Push to pick prosecutor told Ryan, Rove both had idea, ex-senator says
By Matt O'Connor
Tribune staff reporter
November 10, 2006
Former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald suggested Thursday that then-Gov.
George Ryan tried to influence the selection of the U.S attorney
in Chicago at about the same time prosecutors had questioned him
about wrongdoing while he was secretary of state.
In a speech, Fitzgerald said Edward McNally, an attorney who was
helping represent Ryan amid the growing scandal, was among those
who applied for the powerful U.S. attorney's post.
"There was an effort that I perceived [that] they were trying
to influence the selection actually with one of George Ryan's
legal defense team members," Fitzgerald said in remarks to
the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. "But I worked
very hard to make sure that wouldn't happen."
Ryan was indicted on corruption charges after leaving office and
convicted in a historic trial this year. He was recently sentenced
to 6 1/2 years in prison.
During Ryan's trial, McNally, then interim U.S. attorney for southern
Illinois, became a lightning rod for criticism by prosecutors
after he questioned their tactics during a 2001 interview of Ryan.
McNally then represented the governor.
In his most extensive remarks on the appointment, Fitzgerald also
said Thursday he picked New Yorker Patrick Fitzgerald as U.S.
attorney for Chicago in 2001 despite a warning by Karl Rove, President
George Bush's top political strategist, not to go outside Illinois
for a candidate.
Fitzgerald said that prior to that warning, he had expressed concern
to Rove that House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Ryan might try to
undercut what he considered to be among his most important responsibilities.
Despite the warning by Rove, Fitzgerald said he chose from outside
Illinois because he contended at the time that he couldn't find
any qualified Chicago attorneys without political connections.
"I think [the administration] would have been happy with
just about anybody who applied from Chicago, because if you went
through the qualifications of these people, there are many good
attorneys, but they all had a lot of connections in Chicago and
would all be people that could easily have pressure applied to
them," Fitzgerald told reporters following the speech in
the Union League Club.
Many in the Chicago legal community took offense to Fitzgerald's
claim of a lack of independence at the time he made his choice
and pointed to the national reputation of the U.S. attorney's
office in Chicago for fighting public corruption for more than
three decades.
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mo'connor@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
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