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Originally Posted by loquitur
Host, there is a "public integrity" section in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of NY. Its function is to deal with wrongdoing by high-ranking people. That's what it exists to do. Do a bit of a search and you'll see they have gone after people in both parties. The SDNY US Atty's office is (from personal experience) highly professional. <h2>Yes, local US Attys need clearance from DC to follow leads that point to high-ranking elected officials.</h2> That doesn't mean this was a partisan witch-hunt. Remember, young prosecutors make their names by taking down big shots. Thus has it ever been, thus ever will it be.
Host, are you really arguing that if some Republican officeholder in NY was paying for hookers by carefully calibrated wire transfers, and the SDNY USAO got info about it from the IRS who got info from the banks, that the SDNY USAO Public Integrity section wouldn't investigate, and possibly prosecute? That's just not realistic - they live for this stuff.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/topNe...60908320080311
Probe that snared Spitzer did not need OK from top
Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:38pm
.....A federal official said Justice Department headquarters in Washington had been aware of the prostitution probe, but the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, which led the investigation, had not requested approval to go forward.
"The United States attorney <h3>was not required to seek, and did not seek, approval of the attorney general or the deputy attorney general with respect to any investigative steps taken in this matter,"</h3> the official said........
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....and loquitur, point me to any attributed public statement by anyone from federal law enforcement or DOJ, aside from US Attorney fo SDNY Garcia's denial that Spitzer's resignation was linked to any discussion with Garcia's office related to criminal charges, that refers to Spitzer related to this prostitution ring indictment.
In addition to the news article I've provided contradicting your lofty description of the investigative approval process, how has the distribution of confidential investigative information in this case, how it relates to Spitzer, been anything other than an unattributed smear campaign of leaks communicated by unidenitified DOJ and Federal LE officials to the media?
Contrast how the DOJ had conducted this investigation compared to Fitzgerald's investigation and containment of leaks in the Libby matter.
Post one attributed statement about Spitzer and the indictment from a government official....one, loquitur !