Patrick Fitzgerald Is Busy

As Patrick Fitzgerald gets his facts in order surrounding the outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative, it's easy to forget that he's also on the job as U.S. attorney for Northern Illinois District. He's got a lot going on here, too. Just yesterday, federal investigators interviewed Mayor Daley about probes currently underway in Chicago city hall. Richie wouldn't say what they asked him about, but in a press conference after the interview, he said he "answered the questions fully and openly." We'll have to wait and see if anything comes of this. He's avoided discussing the corruption probes of city hall so far, but judging from his manner and comments yesterday, Richie seemed to be taking the situation seriously. Both the Trib and the Sun-Times described him as being close to tears when talking about his administration. He told reporters that the "probe has caused me to ask many questions of my own and evaluate how and where the system broke down."

But what about Fitzgerald himself? His appointment is up in the fall, and there's no indication yet about whether it will be renewed or not. In addition to his work in Washington and Chicago city hall, he indicted the previous Illinois governor, George Ryan. Obviously, he's a hands-on guy. But will George W. Bush keep him in office? He appointed Fitzgerald in the first place, and the decision is entirely his of whether he should stay or should he go. Fitzgerald's position in Illinois should have no bearing on his work in Washington, but questions about his future here still remain. Illinois Congressman (and Speaker of the House, by the way) Denny Hastert has so far been noncommittal, passing the buck to the President. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales did much the same thing, expressing his own confidence in Fitzgerald but deferring to whatever decision the President may make. As for Fitzgerald himself, he claims to be moving ahead until he hears differently. Time Out Chicago picked up the following Fitzgerald quote: "I'm just doing my job, and if the phone doesn't ring and someone tells me to leave, then I just keep doing my job."