U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is becoming a popular political pawn these days. Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica recently used the prosecutor's image on a campaign flyer without permission. And speaking Friday to WIND's John & Cisco In The Morning, former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (right) -- whose support for the appointment of Fitzgerald (the attorney who eventually prosecuted former Gov. George Ryan on state corruption charges) virtually destroyed his political career -- predicted that the prosecutor would be unjustly removed under an Obama administration. Listen here:
FITZGERALD: I’ve read where it’s been reported that Barack has pledged that but if you carefully look at what he says, he doesn’t make a very strong statement in support of Patrick Fitzgerald. It’s very weak and roundabout. And also I think somebody should get that in writing, maybe an affidavit. I mean, he’s promised a lot of things -- that he wouldn’t take public financing and so forth. He changes. I mean, he was against wiretapping before he was for it. So I don’t think it really means a lot. My guess is if Senator Obama got elected, one of the first things that would happen is that they would remove Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago. And he’d have pressure to do so from all sorts of Daley administration people.
"Weak and roundabout"? Let's go back to the records. In a March 15 article, the Tribune's Bob Secter and John McCormick wrote the following about Obama's support for Fitzgerald:
Obama said he was impressed with the efforts of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, whose office is prosecuting Obama friend and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko. If elected president, Obama said, he would retain Fitzgerald.
Their report stemmed from a lengthy March editorial meeting the paper conducted with Obama, excerpted below:
Tribune: When you were here several months, maybe a year ago, you said—either here or, I forgot, outside or where outside, I think it was right here in the room—that if you were, you know, that you would reappoint or seek to maintain Patrick Fitzgerald as the United States attorney. . . .
Obama: I think I said it here in the boardroom.
Tribune: Given the investigations that are going on now, if you're elected president.
Obama: I still think he's doing a good job. Yes.
Tribune: Would you keep him? And why would you keep him?
Obama: I think he has been aggressive in putting the city on notice and the state on notice that he takes issues of public corruption seriously.
Obama approved of Patrick Fitzgerald in 2005, before the City Hall investigation heated up. He approved of him in March. And there's no evidence to suggest he doesn't approve of him now.
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