Obama Rezko Blagojevich and Fitzgerald, January 27, 2008
Lest we forget.
This article is from January 27, 2008. Most of the corruption charges against Blagojevich, Rezko, Levine, et al were in regard to crime and corruption committed when Obama was in the IL Senate.
From Working Life, January 27, 2008.
“Obama and Rezko: CNN Omits the Nub of the Story”
“CNN’s (January 24) coverage of Sen. Barack Obama’s money ties to Illinois political fixer Antoin “Tony” Rezko failed to show the deeper relevance of the story to Obama’s political careeo r. LPAC’s own ongoing probe of the matter can begin to supply the appropriate context.
CNN showed a clip from the debate in which Sen. Hillary Clinton said to Obama, “you were practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago.”
Obama replied, “Oh, no, no, no. I’m happy to respond.” Obama said it was just legal work on a low-income housing project and Tony Rezko was just another client, and he declared, “I did about five hours worth of work on this joint project. That’s what she’s referring to.”
This has rattled many cages. The Clinton-hating website Drudgereport reacted by putting up an undated old photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton posing with Tony Rezko, without explanation, hoping this might undermine allegations regarding Obama.
In their January 24 coverage, CNN went on to show what has long been very public in the Chicago newspapers: that Rezko will soon be tried in two separate cases for extortion, money laundering and fraud; and that when Obama entered politics he got from Rezko his “first significant campaign contribution” and much more later: “tainted cash, some illegal, some just unsavory.” CNN showed buildings that Rezko had developed with public funds solicited for him by Obama, where the tenants were left heatless while Rezko’s donations continued to Obama. CNN mentioned the deal involving Rezko, in which Obama got his own expensive house, bought below the asking price; and how Obama has now donated, to charity, $86,000 of Rezko’s contributions to him.”
“But behind the story, the federal case against Rezko is based on a detailed picture of the web of influence Rezko and his cohorts exerted over state agencies managing Illinois’ financial assets. Barack Obama’s political career was spun out in tandem with this Rezko apparatus, particularly through Rezko’s partner and Obama’s former boss, Allison S. Davis.
Start with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s December 21, 2007 proffer in the Rezko case, with its charges of extortion and kickbacks taken in 2004 from the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System: $10,000 from this crime was channeled to a “political candidate” not named by the prosecutor. The fact that Rezko was on the finance committee of Obama’s campaign for U.S. Senate, and the other facts in the case, make it clear that Barack Obama was the candidate in question.”
“Having raised half a million dollars for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Tony Rezko got the Governor to appoint Rezko’s own men to the Teachers’ Retirement System, among them Stuart Levine, now indicted. And Rezko got Allison S. Davis appointed to the Illinois State Board of Investment, in control of billions in state retirement funds. Although Davis has not been charged with wrongdoing, the feds are reportedly pressing a probe of that agency. Davis is currently the president of that State Board.
Barack Obama was a Harvard Law student in 1990 when he interviewed for a job with Tony Rezko’s slum-redevelopment firm. He didn’t go directly into the Rezko company. But in 1993 Obama was hired by Allison S. Davis, whose law firm (Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland) represented Rezko’s operations over the years, while Rezko raised cash for Obama’s electoral campaigns. Davis became Rezko’s personal financial partner in slum-redevelopment deals, which were then backed by State Senator Obama.
In one of those deals, after both Obama and Davis had left the law firm, Obama wrote letters to state and city housing officials supporting the proposed Cottage View Terrace apartments, a project run by Tony Rezko and Allison S. Davis. The deal cost taxpayers $14 million and the partners got $855,000 in fees. Completed in 2002, the project is now managed by Davis’s son Cullen Davis.”
Read more:
http://www.workinglife.org/blogs/view_post.php?content_id=7718
Why did Patrick Fitzgerald wait to arrest Blagojevich?
Why has Obama not been arrested?
This information has been available for over two years. Maybe people will pay attention now.
Citizen WElls 