Connecting dots and Fitzgerald's fall

Connecting dots and Fitzgerald's fall
By John Kass
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published March 21, 2007

How many conversations did Karl Rove--the political Rasputin of the Bush White House--have with top Illinois Republicans about U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald?

Ten? Fifty? None?

Did Rove speak directly to Big Bob Kjellander, whom Rove engineered into the job of treasurer of the Republican National Committee?

Answers might tell us why Fitzgerald, honored in 2002 as one of the top prosecutors in the Justice Department--and the fed most feared by the bipartisan political Combine that runs Illinois--was abruptly downgraded in March 2005.

According to news reports this week, Fitzgerald was downgraded in a 2005 Justice Department memo sent to the White House and was listed among federal prosecutors who "had not distinguished themselves."

That description must have shocked the Combine because Fitzgerald has indicted and convicted bushels of politicians here.

Mayor Richard Daley, who was interviewed by the feds in a corruption case in August 2005 (but has not been accused of any crimes) must have been stunned. His convicted top lieutenants, including imprisoned water department boss Don Tomczak, must have been amazed.

Tomczak illegally built an army of hundreds of City Hall political payrollers to work precincts for pro-Daley politicians, including U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Tomczak.).

Convicted former Gov. George Ryan and other Combine leaders now feeling the federal heat were no doubt speechless, not to mention the bosses of the Chicago Outfit.

Conventional wisdom from Washington is that Fitzgerald fell out of favor with the Republicans because of his pursuit of the CIA leak case, which led to the recent perjury conviction of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

But why not consider an alternative?

Just as that March 2005 memo downgrading Fitzgerald was making its way to the White House, Fitzgerald's office in Chicago was proceeding in a fascinating political corruption probe involving alleged kickbacks requiring state approval for the construction of hospitals.

That case would mushroom into Operation Board Games, revealing bipartisan political influence in hundreds of millions of dollars invested through state pension funds.

There have been so many distractions that you're bound to have forgotten about Operation Board Games. The distractions include City Hall's Olympic dreams that won't cost taxpayers a dime and whether Lord Conrad Black's wife thinks reporters covering her husband's federal fraud trial are a bunch of vermin and sluts. With all this talk of Olympics and sluts and so on, you probably haven't had time to figure the Fitzgerald timeline.

But as that 2005 memo was sent to the White House, Fitzgerald was formally unmasking the Combine in what would later become Operation Board Games.

The FBI and federal prosecutors here investigated how hundreds of millions of dollars in public pension investments were made, and the influence exerted by political insiders who brokered ridiculously lucrative pension fund deals.

Fitzgerald characterized the scheme as "pay-to-play on steroids." The investigation began with hospital construction irregularities, and it led like a trail of bread crumbs to top Republican and Democratic insiders in Illinois.

Those who have pleaded guilty include senior Republican fundraiser Stuart Levine and Democrat Joe Cari, the former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee. Cari and Levine are cooperating with federal authorities.

One of the first to be nabbed was P. Nicholas Hurtgen. He is a former top aide to Republican Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and a secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under President Bush.

Hurtgen has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of extortion and mail and wire fraud in the hospital construction portion of the case and is awaiting trial.

One fellow in the federal documents of the Operation Board Games case was listed as "Individual K." And his buddy appeared several times in those same documents as "Individual A," for Alpha.

Individuals A and K have not been indicted. But the Tribune identified them as Big Bob Kjellander (pronounced $hell-ander) and his buddy, Big Bill Cellini, the political boss of Springfield.

Kjellander is the Republican committeeman of Illinois who flaunts his friendship with Rove and who recently resigned as treasurer of the Republican National Committee. Kjellander also represented the famous Carlyle Group before the teachers' pension fund board and he received $4.5 million in questionable consulting fees.

Did Kjellander discuss Fitzgerald with Rove? I don't know.

Only Rove can say, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, under oath, with a court reporter present, reminding Republicans that they once demanded that others respect the rule of law.

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jskass@tribune.com


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