Apr 23, 2008 6:34 pm US/Central
Rezko Pal, Rove Named In Plan To Fire Fitzgerald
(CBS)
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U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (File)
CBS
A government witness claims in 2004, Antoin "Tony Rezko" -- then the target of an investigation that would lead to his indictment and trial -- tried to grease the political skids to get his chief tormentor, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald fired.
Rezko discussed efforts among high-ranking Republicans, including Karl Rove, to have Chicago's U.S. attorney fired, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday.
Rove, then-White House political director, and Republican national committeeman Robert Kjellander were among those mentioned in the alleged 2004 conversations as being involved in the effort, prosecutor Carrie E. Hamilton said.
The witness, Hamilton said, is former Illinois Finance Authority executive director Ali Ata, who on Tuesday pleaded guilty to tax fraud and lying to an FBI agent about Rezko's role in getting him his state job.
The feds say Ata is prepared to testify about the scheme at the Rezko trial.
On Wednesday, Hamilton told Judge Amy J. St. Eve that Ata "had conversations with Mr. Rezko about the fact that Mr. Kjellander was working with Karl Rove to have (U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald) removed."
"Mr. Rezko's explanation, according to Mr. Ata, is that Mr. Kjellander is working with Mr. Rove to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed so that someone else can come in to the U.S. attorney's office and individuals who have been cooperating in this investigation with be dealt with differently," Hamilton said.
She did not give further details and federal officials declined to say more.
Hamilton made the statements in telling St. Eve that federal prosecutors hope to put Ata on the witness stand at Rezko's trial. But as Hamilton described it, Ata's testimony would most likely be thirdhand and St. Eve did not immediately rule on whether she would permit the jury to hear it.
She's already ruled against letting the jury hear a similar story from another witness, plea bargainer Steven Loren.
Loren was reportedly prepared to testify about a conversation he allegedly had with GOP big wig William Cellini, in which Kjellander was named as the prime mover in the drive to fire Fitzgerald.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, said Rove and Kjellander have been friends since college, but Rove does not remember Kjellander ever talking to him about Fitzgerald.
"He does not recall Kjellander speaking to him about Pat Fitzgerald and is certain he never spoke to anyone at the White House about removing Fitzgerald," Luskin said Wednesday, adding that Rove has never been contacted by the U.S. attorney's office about the alleged conversations.
Late Wednesday, Luskin told CBS 2, "There is no truth whatsoever that he tried to engineer Mr. Fitzgerald's removal. He does not recall any such conversation."
In the midst of this firestorm, Kjellander is issuing a flat denial, saying by phone,"I have never discussed with any person on the White House staff that Mr. Fitzgerald could or should be removed from his office. I have never had that conversation with anybody."
Rezko is charged with scheming to pressure kickbacks out of money management firms wanting to invest TRS assets. He also is charged with scheming with attorney Stuart P. Levine to split a $1.5 million bribe from a contractor wanting state approval to construct a hospital in the McHenry County suburb of Crystal Lake.
Hamilton's comments regarding Ata's conversations marked the week's second bombshell linked to Rezko's trial.
The first came Tuesday when Ata said in a signed plea agreement with federal prosecutors that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was on hand when Ata gave Rezko a $25,000 check for the Blagojevich campaign. Blagojevich immediately asked Rezko if he had discussed the possibility of a job on the state payroll for Ata, according the plea agreement.
Former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill., nominated Patrick Fitzgerald -- no relation to the former senator -- for U.S. attorney. He said at the time he wanted someone who would be independent in conducting investigations of Illinois' endemic corruption.
Since coming to Chicago, the New Yorker has sent former Gov. George Ryan and a number of other politicians to federal prison on corruption charges, while the Rezko case has provided numerous political black eyes for the incumbent Blagojevich.
Fitzgerald also was appointed the special prosecutor for Washington's CIA leak investigation in which I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice.
CBS's Mike Parker and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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