"Public Official A" is a high-ranking Illinois public official alleged to be involved in political corruption during United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of corruption in the State of Illinois. The identity of Public Official A has not been officially released and the official has not been indicted.

Speculation on the identity of Public Official A

In 2005, "Public Official A" was alleged to have selected consultants for private equity funds that appeared before the Illinois State Pension Funds via two close associates.^[1] Two close associates of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - Stuart Levine and Antoin Rezko - were indicted by the Federal Prosecutor. This led to considerable public speculation in 2006 that Gov. Blagojevich was ?Public Official A? and that he would therefore be a key subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.^[2]

A ruling on February 26, 2008 confirmed the suspicion that Blagojevich was ?Public Official A? when a federal judge referenced Blagojevich's campaign as the beneficiary of the activity for which previous legal documents had used the non-specific term.^[3] According to the Associated Press, "News organizations including The Associated Press have long reported Blagojevich was Public Official A."^[4] After the ruling, Blagojevich continued to deny he was "Public Official A".^[2]

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