Category Archives: Chicago

I was preparing a new article, a more detailed version of an earlier article about Obama’s role in rigging the Illinois Health Planning Facilities Board (you know, the board mentioned in the indictments of Rezko, Levine, Weinstein, Blagojevich, et al). The events leading up to the Blagojevich trial are dragging on in typical fashion and I did not want the American public to forget about Obama’s strong ties to Chicago corruption. The Citizen Wells blog has for
many months stated that Obama should be indicted next. The question was, would Patrick Fitzgerald do his duty or be controlled by the Obama camp.

Now we have the answer.

I was hoping that Patrick Fitzgerald had integrity and patriotism.

Perhaps he received, in the tradition of Chicago thuggery, an offer he couldn’t refuse.

 
In February 2009 we learned

“US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who brought criminal fraud charges against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, will stay on with the Obama administration, reports Pete Williams at NBC.”

Read more:

http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/02/12/fitzgerald-will-stay/

 July 30,  2009, we discover

“Patrick Fitzgerald, the top prosecutor in Illinois’ Northern District, has been named interim chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC).
In his new role, Fitzgerald will be the lead voice for the U.S. attorney community. It’s the latest high-profile assignment for America’s prosecutor, who has been busy overseeing the prosecution of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), bringing down mortgage fraudsters, and fighting with journalists.”

Read more:

http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/07/30/pat-fitzgerald-named-interim-chairman-of-ag-advisory-committee/
On Saturday, October 20, 1973, Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox was removed by Richard Nixon. This move by the Obama Camp is eerily reminiscent of that power play.

Read more:

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20051020-nixon-archibald-cox-watergate-white-house-conspiracy.shtml
On October 8, 2008, the Citizen Wells blog gave the opinion that Obama had to win the election due to the fact that he had relinquished his law license, was entrenched in corruption and was not eligible to be president.
“Why am I certain that Obama is desperate to become president?

During the Tony Rezko investigation and trial, it was discovered that
Rezko told Stuart Levine not to worry, he would see to it that Patrick
Fitzgerald would be removed as prosecutor.

If Obama is elected, he certainly would see to it that Fitzgerald is
“reassigned”.”

Read more

From the Tony Rezko Indictment February 2005
“a.
In or about late 2003, LEVINE and Kiferbaum agreed that LEVINE would use his position as a Planning Board member toattempt to influence the Planning Board to approve Mercy’s application to build a hospital in Crystal Lake so that

Kiferbaum Construction Company could build the planned hospital. In exchange for LEVINE’s help, LEVINE and Kiferbaumagreed that Kiferbaum would pay a kickback as directed by LEVINE, with the exact amount and manner of the payments to be determined at a later date.
b.
LEVINE told REZKO about Kiferbaum’s willingness to pay a kickback to ensure that Mercy Hospital’s application for a CON would be approved. REZKO agreed to support Mercy Hospital’s application in exchange for a share of Kiferbaum’s kickback.

REZKO and LEVINE agreed that they would split evenly Kiferbaum’s kickback, which they expected would be approximately $1 million or more.

c.
At its December 2003 meeting, the Planning Board issued an intent-to-deny with respect to Mercy Hospital’s application.
d.
On or about April 21, 2004, the Planning Board voted in favor of granting Mercy Hospital’s application for a permit to build a new hospital. REZKO and LEVINE took steps to cause other Planning Board members to vote to approve Mercy Hospital’s application, and LEVINE voted in favor of the application.
e. After the April 21, 2004 Planning Board meeting, LEVINE directed Kiferbaum to pay the kickback proceeds relating to the Mercy Hospital project to Individual E. LEVINE, Kiferbaum, and Individual E agreed to use a sham consulting contract to conceal the fraudulent nature of the intended payments from Kiferbaum to Individual E.”

 
From the Rod Blagojevich criminal complaint.

“b. Corruption of the Planning Board
35. As described more fully in the following paragraphs, Mercy Hospital, which
sought permission from the Planning Board to build a hospital in Illinois, received that
permission through Rezko’s exercise of his influence at the Planning Board after Rezko was
promised that Mercy Hospital would make a substantial campaign contribution to ROD
BLAGOJEVICH. Rezko later told a member of the Planning Board that Mercy Hospital
received the permit because ROD BLAGOJEVICH wanted the organization to receive the
permit.
36. Levine’s criminal activities included his abuse of his position on the Planning
Board to enrich both himself and Friends of Blagojevich. The Planning Board was a
commission of the State of Illinois, established by statute, ch members were appointed
by the Governor of the State of Illinois. At the relevant time period, the Planning Board
consisted of nine individuals. State law required an entity seeking to build a hospital,
medical office building, or other medical facility in Illinois to obtain a permit, known as a
“Certificate of Need” (“CON”), from the Planning Board prior to beginning construction.
37. Levine, as well as Planning Board members Thomas Beck and Imad
Almanaseer, testified under oath at the Rezko Trial.9 Beck testified that he asked Rezko to
reappoint him to the Planning Board and that Beck thereafter followed Rezko’s directions
regarding which CON applications Rezko wanted approved. Beck testified that it was his
job to communicate Rezko’s interest in particular CONs to other members of the Planning
Board, including Almanaseer, who were loyal to Rezko. Beck testified that he understood
that Rezko spoke for the Blagojevich administration when Rezko spoke to Beck about
particular CONs. Almanaseer testified that Beck instructed him that Rezko wanted
Almanaseer to vote a particular way and that Almanaseer should follow Levine’s lead in
voting on CONs. Almanaseer testified that before certain Planning Board meetings, he
received notecards from Beck indicating how to vote on certain CON applications. Beck
testified he provided these notecards to Almanaseer and certain other members of the
Planning Board to communicate Rezko’s directions about certain CON applications.

(9 Beck and Almanaseer testified pursuant to immunity orders.)”
Barack Obama’s IL Senate committee reduced the Health Planning Board members from 15 to 9.

Rod Blagojevich appointed new members and gained control of the board needing only 5 members to do so instead of the earlier number of 8.
The next Citizen Wells article on this topic will go into more detail about the rigging of the IL Health Planning Facilities Board and how Obama was an important part of the corruption.

Thanks to several commenters on this blog for helpful info.