Obama and Robert Bauer override Justice Department and Pentagon attorneys, Jeh C. Johnson and Caroline D. Krass call Libya actions hostilities
“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense, to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
“Why did Obama make Robert F. Bauer, an attorney with Perkins Coie, who helped Obama keep his records hidden before taking control of the White House, part of his administration as White House Counsel?”…Citizen Wells
Barack Obama and Robert Bauer are once again at odds with accepted legal norms in this country.
From the New York Times June 16, 2011.
“Jeh C. Johnson, the Pentagon general counsel, and Caroline D. Krass, the acting head of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, had told the White House that they believed that the United States military’s activities in the NATO-led air war amounted to “hostilities.” Under the War Powers Resolution, that would have required Mr. Obama to terminate or scale back the mission after May 20.
But Mr. Obama decided instead to adopt the legal analysis of several other senior members of his legal team — including the White House counsel, Robert Bauer, and the State Department legal adviser, Harold H. Koh — who argued that the United States military’s activities fell short of “hostilities.” Under that view, Mr. Obama needed no permission from Congress to continue the mission unchanged.
Presidents have the legal authority to override the legal conclusions of the Office of Legal Counsel and to act in a manner that is contrary to its advice, but it is extraordinarily rare for that to happen. Under normal circumstances, the office’s interpretation of the law is legally binding on the executive branch.”
““It should come as no surprise that there would be some disagreements, even within an administration, regarding the application of a statute that is nearly 40 years old to a unique and evolving conflict,” Mr. Schultz said. “Those disagreements are ordinary and healthy.”
Still, the disclosure that key figures on the administration’s legal team disagreed with Mr. Obama’s legal view could fuel restiveness in Congress, where lawmakers from both parties this week strongly criticized the White House’s contention that the president could continue the Libya campaign without their authorization because the campaign was not “hostilities.”
The White House unveiled its interpretation of the War Powers Resolution in a package about Libya it sent to Congress late Wednesday. On Thursday, the House speaker, John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, demanded to know whether the Office of Legal Counsel had agreed.
“The administration gave its opinion on the War Powers Resolution, but it didn’t answer the questions in my letter as to whether the Office of Legal Counsel agrees with them,” he said. “The White House says there are no hostilities taking place. Yet we’ve got drone attacks under way. We’re spending $10 million a day. We’re part of an effort to drop bombs on Qaddafi’s compounds. It just doesn’t pass the straight-face test, in my view, that we’re not in the midst of hostilities.”
A sticking point for some skeptics was whether any mission that included firing missiles from drone aircraft could be portrayed as not amounting to hostilities.
As the May 20 deadline approached, Mr. Johnson advocated stopping the drone strikes as a way to bolster the view that the remaining activities in support of NATO allies were not subject to the deadline, officials said. But Mr. Obama ultimately decided that there was no legal requirement to change anything about the military mission.
The administration followed an unusual process in developing its position. Traditionally, the Office of Legal Counsel solicits views from different agencies and then decides what the best interpretation of the law is. The attorney general or the president can overrule its views, but rarely do.
In this case, however, Ms. Krass was asked to submit the Office of Legal Counsel’s thoughts in a less formal way to the White House, along with the views of lawyers at other agencies. After several meetings and phone calls, the rival legal analyses were submitted to Mr. Obama, who is a constitutional lawyer, and he made the decision.”
So, “Mr. Obama, who is a constitutional lawyer” what is your constitutional interpretation of using taxpayer dollars and resources to keep your records hidden for years?
Robert Bauer leaving White House Counsel position, Perkins Coie attorney helped Obama hide records, Bauer assists Obama 2012 campaign
“Why has Obama, for over 2 years, employed numerous private and government attorneys to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense, to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
Michelle Malkin is one of my favorites. From her website June 2, 2011.
“Bob “The Silencer” Bauer steps down, but not out, as Obama’s WH legal counsel”
“Word from Washington this morning: White House legal counsel Bob “The Silencer” Bauer — husband of Fox-bashing Team Obama spinner Anita Dunn — is stepping down.
But he’s not retiring. He’s just switching seats on the bus, as usual, and gearing up for another bully boy presidential campaign.
A senior administration official say Bob Bauer is resigning as White House counsel to return to his private law practice and serve as President Barack Obama’s personal attorney and general counsel to Obama’s re-election campaign.
Flashback:
The thug politics power couple of Anita “A Pox on Fox” Dunn and Bob “The Silencer” Bauer isn’t going anywhere. I said it earlier this week and on Fox News early Thursday morning (vid here).”
The Obama 2012 Campaign is pushing the slogan ‘MADE in the USA.” A definition query from Merriam Webster online yielded the following:
Ads by Google
Official Obama Website
President Obama is running for re-election. Donate now. www.BarackObama.com
made
adj \ˈmād\
Definition of MADE
1
a : fictitious, invented <a made excuse> b : artificially produced c :
put together of various ingredients <a made dish>
We have no confirmation of a legitimate birth certificate being presented and no college records. Obama has used private attorneys and a host of taxpayer funded US Justice Dept. attorneys to help him keep his records hidden.
One of the attorneys, Robert Bauer, who helped Obama in 2008 and early 2009 keep his records hidden, worked for the firm of Perkins Coie. Bauer, since early 2009, has assisted Obama as White House Counsel.
Robert Bauer’s salary is $ 172,000.
Here is a list of some of the US Justice Department attorneys who have assisted Obama in keeping his records hidden. Their representation of Obama is a matter of public record. This list does not include the support staffs.
Eric Fleisig-Greene
Elizabeth A. Pascal
Neal Kumar Katyal Acting Solicitor General
R. CraiG Lawrence
Mark B. Stern
Andre Birotte Jr.
Leon W. Weidman
David A. Dejute
Roger E. West
George S. Cardona
Tony West
Paul J. Fishman
The Justice Dept. pay scale for attorneys can be found here.
“44. Mr. Berg then alleges that Barack Obama,
the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States, is not eligible to serve
as President under Article II, section 1 of the Constitution because, Mr. Berg alleges
(contrary to fact) that Senator Obama is not a natural-born citizen.”
“Robert F. Bauer
General Counsel, Obama for America
PERKINS COIE
607 Fourteenth Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-2003″
“From the American Bar Association.
“A lawyer shall not counsel a client to engage, or assist a client, in conduct that the lawyer knows is criminal or fraudulent””
“Model Rules of Professional Conduct Maintaining The Integrity Of The Profession Rule 8.4 Misconduct”
“It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:
(a) violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;
(b) commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects;
(c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
(d) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;
(e) state or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official or to achieve results by means that violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law; or
(f) knowingly assist a judge or judicial officer in conduct that is a violation of applicable rules of judicial conduct or other law.”
Daniel Cain testimony limited in Blagojevich trial, Prosecution case diluted, Counts 1 2 4 dropped, Justice Dept protects Obama
“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
“Why were Stuart Levine and Tony Rezko not called as witnesses in the Blagojevich trials? FBI agent Daniel Cain testified in the Rezko trial. Why was agent Cain not questioned more in the Blagojevich trial?…Citizen Wells
“The past, he reflected, had not merely been altered, it had
actually been destroyed. For how could you establish, even
the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside
your own memory?”…George Orwell, “1984″
The so called prosecution has complete their “case” against Rod Blagojevich. The Case was steadily diluted against Blagojevich beginning with word changes from the Criminal Complaint to the second superceding Indictment, followed by the dropping of counts 1,2 and 4 which had the most substance of corruption activity in 2003 and 2004 and ultimately linked Obama to the board rigging. The second trial, as in the first, had little testimony and few witnesses. The question begged to be asked by this site as well as legal experts was why Tony Rezko was not called as a witness. Even Judge Zagel chimed in calling Rezko a bad witness. The terms streamlining and simplifying were used for the terse prosecution, but those are just Orwellian attempts at justifying a far less than complete effort. It must be obvious to even the casual observer that the US Justice Department is protecting Obama.
Tony Rezko has not been sentenced. Rezko has been called a bad witness, yet Stuart Levine, steeped in corruption and a drug user, was the key witness in the Rezko trial and Rezko was convicted on most of the counts. FBI agent Daniel Cain was called to the stand in the Rezko trial to back up the testimony of Levine. Agent Cain recently testified in the Blagojevich trial. Daniel Cain could have been called to corroborate the testimony of Tony Rezko, but since counts 1, 2 and 4 were dropped, it wasn’t necessary.
Apparently no one else is covering this. Here is an exclusive report on FBI Agent Daniel Cain, what he was involved in investigating Operation Board Games and why he should have been asked more questions about the Chicago corruption world in 2003 and 2004 involving Blagojevich Rezko, Levine, Obama, et al.
Rezko and Blagojevich protected by Obama Justice Department?, Where is Tony Rezko?, Streamlined lie being told
“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
“The last thing Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich needed was that letter written by convicted Illinois influence peddler Tony Rezko promising he’d never rat out his pals.”…John Kass, Chicago tribune
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”…Joseph Goebbels
What deals have been made between Obama, Blagojevich, Rezko and the US Justice Department?
From the Chicago Tribune May 14, 2011.
“Heading into the third week of the ousted Illinois governor’s
corruption retrial, it’s clear prosecutors are guided by the adage
that less is more as they streamline what jurors in the first trial
complained was an overly complicated case.
“They’ve made the case a lot of easier to follow,” said James
Matsumoto, who was the foreman at the initial trial and has attended
much of the testimony at the second, this time sitting on spectator
benches rather than in the jury box.
Prosecutors have been right, he added, to begin their presentation by
focusing primarily on the allegation Blagojevich sought to sell or
trade President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat for campaign
cash or a top job. Last year, they waited weeks before getting to it.”
“Laying out such a truncated case does carry its own risks: Jurors
impressed by sheer volumes of testimony and exhibits could be left
wanting more, if not necessarily better, evidence.
What’s not in doubt is that the stripped-down case has thrown off
defense lawyers, who likely spent weeks preparing to ask
cross-examination questions about subjects that prosecutors didn’t
bring up this time.”
“prosecutors are guided by the adage that less is more as they streamline what jurors in the first trial complained was an overly complicated case.”
Joseph Goebbels and George Orwell could not have said it better.
From the Chicago Tribune January 28, 2011.
“A federal judge has set a new sentencing date for a convicted influence peddler and one-time fundraiser for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Judge Amy St. Eve told attorneys at a hearing Friday that she’ll sentence Tony Rezko on Oct. 21.
Rezko’s attorneys and prosecutors had asked the judge earlier to delay Rezko’s sentencing to allow for the possibility he could testify at two upcoming trials, including Blagojevich’s corruption retrial in April.
At Friday’s hearing, the defense also argued in favor of a new trial for Rezko based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling scaling back so-called honest services laws.”
Where is Tony Rezko, Citizen Wells February 27, 2011.
“The dropping of counts 1,2 and 4 against Blagojevich by the prosecution was the latest move in a long series of maneuvers to protect Obama from being exposed for his long time ties to Tony Rezko and corruption in Chicago. Rezko was not called as a witness in the first Blagojevich trial and the odds are now higher that he will not be called as a witness in the second trial.”
From The Chicago Breaking News Center, November 4, 2010.
“Antoin “Tony” Rezko, once a top adviser and contributor to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, will be sentenced Jan. 28 for his role in a scheme to solicit kickbacks from companies seeking state contracts.
Rezko was not at the hearing this morning at which U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve set the sentencing date.
Rezko has agreed to cooperate against Blagojevich but wasn’t called to testify at the former governor’s trial last summer. With Blagojevich’s retrial set to begin in April, Rezko’s sentencing months before could signal he is unlikely to be called again. Defendants usually aren’t sentencing until after their cooperation has been completed.
A sentencing date was not set today for Rezko’s co-defendants, Stuart Levine, Joseph Cari and Steven Loren, who will next return to federal court for a status hearing in March.”
Obama mansion, Rezko, William Miceli, Probate Judge Jane L Stuart, Harvey Wineberg, Kenneth J Conner fired
“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells
“Why do 3 supporters own Obama’s home?”…World Net Daily
From World Net Daily April 20, 2011.
“This, the first of a series of articles on the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood, establishes that three individuals other than Obama are listed in public records as owners and taxpayers on the property.
Barack Obama is not among at least three people listed as current owners and taxpayers of the mansion his family calls home in Chicago’s upscale Kenwood neighborhood, according to public records.
WND reported in December 2008 that William Miceli, the attorney for convicted political operative Tony Rezko and a fundraiser for Obama, owns the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood.
Miceli is a lawyer at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, which employed Obama when he did legal work for Rezko.
Now, WND has discovered that, along with Miceli, there are at least two other people listed in public records as owners and taxpayers of 5046 S. Greenwood in the South Side neighborhood of Kenwood, an oasis of pricey homes that has attracted professors at nearby University of Chicago.
The Cook County Recorder of Deeds website shows the property was purchased by the Northern Trust Company, with the mortgage recorded Dec. 19, 2005. The records suggest a Northern Trust Company trust, perhaps headed by Miceli, was the deed holder.
There are no Cook County records that show Barack or Michelle Obama own 5046 S. Greenwood Ave., although the likelihood is that the couple are the owners of the Northern Trust Company trust established to buy the property.
Rezko found the new residence for Obama when the Rezko family lived across the street.
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Rezko’s role in the purchase created a scandal that threatened to derail Obama’s presidential hopes. The list price for the home was $1.95 million. But the Obamas reportedly were able to negotiate a price of $1.65 million when Tony Rezko’s wife, Rita Rezko, closed on the purchase of an adjacent vacant lot for $625,000 on the same day. The Obamas later bought one-sixth of the adjacent lot from Rita Rezko, creating a buffer.
Obama was grilled on the transactions before the election in meetings with the editorial staff of Chicago’s two major newspapers, the Sun-Times and the Tribune. He admitted to the Sun-Times that it was a “boneheaded move” but denied he coordinated the purchase with the Rezkos. Critics pointed out that any coordination with supporters would be a clear violation of Senate ethic rules.
Now, a search of records shows that, in addition to Miceli, the Obama mansion is owned by Chicago Probate Judge Jane L. Stuart and Obama accountant Harvey Wineberg, both of whom are paying taxes on the property.
WND was assisted in the inquiry by an expert debt collector who had access to professional databases used by debt collection agencies and skip-tracing companies with proprietary “skip-trace” software designed to find debtors who have attempted to run away to avoid payment.
WND’s source wishes to remain anonymous to prevent the type of retaliation faced by other experts who have been cut off from using proprietary databases in their attempt to search Obama’s records.
The expert lives in the U.S. Southeast and has more than 10 years of experience in the financial and debt collection industries. He describes himself as a libertarian who voted for Obama in 2008, only to become disillusioned with what he sees as attacks on medical freedom in Obama’s health-care reform.”
From the Kenneth J. Connor lawsuit reported at Citizen Wells on February 10, 2011.
“9. In June, 2005, Mutual Bank President and CEO Amrish Mahajan and other Mutual Bank olfficers approved a loan to Rita Malki Rezko (Rita Rezko) which was guaranteed by Antonin Rezko so that Rita Rezko could purchase a 9,090 square foot vacant parcel of real estate at 5050 S. Greenwood Avenue, Chicago. As part of the Mutual Bank loan underwriting process, Mutual Bank obtained a real estate appraisal from Adams Valuation Corporation (Adams Appraisal) which purported to provide an opinion of value of the subject 5050 S. Greenwood real estate (the collateral for the Rezko loan) at $ 68.76 per square foot. A copy of the Adams Appraisal is attached as Exhibit C. In June, 2005, Rita Rezko closed on the purchase of the 5050 S. Greenwood property at a purchase price of $ 625,000.00 along with the loan from Mutual Bank in the amount of $ 500,000.00 with Mutual bank obtaining a first mortgage lien position on the Greenwood vacant parcel.”
“10. On or about January 4, 2006, Rita Rezko entered into an agreement with Senator Barack and Michelle Obama (Obamas) to sell a ten-foot strip of the 5050 S. Greenwood property to the Obamas. A copy of the Obama/Rita Rezko contract is attached as Exhibit D. As a result of that transaction, the Rezkos requested that Mutual Bank release it’s first collateral position to the ten-foot strip parcel transferred to the Obamas. In that same general time frame, Richard Barth, Mutual Bank Senior VP of construction lending and James Murphy, Mutual Bank Senior VP Internal Auditor/Risk Manager, requested that Conner perform an appraisal review of the Adams Appraisal attached hereto as Exhibit C.”
“11. In late 2005 or early 2006, Conner performed an appraisal review of the Adams Appraisal (Exhibit C) per the directive of Richard Barth and James Murphy. Conner prepared a written Appraisal Review report (ARR) opining that the Adams Appraisal overvalued the Greenwood lot by a minimum of $ 125,000.00 and that a reasonable and fair valuation for Mutual Banks’s underwriting purposes should be no greater than $ 500,000.00 for the entire 5050 S. Greenwood parcel as originally purchased by Rita Rezko. In that same general time frame an appraisal was performed for the 5050 S. Greenwood property by Howard B. Richter, MAI which valued the 5050 S. Greenwood property at $ 54.00 per square foot but then discounted the ten-foot strip being transferred by Rita Rezko to the Obamas by fifty percent, as the ten-foot strip was unbuildable standing alone…The valuation by the Richter Appraisal for the 5050 S. Greenwood lot was substantially to Conner’s ARR valuation.”
“18. On October 23, 2007, eight days after Conner’s October 15, 2007 email to Schlabach attached as Exhibit J, Mutual Bank terminated Conner’s employment for pretextual reasons.”
“A former Illinois real estate specialist says FBI agents have questioned him about a Chicago property that had been bought by convicted felon Tony Rezko’s wife and later sold to the couple’s next-door neighbor, Sen. Barack Obama.
The real estate specialist, Kenneth J. Conner, said bank officials replaced an appraisal review he prepared on the property and FBI agents were investigating in late 2007 whether the Rezko-Obama deal was proper.
“Agents and I talked about payoff, bribe, kickback for a long time, though it took them only a short number of minutes of talking with me while looking at the appraisal to acknowledge what they already seemed to know: The Rezko lot was grossly overvalued,” Mr. Conner told The Washington Times Monday.
“Rezko paid the asking price on the same day Obama paid $300,000 less than the asking price to the same seller for his adjacent mansion,” he said. “This begs the question of payoff, bribe, kickback.””
Blagojevich trial two begins, Jury Selection, April 20, 2011, Jury questionnaires, Obama Justice Dept.
“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
From the Chicago Tribune.
“Rod Blagojevich’s second corruption trial is set to get under way with nearly all the same evidence as the first trial, just packaged and presented in a whole new way.
Would-be jurors were expected to begin filling out questionnaires Wednesday meant to help weed out anyone with strong biases for or against the ousted Illinois governor.
Since Blagojevich’s first trial last year that ended with jurors deadlocked on all but one count, federal prosecutors have honed and simplified their case, dropping complex racketeering charges to address complaints by the previous jury that the evidence was too hard to follow.
For his part, Blagojevich, now 54, is returning with a scaled-down, more bookish defense team that no longer includes lead lawyer Sam Adam Jr., whose courtroom theatrics in round one often drew the judge’s ire. And this time, Blagojevich will be the lone defendant after authorities dropped all charges against his brother.”
“The former contestant on TV’s “Celebrity Apprentice” faces 20 charges, including that he sought to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat.
Already, he could get up to five years in prison for the lying conviction at the first trial. And the stakes are as high as ever this time: A conviction on just one offense could mean a decade or more behind bars.”
“In pretrial preparations, prosecutors have been working to simplify everything.
The dropped racketeering charges, which have stupefying legal points and subpoints. They also dismissed all charges against Blagojevich’s brother and co-defendant, Robert Blagojevich, allowing them to focus entirely on the former governor.
They even sought to edit out what they consider irrelevant chit-chat on hours of FBI wiretap recordings, evidence at the heart of the government case, including a reference in one conversation to Blagojevich’s famously bountiful locks.
“They’ve been like a ship tossing excess baggage over board to get through a storm,” said David Morrison of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
With the prosecution pursuing a condensed case, many experts say it would behoove the defense to call at least a few witnesses — in contrast to the first trial, when they chose not to put on a case.
Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor, said he would normally adhere to conventional wisdom that it’s almost always a bad idea to expose a defendant to blistering cross-examination. But he said the defense may want to consider putting Blagojevich on the stand.”
Counts 1,2,4 were dropped several months ago. Those counts had the strongest ties to Obama. Anyone surprised by that or not calling Tony Rezko in the first trial since Obama’s pal Eric Holder controls the Justice Dept.
Blagojevich retrial Rezko and Obama, Judge James Zagel cautions Blagojevich, Justice Dept. corruption
“Why did the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee, with Obama as chairman, create and push Bill 1332, “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” early in 2003, which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, just prior to rigging by Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
The Rod Blagojevich retrial begins tomorrow, if you can call it a trial.
From the Chicago Tribune April 18, 2011.
“Federal prosecutors called Rod Blagojevich’s a ‘liar’ on Monday, and a judge warned the ousted Illinois governor to watch what he says to the media because some of his comments could be used against him at his upcoming corruption retrial.
Looking down sternly from his bench, Judge James Zagel cautioned Blagojevich’s lawyers during a status hearing in Chicago held two days before the ex-governor’s retrial is scheduled to start Wednesday.
“You can consider my remarks a red flag,” Zagel said.
His admonishment came after lead prosecutor Reid Schar complained about Blagojevich accusations in recent media appearances that federal attorneys had tried to hide evidence that might clear the ex-governor.”
“Schar singled out alleged comments Blagojevich made on television, in which the ex-governor claimed the government had the power to publicly release more FBI wiretap recordings. That power lies with the judge, Schar noted.”
In the first “trial” approximately 2% of the wiretaps were released and neither Tony Rezko or Stuart Levine, who were heavily enmeshed in the corruption Blagojevich was involved in, and tie Obama to it, were called as witnesses.
Reprinted from Citizen Wells.
The dropping of counts 1,2 and 4 against Blagojevich by the prosecution was the latest move in a long series of maneuvers to protect Obama from being exposed for his long time ties to Tony Rezko and corruption in Chicago. Rezko was not called as a witness in the first Blagojevich trial and the odds are now higher that he will not be called as a witness in the second trial.
Reprinted from Citizen Wells July 21, 2010.
“The last thing Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich needed was that letter written by convicted Illinois influence peddler Tony Rezko promising he’d never rat out his pals.”…John Kass, Chicago tribune
“Federal authorities have obtained an arrest warrant for Rezko, who is believed to be traveling abroad.”..Rezko indictment press release
“That was when U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve learned he had received a $3.5 million wire transfer from a business associate abroad.”…Rezko trial transcripts
Blagojevich trial
Protecting Obama
Part 5
Where is Tony Rezko?
What unholy alliance prevented Tony Rezko from being called as a prosecution witness? Was it a pact between Rezko, Blagojevich and Obama? Is the US Justice Department complicit in a coverup? Was there pressure from entities in the Middle East? Perhaps a combination of those forces. In Blagojevich’s own words.
Citizen Wells August 28, 2008
“As his sentencing nears, pressure is mounting on Tony Rezko to cooperate with federal investigations into some of the highest-profile politicians in the state — including Gov. Blagojevich.”
“Now, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times that Rezko has been seen at the federal courthouse as many as a dozen times since his June conviction. He’s been held since then at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago.”
“If Rezko’s cooperating, that would be a major development in “Operation Board Games,” the government’s ongoing probe into state boards that’s widened into a broader corruption probe.”
From the Chicago SunTimes October 9, 2008
“A federal judge this morning officially postponed the sentencing of political fund-raiser Tony Rezko as he continues his discussions with the government.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve indefinitely delayed Rezko’s Oct. 28 sentencing date and told the parties to meet again for a status in the case in December.
The sentencing, originally scheduled for Oct. 28, just before the election, was likely to bring unfavorable publicity to Rezko’s onetime friend Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Prosecutors and Rezko lawyers said this morning they did not want to set a future date for sentencing.
Rezko lawyer William Ziegelmueller said they sought the delay to “work together to agree to otherwise narrow differences at sentencing.”
The agreement comes as Rezko is talking to federal prosecutors. The Sun-Times first reported Rezko’s meetings with the feds in August and sources close to the investigation later confirmed the talks last month.”
“Convicted businessman Tony Rezko — who is poised to become a crucial witness in the massive corruption case against ex-Gov. Blagojevich — was quietly moved out of a downtown jail and into another facility last month, the Sun-Times has learned.
Authorities seeking Rezko’s cooperation pushed for the move after Rezko complained about being held in the tough confines of solitary imprisonment, known as “the hole,” even as he was providing information to prosecutors, sources said.”
“Rezko’s relocation is a sign that even with thousands of taped conversations of the governor, investigators still highly value Rezko’s potential as a witness.”
“Rezko, who served as an adviser and fund-raiser to Blagojevich, provided authorities with substantial information involving the governor and bolstered pay-to-play testimony by former Illinois Finance Authority director Ali Ata, as well as talking about other alleged deals.”
“Why is Antoin “Tony” Rezko under lock and key at an undisclosed location, like some sort of CIA-renditioned al Qaeda operative? And why hasn’t he been sentenced yet?
As the June 3 corruption trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for allegedly trying to sell Obama’s former Illinois Senate seat approaches, the whereabouts of the former Blago and Obama fundraiser is literally a state secret.”
“Rezko’s not listed on the federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate locator, either.”
“Randall Samborn, spokesman for Fitzgerald, told The Examiner that Rezko “remains in federal custody,” although admitting that he didn’t know exactly where the convicted businessman was being held. Samborn also confirmed that “there is no sentencing date,” but would not elaborate. Sources in Chicago tell us that the long delay is “very unusual.””
“Is Rezko being held at another prison facility for his own safety? There are plenty of people in Chicago and Washington who might not want Rezko on the witness stand. They include:
Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias.
Rezko was such an enthusiastic customer of Giannoulias’ failing Broadway Bank that he wrote $450,000 in bad checks against his account to pay off gambling debts.
Alderman Eddie Burke
Rezko hired Burke’s law firm to get a 77 percent reduction in the real estate taxes of a 62-acre property along the Chicago River he planned to develop using $140 million in city subsidies. After assuring the Chicago Board of Ethics that he would abstain from any Council votes on Rezko’s project, Burke voted for it anyway, blaming his conflict of interest on “an error.” The project was later abandoned.
President Barack Obama
Rezko was the president’s “real estate fairy,” as one Chicago columnist likes to put it. Remember how they bought a house together in Chicago? Rezko was one of Obama’s earliest and biggest fundraisers and donors. Obama was one of his go-to guys for housing legislation in the Illinois state Senate.
If I were Tony Rezko, I’d be hiding, too.”
Read more:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/where-in-the-world-is-tony-rezko-91619594.html
It is understandable why the Blagojevich defense team does not want Rezko on the stand. Judge Zagel’s comment about Rezko being a bad witness is at least horsecrap and reeks of conspiracy. Convicted felons of all categories are regularly used as witnesses. Stuart Levine, the key witness in the Rezko trial was not only enmeshed in corruption but was a long time drug user. Here are the approximate number of times that “Rezko” is mentioned in US Justice Department documents.
Indictment: 100 times.
Criminal complaint: 170 times.
Evidentiary Proffer: 288 times.
Even if a strong argument is made against using Rezko as a witness, and good luck with that argument, Stuart Levine was used extensively as a witness in the Rezko trial, and his name was mentioned approx. 146 times in the Blagojevich Criminal Complaint. And don’t forget, Blagojevich’s name was mentioned at least 30 times on one day of the Rezko trial.
Patrick Fitzgerald, I am damn angry and am speaking up about US Justice Department corruption.
The Chicago Tribune just reported this:
“”I felt all along and believed all along that I was going to testify,” he said. But he said the government case wasn’t as they presented it, without calling witnesses Antoin “Tony” Rezko and Stuart Levine, both convicted in the federal probe.”
I am not the only person coming to the no brainer conclusion that Rezko or Stuart Levine must be called to the witness stand. From Citizen Wells August 19, 2010.
““If I were a Blago juror …”
“If I were a juror, I’d wonder why we never heard from so many of the allegedly bad guys — Tony Rezko, Stuart Levine — mentioned by the prosecution.”
“As noted in part 5 of this series, Tony Rezko’s name was mentioned approximately 288 times in the Evidentiary Proffer. The above numbers reveal that of the evidence presented in the Proffer, 38 pages are loaded with names and corruption activities tied to Blagojevich from 2002 to mid 2008. And yet neither Tony Rezko or Stuart Levine were called as witnesses. And just as predicted and warned about here, the focus of the trial was the selling of Obama’s senate seat.””
“An expert on law has commented on Rezko and Levine being called as witnesses. Leonard Cavise is a DePaul University law professor.”
“But Leonard Cavise, a DePaul University professor, suggested the government will need to do more at the retrial, possibly leading to a longer presentation of evidence. He said he believes the government may try to avoid another deadlocked jury by using fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko and political fixer Stuart Levine as witnesses.
Both men have agreed to cooperate, but prosecutors chose not to call them this summer in part because of the baggage both bring.
“If the prosecution insists on going forward, I have two words for them: Rezko and Levine,” Cavise said. “They know where all the bodies are buried.””
Trump trumps Obama, Parent naturalized citizen, Trump has birth certificate, Trump natural born citizen, Obama not eligible
“Why has Obama, for over 2 years, employed numerous private and government attorneys to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”…Winston Churchill
From Zach Jones, the commenter and patriot.
“Donald Trump is still making his case that he doesn’t know if Obama is eligible to run. My advice would be to mind his own business and FIRST get a Federal Court to determine if he is eligible to run.
ORYR’s reporting on Trump’s appearance on Greta Van Susteren:
Donald Trump on Fox News: Birthers Are Great Americans; Obama’s Presidency May Be Illegal; No Doctors or Nurses Have Ever Come Forward
OBAMARELEASE YOURRECORDS ON
Video: Donald Trump is still refusing to back down on Obama’s eligibility. Some in the media just don’t get it and most of the other scumbags in the media are in the tank for Obama, including most at Fox News. The Trump segment from Monday’s “On the Record” show embedded below.
On a side note: the leftists in the media are going nuts over the birth certificate that Trump released to Newsmax. Politico ran a hit piece attacking Trump for releasing a hospital-generated Certificate of Birth because it is not a state certified birth certificate. Politico even had the nerve to mention that Trump’s mother was born in Scotland, as if that matters. Those that researched the issue know that it doesn’t matter where the parents were born. What matters is the citizen status of the parents at the time of the birth of the child, on American soil, not where the parents were born. Talk about hypocrisy!?
It seems like Trump might have the ability to bring an action for a Declaratory Judgment and bring more clarity to this issue. I would hope that he could bring it before a Judge who actually takes his/her oath seriously. If the Judge rules that Trump is eligible to run since his mother was naturalized before his birth, the dam would burst with new lawsuits. As Charlie Sheen says, “Winning!”
I think he would need to bring suit against Secretary of State/Supervisor of Elections. Especially, if any of the new Presidential Eligibility legislation passes that state requirement of being a Natural Born Citizen as opposed to an ordinary citizen, meeting the case or controversy requirement.
9.3 Declaratory Judgment Act
Updated 2010
The Declaratory Judgment Act offers a unique mechanism by which advocates may seek to remedy ongoing violations of statutory or constitutional provisions./
Distinctive features of the Act:
allow prospective defendants to sue to establish their nonliability/121/ and
afford a party threatened with liability an opportunity for adjudication before its adversary commences litigation./122/
However, the statute makes no express reference to, and creates no special preference for, the resolution of such “anticipatory” disputes. A party need not be a prospective defendant in order to bring an action under the Act./123/ Clearly, however, the unique declaratory form of relief created by the statute was intended to resolve pending or threatened controversies before the need for coercive intervention was required./124/
Section 1 of the Act provides, in relevant part:
In a case of actual controversy within its jurisdiction …any court of the United States … may declare the rights and other legal relations of any interested party seeking such declaration, whether or not further relief is or could be sought. Any such declaration shall have the force and effect of a final judgment and shall be reviewable as such./125/
Seems to me that all Trump would need to do is file suit for a declaration that a Candidates parents need only be naturalized citizens to qualify as a natural born citizen. That should force the media to discuss this aspect of Presidential eligibility. But who knows. Just the act of filing for a declaratory judgment by Trump would shake things up.”
Donald Trump Obama’s Presidency May Be Illegal, Greta Van Susteren, Fox, Obama birth certificate, Natural born citizen, Eligibility
“Why has Obama, for over 2 years, employed numerous private and government attorneys to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
From World Net Daily March 29, 2011.
“Billionaire developer and possible Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is now suggesting Barack Obama’s presidency could be “illegal” if legitimate proof is not provided demonstrating the commander in chief is indeed a “natural born citizen” of the U.S.
Trump’s use of the “I” word came last night during a phone interview with Greta Van Susteren of the Fox News Channel.
“To be honest with you, I want him to have a birth certificate,” Trump said, “because [otherwise] that would mean that his presidency was, I guess you’d have to say, illegal. You have to be born in the United States. I hope that he was born in the United States. I hope – but I want to get ride of the word hope, I want to know for sure – I hope that he was born in the United States and I hope this doesn’t become a big issue.”
Trump defended so-called “birthers,” explaining, “They just want to see the president was born in this country.”
He also called into question Hawaii’s Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie for suggesting he remembered when Obama was born nearly a half century ago.
“I’ll bet he didn’t even know the parents 50 years ago,” Trump said. “I think it’s absolutely insane. What he’s doing is taking a bullet for the party by making a statement that, ‘I remember.'”
Trump also wondered why no doctors or nurses have come forward to announce their presence at Obama’s birth.
“Here’s the president of the United States, and no doctor, no nurse, nobody’s come forward saying, ‘I delivered that beautiful baby.'””
Jerome Corsi book video, Where’s the Birth Certificate?, Obama eligibility, Television ads
“Why has Obama, for over 2 years, employed numerous private and government attorneys to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans
From World Net Daily March 27, 2011.
“Two-time No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jerome Corsi, a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard and a senior staff writer at WND, has written a new book that promises to be a game-changer on the issue of Barack Obama’s eligibility.
It’s called “Where’s the Birth Certificate? The Case that Barack Obama is Not Eligible to Be President.”
The result of more than two years of solid investigative research by Corsi and a team of WND reporters and editors, this book is destined to be a huge bestseller and change the dynamics of the debate over eligibility – IF, of course, the book is not spiked by the hostile establishment media when it is officially released in May.
Advance orders for this book from retailers across the U.S. already suggest it will be Corsi’s third No. 1 New York Times bestseller – probably bigger than the previous two.
“Imagine how that will change the character of the debate on this critical constitutional issue,” says Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND and WND Books, the publisher of “Where’s the Birth Certificate?” “Therefore, we have a strategy for promoting this book far and wide – going right over the heads of the hopelessly biased and politically correct press. But we need your help to pull it off.”
A series of television ads are now in production to ensure this book cannot be spiked by the Big Media. WND needs to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to air these commercials on television networks and stations throughout the country.
“You can view the first TV spot right now and help us spread it across the Internet long before the book is even available,” says Farah. “Put it on your websites, your Facebook pages, send it to your friends by email and make sure they know how to donate to the cause – the cause of truth in the matter of Barack Obama’s eligibility for office.””
Citizen WElls 