Is Fitzmas waiting for Christmas? What's Up with Fitz?

[goclark]

How much longer must we wait or is he done?

[Connie_Corleone]

1. I didn't know we were still waiting for something.

I figure it's over until the trial. If there is a trial.

[goclark]

8. Did he pack his bags ? Is he still "working" on anything

connected to the issues?

What about Cheney?

[BuyingThyme]

2. Cover-up is complete. Fitz is ignoring the crimes and prosecuting a lie.

[democraticinsurgent]

7. You bet

Fitzmas was never coming. He's one of their "good guys" who's on a long leash.

But it's still a leash.

Good show, old boy.

Good show.

[Missy Vixen]

22. Wow, you really told him, huh?

>Fitzmas was never coming. He's one of their "good guys" who's on a long leash.<

Yeah. Just like James Comey and Jack Goldsmith.

Do some research. He flew under their radar, and he continues flying under that radar. To imply otherwise is not only insulting, it's amazingly incorrect.

Julie

[goclark]

38. I want to believe that you are right

We must be able to find a Superman that will rescue us from BushCO.

[Missy Vixen]

43. He's not responsible for rescuing us

We have to rescue ourselves. His job is to prosecute those who break the law.

We can only hope that he will have his day in court with Libby, Cheney, and a cast of thousands.

Julie

[democraticinsurgent]

45. Nice hope, I agree

But I really doubt it. The tentacles of BFEE reach far and wide and there is lots of disinfo and smoke and mirrors to obfuscate what's really going on.

I don't blame your indignance either. I hoped and believed in Fitz for a long time. But the more I read, the more it seems clear to me that Bushco has the last word on anything he does. Limited hangout is the best we will get, as usual.

And by the way: I hope hope hope that you are right and I am wrong. Really I do. ;-)

[Missy Vixen]

48. What is it that you think he's been promised in return?

This is a guy who continues doing a job that one of the terrorists he prosecuted threatened to blow his car up, with him in it. What exactly could the Bush administration promise him that would buy his acquiescence? He doesn't want to run for political office. The GOP approached him to run against Obama, for instance; he told them NO. He doesn't want to work for a private firm. He's chosen to continue doing the job he does because he loves it. Does anyone here, for one freaking minute, believe that he hasn't had better (and MUCH more lucrative,) offers from private firms?

>But the more I read, the more it seems clear to me that Bushco has the last word on anything he does.<

It is hard for me to believe that love the job or not, he would sell his soul to make them happy. Ultimately, that's exactly what would happen. He's not built the same as the Bushies. I'm sure every contact with him is excruciating for all of them, because in their world, integrity and dedication to the truth are character flaws.

Julie

[democraticinsurgent]

67. Oh, he is a good guy for the most part

But I really think he has a ceiling as to how far he can go. His satisfaction is in rooting out corruption in the many places he's allowed to do it. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more optimistic, but in the end he is still a Bush appointee and I doubt he is really and truly allowed to to what we would like him to do.

In some of the research I have done on 9/11, it seems that Fitz and Elliot Spitzer - two people we would like to be our heroes - unfortunately have their roots tied to Giuliani and a lot of other operatives that don't "work for us".

Again, I hope I'm wrong. My criticism isn't of him as a person or as a professional. It's of the position he's in. There are some very powerful people running things in our country and to cross them is to to tempt an early demise.

Rick

[goclark]

68. Huum , I didn't know there was a Rudy link... : (

[Missy Vixen]

73. Rudolph Giuliani was the US Attorney when PJF was in that office

>have their roots tied to Giuliani and a lot of other operatives that don't "work for us".<

I've read more about New York City's criminal defense attorneys happy to see PJF go to Chicago because he was kicking their (and their clients') asses in court than I've ever seen about his supposed indebtedness to Giuliani. I might mention that same office gave us James Comey, who stood up to the Bushies re: the illegal wiretapping.

He had an amazing career in New York. It sure doesn't sound like he was under Giuliani's thumb, and it would seem that the latter was probably much more concerned about his political future than what PJF was up to. He also won cases in that office that brought it national attention, so I'm thinking it was the other way around -- hands off, he's making us look great.

Julie

p.s. I'm sure that he probably doesn't bother himself with this type of thing, but I would absolutely love to know his thoughts on Giuliani's personal escapades.

[goclark]

75. That sounds better ! nt

[goclark]

47. We are having a tough time rescuing ourselves

when GW and the RepubliCONS own the Supreme Court/Congress/Media/Corporate America and everything else.

Oops: forgot to mention that they own those little Voting Machines

[Missy Vixen]

49. We're doing it, one election at a time

We can't depend on one person to be our savior.

Julie

[goclark]

79. Not asking for one savior

just asking for JUSTICE to come to America.

As much as I want to believe that one election at a time is the way to get rid of these clowns, it may just be too little, too late.

[H2O Man]

42. silly n't

[Totallybushed]

13. Yeah, and

the bad prt about that is, it's going to come down to a "he said, she said" type of thing. Scooter is gonna walk, and NOBODY will face justice.

[Missy Vixen]

20. Those who actually keep up on the case

would know that Patrick Fitzgerald is charging crimes that he could actually win a conviction on.

To charge espionage is to have the case greymailed out of court before the ink is dry on the filing he would be signing. Those who don't believe this are very, very uninformed. I'd also like to invite those (again,) who think they could do better to go to law school and get a job as a US Attorney.

Julie

[LittleClarkie]

28. My GOD, have you actually been following the case?

I was despairing of finding someone who wasn't just talking out their butt. Good on ye.

I just get sick of the rollercoaster ride, the love/hate relationship, and the stamping of the feet like a little kid not getting a new toy.

I want real word of what's really going on and not some comment on how Fitz, despite all evidence to the contrary, is some sort of GOP stooge. The GOP wouldn't have tried to smear him if that were true.

I just think people's expectations might have been a tad too high.

[Marie26]

35. The underlying crimes

here seemed almost impossible to prove. I think Fitzgerald did the best he could.

[Missy Vixen]

41. If you're looking for additional information, there's archives at

www.firedoglake.com.

H2OMan is also the gold standard of all things CIA Leak Case related.

>the stamping of the feet like a little kid not getting a new toy<

The law isn't like a gumball machine, and to imply that Patrick Fitzgerald is a tool of the GOP or corrupt because he hasn't charged Rove as of yet is sad. Some here act like he burned their house down and peed on the ashes.

Julie

[LittleClarkie]

44. Thank you very much

I will go have a look see.

[goclark]

52. You have lifted my hopes

thanks for the insight.

[Beelzebud]

3. You didn't get Fitzmas, you got Fitzed in the ass.

[seemslikeadream]

4. BCCI - Iran Contra - Niger Forgeries

[LittleClarkie]

37. The first two took forever to investigate

Years, wasn't it, before any progress was made? And I know some people are still involved in lawsuits regarding BCCI, because in 2004 I saw an article in an Indian newspaper that reported on comments Kerry was making about the case, that the Bank of England should make good on their obligations.

I hope Fitz is like Kerry, and doesn't easily let go.

[leftofthedial]

5. he's at the country club

golfing with the other repukes

[Missy Vixen]

24. I wasn't aware that there is a country club

located in Chicago's Federal Building. I'm sure it'll come as quite a shock to those working there.

>golfing with the other repukes<

The guy barely has time to sleep, let alone golf. He had a hearing two days ago on the Lord Black case, for instance.

Julie

[leftofthedial]

53. he never even sleeps

and he hasn't eaten for days and days

did you think I was being literal?

[Missy Vixen]

55. There's been many reports he's slept in his office before

>did you think I was being literal?<

I guess I'm wondering where the mythical golf course you're talking about is located, because while I'm sure he must get together with friends and have some recreation, everything I've ever read points to the fact that he works long, long hours, which isn't compatible with the martini-swilling, cigar smoking Republicans he's supposedly playing golf with.

Julie

[Beausoir]

56. He sleeps at MY house.

Julie? No pictures in this thread? Are you slipping, hon?

I'm shallow and I refuse to apologize for it. ;-)

[Missy Vixen]

59. Beausoir, I'm so glad you're here

As a matter of fact, I'm so happy about it that I'm posting the following. This is my favorite photo of him!

Julie
president for life of the PFEB

[Beausoir]

60. I got your back, Julie.

As member-at-large of the PFEB, I am duty bound to support you!

Big Daddy for President!

[leftofthedial]

58. he seems to be a diligent, successful prosecutor

in Chicago

and a compliant republican in DC.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Geologic time scales on this thing.

[seemslikeadream]

11. I was just thinking of Josh Marshal and his Techtonic Plates

June 17, 2004


Are Josh Marshall's TECHTONIC PLATES finally starting to move?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4002813

In June, Josh Marshall Talking Points

A few points before signing off, though. You may have noticed a slight down-tick in the frequency of posts of late. And that’s for a few different reasons. But a principal one is that I and several colleagues have been working on a story that, if and when it comes to fruition — and I’m confident it shall — should shuffle the tectonic plates under that capital city where I normally hang my hat. So that’s something to look forward to in the not too distant future. And that’s taken some of my time away from TPM and prevented me from sharing with you some delectable tidbits which otherwise I would have loved to have done.

[patcox2]

9. 24 Business Hours isn't up yet.

NT

[RB TexLa]

23. I was thinking he got caught up in Hoaxmas as well n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. He's done. There is no Fitzmas.

He's indicted Libby. The smokescreen put forth by Libby and Rove and company, together with the difficulty of prosecuting the underlying offense, means that Fitzgerald can go no further. He will try Libby for the offenses charged, and the matter will be closed.

Stop waiting for the Messiah. He ain't coming.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. And please, for God's sake,

stop criticising Fitzgerald. Honestly, I don't see why it's necessary to berate him because he couldn't get the fuckers to talk. Nobody could.

[LittleClarkie]

26. We turn on people on a dime here.

He's gone from being a man who has been proven by past investigations to be a man of integrity and to be non-partisan, to being someone who is somewhere with GOP with a martini in hand, laughing at us. People who know him have not described him that way. Perhaps people built up their expectations and hopes too far. Perhaps his investigations should have been wider. I don't know.

But he's not a stooge of the GOP.

[Totallybushed]

12. Fitz has

fitzelled.

I think he's done except for Scooter. By this time he's either found the evidence that he needs, or it has been buried too deep to ever dig up.

Hope I'm wrong, but that is my opinion, and I think I'm right.

[deaniac21]

15. He's slowed down since that May 12 indictment of Rove.

[QuestionAll...]

31. yah, what's up with that one?

has TO explained anything about this?
has anyone apologized, or 'something'?

[earth mom]

16. There is NO Santa Claus. nt

[goclark]

18. Damn! Damn! Damn! I really believed in him! nt

[NoPasaran]

17. Sorry, Virginia

Fitzmas has been cancelled.

[goclark]

19. Did they buy him off too? nt

[LittleClarkie]

21. Does anyone have any real information that doesn't include a wise crack?

There is Libby's indictment yet to prosecute. Has the investigation officially ended? Does anyone know where we can go to look for official word?

One comment I saw from John Dean was interesting. He said that Fitzgerald's investigation was like the first Watergate investigation in that it was too narrow, and bound to only get a few minor fish. But it has also been said by others that Fitz has integrity, and is not partisan. The GOP sure treated him badly enough, trying to smear him and such.

I for one would like offical proof of what's going on.

[goclark]

30. Thanks for the info ~ I really want to believe

that he will be a Superman for TRUTH.

[Missy Vixen]

33. You know, I admire John Dean

but this is an unfortunate comment.

>He said that Fitzgerald's investigation was like the first Watergate investigation in that it was too narrow, and bound to only get a few minor fish.<

John Dean should know that the charges are narrowly drawn so it's possible to get a conviction. Libby's defense attorneys have already attempted the greymail crap; everyone else is going to try the same thing.

Nobody knows what's happening in the investigation for the simple reason that if Bush ended it (and gosh, there's a shock,) it's evidently illegal for Patrick Fitzgerald to comment. There's also the added idea that many in the US Attorney's office may be on vacation this month, most of Washington is on vacation this month, and he has a few more things on his plate in Chicago. (Hollinger and Lord Black come to mind.)

In the meantime, I am still,
Julie
president for life of the PFEB

[LittleClarkie]

50. I'm looking for the actual quote and not having much luck

I hope I didn't overstate what Dean said. I do remember that he said the investigation was too narrow, but I'm not as sure he compared it to an early Watergate investigation. But that doesn't change your objection, I suppose.

I guess it's a catch 22. Too narrow, and you don't get the big dogs. To wide, and you don't get a conviction.

But I agree that Fitz did his best, isn't quite done yet, and isn't a tool. One look at his Wikipedia bio is enough to tell me that.

[DoYouEverWonder]

76. CIA turns over secret PDB summaries to Libby defense team

August 11, 2006

The CIA reported in documents filed Thursday in the leak case involving former vice-presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby that it has turned over to Libby's defense team redacted summaries of originally-classified daily presidential briefings. The defense sought the summaries to support Libby's contention that he was so busy with security matters around the time of the leak that he simply forget his conversation with reporters about the identity of former CIA operative Valerie Plame. The CIA turned over briefing summaries spanning the summer of 2003, when Libby allegedly told reporters of Plame's CIA affiliation, as well as fall 2003 and March 2004, when Libby was questioned by the FBI and when he testified before a federal grand jury, respectively.

In March, US DC District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton granted Libby limited access to the briefings over the protests of the FBI, which voiced concern that releasing the secret briefings could compromise national security . Libby faces perjury charges for lying to federal investigators and a federal grand jury about what he told reporters regarding the identity of then-CIA-operative Valerie Plame. AP has more.

http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/08/cia-turns-over-secret-presidential.php

[Catherine Vincent]

25. Who, this guy?

:loveya:

Well, his website is still up. I expect it won't be shut down until after Libby's trial.

[goclark]

34. Thanks for letting us know about the website nt

[Beausoir]

63. Yay! More pics!

:yourock:

[goclark]

78. He looks like an honest man nt

[Cleita]

27. Well, if certain psychic websites are right,

they are saying that there was skulduggery and Fitz was threatened making him back off the indictments he was planning.

However, in the real world, there hasn't been anyone coming forward, like a snitch, to verify this.

[KittyWampus]

29. Psychic Websites are almost NEVER right, Cleita. And I'm someone

who normally would be sympathetic to those inclined to read such websites.

Information gotten via Psychic means has as much validity as info from a chain email that's been sent around the internets several times.

[Cleita]

39. Ordinarily, I wouldn't put anything like this up in GD but

since there is no other information coming forth, I thought I'd give it the benefit of a possibility. But of course if no one comes forward and talks, we will probably never know.

[Marie26]

32. Fitz has left the building.

I read that the grand jury has already been dismissed.

[Catherine Vincent]

36. Where's the link?

We'd like to read it too.

[Marie26]

40. I'll look for one

for you. This is something I half-remember reading, so it might be wrong. Can anyone confirm if the GJ is still in session?

[goclark]

46. I sure would like a link too nt

[Missy Vixen]

51. The grand jury had another two-year term, if I remember correctly

The grand jury he was meeting with met with any US Attorney in the district that had business. They weren't meeting exclusively with PJF.

If they had been dismissed re: Patrick Fitzgerald, it would have ended up on firedoglake at the least.

Julie

[Marie26]

62. Thanks!

It looks like they empaneled a new grand jury in Oct 2005, so w/an 18-month session, this grand jury should expire April 2007. I'm probably thinking of the Plame investigation itself, which seems to be basically over.

[steve2470]

54. H2OMan's latest blog posting about the case

http://h2oman.blogspot.com/2006/07/no-pardon-for-libby.html

Sunday, July 09, 2006
No Pardon for Libby

"Study a question from all sides, and you will be sure to discover where error has crept in."
-- Kahlil Gibran

Part One: The Waas Article
On July 3, the National Journal published an interesting article by Murray Waas, titled "Bush Directed Cheney to Counter War Critic." The article tells how people close to President Bush and Vice President Cheney describe conversations between those two, as well as what Bush told Patrick Fitzgerald in their June, 2004 conversation about the Plame scandal.
The article confirms previous reports that both Bush and Cheney had been involved in the decision to declassify a NIE in order to defend the administration from allegations made by Ambassador Joseph Wilson. And it actually takes an important step forward in identifying a goal od discrediting Wilson.
Waas quotes one "senior government official familiar with the discussions between Bush and Cheney" as saying Bush told Cheney to "Get it out" or "Let's get this out." That, as Waas noted, is very similar to Libby's testimony to the grand jury that Cheney told him that their goal was to "get all the facts out."
We know, of course, that Cheney and Libby were not interested in getting "all the facts" about the Niger yellow cake forgeries out to the public. Doing so would have discredited the administration in general, and the OVP specifically. Instead, they had another agenda.

<snip>

[Missy Vixen]

57. H2OMan rocks the free world

Thank you for another tremendous posting, H2OMan.

Julie

[DancingBear]

61. Jason, find the key to the 4th floor, will ya!

The man wants to go home and see his family.

Geez, he's been locked up there since, what, May 12th????????

[foreverdem]

64. When did Fitz say it was over?

This investigation has been ongoing since Fitzgerald succeeded Ashcroft. It has been a few years. We did not see an article a day in every paper in this country on what was going on with the case, so then according the the doubters, that would mean that there was nothing happening with the investigation, right? Wrong.

This case did not start and end with the Libby indictment. Just because Fitz is not on TV every day waving indictments does not mean that the investigation is not ongoing. Do any of you think it's easy to investigate the crew we have running our country? Jesus, I wouldn't want that job in a million years.

[goclark]

69. You bring sunshine to the day regarding Fitz ~thanks nt

[Bethany Rockafella]

65. We don't know what he's waiting on,

He won't talk to us.

[Missy Vixen]

71. I don't think that's the case

>He won't talk to us.<

I think he can't. When he has something to say on the subject, he'll say it. Till then, everyone who's still watching the various behind the scenes machinations of the CIA leak case will have to report back.

The pretrial motions seem to have either slowed down a lot, or additional hearings won't be held till after Labor Day. I wonder if part of the reason for this is that Libby's attorneys may have finally divined that he has no case, and they're wondering what to do now. Patrick Fitzgerald's been eating their lunch in the previous hearings.

IMHO, YMMV.
Julie

[DisgustedTX]

66. Is he STANDING DOWN on the matter?

:rofl:

[LordLovesAWorkingMan]

72. hee hee hee nt

[Bluebear]

74. He is just ahead of the news cycle. nt

[Geek_Girl]

70. Maybe I'm just waiting on the Great Pumpkin

But I believe the investigation is still ongoing and if anyone can get these clowns it's Fitz.

[goclark]

77. I want to believe he is a good and honest man

It's just so hard to speak TRUTH to so much POWER.