Chicago Tribune Editor: Prosecutors Asked Us To Delay Stories On Blagojevich

The Chicago Tribune's editor, Gerould Kern, issued a statement today on how the paper had held certain stories about Illinois Gov. Blagojevich during the ongoing federal investigation into his activities:

The Chicago Tribune investigated allegations of misconduct involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich independent of the U.S. attorney's criminal probe.

As a standard practice, our reporters contact individuals involved in these stories for confirmation and comment prior to publication. Consequently, we contacted the U.S. attorney's office in the course of our reporting.

On occasion, prosecutors asked us to delay publication of stories, asserting that disclosure would jeopardize the criminal investigation. In isolated instances, we granted the requests, but other requests were refused.

It was revealed earlier today, as part of the indictment of Blagojevich, that the governor was playing hardball with the paper over its need for financial assistance:

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

READ ALL ABOUT THE BLAGOJEVICH INDICTMENT

Comments

[AndyDandy]

The Gov was doing all this crap and the other Illinois polititions knew nothing about it? I find it hard to believe.

[drzoon]

get a dictionary and learn to spell mr "i find that hard to believe"

this whole country is running on fumes when it comes to IQ

[northstar11]

isn't the evidence supposed to be withheld until the trial so as not to prejudice the jury pool.

it seems prosecutors just cant wait to grandstand and in the process deny an accused the right to a fair trial - usually the accused have already been tried in the court of public opinion long before their day in court- there is something wrong with that-- guilt or innocence notwithstanding.

[Phreejazz]

In a perverse way, this is all making Obama look better. He came from the cess pool of Chicago politics relatively un-muddied. His connections are what could be expected of any politician --I mean he has to deal with his fellow politicians on the local scene-- but in case after case he seems clean of anything truly nefarious. In the swamp of Chicago, that's looking more and more remarkable, and could end up speaking to his integrity as a person if they (his team) approaches this right.

[nellie]

Blagojevich is a real piece of work.

[norkas]

Please investagate NYC and how a multi billion dollar diamond fraud was covered up and how politicians and lawfirms made sure it was covered up. In every state today you have good and bad politicians and the bad ones must be punished severly.

I have seen the press cover up stories and not follow up with them. I have seen so called honest people destroy the lives of many honest hards working people.

New York city was involved a coverup of billions of dollars and money laundrey adn consumers were defrauded for billions while hard working people suffered because they could not compete because of bribery.

I am happy this was uncovered now ask the FBI why prosacuter did nothing but LETS make a deal perhaps that no one knows about and the never had a recall. This was a global fraud and De Beers new all about it.

The bribers shut the WJL up also after they printed a story and now shake when as to write about it. NYC is a third world country that allows white collar no matter how large it is to continue.

[AndyDandy]

Were you molested by NYC when you were a lil kid or something?

If you compare any American city to a third world country you really never been to a third world country.

[grantlingel]

Does anyone think that maybe Bart Simpson had something to do with it? I mean, he was on the cover with Blagojevich... hmmmm interesting..
http://www.vagabondstory.com

[zkazan]

Oh, you're Grant! Love your stuff. Nice to see you here.

[bayside]

Patrick you clean house in Chicago. and we will clean house in wash....We need to a new rule, you run for govt. job you get vetted and if your not honest or if you get a felony you can get another job but not a govt. job. This rule would take out half our congress ..

[edwarvir]

This is a huge story , the very fact that he
was not allowed to turn himself in. They came
to get the Governor early in the morning. AND With Fitzgerald
as the lead Prosecutor he's pretty much DONE.

[lizziekw]

True. Patrick Fitzgerald is a pit bull. Blago's toast.

[ConcernedAmerican]

He needed to bribe someone into giving him a decent haircut.....

[BabsfromKansas]

!!! Breaking News!!!!

Leno To Stay At NBC... Will Host Nightly Show In Primetime

Why isn't this on the main page???

[afrographia]

Because it really isn't that interesting, in the scope of things...

[MurrayAbraham]

It's one of the main stories of the media page. Besides, the news "broke" yesterday, which in the immediacy world of the blogosphere sounds like eternity.

[123dee]

Patrick Quinn is the Lt Governor, let him take the Governors office immediately and hold
a special election for senate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Quinn_(politician)

[Palemoon]

Umm, no, I don't want the GOP getting a free pass for their connections to this scandal. Why should the GOP be rewarded as you desire?

I say, make the Lt Governor as Governor, and then let Mr. Quinn make the appointment to fill the seat.
That's the only way that a Democrat will be able to fill that seat. The GOP, with this one action, has poisoned the environment for the Dems and turned the Illinois populace against them. No way would a Democrat senate candidate win the special election.

[KarateKid]

You don't know the bad shape the Illinois Republican party is in. They couldn't hold Hastert's seat.

[naschkatze]

The Lt Governor should appoint someone after he steps in. He will be the governor and the protocol is for the governor to appoint Obama's successor, someone who would have to run in 2010 when the seat comes up for regular election. There is no need for a special election at this point, and I agree with you that the Republicans would politicize the current situation. The seat belongs in the Democratic Party until 2010.

[Sylmason]

Actually, this guy needs to go and go NOW. There isn't one democrat who disagrees with prosecutors. The man is sick and woulld be more damaging if he was allowed to continue to be governor. Imagine this creep appointing himself as senator from ILLIONOIS. They can't hurt Obama. If he was dirty he would have been stopped long ago.

[JustNotTrue]

Sarah and this guy would make a good couple.

[NABNYC]

This whole indictment (and the timing) is just political nonsense, the Department of Injustice being used once again to target Democrats using Bush's illegal wiretaps. Dig deeply and you will see this guy is being indicted for Talking Trash. He's probably a jerk, but he's a politician -- what do we expect? Nonetheless, take a closer look at this. Maybe the Republicans just want to keep the Democrats from appointing someone to take Obama's spot. Maybe, like J. Edgar Hoover, the Republicans have used Bush's wiretaps to assemble dossiers on all the Democrats, and this is just a warning shot of what they'll do if the Obama administration begins prosecuting the criminals from the Bush regime. If they want to indict politicians for selling favors, they should go after Bush and Cheney. What was the war other than a profit-delivery system to the major corporations? And how much was kicked back to the Republicans for that?

John Mitchell, the Attorney General for Nixon, threatened Katherine Graham (owner of the Washington Post) with torture or worse when he warned a reporter that Katherine Graham had better watch out, or she was going to get her tit caught in a wringer. Sounds like a threat of torture to me. Funny, I don't remember any indictments. For more, see http://NABNYC.blogspot.com

[illinoisan]

The Dems are much better off with this guy behind bars. He wasn't talking trash, he was very much walking it. He was auctioning off a US Senate seat like it was a swine at the state fair.

[ComeOnAmerica]

Indeed. As Cafferty said on CNN earlier, Blsgo is an arrogant punk. The sooner we here in Illinois get rid of him and his kind, the better.

[eden4barack08]

You're wrong on this one. This guy was bad news for Democrats. O'Team and Rahm may have even helped expedite this. It's a good thing for Illinois, believe me.

[wndrwrthg]

At times it makes sense to hold information from being reported while in the middle of an investigation. Remember when little georgie spilled the beans about information that was extracted from a terrorist suspect in Britian? Screwed up the investigation because British authorities had to move sooner than they wanted.

[kwoodberryesq]

Tribune held back the story! You think it could be pay back for the Blago's strong arm!!! "Let's hold off boys, this will be an even bigger story when the Feds bust that idiot meat head!"

[illinoisan]

Irony is they could have used the headlines to sell a few more papers and maybe head off bankruptcy.

[ComeOnAmerica]

a sad yet true irony!

[alizoom]

The Trib is $15B in the rabbit hole. There ain't that many forest in the trees to supply the pulp needed to print that that many papers. Not a chance that they run out in the ensuing days.

Zell killed company as sure as video killed the radio star. If there's justice, Zell will share a cell in fed pen with Blago - could be a great sitcom idea.