Blago busted for trying to sell the appointment to Obama’s Senate seat
December 9th, 2008 at 09:11am Pat Cunningham
Considering the widely publicized investigations that have surrounded him for many months, I’m not really surprised that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been arrested on federal corruption charges.
I’m flabbergasted, however, by a REPORT from the Chicago Tribune that Blago is accused of “conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-Elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife.”
UPDATE: A NEWS RELEASE from federal prosecutors says Blagojevich tried to sell the Senate appointment and also threatened to withhold state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Tribune editorial board members who were critical of him and his administration.
UPDATE II: By the way, tomorrow is Blago’s 52nd birthday. Hope he has a happy one.
UPDATE III: To me, the most laughable stuff in the prosecutors’ news release is the part where it says Blago had “a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016.”
Possible run for President? The guy’s a bigger idiot than I had suspected. Leaving aside the corruption and incompetence of his gubernatorial tenure, he’s no more a likely presidential contender than the average shmoe you might run into on the street.
Just for starters, he’s a terrible public speaker.
And what’s up with that haircut?
UPDATE IV: THIS GUY wonders if Blago can still make the Senate appointment. But who would dare accept it?
UPDATE V: The 76-page criminal indictment (HERE) is fun to read if only for all the unexpurgated profanities. Blago and his wife Patty are big fans of the F-bomb. (Check the nice language from Patty on page 46 of the complaint.)
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25 Comments Add your own
1. hokumboy | December 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Yeah,
I really can’t recall a Governor, Democrat or Republican, we’ve had that hasn’t been tainted by scandal. Blago though, seems to be the first we’ve had, in my memory, that didn’t have any redeeming qualities in his service towards the people of Illinois.
2. Egyas | December 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Pat, why would you be “flabbergasted”? You have to admit that he has at least the “feel” of the most corrupt politician in (recent) Illinois history. Personally, I put nothing past this guy’s greed.
I said in response to another one of your blogs (about Blago asking Bush for a pardon for Ryan) that I figured he was asking because he knew he’d need one himself soon and wanted to set the precedent. I just never would have guessed so soon! lol
Blago is scum, and makes Illinois’ politics even more of a national joke than they already are. Promised to “Clean up state government” did he?
Time for our Lt. Gov to take over (at least I think what’s what happens here when the gov is removes, I cannot remember off hand). Really, outside of Ryan and Blago, could he REALLY be any worse?
3. DingDong | December 9th, 2008 at 10:17 am
I am laughing very hard. I remember during the primaries talking about the corrupt Illinois government including Chicago. Some guy chastising me saying that was not the case anymore.
4. Mike Carroll | December 9th, 2008 at 10:29 am
I think we have finally been able to surpass New Jersey as the state with the most corrupt state government. Damn, it’s entertaining living here.
BTW, any of you Progressives worried about our president elect having cut his teeth in Illinois state politics?
5. echo4charlie | December 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Well, we all knew this was coming, just not when.
As educated as this man is, and a Lawyer, to boot, you’d have thought he’d have known better. There are several charges, and I’m not sure we know exactly how many, yet.
Jim Edgar was the last decent Illinois Governor that I can remember.
I’ll bet there are a lot of Illinois politicians (ehem, Daly……) keeping quiet, and keeping their heads down right now.
Well, he (Blago) should be OK in prison. Our favorite John Davidson (of Broadway, music, and hosting That’s Incredible!, Time Machine, and Hollywood Squares fame) look-alike should be able to get Gleam, pomade, and old spice at the prison commissary.
6. jake | December 9th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Mike Carroll:
I’ll give you a tie with New Jersey in state corruption, but did you people ever have a non-citizen as a mayor anywhere in llinois?
If Obama doesn’t clarify his citizenship definitively before inauguration, and the rumors prove true, I’ll give Illinois all the credit,
and say you trumped Tom Gangemi with Obama.
7. Pat Cunningham | December 9th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Jake says Obama needs to “clarify his citizenship definitively before inauguration.” His citizenship HAS been clarified to the satisfaction of everyone except you and your tinfoil-hat crowd.
8. Ron | December 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Hey Jake
http://fightthesmears.com/articles/5/birthcertificate
There’s his birth certificate. Educate yourself before you go online and post conspiracy theories. It makes you look stupid.
9. echo4charlie | December 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Obama currently, and until proven otherwise, has nothing to do with this. He was barely even present during the bulk of the investigation into Blago (as he was campaigning). So, the two don’t tie in too well for me, but, if later proven otherwise, then, I’m wrong.
We will undoubtedly hear the name Richard Daly quite a bit through proceedings, though. There’s much more of a tie there, than with Obama.
10. rockman | December 9th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
How about Charles Box as or new Senate candidate? Beholden to none. Would be a good pick considering
11. jake | December 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Ron: Pardon me if I don’t put much faith in Fight the Smears.
Pat: If SCOTUS is satisfied, so am I. I was just being a wise-ass
to claim the primacy of New Jersey in corruption, barring anything
to top the Gangemi fiasco. (I did say RUMORS). BTW I don’t wear
any hat if I can avoid it.
P.S. Lighten up guys.
12. David Johnson | December 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Pat you wrote “Possible run for President? The guy’s a bigger idiot than I had suspected. Leaving aside the corruption and incompetence of his gubernatorial tenure, he’s no more a likely presidential contender than the average shmoe you might run into on the street.” Don’t you think that after he saw Obama get elected that he realized with the right packaging you can garner millions of votes from Democrats regardless of what you say or do?
13. bannernews | December 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I think that goes for both parties.
What was Bush’s pitch? The guy you would like to have a beer with.
14. Juice | December 9th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Why would Fitzgerald pull the plug just when the antes are going into the pot? Easy to protect Obama. Anyone who thinks Obama or his staff was not plugged-in to the situation of filling his seat has their head in the sand. Maybe the liberal media should have sent 300 investigative reporters to Cook county instead of Alaska to investigate the “corrupt” Sarah Palin. Fitzgerald could have hung a bunch of people with this scheme but didn’t to save Obama and all the candidates for the seat. Fitzgerald even held back the story until after the election. Why???
15. snuss | December 9th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Please knock off the bad language, and stay on topic.
Blago is still Govenor, until he can be impeached, and removed from office. So the Senate seat is still in jeopardy. BTW, with who was he dealing for Obama’s seat? They could also be in legal trouble.
16. Juice | December 9th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Today Obama said “I had no contact with the governor or his office “ about the seat, but on November 23, 2008, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said “I know he’s talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.” Now Axelrod says he “misspoke”. Form your own opinion. LOL. Aren’t politicians all scum!
17. Mike Carroll | December 9th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I smell Special Prosecutor. God knows the Dems would be screaming for one if the tables were turned and, no, I don’t think Obama is involved. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of his good friends are involved. You just gotta love Chicago/Illinois politics.
18. bannernews | December 9th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Yeah ,Pat Fitzgerald is in the tank for Obama. Thats a good one.
19. jack | December 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
It’s a good thing the RRS has a statehouse reporter to cover all of this. Oh, wait. never mind.
20. Pat Cunningham | December 9th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Mike Carroll: Special prosecutors are required only in cases of potential conflict of interest. That doesn’t pertain here. So much for what you think Dems would be screaming for. Did they scream for a special prosecutor in the George Ryan case? No, they didn’t. Please, Mike, don’t get nutty like Juice, who says Fitz has taken a dive for Obama.
21. Pat Cunningham | December 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
NOTICE: One reader dropped an F-bomb in this thread. It was deleted, as were two replies to it. No more of that, please.
22. Mike Carroll | December 9th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I think the key word that you used Pat is “required”. I would bet my first born that you progressives would be screaming for a Special Prosecutor if it were a President Elect McCain whose Senate seat was being auctioned by a Republican Governor.
Finally, let me reiterate, I do not feel that Obama is in any way involved (I’m pretty certain he is too smart to be involved in something this dumb) but I am quite certain that some people close to him may be sweating it out at the moment.
Welcome back by the way. Glad to see the illness didn’t mellow your temperament.
23. DingDong | December 9th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
First Ron, that is a Certificate of Live Birth that anyone can get from HI no matter where you are from. If there is nothing to hide, why not release his college records and the actual birth certificate?
Seems everyone forgot this clip of Alexrod talking about Obama talking to Blago about the senate seat. Now, Obama said he has not talked to Blago about the seat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=konL35ur0Bo&eurl=http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-to-stop-global-warming-deniers&feature=player_embedded
24. Juice | December 10th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Dec.9: Obama said “I had no contact with the governor or his office “ Nov. 5: Obama met with Blago to SPECIFICALLY talk about his Senate seat.
Nov. 5: Press release from Blago after the meeting http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=72&RecNum=7260
Why would Obama lie, Pat???
25. Pat Cunningham | December 10th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Juice: Where’s the evidence that there was a meeting on Nov. 5? The link you provided offers no such evidence. A Quincy TV station said such a meeting had been scheduled, but the station later offered this:
“KHQA TV wishes to offer clarification regarding a story that appeared last month on our website ConnectTristates.com. The story, which discussed the appointment of a replacement for President Elect Obama in the U.S. Senate, became the subject of much discussion on talk radio and on blog sites Wednesday. The story housed in our website archive was on the morning of November 5, 2008. It suggested that a meeting was scheduled later that day between President Elect Obama and Illinois Governor Blagojevich. KHQA has no knowledge that any meeting ever took place. Governor Blagojevich did appear at a news conference in Chicago on that date.”
So, where’s your evidence, Juice?
Why would Obama lie about this when he now knows that the feds have recordings of what Blago said on that date?
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