BUSTED

MSNBC wrote:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28139155/#storyContinued

CHICAGO - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich embarked on a "corruption crime spree" and tried to benefit from his ability to appoint President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate, federal officials said Tuesday.

At a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called it a sad day for the citizens of Illinois and alleged that the governor tried to "auction off" the Senate seat "to the highest bidder."

He said the alleged behavior "would make (Abe) Lincoln roll over in his grave."

Blagojevich had been arrested hours earlier and was released later in the day after posting a $4,500 bond.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democrat was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Fitzgerald said federal investigators bugged Blagojevich's campaign offices and placed a tap on his home phone.

In Illinois, the governor selects a successor when there is a mid-term Senate vacancy. Obama resigned from the Senate soon after winning the Nov. 4 presidential election.

With the governor's arrest, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., said on Tuesday he will call the Senate back in session in order to create a special election for the U.S. Senate seat.

"The events this morning are shocking. The faith of the citizens of Illinois has once again been shaken," Jones said.

'Truly a new low'
Fitzgerald accused Blagojevich of "appalling conduct" and said the governor "has taken us to a truly new low." He alleged that the governor wanted "tangible and up front" cash in return for appointing Obama's successor.

"He wasn't against a corrupt deal, he was against being stiffed in a corrupt deal," Fitzgerald added.

Fitzgerald said "Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator."

Federal prosecutors have investigated Blagojevich's administration for at least three years. The governor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Robert Grant, special agent-in-charge of the Chicago office of the FBI, said colleagues had been left "disgusted and revolted" by the case.

Fitzgerald said federal officials were making "no allegations" that Obama himself was "aware of anything" in connection with the case.

Obama said Tuesday he was saddened by the allegations and said he had no contact with the governor or his office on the matter.

Obama added he will have no further comment on the matter because it is an ongoing investigation.

'I want to make money'
The affidavit contends Blagojevich discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions. It also says Blagojevich talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director's fees.

The affidavit also quotes Blagojevich as saying in one conversation that "I want to make money."

Blagojevich and John Harris, the governor's chief of staff, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

The FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich also sought promises of campaign cash, as well as a cabinet post or ambassadorship in exchange for his Senate choice.

Blagojevich is accused of saying on Nov. 3 that if he was not going to get anything of value for the open seat, then he would appoint himself to the post.

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," the affidavit quotes the governor as saying.

Senate seat is a 'valuable thing'
He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit quotes Blagojevich telling an adviser later that day that a Senate seat "is a [expletive] valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."

In a conversation with Harris on Nov. 4, the day of the election, Blagojevich is alleged to have compared his situation to that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to the highest bidder.

On Nov. 5, Blagojevich allegedly told an adviser: "I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not gonna do it."

On Nov. 7, while talking on the phone about the Senate seat with Harris and an adviser, Blagojevich said he needed to consider his family and that he is "financially" hurting, the affidavit states.

Harris allegedly said that they were considering what would help the "financial security" of the Blagojevich family.

The complaint alleges that the governor stated, "I want to make money," adding later that he is interested in making $250,000 to $300,000 a year.

The affidavit outlined a Nov. 10 call among Blagojevich, his wife, Harris and a group of advisers in which Harris allegedly suggested working out an agreement with the Service Employees International Union.

Nothing implicating Obama
Under the plan, Blagojevich would appoint a new senator who would be helpful to the president-elect and in turn get a job as head of Change to Win, a group formed by the union. The union would get an unspecified favor from Obama later.

Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussion. In fact, Blagojevich allegedly said in the same conversation that Obama most likely would not appoint him as secretary of health and human services or to an ambassadorship because of the negative publicity that has surrounded the governor for three years.

One day later, according to the affidavit, Blagojevich allegedly told an associate he knew Obama wanted a specific Senate candidate but “they’re not going to give me anything except appreciation. [Expletive] them."

Among those being considered for the Senate post: U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierrez; Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth.

ect...

ABC News wrote:http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/12/questions-arise.html

"Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today," said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint against Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption. "But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."

Asked what contact he'd had with the governor's office about his replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today said "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening."

But on November 23, 2008, his senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said something quite different.

While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a "kingmaker," Axelrod 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."

There are no allegations that President-elect Obama or anyone close to him had anything to do with any of the crimes Gov. Blagojevich is accused of having committed.

In fact, there are indications that Mr. Obama and his team refused to go along with the "pay to play" way Blagojevich is accused of operating, offering only "gratitude" if the governor appointed his friend Valerie Jarrett to take his U.S. Senate seat, much to the governor's chagrin.

But there remain questions about how Blagojevich knew that Mr. Obama was not willing to give him anything in exchange for the Senate seat -- with whom was Blagojevich speaking? Did that person report the governor to the authorities?

And, it should be pointed out, Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary that year, then-state sen. Obama endorsed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. But after Blagojevich won, Obama came around enthusiastically. At the same time, meanwhile, Axelrod had such serious concerns about whether Blagojevich was ready for governing he refused to work for his one-time client.

According to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Mr. Obama's incoming White House chief of staff, Emanuel, then-state senator Obama, a third Blagojevich aide, and Blagojevich's campaign co-chair, David Wilhelm, were the top strategists of Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial victory.

Emanuel told the New Yorker earlier this year that he and Obama "participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor. We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two."

Wilhelm said that Emanuel had overstated Obama's role. "There was an advisory council that was inclusive of Rahm and Barack but not limited to them," Wilhelm said, and he disputed the notion that Obama was "an architect or one of the principal strategists."

(An Obama Transition Team aide emails to note that Emanuel later changed his recollection of this story to Rich Miller's "CAPITOL FAX," saying, "David [Wilhelm] and I have worked together on campaigns for decades. Like always, he's right and I'm wrong.")

Either way, others now around Obama were less enthusiastic about Blagojevich at the time, namely David Axelrod, Obama's senior campaign adviser who will soon be a senior adviser at the White House.

Axelrod had worked for Blagojevich in his past races for the House, but he declined to work on his gubernatorial run.

"He had been my client and I had a very good relationship with him, but I didn't sign on to the governor's race," Axelrod told the New Yorker. "Obviously he won, but I had concerns about it...I was concerned about whether he was ready for that. Not so much for the race but for governing. I was concerned about some of the folks -- I was concerned about how the race was being approached."

On the Chicago TV show "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz" on June 27, 2002, state Sen. Obama said, "Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor, we..."

"You working hard for Rod?" interrupted Berkowitz.

"You betcha," said Obama.

"Hot Rod?" asked the host.

"That's exactly right," Obama said.

In 2004, then-Gov. Blagojevich enthusiastically endorsed Obama for the Senate seat after he won the nomination, and Obama endorsed Blagojevich for his 2006 re-election race in early 2005.

In the Summer of 2006, then-U.S. Sen. Obama backed Blagojevich even though there were serious questions at the time about Blago's hiring practices.

At the time, numerous state agencies had had records subpoenaed, with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald telling authorities he was looking into "very serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" with a "number of credible witnesses."

In an interview with the Chicago Daily Herald in July 2006, then-Sen. Obama said, "I have not followed closely enough what's been taking place in these investigations to comment on them. Obviously I'm concerned about reports that hiring practices at the state weren't, at times, following appropriate procedures. How high up that went, the degree at which the governor was involved, is not something I'm going to speculate on.

"If I received information that made me believe that any Democrat had not been acting in the public interest, I'd be concerned," Obama said.

That said, Mr. Obama said, "If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I'll be happy to do it."

Apparently the governor did. At the Illinois State Fair in August 2006, Obama spoke on Blagojevich's behalf.

"We've got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois," Obama told the crowd.

In January 2007, Blagojevich's office reserved the Old State Capitol for Mr. Obama's presidential announcement at Obama's request.

Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch told reporters that "Representatives for Sen. Obama contacted the governor's office regarding use of the Old State Capitol. We contacted the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and reserved the Old State Capitol for the Senator on February 10th."

The Old State Capitol is where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech in 1858.

Fitzgerald today said that the charges the government was making about Blagojevich "would make Lincoln turn over in his grave."

Lord Pheonix wrote:Can someone summarize this for me?



To much text for so little caring lol

Civ wrote:
Obama has several other relations to criminals, terrorists, and corrupt organizations
Obama has flat out lied to us about other relations of his
Obama's own publicist claimed Obama, in fact, did have a relation with Blagojevich
Obama worked for and enforced Blagojevich
Obama stands a lot to gain here

WAKE UP AMERICA!

ReconToaster wrote:

Civ wrote:
Obama has several other relations to criminals, terrorists, and corrupt organizations
Obama has flat out lied to us about other relations of his
Obama's own publicist claimed Obama, in fact, did have a relation with Blagojevich
Obama worked for and enforced Blagojevich
Obama stands a lot to gain here

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Wow Civ. I once respected your adversarial abilities, but after reading that post, the respect has diminished into disgust.

That's quite a bit of propaganda you managed to fit into 52 words. The election is over Civ, the time for striking fear into the minds of of the weak minded is no longer upon us.

Stop making blind statements and false claims. Do tell me, what "terrorists" do you conclude Obama to have relations with? If you say William Aires, you'll do nothing more than verify your brainlessness.

Krazy wrote:I don't respond to people who praise obama like a god... we have our right to dislike someone who we believe is going to hurt our nation

Civ wrote:I never said he was a terrorist

Civ wrote:He has relations with them

ReconToaster wrote:I do not praise him like a god.

ReconToaster wrote:In fact, I think that there are multiple other candidates that would have been a much more suitable president.

ReconToaster wrote:I'm not saying that you have to like him, but blatantly striving to make connections where none are present is just pathetic.

ReconToaster wrote:Enlighten me...

CivBase wrote:It wasn't supposed to be a debate, but recon can't keep his insults to himself, so it is turning into one.