Rove involved in attempt to remove US Attorney Fitzgerald from Rezko trial, witness may testify Mike Sheehan

Published: Wednesday April 23, 2008



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Print This Email This A potential witness in the federal trial of Democratic fundraiser Tony Rezko is prepared to testify that former Bush aide Karl Rove worked behind the scenes with Illinois political insiders to oust U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald from the growing case against Rezko, trial prosecutors said today. "With federal investigators closing in," writes Joseph Ryan for the Daily Herald, "insiders hoped to avoid prosecution by tapping [Rove]." The key named insider is Bob Kjellander, described by Ryan as a "longtime friend" to Rove. Rezko associate Ali Ata, the potential witness prosecutors want to testify, allegedly discussed with Rezko "that Rove was working with Rezko ally and GOP heavyweight Kjellander to get Fitzgerald taken off the case," reports ABC News. An attorney for Rove denied the accusations, saying, "Karl has known Kjellander for many years, but does not recall him or anyone else arguing for Fitzgerald's removal. And [Rove] is very certain that he didn't take any steps to do that, or have any conversations with anyone in the White House -- or in the Justice Department -- about doing anything like that." Presiding U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve has yet to issue a ruling on whether Ata will testify, reports the Chicago Tribune. Fitzgerald directed the prosecution in the "Plamegate" CIA leak trial which led to the conviction of former Cheney chief of staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Rove was rumored to be the main target of that investigation, but an indictment never materialized, and Fitzgerald has had little comment on the matter in the time since. Rezko, who is accused of bribery and attempted extortion among other charges, is a onetime Democratic fundraiser in Illinois with ties to many area politicians, including Gov. Rod Blagojevich--a central figure in trial testimony--and Sen. Barack Obama. Obama, the current Democratic presidential frontrunner, has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.