Blagojevich trial Alexi Giannoulias subpoena, Giannoulias ties to Obama, Chicago corruption, Giannoulias introduced Balanoff to Jarrett

Blagojevich trial Alexi Giannoulias subpoena, Giannoulias ties to Obama

Alexi Giannoulias, a US Senate candidate from Illinois, has been subpoenaed for the Rod Blagojevich trial. Giannoulias set up a meeting between Valerie Jarrett and Tom Balanoff, head of SEIU in Illinois. But there is much more about Alexi Giannoulias that is of interest to anyone following Chicago corruption.

From Citizen Wells August 27, 2008.

““Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state’s speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama’s help.”
Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times”

““Like the ill-advised connection to Obama in Aurora, thanks to Dan Shomon, Obama is mentioned in the same discusion with all these problems with Giannoulias.”
“Shomon’s main activities are political campaigns and helping Obama and his friends like Alexi Giannoulias who is now the Treasurer for the State of Illinois.”
“We think it’s HIGHLY unethical of Dan Shomon or Tom Weisner to exploit the taxpayers of Aurora for political purpose. Barack Obama’s credibility is also risked in the process of Shomon and Weisner’s games at the expense of taxpayers.
“Aurora Mayor Thomas J. Weisner gave Shomon the lobbying gig in exchange for political work, including getting the endorsement of Barack Obama back in 2005 when Obama first said he would remain “neutral” in the heated mayoral race.”
“In the 2006 Democratic primary, for example, Obama endorsed first-time candidate Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer despite reports about loans Giannoulias’ family-owned Broadway Bank made to crime figures. Records show Giannoulias and his family had given more than $10,000 to Obama’s campaign, which banked at Broadway.””

“Alexi Giannoulias, who became Illinois state treasurer last year after Obama vouched for him, has pledged to raise $100,000 for the senator’s Oval Office bid.

Before he promised to raise funds for Obama, Giannoulias bankrolled Michael “Jaws” Giorango, a Chicagoan twice convicted of bookmaking and promoting prostitution. “

“The close association of Obama with a man who seems clearly to be involved in some shady deals with convicted criminals is yet another example of questionable judgment at best and typical dirty Chicago politics at worst. I wonder if Giannoulias will turn out to be the next in Obama’s never-ending series of “He’s not the man I knew”.”

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From Citizen Wells January 30, 2010.

“We’ll leave it to voters to decide if linking Giannoulias to Rezko is a “smear job,” but the Daily Herald story does exist, and the Giannoulias camp knows it. Hoffman’s ad got the date wrong. Careless again. But it has allowed Giannoulias to present himself again as the victim.”

“Obama endorses Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer”
“But Obama’s record of local endorsements — one measure of how he has used his nascent political clout — has drawn criticism from those who say it reflects his deference to Chicago’s established political order and runs counter to his public calls for clean government.

In the 2006 Democratic primary, for example, Obama endorsed first-time candidate Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer despite reports about loans Giannoulias’ family-owned Broadway Bank made to crime figures. Records show Giannoulias and his family had given more than $10,000 to Obama’s campaign, which banked at Broadway.”

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