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'Broadview Six' prosecutor breaks silence, says she 'owns' mistakes but there's 'no basis' for smears

suntimes.com · 4h · first reportShare

The prosecutor at the center of Chicago's "Broadview Six" scandal broke her silence Thursday, insisting through her attorneys that she followed the instructions of U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros' front office "at every turn" during her handling of the tainted case. In a surprise 16-page court filing, her legal team also disclosed that "the U.S. Attorney directed Ms. Mecklenburg to order an expedited copy" of an Oct. 9 grand jury transcript that documented apparent misconduct by Mecklenburg. Boutros has acknowledged receiving the transcript by email last fall, but he said he doesn't remember reading it. He told U.S. District Judge April Perry in May that he'd learned of problems in that grand jury session in late April. Mecklenburg's attorneys also wrote Thursday they were told by Boutros' office that Mecklenburg "could be disciplined or terminated" for filing anything in court on her own behalf. Therefore, they wrote, Mecklenburg has retired from the Justice Department, effective Thursda