My first post on Huffington on 10/29/05 was called "Fitzgerald Threw a Softball." In that piece I stated the following:
"Fitzgerald stated in his press conference that most of his work has been completed. While there is always a Grand Jury available to indict others in the event of an unlikely plea bargain for Libby, the investigative phase is really over for this prosecutor. His office will now focus on the trial of Libby. Those of us who know about prosecutors and Grand Jury investigations would tell you that Fitzgerald, using a baseball metaphor, threw the Bush cabal a softball. And using a football metaphor, he just plain fumbled."
Those of us who have dealt with Fitzgerald in Chicago know that he has been a political pawn of the Bush Administration since he was appointed. After his office completed the investigation of former Republican Governor Ryan which was started by the former U.S Attorney, he set his sights on Democrats in public office. Never mind that Illinois had not elected a Democrat as governor for 30 years or that Ryan was a sacrificial lamb who had betrayed his own party by suspending the death penalty in Illinois. Republicans controlled all administrative functions in Illinois for 30 years and Fitzgerald has spent all of his time investigating and indicting Democrats.
Some of the biggest scandals in Illinois involve the Republican controlled state teachers pension fund that handed out money to cronies everywhere thus probably causing one of the most underfunded pension funds in the country. Meanwhile, Fitzgerald is investigating Democrats for suspicions of jaywalking. I am not suggesting that some of these investigations are wrong. I am suggesting a deeply political bias to these investigations.
The reason that other "white collar" criminal attorneys have not publicly criticized him is that they have to deal with the U.S. Attorneys and Justice department on a regular basis. The media has painted Fitzgerald as a fiercely independent prosecutor. Even progressive pundits have not layed a glove on him. The fact is that the indictment of Scooter Libby was all that Fitzgerald was ever going to do. I made that clear in my subsequent post on 10/31/05. It is also clear that the Bush Administration handed Libby to the prosecutor with clear instructions to stop the investigation.
It is mind boggling that everyone knows that Bush, Cheney and all the other co-conspirators were all involved in outing a CIA undercover agent and they are going to get away with it. I guess Fitzgerald could not find anything in the United States Criminal Code to charge these guys with. This is what is called justice? It is justice for JUST US in the Bush Administration.