Patrick J. Fitzgerald

On December 31, 2003, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick J. Fitzgerald once again made national headlines by being appointed to continue the investigation into the Valerie Plame CIA leak frequently referred to by the media as "Leakgate". Fitzgerald was named after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the case.

U.S. Dept. of Justice -- Office of Special Counsel -- Website: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/

Investigating the Investigator
Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas "intends to preside over hearings on the intelligence community's use of covert protections for CIA agents and others involved in secret activities."

Roberts spokeswoman Sarah Little added that "the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence could hold hearings on the use of espionage cover soon after the U.S. Congress returns from its August recess, ... [and] would also review the probe of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has been investigating the Plame case for nearly two years." --David Morgan, Boston Globe, July 25, 2005.

Smear Campaign
Joe Conason wrote in the August 1, 2005 (issue) of the New York Observer that the "Republicans [Are] Ready to Slime Fitzgerald":
 * "Circled in a bristling perimeter around the White House, the friends and allies of Mr. Rove can soon be expected to fire their rhetorical mortars at Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor investigating the White House exposure of C.I.A. operative Valerie Wilson. Indeed, the preparations for that assault began months ago in the editorial columns of The Wall Street Journal, which has tarred Mr. Fitzgerald as a 'loose cannon' and an 'unguided missile.'".

Profiles
According to an October 24, 2001, press release by U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL):

"Patrick J. Fitzgerald, 40, began his prosecutorial career in 1988 by handling significant drug trafficking cases, and prosecuting major heroin smuggling rings. In 1993 he and another lawyer prosecuted, and won convictions against, John Gambino, a capo of the Gambino Crime Family and three other members of the Gambino Crime Family crew for a variety of charges, including murder and racketeering.

"In June of 1994, he became counsel in the prosecution of the 'blind sheik', Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 other defendants, who were accused of a seditious conspiracy involving the bombing of the World Trade Center and a plot to bomb the United Nations, the FBI Building in New York, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, and to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The nine-month trial resulted in convictions.

"The following year, Fitzgerald was named Co-Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Section of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Shortly thereafter he became National Security Coordinator for the Office. In these capacities, he was responsible for supervising the investigation and development and prosecution of the case against Osama bin Laden. He was the chief counsel in the prosecution of those alleged to have perpetrated the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania."

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Karl Rove: Outing Valerie Plame
 * prewar intelligence
 * Saddam Hussein
 * The U.S. v. I. Lewis Libby
 * Treasongate: Beyond Karl Rove

Profiles

 * Presidential Nomination (cache file): Patrick J. Fitzgerald as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in the Department of Justice; appointment announced September 19, 2001; date of confirmation by U.S. Senate, October 23, 2001.

Articles & Commentary

 * "Jailing Reporters," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 1, 2005.
 * "Karl Rove, Whistleblower. He told the truth about Joe Wilson," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 13, 2005.
 * David Morgan, "Congress plans to scrutinize Plame-related issues," Boston Globe, July 25, 2005.
 * Joe Conason, "Republicans Ready to Slime Fitzgerald," New York Observer, August 1, 2005 (issue).
 * "Fitzgerald not packing his bags," Chicago Tribune, August 4, 2005: "U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, his future in Chicago uncertain as his four-year term nears its end, said Wednesday he plans to keep at work 'until someone tells me they'd like someone else to do the job.... You're very lucky to get the job, you do your job, and if someone tells you it no longer serves the pleasure of the president, then you pack your bags and move on,' Fitzgerald said in answer to reporters' questions at a news conference."
 * Adam Entous, "CIA leak probe extended," Reuters, November 18, 2005.

2004

 * Chris Mooney, "Did Our Leading Newspapers Set Too Low a Bar for a Preemptive Attack?" Columbia Journalism Review, March/April 2004.
 * Warren Strobel, Jonathan S. Landay, and John Walcott, "Doubts cast on efforts to link Saddam, al-Qaida," Knight Ridder Newspapers, March 2, 2004.
 * Laurie Mylroie, "The Saddam-9/11 Link Confirmed," FrontPage Magazine, May 11, 2004; also posted by Free Republic.
 * "Saddam's Files. New evidence of a link between Iraq and al Qaeda," WSJ Opinion Journal, May 27, 2004.
 * "9/11 panel sees no link between Iraq, al-Qaida. Commission opens final hearing before release of report," MSNBC, June 16, 2004.
 * "9-11 Commission," PBS Online NewsHour, June 16, 2004.
 * Don Gonyea, "Bush Maintains Saddam, Al Qaeda Links," NPR, June 17, 2004.
 * Eric Alterman, "Think Again: No Link? Who Knew?," Center for American Progress, June 17, 2004.
 * David Barstow, William J. Broad and Jeff Gerth, "How the White House Embraced Disputed Arms Intelligence," New York Times, October 3, 2004.

2005

 * Murray S. Waas,"CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Secret Service Records Prompted Key Miller Testimony," National Journal, October 20, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Plame Game Over?" American Prospect, April 6,2005.
 * "Jailing Reporters," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 1, 2005.
 * "Karl Rove, Whistleblower. He told the truth about Joe Wilson," WSJ Opinion Journal, July 13, 2005.
 * David Morgan, "Congress plans to scrutinize Plame-related issues," Boston Globe, July 25, 2005.
 * Joe Conason, "Republicans Ready to Slime Fitzgerald," New York Observer, August 1, 2005 (issue).
 * Murray Waas, "The Meeting," The American Prospct (CBSnews.com), August 8, 2005, and via original article
 * Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus, "Asterisks Dot White House's Iraq Argument," Washington Post, November 12, 2005.
 * Frank Rich, "Dishonest, Reprehensible, Corrupt" New York Times, November 27, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
 * "Iraq PR Facts Pursued", O'Dwyer's PR Daily, February 17, 2006. (Sub req'd).
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story" Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * Kit Roane, "Curveball" Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 2007.
 * Murray Waas,"Cheney,Libby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
 * Murray Waas and Paul Singer, "Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005.
 * Adam Entous, "CIA leak probe extended," Reuters, November 18, 2005.


 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.

2006

 * Murray Waas, "Cheney Authorized Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
 * "Exclusive Interview: Murray Waas on How Cheney 'Authorized' Libby to Leak Classified Information," Democracy Now!, February 10, 2006.
 * "Cheney in the Crosshairs," On the Media, New York Public Radio, February 17, 2006.
 * Murray Waas "Did the White House Authorize Leaks to Woodward?," Huffington Post, Feb. 24, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006. "Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records."
 * Murray Waas, "What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Rove-Novak Call Was Concern to Leak Investigators," National Journal, May 25, 2006.
 * Shane Harris and Murray Waas, "Justice Department Probe Foiled" National Journal, May 25, 2006
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * Jane Hamsher, "Murray Waas to Join Daily Kos Panel," Firedoglake Blog, May 17, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Ashcroft Was Told," National Journal, June 8, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Bush Directed Cheney to Counter War Critic", National Journal, July 3, 2006.
 * Ken Silverstein, "Six Senators to Negroponte: Produce a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq Now," Harper's Magazine, July 26, 2006.
 * Ken Silverstein, "Followup: Senate Passes National Intelligence Estimate Amendment," Harper's Magazine, August 4, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006: "Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews."
 * Karen DeYoung, "Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight," Washington Post, September 24, 2006.
 * "Intelligence Report Finds War Increasing Terrorist Threat," PBS Online NewsHour, September 25, 2006.
 * "Bush to Declassify National Intelligence Estimate," NewsMax, September 26, 2006.
 * Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, "Selective Intelligence. The National Intelligence Estimate doesn’t say what Bush says it does. How will he handle upcoming secret reports on Iran and Iraq?" Newsweek (MSNBC), October 18, 2006.

2007

 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Probe: Inside the Grand Jury Room" National Journal, Jan. 12, 2007.
 * Richard B. Schmitt, "Jury seated in trial of ex-Cheney aide. The 12 to hear evidence against 'Scooter' Libby include four who gave some criticism of Bush," Los Angeles Times, January 23, 2007.
 * "CIA trial under way in Washington," BBC News, January 23, 2007.
 * Stacy Schiff, "A Trial to Remember," Welcome to Pottersville Blogspot, January 23, 2007.
 * Neil A. Lewis, "Libby a Scapegoat, His Lawyer Tells Jurors," New York Times, January 23, 2007.
 * Joe Sudbay, "Roles of Cheney and Rove dominate opening arguments in Libby trial -- Scooter says Karl set him up," AMERICAblog, January 23, 2007.
 * Paul Kiel, "Libby Update: Protecting Karl Rove?" TPMmuckraker, January 23, 2007.
 * Jeff Lomonaco and Murray Waas, "The United States v. I. Lewis Libby," Union Square Press, Feb. 2, 2007.
 * Jeff Lomonaco and Murray Waas, "The United States v. I. Lewis Libby," Union Square Press, Feb. 2, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, *"Cheney's Call" National Journal, Feb. 15, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "Libby Testimony Raises More Questions About Cheney Role," National Journal, Feb. 17, 2007.
 * "BREAKING: Libby Guilty On Four Of Five Counts," Think Progress, March 6, 2007.
 * Neil A. Lewis, "Libby Guilty of Lying in C.I.A. Leak Case," New York Times, March 6, 2007.
 * "Jury convicts Libby on four of five charges. Verdict in CIA case reached on 10th day of deliberations," MSNBC, March 6, 2007.
 * Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel), Firedoglake Blog, March 6, 2007: "The Verdict": Parts: One, Two, and Three.
 * Murray Waas, "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Probe: Inside the Grand Jury Room" National Journal, Jan. 12, 2007.
 * Murray Waas,"Cheney's Call" National Journal, Feb. 15, 2007: "Late in the morning of July 12, 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney stood atop a pier at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia awaiting the commissioning of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, a ship 20 stories high that took eight years to construct. More than 15,000 people stood under clear skies to watch the pomp and ceremony. As she christened the carrier by breaking a bottle of champagne over its bow, Nancy Reagan told the crowd: "I only have one line. Man the ship and bring her alive."
 * Murray Waas, "The Paradox That is Scooter Libby" The Huffington Post, Feb. 19, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "Libby Testimony Raises More Questions About Cheney Role," National Journal, March 10, 2007.
 * Murray Waas "Internal Affairs", National Journal, March 15, 2007.
 * Dan Froomkin, "What Addington Wrought," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, September 5, 2007.

2008-2009

 * Dan Froomkin, "White House Watched", Washington Post, June 26, 2009.

Similar Sourcewatch Pages

 * Valerie Plame