Snowballing

The Libby indictment is a very good thing. Even though it is not for the real crime committed, it will punish the perpetrator and, more importantly, keep this story in the news for many months. If that is all we get from the investigation it is still a very positive outcome.

Some are hoping that more is on the way. Frankly, I have not seen much to support that hope. However, this piece of background information did peak my interest:

The last case that Fitzgerald prosecuted, and successfully it seems, had to do with a crowd – dare I say cabal? – of elected, appointed and state-employed persons in Illinois. These people were part of a ring selling commercial licenses to truck drivers, among other things. Fitzgerald prosecuted the case slowly, quietly, efficiently and precisely, overseeing the issuance of 65 indictments, before he got to the final one.

That last indictment was for George Ryan, former governor of Illinois.

The truck driver analogy begins to makes sense. Fitzgerald’s Illinois investigation resulted in indictments of many people, including politicians, their assistants, and numerous truck drivers. Some of these truck drivers were indicted and prosecuted for nothing more than making false statements, obstructing justice and perjury.

Patrick Fitzgerald communicates refreshingly and strikingly, in clear language, without notes or teleprompters. He stood patiently for questions, and he handled each one in a way that seemed strange these days. He listened intently, was not evasive, and was not afraid.

So, maybe it is Fitzgerald's style to start small and build up. We can only hope.

Karen Kwiatkowski