The Tribune fills us in.
FBI investigators executed a search warrant around 9 a.m. today at the offices of the Cook County Bureau of Human Resources, an FBI spokeswoman said.
The search at the building at 118 N. Clark St. is part of an ongoing federal investigation, agency spokeswoman Cynthia Yates said.
*** UPDATE *** The Sun-Times has more.
FBI agents descended on Cook County government offices this morning, serving subpoenas in an investigation that apparently centers on county hiring practice […]
While the seizure of documents proceeded downtown, federal agents also served subponeas at other county offices — including Provident Hospital, Cermak Hospital and Cook County Jail. […]
The document seizure comes one month after the Chicago Sun-Times reported that county officials said they routinely were told to hire politically connected candidates for county jobs over candidates who scored higher on civil service exams. A Cook County Highway Department supervisor, Eric Petraitis, said he felt coerced to change test scores to hire candidates connected to former Cook County Board President John Stroger. Following that report, County Board President Bobbie Steele ordered the suspension, with pay, of Stroger’s patronage chief, Gerald Nichols, and four lower-level employees responsible for administering employment tests.
- Dogg Pound - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 11:25 am:
Some people are going to sizzle fo shizzle. Wonder if this has anything to do with Antoin’s relatives who got thrown onto the payroll but didn’t want to do the work that they were assigned. Dang.
- RFC - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 11:27 am:
Rich, you know I love but I’m going to have to ask you to refrain from saying “hizzouse” in the future.
- Lakeview Voter - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 11:47 am:
Wow, Peter Fitzgerald’s legacy to Illinois might be bigger than I ever would have thought. Here’s a guy that I completely wrote off as a GOP hack when he was in the Senate. Now I’m convinced that his backing of Patrick Fitzgerald for the USAt’s office was one of the best things a pol has done for this state in a long time.
Go git ‘em all Patrick! State, County, and City!
- Bill Baar - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 11:53 am:
Lakeview,
I would have agreed with you on the Fitz/Fitz impact on Illinois before Plame and now left wondering what Fitz was spending his time about there…
…if it turns out Fitz is just searching people, and there is never an intent to bring charges, and this goes on and on in Illinois… it really looks like a guy just messing with Democracy.
He needs to explain soon because there are just way too many questions about his style after Plamen.
- Wumpus - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 11:56 am:
Rich, thanks for making me laugh.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 12:04 pm:
The Sun-Times is reporting they served warrants at the Cook County Jail and a couple of hospitals at the same time.
- Guy Fawkes - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 12:25 pm:
Time to do the same to the Illinois Tollway (Downers Grove Headquarters) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (All districts)!
Before they bury, destroy or reorganize all the damming evidence………..TICK TICK TICK!
- Phocion - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 12:34 pm:
If a crippling stroke didn’t prevent brainwashed hacks from voting in the father, how can honest citizens expect a crippling criminal investigation to stop the son from getting elected.
- Anonish - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 12:41 pm:
Where’s a paper-shredder-shredder when you need one?
- Pat Hickey - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 1:29 pm:
Better yet how about the old GOP Weber Kettle cook-out ala Scott ‘Yankton’ Fawell? Pour on the Kingsford!
- Bubs - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 2:08 pm:
There are A FEW different County scandals about to blow, probably by the end of the year, one of which will entangle sitting Democratic Commissioners.
- Garp - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 2:16 pm:
What in the world is Bill Baar’s point? Just because an investigation didn’t pan out the way he would like, Fitzgerald needs to speed things up and indict. It seems as if the Feds have been very successful with their license for bribes, hired truck, city hall hiring and several other prominent investigations. Methinks Mr. Baar has a hidden agenda. I would suspect it has something to do with coming elections.
- Bill Baar - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 2:28 pm:
Open agenda Garp. I’m not hard to read.
Fitz owes the country frankness about what he did. He owes Illinois a speedy investigation with some consequence.
Regardless of Fitz’s past convictions, if all we end up with are convictions of Illinois Officials on perjury charges (it’s next to impossible for these public officals/servants to plead the 5th) it would be pretty sad.
Perpetual investigations become corrosive to democracy. Maybe more corrosive then the corruption the intend to clean up. Illinois should be mad if at the end of this Fitz walks away with little to show for it.
- Bill Baar - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 2:33 pm:
Somebody’s got to stand up for the Gov a little. If people hadn’t thought Fitz was going to bring down Cheney, and the Gov were more an inspiration to Progressives and Liberals, people would be crying right-wing conspiracy about Fitz and the Republicans.
But it’s not like that, so only contrarians like me can say something’s a little off about this prosecutor who put the country through a ringer doing the same to Illinois.
He better have something.
- Garp - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 2:44 pm:
Illinois should be mad if the Feds rush their investigations, indict without just cause or proof and politicize their timelines. I think they are doing just fine and if allowed to persue government coruption to its fullest extent they will change Illinois government for the better for many generations.
- fedup dem - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 4:34 pm:
It looks like the Sun-times should have printed its poll results in the Stroger-Peraica race on Charmin (at least that way they could have been used in a more appropriate manner).
- Snidely Whiplash - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 5:58 pm:
Rut-Roh! Did they hit the highway department? It’s about time, but since it’s only initial subpoenas, likely too little too late to influence the president’s race.
- Tom - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 6:17 pm:
This speaks volumes about Patrick Fitzgerald:
http://illinoisissues.uis.edu/features/2003sept/prosecutor.html
“He doesn’t shuck the issues no matter what they are: police corruption, political corruption, terrorism, drug dealing, guns,†(former Chicago Police Dept. Superintendent Terry) Hillard says. “He is a hands-on individual, and I think he’s reinvigorated not only his staff but a lot of other agencies in law enforcement in this city and across the Northern District of Illinois.â€
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Sep 21, 06 @ 10:23 pm:
Bill Baar,
Give it up man. You know you are spreading b—s— on this Fitzgerald/Plame topic. Move on. To quote Elaine from Seinfeld, “nobody’s buying it, you shouldn’t be selling it.”
Do you really believe Patrick Fitzgerald is out of control? How many convictions has his office won in the Hired Truck scandal? Safe Roads?
After the “Corn Correction” thread on Illinoize, you have no credibility suggesting the Plame investigation was a witch hunt. Your kind of shameless lying and huckstering needs to be called for exactly what it is.
Move on sir.
- Hugh - Friday, Sep 22, 06 @ 12:41 pm:
> ‘I believe that everyone expected the federal government would come in the county building and Mr. Shakman has been saying there’s problems and I believe he’s been over to federal court,’’ Todd Stroger, the Democratic candidate for County Board president, told [Sun-Times] reporters.
That darn busy-body Shakman!
Shakman for Board President!