U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s press conference just ended. Not sure which was more breath-taking: the scope of Blagojevich’s alleged corruption or how exercised Fitzgerald was about it.
Video soon …
One bit of news from Patrick Fitzgerald’s press conference was that he had asked, and the Chicago Tribune had complied, that they hold off on reporting about the investigation:
Here’s a statement from the Tribune editor Gerould Kern:
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.
The Chicago Tribune’s interest in reporting the news flows from its larger obligation of citizenship in a democracy. In each case, we strive to make the right decision as reporters and as citizens. That’s what we did in this case.
Zach Roth has more.
Lots of questions about how Obama’s seat gets filled now that Gov. Blagojevich is under arrest, charged with conspiring to solicit bribes in return for appointment to the seat.
The Illinois attorney general’s office tells us they’re researching the question now. Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is calling on the Illinois legislature to immediately call a special election for the seat to deprive Blagojevich of the power to name Obama’s successor.
Late Update: Here’s Durbin at his press conference today on the Hill:
The FBI special agent in charge in Chicago describes Blagojevich’s arrest this morning:
From TPM Reader JM:
… there’s a great comedy in here somewhere. Steve Carell, who does clueless better than anyone, plays Blago. Amy Poehler is his clearly potty-mouthed wife, Patty, whom Blago married mostly because she was a powerful alderman’s daughter.
Jason Alexander would make a good Zell… an odious little man thinking seriously of taking another odious man’s orders. John P. McCormick, the editorial writer Blago targeted, would be played by George Clooney. John looks nothing like Clooney, but you gotta give him props for earning such a horrific enemy.
From TPM Reader BT …
Carrell looks a bit like Blago, with a thinner face, so they can just skip the audition for that part. For Zell, Ben Kingsley. Think about it. Or maybe Alan Arkin. Although Alan Arkin is so freakin’ funny I find it hard not to laugh whenever I see his face.