Wednesday, May 23, 2012

High Profile U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald Steps Down, Giving No Reason

The Rumor Mill News Reading Room 

High Profile U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald Steps Down, Giving No Reason
Posted By: Jordon [Send E-Mail]
Date: Wednesday, 23-May-2012 16:07:54

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Patrick Fitzgerald steps down as US attorney

Patrick Fitzgerald is stepping down as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
Fitzgerald is the attorney who brought charges against former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago said in a news release that Fitzgerald told the White House, Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk on Wednesday of his decision to step down June 30, after more than 10 years at the post. He’s the longest-serving U.S. attorney in Chicago.
The release said Fitzgerald has no future employment plans and will take the summer off before deciding his next career move.
“When I was selected for this position in 2001, I said that it was one of the greatest opportunities that one could ever hope for, and I believe that even more now after having the privilege of working alongside hundreds of dedicated prosecutors and agents. I have tried not to get in their way. I extend my deepest appreciation to the attorneys and staff for their determined commitment to public service. This was a great office when I arrived, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be a great office,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald supervised cases including Operation Safe Road, which led to the conviction of former Gov. Ryan, and Operation Board Games, which led to the conviction of former Gov. Blagojevich, as well as several members of those staffs.
In 2003, Fitzgerald was appointed to serve the Justice Department as Special Counsel in the investigation of the disclosure of the identity of a covert employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. The investigation resulted in the October 2005 indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, then chief of staff and national security advisor to the Vice President. Fitzgerald was lead counsel in the trial of United States v. Libby in Federal Court in Washington, D.C., in 2007, which resulted in Mr. Libby’s conviction on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
And, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, Fitzgerald took part in the prosecution of United States v. Osama Bin Laden, et al., involving the 1998 bombings of the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the trial of United States v. Omar Abdel Rahman, et al., involving the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and a plot to bomb other New York landmarks.
Fitzgerald has served in the U.S. attorney’s office for 24 years, including a time in New York.


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