Patrick Fitzgerald Fights Book Publication

Newsweek:

Patrick Fitzgerald may be the most feared prosecutor in the country, but even as he's racked up headlines for big-name convictions (Scooter Libby) and indictments (Rod Blagojevich), the hard-charging U.S. attorney from Chicago has been waging a private crusade: trying to kill a book he believes maligns his reputation. In the past year and a half, Fitzgerald has written four letters to HarperCollins--owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.--demanding it "cease publication" and "withdraw" copies of Triple Cross, a 2006 book by ex-TV newsman Peter Lance that criticizes Fitzgerald's handling of terror cases in New York in the 1990s. Fitzgerald raised the temperature even more last week, aiming to halt a paperback version. "To put it plain and simple," he wrote in a June 2 letter obtained by NEWSWEEK, "if in fact you publish the book this month and it defames me or casts me in a false light, HarperCollins will be sued."

Read the whole story: Newsweek

Comments

[Agent420]

If he does not want it published maybe he should read the Constitution, particularly the first amendment.
Perhaps there is a legal reason he does not want this published. Someone is smelling smoke and wants to put out the fire before it becomes public.

[ProfessorDuh]

He's a public official and a public figure. He can't win a libel suit unless the publishers know the book be untrue or have recklessly failed to fail to check the facts. If it's true, publish and be damned.

[BambooHarvester]

... sounds like a book worth reading cover to cover. . .
~

[Bramble8]

Put your big boy pants on Patrick... Deal with it.

[SmootyBooty]

Fitzie went after straw men to help hide W's misdeeds. He's slime...

[MsLiz]

You state conclusions without evidence. You insult. Two logical fallacies trumps your straw man allegation.

[seal62]

Are you on his payroll?Maybe you have sand in your eyes too.

[lessbs]

You're not in front of an Alabama jury here--most have actually gone to college and possibly even taken a little bit of logic. Nice try though--time to go back to making sure all your neighbors have purchased sufficient ammunition to tide them over in case Obama confiscates all firearms.

[reno1190]

COME ON NOW, A BLIND MAN COULD SEE HE STOPPED AT THE DOORSTEP OF CHENEY,SCOOTER WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A TOOL

[BambooHarvester]

Bingo !
~

[lessbs]

The timing on Libby was a little suspect--make sure it was over in time for Bush to keep him out of jail. He's a neocon trying to look like an apolitical prosecutor. It's time for Obama to replace the Rushlicans.

[MsLiz]

I don't follow your reasoning at all.

[levibatgirl]

He convicted scooter of perjury and obstruction of justice.

He couldn't obtain enough evidence to go after cheeny for outing Plame.
Scooter obstructed the investigation.

http://watchdog2.froomkin.com/BL2007052901024_pf.htm

[atlantajoe]

fitzgerald knew richard armitage leaked plame's name but kept the investigation open because he is hungry for power.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

NYT v Sullivan. Just like every other public official, there's a very high legal bar he'll have to reach for to prove any book defamed him. Free speech is sometimes tough, but he'll just have to live with it, the price of working for the government in a democracy.

[MsLiz]

Patrick Fitzgerald may reach that bar. Just because someone is a public figure doesn't mean that Rupert Murdoch can publish untruths that impugn his professional reputation.

[naschkatze]

I doubt that very much. I read the first Triple Cross, and as Huffington's headline indicates, Peter Lance criticized Fitzgerald in that book, not defamed him. Lance nowhere said that Fitzgerald "deliberately misled" anyone, but he called him out on incompetence. Everyone is open to criticism, especially in public life. I've seen, though not read, many books which do indeed defame a person. Most presidents and those who have run for president have had books like that published about them. This is a free speech issue Fitzgerald will lose. And btw, you couldn't possibly be more to the left than I am, but, although I am sure money was the motive for Murdoch, nevertheless, Murdoch was the one who made the Sibel Edmonds story available to everywhere in the world except in the US where it was never published but on the blogs.

[Mrtnz]

If I recall he had in a suit case, reams of emails he procured from the GOP tech guru Emails that Rove and scooter were sending back and forth using Repblican party headquaters servers. Boolala, Since you are so close to Fitz, Ask him what happened to those Emails? What's in them? And don't say those emails are covered by executive priviledge.

[Palemoon]

Patrick Fitzgerald, WORST PROSECUTOR EVER!!

Or at least one of the worst. Seriously, how can a blind man miss all of the convictions that Fitzgerald had in front of him? He had Cheney, Bush, Rove, Feith, etc, all on a silver platter. He could have gone down as the most famous law man in all of American history, even making the famous people like Hoover and Ness all pale in comparison. But no, Fitzgerald preferred to pull off the biggest "epic fail" in American history. What was he thinking?

[MsLiz]

Good grief. I bet you are not a lawyer.

[naschkatze]

Why don't you look up some of his cases in Chicago? Just recently a jury refused to believe his personal testimony on the stand, and he lost half of his case because he did not keep a record of nor allow a defense lawyer to be present at a grilling of a federal marshall accused of leaking to the mob. A judge refused to give an old Chicago pol prison time because he felt Fitzgerald was being "too greedy". And I'm sure you must have watched his press conference on the Blagojevich arrest where he showed great lack of judgment. There is lots of evidence of his incompetence.

[naschkatze]

Are you a lawyer? In his office by chance? Or maybe you are just an FDLaker come over her.

[reno1190]

PLEASE DONT SAY YOU ARE A LAWYER ?IF SO WHERE DID YOU BUY THAT LICENSE I WANT ONE

[Mrtnz]

When is speculation based on evidence?

[Cogs]

He may have the Daley machine and the Mayor himself in his sights. Let's not attack the a guy who seems to be the only one willing to take on these crooks.

[naschkatze]

Free speech is an issue all by itself. I'm not willing to give that up to catch Mayor Daley.

[nootrope]

I really don't see why this guy is so highly touted. He seems basically incompetent to me.

[alex51]

I don't see it either. he basically ruined Rod Blagojevich career and has yet to prescute him. All the talk about Lincoln rolling in his grave about Blago is inappropriate for a prosecutor. All Blago did was engage in a quid pro quo many politicians play that game. it is not right thing to do but it is not the crime of the century Patrick Fitzgerald made it out to be.

[MsLiz]

Alex, Blago has been indicted. This is due process of law. The trial will come later.

Fitzpatrick did an unusual thing in going public last December, but he explained to my satisfaction that he revealed that Blago was trying to sell a Senate seat because he did not want to sit by and let him do it. Blago upped the ante by naming an African-American.

[AurigaRa]

not a big fan of Patrick Fitzgerald's
He did not stand up for justice when he passed over Cheney and instead focused on Libby

Will we ever have a prosecutor who will bring these war criminals to trial?

[naschkatze]

John Dean of Watergate fame is of that opinion too.

[MsLiz]

It's much easier to make an accusation than to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.

[boolala]

I am a big fan of Patrick Fitzgerald. Yes, I would have liked to see more convictions in the Plame case, but the grand jury ultimately decides who to indict. Karl Rove escaped indictment for obstruction and purjury by coming back to the grand jury five times and "clarifying" his earlier testimony. It is very hard to get a conviction for crimes where you have to prove the persons intentions and memory, and to convict anyone of outing Plame he would have to prove they knew she was classified and didn't care.

But for those of you who think he is some tool of the right wing or that he was bullied out of going after anyone but Libby. Here are some of his indictments/convictions:
John Gambino, Gambino crime family (convicted)
The Blind Shiek (convicted)
Osama bin Laden (indicted)
George Ryan, Repub. gov of Illinois (convicted on 22 counts, serving 6 1/2 years)
Lord Conrad Black(convicted)
Blago (indicted)
Scooter Libby (convicted and sentenced to serve jail time)

Fitzgerald is not afraid of anyone and is not in anyone's pocket. He only goes after people he when knows he can convict and is scrupulously fair. If he did not indict someone in the Plame case it is because he did not think the evidence PROVED their guilt. That's called a due process and I, for one, am for it. I also have no doubt that if Fitzgerald says this book libels him, he will win his case.

[TJCole]

Fitzgerald suborned perjury by Karl Rove in fact he coached produced and directed it, after Rove's skills as a liar fell flat the first three times he lied to the Grand Jury...and Fitzgerald allowed it...

By the way anybody can get a conviction of anyone named Gambino...!

Jeeze Louise...

You want to respect a prosecutor respect David Inglesia, who stood his ground and Obama and Holder wouldn't dare hire back as brilliant as he is, since they are Obstructing Justice and violating the Constitution daily, which Inglesia would otherwise uphold....!

[naschkatze]

Not to nitpick because I agree with you completely, but it is Yglesias. Another prosecutor who was fired was USA Carol Lam who got Duke Cunningham convicted during Bush's time. How deserving of respect she is, and yet I'd bet most people on this blog never heard of her or paid her no attention.

[NotMcCain]

He was afraid of Rove, Bush and Cheney.

He totally wimped out by being complicitous in the Bush admiistration plan to let a lower level man take the fall for the higher-up who were guilty of a serious crime (far more serious than Watergate).

I have zero respect for him.

[Eoin45]

He had to have evidence to prosecute. He wasn't able to get it.

[boolala]

I believe Rove, Cheney and Bush were afraid of HIM and rightly so. And I believe he might ultimately have brought down others. When he convicted Scooter Libby he made clear that the true crime in his obstruction was that he withheld evidence that would allow Fitzgerald to go after other people in the administration. If Bush hadn't commuted Libby's sentence (which included mandatory jail time) Fitzgerald might have been able to "flip" him. That's how he got George Ryan--by cindicting/convicting 67 people under him and moving up the chain of responsibility. Bush destroyed that possibility by commuting Libby's sentence.

You are unhappy because you didn't get the result you wanted. I wanted that result too, but only if the convictions were solid and the process fair. I would rather have a fair legal system that does not convict people who cannot be proved to be guilty than a kangaroo court for Republicans. Look what's happening in Alaska. Stevens and the others were probably guilty, but the prosecutorial misconduct means they'll probably go free and they'll be exonerated in the minds of the public.

[whocan]

You see , to go after indictments , you need a shred of evidence, which so far , there is none

[jukesgrrl]

In addition to evidence, you need people willing to testify. That would have been ...????

[Mrtnz]

If I recall he had in a suit case, reams of emails he procured from the GOP tech guru Emails that Rove and scooter were sending back and forth using Repblican party headquaters servers. Boolala, Since you are so close to Fitz, Ask him what happened to those Emails? What's in them? And don't say those emails are covered by executive priviledge.

[MsLiz]

Fanned. You tell them.