As the former US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Patrick Fitzgerald knows a thing or two about prosecuting government officials.

He oversaw the prosecution of Illinois Governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan. Now, after stepping down more than a decade ago, Fitgerald appears to be poised to serve as legal counsel to James Comey, the former FBI director indicted by the Trump Justice Department for allegedly lying to a congressional committee.

 “He understands the political ramifications,” said Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley. “That’s probably why Comey picked him.”

In a post on X, Blagojevich Friday said, “Crooked James Comey has hired Crooked Patrick Fitzgerald to defend him.” “Birds of a feather flock together!”

Federal prosecutors in Virginia have charged Comey with obstruction and making a false statement to Congress.

However, court records show the grand jury failed to indict on the second of two counts. Newly appointed acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan brought the case Thursday afternoon, just days before the statute of limitations was set to run out.

In a statement Thursday night, Halligan said the “charges as alleged in this represent a breach of the public trust at an extraordinary level.”

Comey declared his innocence in a video post on Instagram after the indictment was announced.

Halligan, who was on President Donald Trump’s defense team prior to his election to a second term, was appointed following the resignation of acting U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert last Friday after pressure grew from the White House to prosecute Comey.

The prosecution is drawing fire from Democrats. Ranking Senate Judiciary member Sen. Dick Durbin, issued a statement saying, “The Department of Justice has become a political tool of a vengeful President” adding “is there a Republican left in Washington who gives a damn.”

Harold Krent, former Dean of IIT’s Kent College of Law said the allegations against Comey will be hard to prove and will likely be challenged before the case goes to trial. He said Fitzgerald’s role as defense attorney also sends a message that he understands the gravity of the situation. “I think that’s a statement that the rule of law is important,” Krent said.

Quigley said the case comes back to politics, and the President attempting to ruin the reputation of one of his political enemies. “I think it’s a real possibility the president’s using this to put an embarrassment upon him, a great cost upon him. But i also think this is to scare and intimidate,” he said.

Fitgerald, the corruption fighter who came to Chicago to clean up government now has a new role. Ironically, NBC 5’s then chief political editor, Carol Marin, asked him about the possibility he would ever imagine himself as a defense attorney on the day he announced was stepping down.

“Can you imagine me as a defense attorney?” Fitzgerald said before he started to laugh.

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The superintendent of the largest public school district in Iowa was arrested Friday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which alleged he was in the country illegally and without a work authorization.

Ian Andre Roberts, a Guyana national and superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested in an operation, ICE announced in a news release.

Roberts has helmed the district since July 2023, according to its website. It described him as a “career educator” with more than two decades of experience as a teacher, administrator and executive leader. He previously served as superintendent in two districts in Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Roberts worked as superintendent in Iowa despite not having legal status and despite having a “final order of removal and no work authorization,” the ICE news release said.

He had entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa, and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024, ICE said.

Roberts had existing weapon possession charges from Feb. 5, 2020, according to the release.

Agents approached Roberts on Friday in his vehicle after he identified himself, but he drove off, ICE said. The vehicle was later found near a wooded area, and Iowa State Patrol then assisted in the search for him Friday morning, and he was ultimately taken into custody, the release said.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said it assisted ICE finding a person, identified as Roberts, who fled from a traffic stop.

At the time of his arrest he was found in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife, ICE said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will handle the investigation into how Roberts acquired a handgun, ICE said, noting it’s against federal law for people in the United States without legal status to possess a firearm and ammunition.

“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” Sam Olson, director of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul Field Office, said in a statement. “How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”

It’s not immediately clear whether Roberts has retained an attorney.

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Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris confirmed that Roberts was detained by ICE agents Friday morning. At a news conference, she asked for the community to practice “radical empathy.”

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners issued Roberts a license to serve as superintendent in the state in July 2023, Norris said.

He was identified as a candidate for the job in a search by an outside consulting company and underwent a third-party comprehensive background check, the district said in a Friday evening statement. He had also completed the I-9 employment eligibility verification form and submitted required documentation to work, it said.

Roberts had a previous firearm charge related to a hunting rifle, which he disclosed to the district board during the hiring process, the district said.

“He provided sufficient context and explanation of the situation to move forward in the hiring process. He has also spoken publicly about this experience,” the district said.

The district said that it did not have any knowledge of the 2024 removal order and that ICE did not notify the district about Roberts’ detainment before or after the fact.

Norris said that while the district does not have all the facts, she affirmed Roberts has been “an integral part of our school community” since he joined. She also noted that he’s held educational leadership positions in districts across the country for 20 years.

“We stand firm with our community, many of whom are feeling sad, outraged and helpless. We understand as we too are devastated by the news of his detainment,” interim Superintendent Matt Smith said at the news conference.

Roberts’ biography on the district’s website stated that he was chosen as superintendent following “an extensive nationwide search based on a leadership profile developed with input from the school board, teachers, families and others in the school community.”

It said he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and spent most of his “formative years” in Brooklyn, New York.

“Dr. Roberts is married, and enjoys hunting, reading, and spending time with family and friends,” the biography said.

He earned his bachelor’s from Coppin State University, master’s degrees from St. John’s University and Georgetown University, and received his doctorate in urban educational leadership from Trident University. He also has several education certificates, including one from Harvard University, the biography said.

Separately, he was an Olympian, competing in track and field at the 2000 Games in Sydney, and in the World Championships in Maebashi, Japan and Seville, Spain, according to the website.

Matthew Mata contributed.

A young child was hit by a car outside of a day care in Southwest Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, according to the director of Lene’s Daily Child Care.

The director of the day care told NBC10 that the four year old boy was being picked up from the center at the intersection of South 65th Street and Elmwood Avenue when he was hit by a car outside around 3 p.m. on Sept. 26.

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The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, the day care’s director explained. His condition is unknown.

The day care’s director told NBC10 that the incident happened in just second and everyone rushed outside when the heard the commotion.

“It’s like my child, you know? I work at this facility. I see the child every day, and I work with children every day,” Lene’s Daily Child Care director Elijah Sterling said. “Anytime something like this happens it can feel like a personal travesty.”

No word yet on what caused the crash or if anyone was arrested.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.