2 WOMEN COULD BE CONTENDERS FOR CHICAGO’S NEW TOP FED
The job is up for grabs! And a woman could snag the spot.
◆ Translation: Sneed hears the name of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s hand- picked Illinois executive inspector general, Maggie Hickey, a former assistant U. S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, is surfacing as a possible replacement for U. S. Attorney Zachary Fardon — a prior presidential pick who was asked to resign Friday by the Trump administration.
◆ To wit: Sneed is told Hickey’s name bubbled up the legal eagle pipeline shortly after Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the resignations Friday of 46 U. S. attorneys nationwide.
◆ Backshot: From 20102015, Hickey was the executive assistant U. S. attorney overseeing a staff of about 300 employees and served as an assistant U. S. attorney in the criminal division, where she prosecuted a wide array of white- collar crimes.
◆ Long shot: However, former U. S. attorney Dan K. Webb — who emphasizes it is standard operating procedure for the new administration to request the resignations — tells Sneed “it appears Trump wants to keep the U. S. attorney for New York, and I predict he may want to keep Fardon because he is so apolitical and done such a fabulous job.”
◆ Group shot: Four other potential candidates for U. S. attorney who may be recommended by U. S. Rep. John Shimkus to President Donald Trump are attorneys Gil Soffer at the Katten Muchin law firm; attorney John Lausch of Kirkland & Ellis law firm; former Assistant U. S. At- torney Patrick Collins and a long shot, Lori Lightfoot, president of the Chicago Police Board.
◆ Buckshot: Trump has no love for the blue state of Illinois, which has sassed him for putting his name in giant letters on TRUMP Tower; prefers Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s brother, Ari; and is still smarting over the unrest that protested his presidential run at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Burke’s law . . .
Congrats to Ald. Ed Burke ( 14th), the dean of the City Council, on the 48th anniversary of his time in office.
The shocker: Burke has never missed a City Council meeting. Amazing.
Gulp!
Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola of “The Godfather” fame, who is a Napa wine producer, hosted a behind- closeddoors luncheon Friday to wine retailers at Chicago Cut Steakhouse.
◆ The script: Dining on filet mignon and sharing four Coppola wines, the master movie maven equated wine to film because of similarity in the research, development, production, refinement and packaging departments.
◆ The scene: And Coppola, who was accompanied by his beloved wife of 54 years, Eleanor, said one of his greatest joys was the remembrance of wine being on the table at every meal when he was growing up.
◆ The end: And, yes, Coppola hoped to hit the Second City comedy club while in town.
Trumpeting Rahm?
Hmmm. When White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer opened his Friday press briefing, he cited “Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s quote: ‘ Good afternoon. Only two more days until the end of the workweek.’”
Pssst!
Sneed is told former senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is ensconced in former President Barack Obama’s new office quarters in Washington, D. C., is joining the board of directors of Chicago’s Ariel Investments.
Cinema chat . . .
Actor John Goodman is in town shooting “Captive State,” a sci- fi thriller set in a Chicago neighborhood that is about extraterrestrials — aka another description for a night on the town for overheated Cubs fans.
Shock of shocks?
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Mayor Emanuel are don’t invitem items, but she actually participated in a rousing standing ovation to hizzoner following his impassioned speech about Chicago’s need to be a sanctuary city at an Illinois Holocaust Museum event Wednesday night.
The police blotter . . .
Former Chicago top cop Garry McCarthy, a trained paramedic, spotted rushing to the side of an unconscious 94- year- old nun in need of emergency medical attention at the Irish Fellowship dinner Friday night. Luckily, an ambulance arrived quickly at the dinner, which was halted for about 30 minutes.
Sneedings . . .
I spy: Blackhawk players Ryan Hartman and Duncan Keith spotted recently with chef Lee Ann Whippen during an ESPN broadcast with Pat Boyle at Southern Cut. . . . Saturday’s birthdays: Anthony Davis, 24; Terrence Howard, 48; and Greg Olsen, 32. . . . Sunday’s birthdays: Mitt Romney, 70; Liza Minnelli, 71; and James Taylor, 69.
Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola of “The Godfather” fame hosted a behind- closed- doors luncheon Friday to wine retailers at Chicago Cut Steakhouse. @ SNEEDLINGS