From the Sun-Times: 
 
'You are just on very bad turf with me,' Fawell growls 
 
October 26, 2005 
 
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter 
 
 George Ryan's onetime top aide Scott Fawell lashed out at a prosecutor Tuesday, ending weeks of often testy testimony in Ryan's corruption trial just as he started it -- with attitude. 
 
 "I'm not threatening you, you are just on very bad turf with me," Fawell spat at Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins as he warded off questions about his fiancee, Andrea Coutretsis. 
 
"You know this is a very touchy subject with me. ... You know that we have gone through this 100 times, you and I. It's beating a dead horse to me. 
 
"But go ahead, you do what you got to do." 
 
 The exchange punctuated a combative relationship between prosecutors and Fawell, the government's top witness in Ryan's trial. Fawell was the first witness in the trial that just entered its fifth week. He worked for Ryan when Ryan was secretary of state and was the political mastermind behind Ryan's 1998 win for governor. 
 
The eruption occurred as Collins countered Fawell's statements that he's reluctantly testifying against Ryan because prosecutors turned up the pressure and put Fawell's "head in a vise." 
 
'Andrea happens to love me' 
 
 Fawell, serving a 61/2-year prison sentence for a public corruption conviction, said he believes prosecutors indicted Coutretsis to get him to flip. Fawell's cooperation could keep her out of prison as part of a plea deal. 
 
 Fawell -- who broke into tears earlier in the trial when asked about his fiancee -- snapped Tuesday when Collins noted that Coutretsis had been given immunity to testify before a grand jury and was only prosecuted after she lied. Coutretsis later pleaded guilty. 
 
 "Andrea happens to love me. She could not tighten the noose around my neck, so did she fudge on some answers? Probably, because she doesn't have it in her heart to hang me," Fawell angrily said. 
 
"If that's a crime -- and I guess it is -- then you guys prosecute to your heart's content." 
 
Collins tried to continue but Fawell, shifting in his chair and clearly agitated, asked if he could answer "no" to every other question. After a long pause, Collins changed the subject. 
 
 "Thank you," Fawell said. 
 
'Just the facts' 
 
 Ryan, 71, is on trial with lobbyist Lawrence Warner, 67, on charges Ryan steered contracts to friends such as Warner and accepted gifts, vacations and other perks in return. 
 
 Ryan's attorney, Dan Webb, countered a prosecution's contention that Fawell had been testifying about his opinions by asking him "just the facts." 
 
'You're kidding, right?' 
 
 Fawell said he never saw Ryan promise Warner money from state contracts. 
 
In one case, Webb asked whether it was a fact that state technical professionals deemed IBM to have the best proposal for a massive computer mainframe contract. Fawell said it did. 
 
After he was dismissed as a witness, Fawell joked: "You're kidding, right?" 
 
 He was briefly taken outside the courtroom but then returned. Smiling, he repeatedly waved goodbye to Warner, his wife and other people he knew. Fawell didn't leave until, finally, Ryan returned the wave. 
 
RYAN TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS 
 
Prosecutors: Clash with their star witness Scott Fawell after asking about his fiancee lying to the grand jury. 
 
Defense: At one point asks for a mistrial, saying a prosecutor wrongly took part in "jury verdict bolstering" by bringing up Fawell's jury conviction. Judge tries to resolve matter with a jury instruction. 
 
Up next: Cross-examination of a witness who said Ryan friend Larry Warner asked for a fee after the witness won a state contract. 
 
Fawell later said Collins could "attack me all you want" but warned Collins about discussing Coutretsis, his former aide. 
 
 "I'm not attacking her," Collins shot back.