The question is why Fitzgerald didn't wait for an illegal offer to be made

[pnwmom]

and accepted -- so that he could have charged both parties, Blago and his co-conspirators.

He could have arrested them as soon as a deal was reached -- BEFORE Blago announced the appointment of the new Senator.

So why didn't he wait just a little bit longer?

My guess is that someone (probably someone in the Obama camp) was ready to expose Blago's behavior to the media, so Fitzgerald had to just go with what he had. And he laid it on thick at the press conference, to cover up the fact that he'd had to end the surveillance before he had built up the case that he must have been hoping for.

[ginnyinWI]

1. wasn't it to prevent an appointment?

It would have been worse it he'd gone ahead and appointed somebody, and then we all find out how tainted the appointment was. What a mess. This way we can hopefully get a legitimate appointment. And Fitz has enough on the gov to put him away nicely.

[pnwmom]

2. But that's what I'm saying. Fitz could have prevented an appointment simply

by arresting Blago as soon as the verbal agreement was made -- before Blago actually made the appointment. Fitz had listening devices everywhere, so he'd know as soon as the deal occurred. He would even have known exactly when and where the appointment would be announced. So why did he jump the gun?

[WeDidIt]

11. Blagojevich could make an appointment right this second

and there's not thing one anybody can do to stop it.

SCOTUS precedent regarding the seating of Congressmen would demand the Senate seat that appointment, too. The Senate can only reject a candidate based upon qualifications, not suspicions. So at best, the Senate would ahve to strip the incoming Senator of their seat AFTER they were seated.

[DailyGrind51]

15. You're right, why have a tainted Democratic Senator?

[burythehatchet]

3. Obama wanted him taken down before he took other Dems down with him

[pnwmom]

4. So Fitz was acting under Obama's direction? I kind of doubt that. n/t

[burythehatchet]

5. What do you mean? Obama knew Blago was crooked, it couldn't have been a secret because

that other lady from IL probably confirmed it when she withdrew.

Blago would have possible done a lot of damage to someone who played ball, like JJJ, who is tainted anyway now.

[DailyGrind51]

19. Hey, I knew Blago was crooked as did every other Illinoisian!

We can only try one corrupt governor at a time and we had enough trouble putting away former Republican governor George Ryan! (And Dick Durbin wants Bush to pardon Ryan?)

[leftstreet]

6. The Dem PTB needed to stop this before it got WAY dirty n/t

[Hamlette]

7. if the offer was made and accepted it didn't matter if it was annouced or not

it would have been an appointment. Then it would have been up to the Senate to not seat that person, which has never happened.

It would have thrown Congress into a turmoil for no reason.

Speaking as a lawyer, he had to act when he did because the law is so unclear and uncertain as to what would have happened had the offer been made.

Also, how would Fitz have known when the offer was made. I know his home and offer were bugged but what if Blago made the offer in the prospective senator's office or a restaurant or some place that was not bugged and Fitz didn't know about it? And the offer was accepted and announced before Fitz could arrest him.

He could have done a sting. Get one of the candidates to offer $1 million and then get appointed but what politician would do that? He/she would have been tainted forever and surely could not have taken the seat after that...even if it had been a sting.

[Unsane]

8. I believe an appointment has to follow a formal procedure.

As in an actual drafting etc. Fitz could have arrested Blags before the formal procedures ever began.

[w4rma]

12. Yup. Fitz had to act right then. The alternative would've caused the entire nation huge problems. nt

[Whisp]

9. Fitzsies non professional soap opera tirade for the media....

made me think he's just a better bigger asshole than Blago or Scooter.

puke. dom.

[WeDidIt]

10. You're OBVIOUSLY not from Chicago

Every Democrat I know cheered on Fitz as much with this one as they did with Ryan.

[elleng]

13. Glad to hear that!

.

[jacksonian]

14. i'm from chicago

and i think Fitz made this a circus and agree with the OP.

I know all about conspiracy laws, but i have to admit it gives me pause that a prosecutor can prevent a sitting gov from doing something he thinks is GOING to be illegal.

i don't like Blago either, but i'm having a hard time seeing the actual crime wave. They've investigated Blago for years, playing it all up in the Trib on a daily basis, and this is all they came up with? The seat was never sold and raising money under old rules before the new law kicks in is unethical but not illegal.

Convictions based purely on wire fraud or conspiracy have always bothered me, even in the criminal world and certainly with elected officials the WH or polilical establishment may not like. i want Blago to leave, but in the right way, caught like Ryan actually doing something not just talking about it and being unpopular. The general slander of all Dems in Ill without naming names or posing proof was a cheap shot by a proscutor more interested in selling some GOP-help to the media than doing justice.

Bottom line, it's possible to think both Blago AND Fitz are scum, albeit for different reasons.

[WeDidIt]

16. They have Blago on a lot more than the Senate seat

I know the MSM doesn't give that impression, but there's a hell of a lot mroe there than just the Senate seat,

The Senate seat was the reason he hit Blago now instead of next March.

[jacksonian]

17. you mean in some dark place someplace

probably does - but what he "hit" Blago with in the here and now is unimpressive. So the law is stopping now, convicting later, which is something useful for personal threats, but dangerous in a political arena. i am not impressed with with Fitz's zeal to have veto power over any possible appointment by a duly elected gov even if it is Blago - i think everyone should be uneasy with prosecutors "saving" us from possible future actions by politicans they don't like. Why can't we just "save" ourselves with the information duly and properly investigated on in 2010?

Whether or not Blago's choice would be bad for Ill does indeed depend on who the choice was and how it was actually made, not Fitz's fears of how it "could" happen.

[WeDidIt]

18. No "dark place somewhere", in the criminal complaint that was filed

I suggest you read it.