Rahm to Atty Gen. Lynch: 'But you said fed probe wouldn't go any higher than CPD.'

"The Law Department holds its employees to the absolute highest professional and ethical standards and does not tolerate any action that would call into question the integrity of the lawyers who serve and represent the City of Chicago." -- City Hall Liar in Chief, Bill McCaffrey

Rahm probably should have stayed in Cuba. I'm sure his ratings are higher than 18% in Havana.

Instead he came home to Chicago only to find the hot mess he created has gotten hotter and messier. He also found that the cover-up of yet another police killing on his watch may lead to the federal probe moving up the ladder to City Hall and closer to him.

Judge order retrial in shooting case of Darius Pinex.

Yesterday U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang ruled that a lawyer for the city intentionally misled the court when he concealed a key recording of a police radio dispatch to attorneys for the family of Darius Pinex, who was shot to death by Chicago cops in 2011. Jordan Marsh, Rahm's lead attorney handling the Pinex family's suit, resigned eight hours later. Obvious question -- Was Marsh operating independently of the mayor? A rogue city attorney? No way.

His resignation comes four years after the Pinex killing. That's four years of lying and hiding evidence from the Pinex family. What has the mayor, IPRA, and State's Atty. Alvarez been doing about the Pinex case since 2011? Ducking for cover. That's what.

All this comes on the heels of  disclosures about the Rahm's oversight of his police department. A Justice Department investigation of police misconduct has begun in the wake of the November release of a video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. The subsequent release of police reports showed that cops' written accounts of the shooting differed starkly from what the video shows. And so much more.

Up until now, the feds have been focused exclusively on actions within the Police Department. A.G. Loretta Lynch had practically the mayor that her probe wouldn't go any higher.

From Lynch's Dec.7th press conference:

Reporter: Will City Hall -- will officials at City Hall be part of this review ?  

Lynch: With respect to your first question, what we will be looking at, again, is the Chicago Police Department's method and manner of dealing with use of force, particularly deadly force, and if we find racial, ethnic, and other disparities in how they handle those force allegations. It will encompass a number of things, including how officers are disciplined, and the disciplinary systems. We will be working with city officials, but the matters that you are talking about seem to relate to a different issue. 

Following this latest judge's ruling and the exposure of yet another administration cover-up, all that may change. Now comes word that the investigation may include the city's legal department.

When he first heard that Pres. Obama was sending in Lynch and the feds, Rahm called the possibility of a civil rights investigation “misguided”. But, a day later, he reversed course and said he would "welcome" such an investigation with open arms. By welcome, he meant that he would hire two of the biggest and priciest law firms in the country to counter the investigation.

Now, in response to the threatened probe of the legal department, the mayor is scrambling

According to the Tribune:

When the mayor was asked about adding the Law Department's handling of lethal force cases to the federal probe, he laughed and did not directly answer the question. Pressed again, Emanuel said that step is not needed to give Chicagoans confidence that necessary changes are being made.

Each passing day moves #RahmResign from the realm of coffee-table chatter and more into the realm of possibility. Staying on won't help him. Either way, he's toast.

Feds are in town to save Rahm, not to bury him

Asked specifically if the probe will be expanded to examine City Hall or the Cook County State's Attorney's office, Lynch said the investigation will focus on misconduct "within the police department."

"The Department of Justice is coming in," Emanuel said. "We welcome it, accept it and need it. It's in our self-interests as a city." -- Tribune

Boy, that was easy. Three days earlier, Rahm had made clear that he didn't didn't want no stink'n feds sticking their noses into his business. Now he's breathing a sigh of relief that Lynch has promised "not focus on individuals" but rather to "improve the system."

Rahm had no choice but to face reality after a come-to-Jesus meeting with party and White House heavies. His approval rating is now at an all-time low of 18%. To put that in perspective, that's lower than the 20% Gov. Rauner, the most hated pol in Chicago, polled last fall. As I recall, Mayor Daley was down to 31% in 2010, when he declared his intention not to seek a seventh term, clearing the way for Emanuel to take over.

Yes, Obama's cavalry is coming in to supposedly clean-up Rahm's racist and corrupt police department. The FBI has already been in town for months, trying to clean-up Rahm's no-bid-contract scandal at CPS. When is the last time you heard mention in the media about that? It appears that the best way to take a scandal off the front pages is to have the feds investigate it.

Neither the police department nor the school system are entities unto themselves. As the Tribune's John Kass notes:

And the government of Chicago, for generations — as Obama and Rahm and the Clintons know all too well — is the Boss on Five. The mayor controls the police budget, decides who gets promoted and where resources are directed. The mayor picks the superintendent and the top cops, brokers the appointment of district commanders.

But the real purpose of this latest investigation, made clear by A.G. Loretta Lynch herself, is to save the system  -- not to bury it. To "rebuild trust" and head off seemingly inevitable "civil unrest". There's little mention of "justice" coming from the Justice Dept. But sooner or later, all roads will lead to Rome Rahm. Thus, the growing pressure on him to resign before that happens.

DOJ announces it's coming to town, and Rahm starts releasing police videos like he's Sting in the 1980s.

— Matt Farmer (@mifarmer) December 8, 2015