Kjellander & Rove Worked to Fire Fitzgerald

by Chris Robling

The Chicago Tribune just posted a story (here) from its coverage of the U.S. District Court, where assistant U.S. attorney Carrie Hamilton told judge Amy St. Eve that admitted felon Ali Ata, who yesterday plead guilty to corruption charges, would testify to conversations with defendant Tony Rezko in 2004 about Illinois Republican National Committeeman Robert Kjellander allegedly working with White House advisor Karl Rove “to have [U.S. Attorney Patrick] Fitzgerald removed.”

St. Eve did not rule on the government’s motion for Ata to testify. Ata's plea agreement depends on truthful testimony and full co-operation with the federal government.

The attempt to remove Fitzgerald was allegedly mounted "so individuals who have been cooperating in this investigation will be dealt with differently," Hamilton told St. Eve, according to the Tribune.

Developing....

Comments

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald........

THE BEST THING that has ever happened to Illinois!!

Sorry Rove and Mr.K

NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL!

[spintreebb]

Thank God John McCain led the fight to support Republican Peter Fitzgerald and his nominee for US Attorney .. and continued that effort after Peter's term ended.

This bodes well for McCain. As the WSJ said in its first paragraph of a widely spammed article yesterday, McCain's anti-corruption position is not loved by the combine insiders. But it is loved by the grassroots voters.

McCain and Obama have both pledged to keep Fitz on as U.S. Attorney if elected; Clinton has not.
I would hope Fitz has made whatever provisions he can to insure that his current cases can be carried on by others if he is unable to do so.

Don't the same insiders who re-elected Big Bob in 2004 as the IL Republican National Committeeman still control the state GOP?

[Matt Gauntt]

Does anyone else need any convincing that Bob Kjellander needs to go?

[rightwinger]

"McCain's anti-corruption position is not loved by the combine insiders. But it is loved by the grassroots voters."

Keating 5?

[Bruno Behrend]

Matt,

He should go.

Do you thing Ray LaHood would be any more of an improvement?

ILL GOP ethics have metastasized through out the US GOP.

The cancer grows.

[Cal Skinner]

Perhaps McCain is making up for his role in the Keating 5.

[Matt Gauntt]

Bruno,

I don't know Ray LaHood at all. Don't know much about him (only been to Peoria about 3 times to recruit at Bradley). My impression is that he is worn out and tired. I don't think that is the kind of leadership the R's need right now. We need some dynamic and energized person in there. Someone that we won't have to worry about seeing if his/her hand is in the cookie jar.

Does anyone else need any convincing that Bob Kjellander needs to go ?

YES, Andy McKenna.LOL!

The fact that LaHood has defended Kjellander's continued presence in IL GOP leadership places him squarely in the camp of the still-unindicted co-conspirators and their enablers.

LaHood has done NOTHING to recommend him for leadership.

Issues-wise, he has failed to champion any of the Republican values- lower taxes, honest government, etc.

[pete speer]

An abysmal trio -- Kjellander, Cellini, Ingemunson -- turned the Republican Party into a profit making enterprise.

Who was minding the store? The likes of Thompson, Edgar, Ryan, Haster and LaHood. And now Andy McKenna

For shame.

Your headline is missing the world "allegedly." Funny how we believe who we want when it backs up our political views.

[frank bennett rowder of NOT JUST POLITICS NEWSLETTER]

I plan to publish LaHood's announcement in the race for IL GOP Natl.Committeemen in a
upcoming issue of NJP but I would like to
stress that other candidates could emerge
for this position and they must play an
important part in rebuilding the GOP:
candidate recruitment and getting the dollars from the RNC,RNCC and RNSC for candidates in ILLinois that is the problem
when our candidates run they don't have
the resources from our National Party.