Illinois Governor Arrested For Attempting To "Sell" Obama Senate Seat

[NYatKNIGHT]

Too embarrasing

Not to mention he is obsessed with his hair brush.

[Zephyr]

IMHO, if Blago - aka "Hot Rod" - is eliminated, and a mini-election is judged too costly an option (both politically and/or dollarwise), expect this otherwise obscure politician, known previously as "Candidate 3," to gain that coveted inside track for being selected Senator from "The Land of Lincoln."

Blagojevich arrest could send Jewish rep to Senate


By Ron Kampeas · December 9, 2008

(Cosmic Smudge / Creative Commons)

Political observers say that U.S. Rep.
Jan Schakowsky could end up the winner after the
arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich had absolute power and apparently was enjoying it.

Senate Candidate 1, according to the federal complaint that led to the governor's arrest Tuesday, was close to President-elect Barack Obama, whose newly vacant U.S. Senate seat Blagojevich was constitutionally required to fill. That fed Blagojevich's hopes of extracting a Cabinet position or a high-salaried nonprofit job from Obama.

Senate Candidate 4., meantime, was Blagojevich's deputy and could be counted on to protect the governor if he was eventually indicted as a result of long-running corruption investigations. Senate Candidate 2's name allegedly was leaked to the Chicago Sun Times in a bid to spook Obama after the president-elect resisted offering Blagojevich the dream job he was demanding in exchange for naming Obama's favorite, Senate Candidate 1

Senate Candidate 5 was ready, Blagojevich allegedly believed, to raise $500,000 for the governor's slush fund, and that eventually made 5 the favorite. Senate Candidate 6 was, well, rich, and that's what gave him an in.

And Senate Candidate 3? She barely merits a mention in the voluminous tapped phone calls.

That suits U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) fine. JTA has learned that Schakowsky, the only Jewish contender to replace Obama, is the "Senate Candidate 3" in the prosecution complaint.

Sources close to Schakowsky, 64, suggested that her frustration until Monday at not being able to get a sense from Blagojevich as to her Senate prospects flowered into relief Tuesday when she discovered he was not considering her.

"The governor never asked her for anything in return," said a source close to Schakowsky. "That turns out to be a good thing."

That leaves Schakowsky untainted by association with one of the most stunning "pay for play" scandals in recent U.S. political history -- and may improve her chances for an appointment.

"The process before was kind of, who knows what the governor is going to do?" the source said. "No one thought a rational appeal was going to work."

Another Democratic insider said Blagojevich's arrest reversed the race: Schakowsky, until Monday the dark horse, is now a front-runner, and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been tainted by his closeness to Blagojevich.

"He has hurdles, Schakowsy does not," the insider said. "Her chances of becoming the next senator went up a lot."

Schakowsky is known to be very close to Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would assume the governorship -- and the power to name a replacement -- should Blagojevich leave the job as result of the scandal.

That might not happen for a while, and Blagojevich's power to name the interim 2009-11 U.S. senator from Illinois is unhampered, even from his jail call.

Schakowsky, who last month was elected to her sixth congressional term, immediately called for Blagojevich to step down.

"I actually have called on the governor to resign, and if he does not do that, I've called on the Legislature to call a special session," she told CNN. “They can do that, to have impeachment proceedings."

State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, a Democrat who was elected to that body with Schakowsky in 1990 and backs her bid to replace Obama, said it was likelier that the state Legislature would call a special statewide election within the next few days to fill the president-elect’s seat. He said Schakowsky's liberal, urban background would not harm her in a statewide election.

"I've worked with her closely and observed her in action," Schoenberg said, "and she's already a formidable political figure."

Schakowsky comes up once in the complaint, when Blagojevich allegedly contemplates leaking her name as his choice in a bid to extract concessions from other candidates.

Other media have identified Valerie Jarrett, a longtime Obama mentor and now his senior adviser, as Senate Candidate 1; Lisa Madigan, the state's attorney general whose name Blagojevich leaked in a bid to scare concessions out of Obama, as Candidate 2; and one of Blagojevich's three deputy governors as Candidate 4.

Several news outlets have used a meetings timeline to suggest that Senate Candidate 5, who according to Blagojevich's quotes in the complaint was ready to raise money for the governor, is Jackson. Senate Candidate 6, the wealthy one, is unknown.

Schakowsky would be a natural pick, said Linda Sher, who founded the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs, a pro-Israel and pro-choice group.

"Jan is a wonderful, honest person, she serves her constituency, she has integrity and is hard working," Sher said, adding that the same qualities describe Jackson.

Schakowsky is among the most liberal lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is one of the few in the body who can claim opposition to the Iraq War from its outset. Her record is solidly pro-Israel, and she conveys a Jewish mother vibe, actively seeking out dates for her unmarried staff.

She is especially close to Rahm Emanuel, who just quit his own congressional seat to become Obama's chief of staff. Both emerged from the Illinois Public Action Fund, a public interest advocacy group, in the 1980s.

Schakowsky has been touched by scandal: Her husband, Robert Creamer, pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud charges in connection with IPAC, where he served as executive director. Schakowsky had no involvement in the scandal.

Sher said she has been receiving e-mails all day from friends across the country who have been struck by the depth of Illinois corruption. Blagojevich would be the second consecutive governor to go to jail if he is convicted, and the fourth to be brought down by scandal in 30 years.

"It's not all bad," she said. "I'm answering, 'we gave you Obama, we gave you Durbin,' " referring to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the most pro-Israel senators.



© JTA. Reproduction of any material without written authorization is strictly prohibited.

[Zephyr]

December 16, 2008

Gingrich to RNC: Drop Blago video, help Obama instead
Posted: 03:15 PM ET

Newt Gingrich told the RNC Tuesday that it
should immediately pull down a web video featuring President-elect Obama
and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

(CNN) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich isn’t happy with the Republican National Committee.

In a letter addressed Tuesday to Mike Duncan, chairman of the RNC, Gingrich slams the committee for releasing a recent Web video that seeks to connect Obama to embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

In a nearly three-minute spot entitled “Questions Remain,” the RNC seeks to raise questions about involvement by Obama or his staff in Blagojevich’s alleged plan to award Obama’s former Senate seat in exchange for political favors.

Gingrich calls the video a “destructive distraction” and asserts that the national committee “is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.”

Instead, “Republicans should be working to help the incoming president succeed in meeting” the “real challenges” the nation is facing, Gingrich writes to Duncan. When Republicans believe Obama is wrong, the GOP should “offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him,” Gingrich also wrote.

The letter ends with Gingrich’s suggestion that the RNC “pull the ad down immediately.”

Gingrich’s letter echoes recent comments from Obama’s former rival, Sen. John McCain. In a television interview Sunday, McCain also took issue with the video.

“In all due respect to the Republican National Committee,” McCain said, “right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together . . . on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary.”

The RNC has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.


© 2008 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

[Zephyr]

December 16, 2008

Jackson, Jr. an informant to Blago investigations
Posted: 06:25 PM ET

Sources close to Rep. Jackson, Jr.
told CNN Tuesday that the Illinois congressman
has supplied information regarding Gov. Blagojevich
to federal law enforcement officials since 2006.

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (CNN) — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — who was cited in a criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich — has been an informant for at least a decade with the U.S. Attorney's office, and has informed on the embattled governor of Illinois, though not in the case currently under investigation, Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds told CNN Tuesday.

In addition, two sources close to Jackson told CNN that, in 2002, Blagojevich — then running for governor of Illinois — solicited a $25,000 campaign donation from Jackson, which he did not get.

At the time, Jackson's wife, Sandi, was a candidate for the job of director of the state's Lottery Commission, a post she did not win, the sources said.

After Blagojevich took office, in early 2003, he told Jackson something to the effect of, "You see what $25,000 would have done?" the sources said.

In 2006, Jackson reported the incident, which he believed to have been an attempt at a shakedown, the sources said.

The report, the sources said, came three three years later because Jackson's memory was jogged by another case — that of developer Tony Rezko, whose fraud and corruption trial included testimony about $25,000 donations to Blagojevich.

Jackson did not endorse Blagojevich in his initial campaign and tried to stay on the sidelines during the governor's re-election bid, one of the sources said.

Blagojevich's office did not return calls seeking comment.



© 2008 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

[Zephyr]

DECEMBER 17, 2008
Lawmakers Reject Election for Illinois Senate Seat

If Blagojevich Resigns or Is Impeached, Lieutenant Governor Will Make Appointment – Keeping the Decision in Democrats' Hands


By DOUGLAS BELKIN


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State Democrats slammed the door Tuesday on a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, reversing earlier calls for a vote and ending a rare sense of statewide bipartisanship that followed Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest last week.

"We need leadership from majority Democrats in the Legislature; instead, what we are getting is the same old insider political games," Deputy Republican Leader Christine Radogno said. "Frankly, after the past week, most people in Illinois are wondering how much more embarrassment the state must endure. Apparently, legislative Democrats think the state needs more embarrassment."

In a news conference Tuesday, Mr. Obama backed away from his earlier call for a special election. "I'm going to let the state Legislature make a determination in terms of how they want to proceed," he said.

Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, has the power to make the appointment, but he was arrested last week and charged with trying to sell the seat. The Legislature had been considering a bill that would strip Mr. Blagojevich of his power to fill the seat but has since dropped that bill. Now, if Mr. Blagojevich resigns or is impeached, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will fill the seat, ensuring it remains in Democratic hands.

How long impeachment proceedings will take remains unclear. The committee charged with determining whether the state House should recommend the impeachment of Mr. Blagojevich said Tuesday that the governor's attorney, Ed Genson, will appear before the group on Wednesday to answer questions.

Getty Images

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday, a day before his lawyer, Ed Genson,
will appear before a state impeachment panel to answer questions.

Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, chairwoman of the 21-member committee, said she will ask Mr. Genson whether the governor will resign and whether he has any response to the 76-page criminal complaint filed against him last week by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

The committee will look at years of activities, including the most recent charges. While the committee has subpoena power, members have said they will proceed cautiously so as not to foul up Mr. Fitzgerald's investigation. "There might be some witnesses we would be interested in hearing from that he'd rather we didn't," Ms. Currie said. "We don't want to undercut the federal inquiry."

If impeachment proceedings drag on, legislators could still call for a special election.

Separately, a spokesman for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., named as "Senate candidate 5" in the federal affidavit filed against Gov. Blagojevich, issued a statement saying the congressman had cooperated with federal authorities in corruption matters. "Congressman Jackson has in the past provided information to federal authorities regarding his personal knowledge of perceived corruption and governmental misconduct. This was completely unrelated to the current federal investigation regarding the U.S. Senate appointment," said Jackson spokesman Kenneth Edmonds, in a statement.

Mr. Jackson, son of civil-rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, assured reporters last week that he hadn't authorized anyone to approach the governor with an improper offer in exchange for the Senate seat.

The politics surrounding the replacement of Mr. Obama in the U.S. Senate are unfolding as the state's financial problems worsen. Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias said Tuesday that the legal problems surrounding Mr. Blagojevich already have cost the state more than $20 million because it was forced to delay a $1.4 billion short-term bond sale Thursday and missed the chance to sell the bonds at reduced interest rates.

—Amy Merrick and David Kesmodel contributed to this article.



Copyright ©2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Zephyr]

Originally posted: December 17, 2008
Illinois Supreme Court rejects [Lisa] Madigan [Illinois AG] bid to declare Blagojevich 'unfit'


Posted by Rick Pearson at 1:55 p.m.


SPRINGFIELD---The Illinois Supreme Court today rejected Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's attempt to have disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared unable to hold the office of Illinois chief executive, court officials said.

The high court, without comment, denied Madigan's attempt to file a complaint with justices arguing Blagojevich's fitness to serve. The court also rejected Madigan's attempt for a temporary restraining order, aimed at preventing him from using state law to appoint a U.S. Senate replacement for President-elect Barack Obama.

A criminal complaint filed against Blagojevich, which resulted in his arrest eight days ago, contended the governor was seeking to try to sell the Senate seat to benefit himself and his family.

Justices, again without comment, also rejected a private petition seeking to remove Blagojevich from office for disability under the state constitution.

• Download Illinois Supreme Court Order 1 (PDF File)
  
  
• Download Illinois Supreme Court Order 2 (PDF File)
  
  
• Download Illinois Supreme Court Order 3 (PDF File)

Madigan said she was disappointed by the court's decision.

"Because of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's refusal to resign, the state of Illinois is in an unsustainable situation," Madigan said in a statement.

Even though federal charges and the impeachment process are in place, Madigan said, "the state is left with a governor who cannot make effective decisions on critical and time-sensitive issues."

She said she hoped the legislature will "act with deliberate speed."


Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

[Zephyr]

DECEMBER 19, 2008
State, Feds Move to Block Blagojevich Legal Funds Seat


By DOUGLAS BELKIN


CHICAGO – Embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich's money problems appeared to worsen Thursday, as the state attorney general denied a request from his lawyer asking the state to pick up his impeachment-defense costs and the U.S. attorney moved to freeze his campaign funds.

Prosecutors are charging that the war chest "comes from fraudulent or criminal activity," said Michael D. Ettinger, the lawyer for Mr. Blagojevich's brother, Robert, who is chairman of the campaign fund and who received a letter from the U.S. attorney on Wednesday.

Mr. Ettinger said if the governor is indicted attorneys will ask the court to free up enough money from the $3.6 million of campaign funds to pay for the defense.

"There are a lot of questions as to whether we can use the funds to pay for the defense," Mr. Ettinger said.

In a U.S. criminal complaint filed last week, Mr. Blagojevich is quoted in federal wiretaps repeatedly complaining about the state of his finances. He was arrested and charged, among other things, with attempting to win a high-paying job or other compensation for the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

In a letter to the attorney general sent Tuesday, attorney Edward Genson asked to be appointed Mr. Blagojevich's counsel. He argued that the state is "charged with a duty to defend all actions and proceedings against any State officer." He also asserted that, since Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed to have Mr. Blagojevich removed from office, she faces a conflict of interest. In effect, he was asking the state to pay Mr. Blagojevich's legal bills.

Ms. Madigan responded in a letter Thursday, saying that would only occur when the officer is in need of legal defense in his official capacity.

"That is not the case in a criminal suit, which is a proceeding against a person as an individual," Ms. Madigan wrote. "It is absurd to suggest that taxpayers must finance the defense of a criminal action against Governor Blagojevich who is accused of corruptly betraying the public trust for personal and financial gain."

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney declined to comment about the office's intention to seize Mr. Blagojevich's campaign funds.

Mr. Blagojevich's salary as governor is about $177,000. He has unpaid legal bills of at least $500,000 from the firm Winston & Strawn LLP, according to an attorney at the firm. The firm represented him during the years-long federal probe that culminated in his arrest but dropped him as a client over the bills.

Last Friday, Ms. Madigan petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court to temporarily remove Mr. Blagojevich on the grounds that he was temporarily disabled and unable to perform his duties as governor. The court rejected that argument without comment on Wednesday.

Impeachment proceedings against the governor began Monday and continued Thursday in Springfield with Mr. Genson frequently objecting to procedures and to evidence being presented against the governor.


— Lauren Etter contributed to this article.



Copyright ©2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

[Zephyr]

Obama to absolve Emanuel in gov. scandal


By MIKE ALLEN
12/21/08 10:57 AM EST

Photo: AP

President-elect Barack Obama’s aides plan to release a report this week absolving incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel of any impropriety in his contacts with the disgraced Illinois governor’s office, Democratic sources tell Politico.

The report is expected Monday or Tuesday. Obama said last week that he was delaying it until this week at the request of federal prosecutors.

The complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose conversations had been secretly taped by federal investigators, tested the smoothly running Obama transition, with some Democrats fretting that the case presents a distraction that could last into the new administration.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, host of “This Week,” said during the roundtable on his program Sunday that the Obama legal team's review of contacts with Blagojevich found that Emanuel had only one phone conversation with the governor, and it was a “pro forma” conversation.

“I have been briefed on the review that Obama has done,” Stephanopoulos said. “The sources I talked to say that what it will show is there were actually far less contacts than we had heard – that Rahm Emanuel only had one phone call with Governor Blagojevich. It wasn’t even really about the Senate seat.”

Stephanopoulos elaborated in a blog posting: “Most of the discussion concerned Emanuel's Congressional seat (which had previously been held by Blagojevich), with only a ‘passing reference’ to the Senate vacancy, according to these sources. No deal for the Senate vacancy was discussed. …

“[T]he report will show Emanuel also had four phone calls with Blagojevich Chief of Staff John Harris. During those conversations, the Senate seat was discussed. The pros and cons of various candidates were reviewed, and the sources say that Emanuel repeatedly reminded Harris that Blagojevich should focus on the message the pick would send about the governor and his administration. Sources also confirm that Emanuel made the case for picking Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett during at least one of the conversations. In the course of that conversation, Harris asked if in return for picking Jarrett, 'all we get is appreciation, right?' 'Right,' Emanuel responded.”

Stephanopoulos said on “This Week”: “According to these sources, absolutely no deals.”

ABC’s Cokie Roberts added: “It would be political malpractice if somebody from the Obama had not talked to the governor.”



© 2008 Capitol News Company LLC

[ZippyTheChimp]

Looking over this entire fiasco, you'd thing that Blagojevich (or any politician in this much trouble) would have something to bargain with, anything to keep him out of jail, and was just maneuvering to cut a deal.

But there doesn't seem to be anything, unless the plan is to make everyone so sick of seeing his stupid face on TV, that a plea goes out, "Just get the hell out of here, and we'll forget you ever existed."

Pissing people off just gets a bigger book thrown at you.

How did this idiot ever get elected?

[Zephyr]

How did this idiot ever get elected?

Short answer: he got elected by being a "reform" candidate from the Democratic side after the previous Governor, Republican George Ryan, went to jail on 18 counts of steering state business to friends and associates for bribes.

But one also needs to add the following. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was involved in both cases - Mr. Ryan before and Rod Blagojevich currrently. And the attorney for Mr. Ryan happened to be a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District - James Thompson. Mr. Thompson was the prosecutorial force that removed Governor Otto Kerner (D), many years ago, and it gave him a platform on which to become Illinois Governor, a position in which he served approximately 14 years.

Illinois politics is corrupt on both the Republican and Democratic sides - a point often obscured in national discussions which seek to reduce it all to just machine politics in Chicago.

[Ninjahedge]

When Republicans believe Obama is wrong, the GOP should “offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him,”

Wow...... I like that!


Problem is, like your post title implies, this anonymous group of republicans put up a vid, and a SINGLE high profile Repub comes out and denounces it.

Where was he when they decided to put it up there? Is the RNC that split that they would not tell the former house speaker anything about it? WHO were the people that made this decision?

I want to know names, not the vague faceless "RNC".

[Ninjahedge]

Short answer: he got elected by being a "reform" candidate from the Democratic side after the previous Governor, Republican George Ryan, went to jail on 18 counts of steering state business to friends and associates for bribes.

Underachiever!

But one also needs to add the following. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was involved in both cases - Mr. Ryan before and Rod Blagojevich currrently. And the attorney for Mr. Ryan happened to be a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District - James Thompson. Mr. Thompson was the prosecutorial force that removed Governor Otto Kerner (D), many years ago, and it gave him a platform on which to become Illinois Governor, a position in which he served approximately 14 years.

What comes around, goes around and around and around.

Illinois politics is corrupt on both the Republican and Democratic sides - a point often obscured in national discussions which seek to reduce it all to just machine politics in Chicago.

People surveyed in Chicago pretty much said "Meh, politics as usual."

[Jasonik]

A noteworthy alternate perspective.

Kristen Atlee writes to Bill Anderson:

I know you've been critical of U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, and I was wondering what your response was to his -- what I consider -- shocking abuse of power in the Blagojevich case. Specifically, I'm referring to Fitzgerald's demand that the Illinois House "limit" its impeachment inquiry lest it interfere with his sacrosanct investigation.

It's a sad sign of American decline when an appointed federal prosecutor can overrule an elected state legislature on a matter of state interest. If you remember the various accounts of Watergate, special prosecutor Leon Jaworski went out of his way not to interfere with the U.S. House's impeachment of Richard Nixon. Jaworski understood that removing Nixon from office was the top priority. He also knew that indicting Nixon in office would only make the president dig in his heels and fight to retain his office at all costs. Mr. Fitzgerald never learned this lesson.

Anderson responds:

Indeed, I agree with Kristen wholeheartedly, and should have spoken out sooner. In my view, Fitzgerald is a worse offender than the man he has indicted, for Fitzgerald has used his official position to launch abusive prosecutions and to make public statements about guilt and innocence that prosecutors are ethically and legally bound NOT to make.

Prosecutors are not supposed to make public statements that would be regarded as inflammatory, and his statement about "Lincoln turning over in his grave" certainly crosses that line. (Michael Nifong was disbarred in part because of his public statements that he made early in the Duke Lacrosse Case.)

Unfortunately, in the past couple of decades, federal prosecutors have become bigger players because federal criminal "law" has grown like a huge cancer cell. Today, about any crime has an element that can be federalized, which gives federal prosecutors enormous power, given that federal criminal law is so nebulous that it is almost impossible for prosecutors to lose their cases, no matter how weak (or non-existent) their case may be.

[Zephyr]

Dec 23, 2008

BLOGS & STORIES

Even Blago Is Presumed Innocent


by Scott Turow


Getty Images

Scott Olson


Chicago's preeminent crime novelist on how the Illinois governor can defend himself—and why bribery cases are so hard to prove.

Governor Rod Blagojevich’s press conference on Friday was short on details but long on cheerleader rhetoric (“I will fight, I will fight, I will fight”) and was meant to create the impression that the governor actually has a chance in the forthcoming criminal prosecution that will be mounted by United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Long story short: Blago is toast. Fitzgerald’s need to charge the case earlier than he might have liked poses some practical problems for him and his staff. But there is no question that he will bring a compelling case, neigh on to invincible.

For the moment, Blagojevich and his artful and much-admired defense lawyer, Ed Genson, who recently successfully defended hip-hopper R. Kelly and unsuccessfully represented press lord Conrad Black, are willing to play every trump. The state of Illinois—both its legislators and citizens—desperately want to move forward. We need a U.S. Senator to replace Barack Obama and the General Assembly wants to move forward on a lengthy legislative agenda, led by a growing public demand to put an end to Illinois's reprehensible practice of unlimited campaign contributions, which all but four states in the country indulge in.

The only real defense for Blagojevich is to blame those quid pro quos on his aides and fundraisers and claim he was clueless.

Because Fitzgerald will not allow the General Assembly to delve into the evidence he has gathered, the Illinois House impeachment committee will end up having to charge Blagojevich for a wide range of abuses and lesser offenses. The legislators are acting responsibly so far and are reluctant to set a precedent that will allow a political majority to oust a Governor of the other party. Genson will demand due process for his client and the members of the General Assembly, no matter how angry they are, will do their best to allow Blagojevich to offer a defense. My guess is that it will be about four months before Blagojevich is ready to face trial in the state Senate.

All of this will give Blagojevich some leverage. At the end of the day, as his impeachment draws near, Blagojevich, who admitted a near desperation for money on the federal wiretaps, is likely to choose to take a leave of absence with pay, rather than getting thrown out of office and going to trial broke. But none of that means that the case Fitzgerald will bring by way of indictment in early January is really in trouble.

Some commentators have argued that the prosecution of Blagojevich, especially the charges that he was trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat in exchange for a job or massive campaign contributions, is not all that compelling. And it is surely true that it is hard for prosecutors to win cases of attempted bribery. So-called ‘crime in the head’—bad thoughts without outright bad conduct—does not tend to impress jurors.

But critics should not make the mistake of confusing a bare attempt case with the forthcoming indictment against Blagojevich. What Fitzgerald charged in the complaint is an astonishing and appalling pattern of extortion and bribery involving numerous completed crimes. Blagojevich awarded state contracts and state jobs to giant campaign contributors. The only real defense for Blagojevich is to blame those quid pro quos on his aides and fundraisers and claim he was clueless. And that dog will not hunt. Not only does the government have at least four witnesses who were deep in the scheme who will say that Blagojevich was fully knowledgeable, but the roster of witnesses of is all but certain to grow as Blagojevich intimates caught on the wiretaps make their own deals over time. Worst of all for Blagojevich is the venal chatter that came out of the governor’s mouth and was captured on the federal bugs that were in place for over a month. The man who called the President-elect of the United States a “mother****er” [of course a WNY automatic edit overides this article's actual word - Z] because Mr. Obama’s team wouldn’t play ball, will be damned in the end by his own words and his unambiguous intent to profit from public office.


COPYRIGHT © 2008 RTST, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[Zephyr]

Report: No 'quid pro quo' on Obama seat
December 23, 2008 at 3:48 PM


WASHINGTON - A report issued by Barack Obama's transition concluded that the president-elect had no contact with Gov. Rod Blagojevich or his office and no one acting on Obama's behalf was involved in any "quid pro quo" arrangement the governor allegedly sought for filling the vacant Senate seat with a candidate of Obama's choosing.

The report [PDF link – Z] was put together by attorney Greg Craig following Blagojevich's arrest for allegedly engaging in a scheme to sell the vacant U.S. Senate seat, as well as other state appointments and services.

Craig said Obama, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and his adviser, Valerie Jarrett, all submitted to interviews with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald last week. Craig said neither Jarrett nor David Axelrod, another senior adviser, had any contact with Blagojevich or his office.

The report did say that Dr. Eric Whitaker, a close friend of Obama's and a former Blagojevich cabinet member, was approached "by a member of the Governor's circle," deputy Gov. Louanner Peters, for information.

Obama has portrayed himself as taking a hands-off approach to the governor's decision about who to appoint to his Senate seat. In fact, the report noted that he was very much interested in who would succeed him in the Senate.

Once Jarrett said she was not interested in becoming a senator, Obama asked Emanuel to tell the governor that he would support Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Ill. Comptroller Dan Hynes and Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth. Later, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cheryl Jackson, a former Blagojevich spokeswoman who heads the Chicago Urban League, were added to the list.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden said earlier Tuesday that the report would show "no inappropriate contact" between Barack Obama's presidential transition team and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"I don't think there is anything to exonerate," Biden told reporters following an economic briefing. He said the report will show "there has been no inappropriate contact between any member of the Obama staff or transition team with Blagojevich."

Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, told his staff to review all internal contacts with Blagojevich and his staff.

Obama has said he was eager to release the report, but was asked not to do so by federal prosecutors.

"It's a little bit frustrating," he said last week. "There's been a lot of speculation in the press that I would love to correct immediately...By next week you guys will have the answers to all your questions."

Still, because the report did not include actual transcripts of what was said, questions may linger.

Obama ordered up the report earlier this month after the arrest of Blagojevich and the governor's then-chief of staff, John Harris, on charges that they had tried to barter the Senate seat for the governor's financial gain. Illinois law grants the governor sole power to fill a Senate vacancy.

On Dec. 15, Obama said the report was complete and had found no "inappropriate" contact between his aides and the Blagojevich camp. He said then that its release was being delayed until this week at the request of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald.

When asked about the Senate seat shortly after the election, Obama suggested that he would be taking a hands-off approach. "There's going to be a lot of good choices out there, but it is the governor's decision to make, not mine," he said on Nov. 7.

Since then, the president-elect has declined to comment on whether there is any inconsistency with that statement and a recent Chicago Tribune report that suggested Obama's incoming chief of staff had presented a list of acceptable candidates to the Blagojevich administration.

"It would be inappropriate for me to comment, because the ... story that you just talked about in your own paper, I haven't confirmed that it was accurate, and I don't want to get into the details at this point," he said on Dec. 16.

-- Jill Zuckman and John McCormick


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