Patrick J. Fitzgerald vs. Peter Lance

[Catherine Vincent]

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/06/09/pat-fitzgerald-none-too-happy-about-forthcoming-book/tab/print/

June 9, 2009, 3:51 PM ET
Pat Fitzgerald None Too Happy About Forthcoming Book

The All-American, no-nonsense, loved-by-Democrats-and-Republicans-alike U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, is about the last guy you’d expect to get embroiled in some high-profile media smackdown. But according to reports from the AP and the Chicago Sun-Times, one has already begun.

For now, Fitzgerald hasn’t filed suit. But Fitzgerald doesn’t seem happy about portions of a forthcoming book to be published by HarperCollins which reportedly contains unflattering assertions the way in which Fitzgerald handled terrorism cases when he was an assistant U.S. attorney in New York.

“If HarperCollins publishes the new edition of “Triple Cross” by Peter Lance this month and it defames me or casts me in a false light, HarperCollins will be sued,” Patrick Fitzgerald said in a letter to the publishing house, according to the AP. (Harper Collins is owned by News Corporation, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal.)

According to the Sun-Times, Lance’s book accuses Fitzgerald and others of discrediting “a treasure trove of al-Qaida-related evidence,” including information of a bin Laden plot to hijack a plane. The book also accuses Fitzgerald of filing a false court affidavit involving terror investigations.

Fitzgerald, who prosecuted the Scooter Libby case, told the AP recently that the book goes beyond garden-variety criticism, which “goes with the territory” for public figures. “This is different,” he said. “The book lied about the facts and alleged that I deliberately misled the courts and the public in ways that in part caused the deaths in the 1998 embassy bombing attacks and in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”

Peter Lance, the author, says Fitzgerald’s attacks are off base. “Patrick Fitzgerald accuses me of making charges in the book that I never made,” Lance said. “At the same time, he continually fails to respond to the substantive allegations documented in 604 pages, 1,425 end notes and 32 pages of documentary appendices.”

[lxlxlxl]

1. uhoh...did you follow triple cross when it came out?

lance is pretty animated, and brings a lot of primary source material to his work. if you havent heard his cspan talk on 911 you are really missing out.

[Catherine Vincent]

2. No, I didn't

But this thing with Fitzgerald will be interesting.

[tularetom]

3. Looks like Fitz has kind of a thin skin

Wait until something comes out about how he pulled his lunches in the Libby case, and let Rove and others off the hook.

[Duer 157099]

4. But the book has been out since, what, 2005?

I think Fitz is taking the opportunity of it going to paperback to renew the fight, or something.

I had put this book on my "to get" list back when it came out, but haven't yet gotten it. I'll kick it back up to the top of my list now.