So says the Wall Street Journal: (standard caveats apply here)
Conventional wisdom holds that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ordered the FBI to arrest Rod Blagojevich before sunrise Tuesday in order to stop a crime from being committed. That would have been the sale of the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
But the opposite is true: Members of Fitzgerald’s team are livid the scheme didn’t advance, at least for a little longer, according to some people close to Fitzgerald’s office. Why? Because had the plot unfolded, they might have had an opportunity most feds can only dream of: A chance to catch the sale of a Senate seat on tape, including the sellers and the buyers.
The precise timing of Tuesday’s dramatic, pre-dawn arrest was not dictated by Fitzgerald, nor was it dictated by the pace of Blagojevich’s alleged “crime spree.” It was dictated by the Chicago Tribune, according to people close to the investigation and a careful reading of the FBI’s affidavit in the case.
At Fitzgerald’s request, the paper had been holding back a story since October detailing how a confidante of Blagojevich was cooperating with his office.
Gerould Kern, the Tribune’s editor, said in a statement last week that these requests are granted in what he called isolated instances. “In each case, we strive to make the right decision as reporters and as citizens,” he said.
But editors decided to publish the story on Friday, Dec. 5, ending the Tribune’s own cooperation deal with the prosecutor.
See the problem with the doing things like this is, it might very well be the case that Blagojevich may just get off with, at worst, an embarrassment. I believe personally in the end, Blagojevich will resign from office, but the FBI’s ability to get a water-tight case against the guy will now be hampered. I said “Standard caveats apply here”, because I am well aware of who owns the Wall Street Journal, and it seems that since Mr. Murdoch has bought said paper, a anti-liberal or anti-anyone who does not work for Rupert Murdoch bias has come out. So, please, keep that in mind.
Having said all that, it would seem that the Chicago Tribune would have shown a bit more restraint in the situation.
Others: The Corner, Stop The ACLU, Gawker, Althouse, Flopping Aces, Betsy’s Page
(Via Memeorandum)