close to jury selection for a retrial,” he said.”
Read more:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/defense-jubilant-prosecutors-look-to-retrial.html
From the Chicago Tribune.
“The counts on which the jury could not agree framed the heart of the government claims that Blagojevich schemed to profit from his post from his earliest days in office and in the 2008 attempted to auction off the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.”
“Lawyers in the case are to be back in court Aug. 26, possibly to pick a retrial date. Prosecutors are expected to push for the case to be back before a jury this fall, while the defense is likely to drag its heels and promised to appeal the single count the former governor was convicted on.
While gaining a conviction of the former governor on one count, the result of the trial was a far cry from the sweeping convictions in public corruption cases that Fitzgerald and his prosecutors have grown accustomed to. In his nine years at the helm of the prosecutor’s office here, Fitzgerald has secured guilty verdicts for an array of public officials, ranging from aldermen to the patronage chief for Mayor Richard Daley to Blagojevich’s predecessor as governor, Republican George Ryan.
The government case against Blagojevich was a vivid example of how slowly the wheels of justice can grind in public corruption cases. Blagojevich was arrested just weeks after he allegedly began plotting to sell Obama’s Senate seat, but federal agents had been probing wrongdoing in the governor’s administration since at least 2004 — his second year in office — and questioned Blagojevich for the first time in 2005 during his first term.”
Read more:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/08/blagojevich-convicted-on-1-of-24-counts.html
Thanks to the Tribune for pointing out that Blagojevich was under scrutiny at least by 2004.
Now for the rest of the story.
From Citizen Wells July 15, 2010
“The question is, why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”
“The US Justice Department had plenty of evidence indicting Rod Blagojevich by 2006. Why did the US Justice Department wait until December 2008, after the election, to arrest Blagojevich?”
“From in or about 2002 to the present, in Cook County”
“Since approximately 2003, the government has been investigating allegations of illegal activity occurring in State of Illinois government as part of the administration of Governor ROD BLAGOJEVICH.”
“Timeline is revealing
Patrick Fitzgerald was aware of Blagojevich’s corruption in 2003
“Pamela Meyer Davis had been trying to win approval from a state health planning board for an expansion of Edward Hospital, the facility she runs in a Chicago suburb, but she realized that the only way to prevail was to retain a politically connected construction company and a specific investment house.
Instead of succumbing to those demands, she went to the FBI and U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald in late 2003 and agreed to secretly record conversations about the project.””
Patrick Fitzgerald and US Justice Dept. delayed Blagojevich arrest
Citizen WElls 
LTC Terry Lakin, CNN retraction of defamatory comments, Citizen Wells open thread, August 16, 2010
LTC Terry Lakin, CNN retraction of defamatory comments
From American Patriot Foundation a few minutes ago.
“PRESS RELEASE
ARMY DOCTOR LTC TERRY LAKIN SUCCESSFUL IN DEMAND FOR CNN TO RETRACT DEFAMATORY STATEMENTS
JEFFREY TOOBIN WITHDRAWS VICIOUS STATEMENT HE MADE ABOUT LAKIN SAYS HE NEVER INTENDED THEM TO APPLY TO DECORATED ARMY DOCTOR
Washington, D.C., August 16, 2010. The Army doctor who is being court martialled for refusing to obey orders has demanded – and received – a retraction from CNN of defamatory comments made by Jeffrey Toobin about Lakin.
Lakin appeared on the “Anderson Cooper 360” program with his lead counsel, Paul Rolf Jensen on May 7, 2010. A few days later, CNN aired on the same program a panel discussion with three lawyers, the purpose of which was to discuss LTC Lakin and his case. During that program, the following colloquy took place between Messrs. Cooper and Toobin, and a photo of LTC Lakin was displayed during Mr. Toobin’s remarks:
COOPER: It is sad, this guy has given 18 years of service, apparently served honorably, was a doctor, and then seems to be tossing out his career for this. I mean there are principled stands you can take…
TOOBIN: In your interview you kept saying what an honorable man he is. You know, as they say at the Supreme Court, I think I dissent. You know, these people are bigots, they’re racists, they’re freaks, they’re lunatics, these are not rational players in American politics…
On June 8, 2010, Jensen wrote CNN President Jonathan Klein as well as Mr. Toobin. In that letter, Jensen wrote: “Mr. Toobin’s statement is patently false. LTC Lakin is neither irrational, a racist, a bigot, a freak, or a lunatic. Nor is there any rational basis to conclude he is any of these things, which of course was Mr. Cooper’s point. Mr. Toobin, unlike Mr. Cooper, made this statement without ever speaking with LTC Lakin (or likely anyone that knows him.) Mr. Toobin’s statement was understood to pertain to LTC Lakin and appears to have been made with actual malice, and particularly in the context given, which is Mr. Toobin contradicting Mr. Cooper saying LTC Lakin’s professional service was honorable, attacks my client’s professional character and standing.
For these reasons, Mr. Toobin’s statement constitutes per se defamation, and is unconscionable, and LTC Lakin demands it be immediately retracted, on air during the “Anderson Cooper 360″ program. Your failure to make such a retraction will leave us no choice but to sue for defamation without further notice or demand.”
Immediately upon receipt of Jensen’s letter, CNN’s Vice President and General Counsel David Vigilante contacted Jensen, and although he denied the statement was defamatory, he agreed that CNN would require Toobin to retract the statement, and true to his word, last month this is exactly what aired:
TOOBIN: Anderson, can I just add one point on an unrelated matter?
COOPER: Sure. Yes.
TOOBIN: A couple of weeks ago, we did a story about Lieutenant Colonel Terrence Lakin. He is the officer who has tried to get out of military service because he believes that President Obama was not born in the United States. He’s one of the so-called birthers. In the course of that report, I made the statement that a lot of the birthers are bigots and racists and there was a picture of Lakin behind me.
I didn’t mean to suggest that he was a bigot and a racist. I was just talking more generally. And I also should correct myself. He wasn’t trying to get out of military service. He is the subject of a court Martial, that’s why we were doing the story. But I didn’t mean to imply that about him.
COOPER: OK, Jeff, thanks.
The videos can be viewed on the website of the American Patriot Foundation, www.safeguardourconstitution.com.
LTC Lakin accepts this second statement as a complete retraction of the first. Although it is regrettable that it took Jensen’s threat of litigation to compel Toobin to take back his vile words, the fact remains that CNN did the right thing in airing this retraction. “The matter is now closed,” Lakin stated today. “CNN and Toobin did the right thing to clear my name, and while I was ready to file suit if necessary to protect my reputation, I am glad my attorney was successful without having to do so.”
Lakin is a Lt. Colonel with almost 18 years of unblemished service to the Army, with six tours of duty abroad, including tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan. He is a physician and has been awarded the Bronze Star for his service. He believes that his oath to support and defend the United States Constitution has compelled him to act as he has, because President Obama’s eligibility under the Constitution to hold office has been seriously questioned, and the President has refused all requests to release documents claimed to exist which could determine his eligibility.
Immediately prior to Lakin’s refusal to deploy, his commander, COL Dale Block wrote of Lakin, “Dr. Lakin is an extremely talented, highly knowledgeable senior Army clinician…he can always be counted on to provide me with expert advice…LTC Lakin is clearly one of the top clinicians in the Northern Regional Medical Command. He has superb clinical skills, rapport with patients and staff…Terry is the best choice for tough assignments…Already on the promotion list to Colonel, he should be groomed for positions of greater responsibility.” COL Block concluded by describing LTC Lakin as “best qualified” and recommended that LTC Lakin be selected for duty as a Clinic Commander (in other words, Block’s own position).
The American Patriot Foundation, a non-profit group incorporated in 2003 to foster appreciation and respect for the U.S. Constitution, which has established a fund for Lakin’s legal defense to LTC Lakin. Further details are available on the Foundation’s website, www.safeguardourconstitution.com.
—-end—-
For further information, contact: Margaret Hemenway at (202) 725-7659
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Tagged 2010, August 16, Citizen Wells open thread, CNN retraction of defamatory comments, LTC Terry Lakin