Former Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, Illinois GOP Chair Andy McKenna, and Tribune columnist John Kass can all eat crow this morning. Each of them suggested last fall that, if elected president, Barack Obama might remove U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald from his post in the Northern Illinois district. Despite repeated statements from Obama to the contrary, Peter Fitzgerald went so far as to "guess" it would be “one of the first things that would happen” in an Obama administration.

Today, Obama remained consistent with his positive comments about the prosecutor last year. Although it’s custom for incoming presidents to replace all 93 U.S. attorneys with fresh nominees, Fitzgerald isn’t going anywhere. NBC has more:

Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney in Chicago who brought criminal fraud charges against Rod Blagojevich, will be staying in his job in the Obama administration, even though he was appointed to the position by President George W. Bush. [...]

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has recommended that Eric Holder, the new attorney general, keep Fitzgerald. That suggestion was “positively received,” according to officials at the Justice Department and Sen. Durbin’s office.

(H/T TPM)