Steven Loren sentencing September 19, 2012, Teachers Retirement System corruption with Cellini Rezko Levine Obama
“Why was Obama promoting Capri Capital and other investment firms at the same time that Rezko, Levine and Cellini were shaking them down?”…Citizen Wells
“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“Why was Tony Rezko’s sentencing delayed?”…Citizen Wells
Steven Loren is scheduled for sentencing today, September 19, 2012, in the courtroom of Judge Amy J. St. Eve.
Daily Calendar
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 (As of 09/19/12 at 06:46:51 AM
“Following Obama’s efforts, the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System gave Ariel Capital $112.5 million to manage, and added hundreds of millions more over the next few years.”
“Three other minority-run firms — Holland Capital, Loop Capital and Capri Capital Partners — also saw hundreds of millions of assets turned over to them to manage after meeting with Obama and the state pension boards.”
Capri Capital is a little more interesting. From the William Cellini Indictment Press Release:
“WILLIAM F. CELLINI, SR., INDICTED FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN DEFRAUDING TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM WITH REZKO, LEVINE AND OTHERS”
“A longtime political insider in Springfield was indicted today on federal corruption charges for allegedly conspiring with two Chicago businessmen and others to obtain political contributions for a certain public official by shaking down an investment firm that was seeking a $220 million allocation from the state Teachers Retirement System (TRS.) The defendant, William F. Cellini, Sr., was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.”
“Cellini’s alleged crimes – essentially conspiring with others to force Capri Capital, also a real estate investment firm, and Thomas Rosenberg, a principal and part owner of Capri, to raise or donate substantial political contributions for Public Official A – were the subject of testimony earlier this year at the trial of alleged co-conspirator Antoin “Tony” Rezko. Cellini was charged with conspiring with Rezko, former TRS trustee Stuart Levine, the pension fund’s outside lawyer Steven Loren and others between the spring of 2003 and the summer of 2005 to defraud TRS beneficiaries and the people of Illinois of Levine’s honest services as a TRS trustee. TRS, a public pension plan for teachers and administrators in public schools statewide except in Chicago, serves hundreds of thousands of members and beneficiaries and has assets in excess of $30 billion.
Cellini is the 13th defendant charged as part of Operation Board Games, an ongoing federal public corruption investigation of insider-dealing, influence-peddling and kickbacks involving private interests and public duties related to various state boards and non-profit organizations.”
Obama Rezko Auchi Iraq lot purchase, Obama position on Iraq coincides with Tony Rezko business, Nadhmi Auchi loan to Rezko allowed lot purchase in June 2005
“GE obtained a court judgment against Rezko in November 2004 for the $3.5 million it said was outstanding on its loans, but the company put collection efforts on hold during the first half of 2005 as it negotiated with Rezko, court records show.”…San Francisco Chronicle March 3, 2008
“Why did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells
“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
Before I continue reporting on the Obama Rezko lot purchase in June 2005, the new book “Rezko for Radicals” by Mutual Bank of Harvey whistle blower Kenneth J. Conner and Conner’s Qui Tam lawsuit, I present the following article from 2008.
From PJ Media June 18, 2008.
“Barack Obama’s position on Iraq has shifted significantly over the last six years. What is interesting is how his position on Iraq matches up with developments in Chicago. Specifically, there appears to be a direct correlation between the rising and falling prospects of his longtime friend and fundraiser Tony Rezko’s attempts to secure multi-million-dollar contracts to build and operate a power plant in Kurdish Iraq and the senator’s Iraq flip-flops.
On October 2, 2002, Obama gave a speech categorically opposing an invasion of Iraq. He said:
I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.
I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.
So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s finish the fight with bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.
But on April 5, 2004, Barack Obama appeared to significantly alter his position on Iraq. A YouTube video of Obama shows the incredulity on the interviewer’s face as Obama unexpectedly sounded almost like President Bush on the subject of retaining troops in Iraq.
Interviewer: But you said that troops should be withdrawn.
Obama: No, no. I’ve never said that troops should be withdrawn. What I’ve said is that we’ve got to make sure that we secure and execute the rebuilding and reconstruction process effectively and properly and I don’t think we should have an artificial deadline when to do that. What’s important is that we have a long-term plan in process and short-term security strategy.
It’s been suggested that that change in the senator’s position from opposition to a stern refusal to leave until the job had been finished can be explained by the unexpected ease with which the campaign had gone up till that time. But that doesn’t quite square with the facts. April 2004 was in fact the bloodiest month in the Iraq campaign till then and the start of the Sunni insurgency and Moqtada al-Sadr’s uprising. On March 31, 2004, Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambushed a Blackwater convoy and hung the mutilated bodies of the Americans on the bridge.Wikipedia recounts the rush of bloody events which followed:
On April 3, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force received a written command from the Joint Task Force, ordering offensive operations against Fallujah. This order went against the wishes of the Marine commanders on the ground who wanted to conduct surgical strikes and raids against those suspected of involvement in the Blackwater deaths.
On the night of April 4, the U.S. forces launched a major assault in an attempt to “re-establish security in Fallujah” by encircling it with around 2,000 troops. At least four homes were hit in aerial strikes, and there was sporadic gunfire throughout the night.
By the morning of April 5, headed by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, American units had surrounded the city with an aim towards retaking it. American troops blockaded roads leading into the city, with Humvees and concertina wire, and took over a local radio station, and handed out leaflets urging residents to remain inside their homes, and help American forces identify insurgents and any Fallujans who were involved in the Blackwater deaths.
Obama’s change of tone in 2004 was so noticeable that Howard Kurtz couldn’t help but notice how striking the Illinois senator’s position was in mid-2004. Obama was quoted as saying:
There’s not that much difference between my position and George Bush’s position at this stage. The difference, in my mind, is who’s in a position to execute.
But Rezko Watch, a blog following the trial of the Chicago political operative and Obama’s close friend and contributor Tony Rezko, remembered that something else took place in April 2004. Obama was at a party on April 3 — two days before the video– with Nadhmi Auchi, a London-based Iraqi billionaire who attended a Tony Rezko party in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune blog covered Obama’s recollection of the party in depth.
Late last week, Sen. Barack Obama said he didn’t recall meeting a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire at a party held at the home of his former friend and fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko, on April 3, 2004, because it was in the midst of his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.
But a check on the senator’s calendar showed he had no campaign activities on the day of the Auchi party. TheChicago Sun-Times reported that despite Obama’s inability to recall meeting Mr. Auchi, two sources said the senator was present.
According to two sources familiar with the gathering, the Obamas attended the Wilmette reception, which came less than a month after Obama’s Democratic primary win for his U.S. Senate seat.
The meeting with Auchi takes on a special suggestiveness in light of later revelations that Rezko planned to build a $150 million Chamchamal Power Plant in Kurdish Iraq despite the fact he had no resources to do it with. According to John Batchelor, the former Obama supporter’s straitened circumstances at the time he was bidding for the project came up during the discovery proceedings at his recent trial:
[In] January 16, 2007, ex parte proceedings before Federal District Judge Amy J. St. Eve, in the case of the United States v. Antoin Rezko, in the discovery of Mr. Rezko’s resources in order to set his bail awaiting trial. … The judge asked about Mr. Rezko’s creation, Rezmar International LLC.
Mr. Rezko answered, “Rezmar International entered into contract with the Ministry of Electricity in — of — Iraq, to build a power plant and sell power to the government. And we were negotiating for over, now, I guess, two years.” Mr. Rezko added that the deal, for the never-built, $150 million Chamchamal power plant in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, was finally canceled November 6 or 7, 2006.
When the judge pressed for details Mr. Joseph Duffy, of Stetler & Duffy, spoke for his client, “there was a request for purchase by the Iraqi government. Mr. Rezko and an engineering firm here in the state of Illinois put together a bid, along with other entities; and, then, they won the bid for the contract. The company has no assets. They were just going to — if the contract was given, as I understand the financing was going to be a letter of credit — letter of credit from the Iraqi government and other financing; and then, they were going to put together someone to build or supply the electricity.”
But if Rezko had no money to build or finance the Chamchamal Power Project, how could he convince the Iraqi government to give him a letter of credit and where would the “other financing” come from? Subsequent events suggest the letter of credit would be arranged by another local connection, a Chicago Iraqi-American named Aiham Alsammarae, who is a one-time classmate of Tony Rezko and had been appointed as Iraq’s Minister of Electricity by L. Paul Bremer in July 2003. With Alsammarae at the head of the ministry, a letter of credit was possible. The money (“other financing”) would likely come from Nahdmi Auchi, who according to the Times Online, practically owned Tony Rezko.
According to court documents, Mr. Rezko’s lawyer said his client had “longstanding indebtedness” to Mr. Auchi’s GMH. By June 2007 he owed it $27.9 million.
Under a Loan Forgiveness Agreement described in court, Mr. Auchi lent Mr. Rezko $3.5 million in April 2005 and $11 million in September 2005, as well as the $3.5 million transferred in April 2007. …
A posting last week on a GMH-owned website, middle-east-online.com, portrayed Mr. Auchi as a Middle Eastern “Donald Trump” with a global business construction empire.
Mr. Auchi visited the United States in 2004. Pictures show him meeting Emil Jones, the president of the Illinois state senate, an ally of Mr. Obama, a former state senator.
Both Mr. Auchi and Mr. Obama say they have no memory of meeting each other. But, according to a source, the two may have had a brief encounter at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago where Mr. Auchi’s visit was being honored with a dinner attended by the governor when Mr. Obama, coincidentally in the hotel, dropped in.
Rezko was very heavily involved in Chamchamal. In addition to bidding for building the power plant itself, Rezko apparently bid to provide security for the installation. John Batchelor again:
The third bidder on the Chamchamal deal was most likely Companion Security of Illinois. Companion Security was an Illinois company, concocted by Mr. Rezko along with his long-time Rezmar partner Daniel Mahru and an ex-Chicago policeman Donald Frawley, that proposed to train 150 Iraqis to be a security force at the new Chamchamal plant; and it included the novel concept to fly the Iraqis to Illinois for this training. Companion Security signed a contract April 18, 2005, with CPA Minister of Electricity Alsammarae — for which, it is alleged by now cooperating government witness Mr. Mahru, Mr. Alsammarae was paid a $1.5 million bribe.
From April 2004 onward, Barack Obama’s position on Iraq remained remarkably constant. The Illinois senator believed it was important not to abandon Iraq until it was stable enough to fend for itself. In November 2005, he said:
I believe that U.S. forces are still a part of the solution in Iraq. The strategic goals should be to allow for a limited drawdown of U.S. troops, coupled with a shift to a more effective counter-insurgency strategy that puts the Iraqi security forces in the lead and intensifies our efforts to train Iraqi forces.
At the same time, sufficient numbers of U.S. troops should be left in place to prevent Iraq from exploding into civil war, ethnic cleansing, and a haven for terrorism.
We must find the right balance — offering enough security to serve as a buffer and carry out a targeted, effective counter-insurgency strategy, but not so much of a presence that we serve as an aggravation. It is this balance that will be critical to finding our way forward.
Second, we need not a time-table, in the sense of a precise date for U.S. troop pull-outs, but a time-frame for such a phased withdrawal. More specifically, we need to be very clear about key issues, such as bases and the level of troops in Iraq. We need to say that there will be no bases in Iraq a decade from now and the United States armed forces cannot stand up and support an Iraqi government in perpetuity — pushing the Iraqis to take ownership over the situation and placing pressure on various factions to reach the broad-based political settlement that is so essential to defeating the insurgency.
In June 2006, despite the counterinsurgency troubles being encountered at that time, Obama reiterated his desire to keep American troops in Iraq until it stabilized. The senator said following a visit:
But having visited Iraq, I’m also acutely aware that a precipitous withdrawal of our troops, driven by Congressional edict rather than the realities on the ground, will not undo the mistakes made by this administration. It could compound them.
It could compound them by plunging Iraq into an even deeper and, perhaps, irreparable crisis.
We must exit Iraq, but not in a way that leaves behind a security vacuum filled with terrorism, chaos, ethnic cleansing, and genocide that could engulf large swaths of the Middle East and endanger America. We have both moral and national security reasons to manage our exit in a responsible way.
But on Nov 20, 2006, Obama suddenly changed his mind on Iraq. He believed it had become unwinnable. There was no point in going on and a withdrawal had to begin within a few months. CNN reported:
Sen. Barack Obama called Monday for U.S. troops to start leaving Iraq in 2007, arguing that the threat of an American pullout is the best leverage Washington has left in the conflict.
“The time for waiting in Iraq is over. It is time to change our policy,” said Obama, a freshman Democrat from Illinois touted as a possible national candidate in 2008.
“It is time to give Iraqis their country back, and it is time to refocus America’s efforts on the wider struggle yet to be won.”
Obama’s speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs came as the debate over Iraq policy has heated up in Washington, with policy makers making proposals that range from a phased withdrawal that begins in four to six months to an increase in troop strength.
What had changed between June and November 2006 to alter Obama’s position? Possibly the situation on the ground. But one circumstance that had also changed was that the Rezko Chamchamal contract had been finally and irrevocably canceled only two weeks before. John Batchelor reports what Rezko told the judge during the discovery proceedings:
We had, for whatever it’s worth, sometime in June received a letter saying the contract was canceled. We protested the cancellation. And, then, we received this [the November cancellation] letter.
Batchelor describes some of the last-minute efforts to bring the Rezko power plant project back from the dead.
The Chamchamal construction plan was canceled in June 2006, and this not only ended the power plant deal for Rezko’s Rezmar International and Alsammarae’s KCI Engineering Consultants, but also it ended the Companion Security deal. Companion was nested inside Chamchamal. The security guards to be trained in Illinois were for Chamchamal. This is important to understand. The same men controlled all three bids.
Mr. Rezko said, “We protested the cancellation.” How did they protest? It appears that part of the protest was to send Mr. Frawley to Senator Obama in August 2006 to seek help reviving the deal.
Senator Obama declined to help, though not right away. According to Obama staff spokesman Tim LaBolt in mid-2007: “The Senate staff had two meetings, one conference call, and sporadically emailed with representatives of Companion Security about their request for Senator Obama to write a letter introducing the company to senior officials in the Iraqi government. That is not the kind of action Senator Obama usually takes for individual companies, and our staff concluded on that basis to decline the requested assistance.”
Also, according to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times, Mr. Frawley negotiated over a six-month period with Senator Obama’s staffer Seamus Ahern at the Moline, Illinois, office. The explanation at the time was that the senator regarded Companion Security as an employment opportunity for the troubled Quad Cities area around Moline.
The deal was definitely dead in August 2006, when Aiham Alsammarae came under investigation for corrupt practices. The New York Times reported that the case against Alsammarae began “with investigations by the Commission on Public Integrity, an Iraqi organization independent of the government that was created by the United States.” A New York Times reporter, visiting him in jail, wryly noted, “Mr. Alsammarae, an American citizen who lived in the Chicago area and built a thriving engineering firm there, is the only cabinet-level Iraqi official to be convicted and jailed for misusing money during his time in office.”
On December 16, 2006, Alsammarae successfully escaped from his Baghdad jail in mysterious circumstances, flew to Jordan, and from there returned to his home in Oak Brook, Illinois, without any apparent trouble. He did not take the trouble to hide. On April 27, 2008, Alsammarae demonstrated his affection for Tony Rezko when theChicago Sun-Times reported that the “former Iraqi official and ex-international fugitive helped spring Tony Rezko from jail earlier this month, putting up homes that comprise nearly one-third of the $8.5 million in property and cash securing Rezko’s bail.” Tony Rezko may have been broke but Alsammarae was not:
Alsammarae put up $1.9 million in equity in his Oak Brook mansion, along with $840,000 in equity from two South Loop condominiums, according to court records. In recent days, he appeared in the downtown federal courthouse to pledge his property and signed papers related to Rezko’s bail. That proceeding, however, was conducted in a private session with U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve and lawyers. Records from the proceeding weren’t immediately released.
The shifts in Barack Obama’s policy toward Iraq show a remarkable correlation with the rise and fall of Tony Rezko’s business prospects in the Chamchamal Power Plant. As the story of the Rezko syndicate is exposed in his Chicago trial, the subject of its Iraqi commercial interests will come under a brighter light. Barack Obama has already said of his convicted ex-fundraiser, “this is not the Tony Rezko I used to know.”
What remains to be seen is whether new developments will see the same cognitive dissonance apply to Obama’s policy in Iraq.”
Despite what you have read, the Rezkos did not have the money in the first part of 2005 to put down $ 125,000 on the lot they purchased. The loan from Auchi allowed the transaction to happen.
Obama facts September 14, 2012, Rezko for Radicals Kenneth J Conner Qui Tam lawsuit against Mutual Bank personnel, Amrish Mahajan et al
“Because I tend to rely on evidence and not on hearsay, I believe we should focus our attention on Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey, not on Giannoulias and the Broadway Bank, if we are to assign names to the financial institution about which Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times has heard “rumblings.” Although Mahajan is not known to readers of No Quarter and to the national media, I imagine they will desire more information on the unscrupulous banker once they read the information I unpack below the fold. And yes, Obama is involved, deeply involved.”…Truthteller, NoQuarterUSA October 12, 2008
“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 did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells
The economy is in shambles, there are numerous diversions in the Middle East and in the election campaigns, Tony Rezko is in prison, the appeal of Rod Blagojevich has been delayed by the US Justice Dept. Obama thinks he has it made.
Not on my watch.
Kenneth J. Conner has a new book coming out, “Rezko for Radicals” and has a Qui Tam Lawsuit against the officers, directors and employees of Mutual Bank of Harvey, Adams Valuation Corp., et al. Citizen Wells will continue to keep these stories alive.
I have much respect and appreciation for sites like No Quarter USA which were investigating and reporting the truth about Obama when many were asleep or doing their best to hide this information.
From No Quarter USA October 12, 2008.
“About the Financial Institution Mentioned in the Sun-Times: Obama, Tony Rezko, Amrish Mahajan, the Kenwood Mansion & Rita Rezko”
And yes, those Democrats include some ostensible Hillary Clinton Democrats. Seizing upon the following quotation in a Chicago Sun-Times column, one blogger believes the AP story heralds the end of the political careers of Alexi Giannoulias and Barack Obama:
While Rezko was a customer of Alexi Giannoulias’s Broadway Bank, where he amassed a debt of $450,000 after writing bad checks at Las Vegas casinos, and while Giannoulias did write loans for Rezko, I do not believe one can aver with the confidence of the blogger I cite above that federal prosecutors are now focusing on Giannoulias, even if Giannoulias was tied to Rezko by his opponent during his 2006 bid for the office of Illinois state Treasurer. Allow me to be clear: Obama bundler, mobster banker and Obama protégé Giannoulias is, to be sure, embroiled in the Rezko scandal and in other aspects of Chicago politics any political observer would find unsavory, but he is not in my opinion the topic of the conservation occurring between Rezko, Rezko’s attorney and Fitzgerald’s team of prosecutors. I do admit he is grist for the mill of impetuous bloggers who desire web traffic and a controversial headline or two, however. Because I tend to rely on evidence and not on hearsay, I believe we should focus our attention on Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey, not on Giannoulias and the Broadway Bank, if we are to assign names to the financial institution about which Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Timeshas heard “rumblings.” Although Mahajan is not known to readers ofNo Quarter and to the national media, I imagine they will desire more information on the unscrupulous banker once they read the information I unpack below the fold. And yes, Obama is involved, deeply involved.
My interest in Amrish Mahajan and the Mutual Bank of Harvey was picqued by this list of contributors in Rezko’s bundling network provided by the Chicago Sun-Times last March. View the second page of the document, and notice the following entry:
Last name
First name
Obama donations
Rezko connection
Mahajan
Amrish
$2,500
Banker whose bank loaned money to Rezko companies. The bank also loaned Rezko’s wife money to buy a vacant lot next to Obama’s home.
The data available in the Sun-Times spreadsheet is corroborated by the following data, which is democratically available at the Federal Election Commission‘s website:
MAHAJAN, AMRISH
CHICAGO, IL 60607
MUTUAL BANK
OBAMA, BARACK
VIA OBAMA FOR ILLINOIS INC
12/20/2003 500.00 24020030170
04/14/2004 1000.00 24020461757
The home and lot sales closed on June 15, 2005. A land trust controlled by the Obamas bought the house for $1.65 million, and the Obamas secured a $1.32 million mortgage from Northern Trust to complete that purchase. That same day, Rezko’s wife, Rita Rezko, bought the side lot for $625,000. A $37,000- a-year Cook County employee, she secured a $500,000 mortgage from Mutual Bank of Harvey.
The structure of this transaction begs the following question: What bank would lend a government employee who earns $37,000 per annum a $500,000 mortgage? What bank would assume such a risk?
The Mutual Bank of Harvey, of course, for the Mutual Bank of Harvey’s President is a man who is deeply connected to the Chicago machine that backed Barack Obama. Indeed, Amrish Mahajan was one of Mayor Daley’s first political appointments in 1989, when he was named to a seat on Chicago’s Plan Commission, where he would be joined by Obama’s former boss and Rezko’s business partner Allison Davis and by Valerie Jarrett, Daley’s Chief of Staff whochaired the Commission from 1991-1995. Mahajan, in other words, worked with those who devised and profited from Daley’s failed public housing experiment in Chicago, a public housing policy Obama helped fund as state Senator and US Senator.
Rezko, according to the Boston Globe, was one of the major beneficiaries of Obama’s legislative advocacy for funding of Daley’s public housing experiment. Other major beneficiaries are Jarrett and Allison Davis. Mahajan was also a beneficiary, for his bank had made $3.4 million dollars in loans to Tony Rezko’s slum landlord business since 2002. A banker for one of the slumlords who benefitted from the Daley housing program Obama helped bankroll, Mahajan was returning a favor when he wrote a $500,000 mortgage in 2005 for the wife of one of his clients. Although Tony’s financial problems were mounting in 2005, and although Rita earned only $35,000 per annum, Mahajan underwrote the mortgage. Favors must be reciprocated, I guess, especially when one can satisfy two parties at once: the person with whom one has a complicated relationship in real estate and the politician who helped finance that complicated relationship as state Senator and US Senator.
I doubt federal investigators are interested in the Mahajans solely for their involvement in the property deal involving Obama, Mahajan and the Rezkos. The Mahajans, I believe, are the foci of their probe for many reasons.
“Uncle Amrish” also helped Obama purchase a house he could not afford
The real estate transaction involving Rita Rezko, the Obamas and Mutual Bank of Harvey is just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Mutual Bank of Harvey seems to be at the center of all the corruption in Chicago. To quote former Donald Perillo, Chicago insurance mogul and son of the lawyer for Al Capone, in the Chicago Tribune article I cite above:
Donald Parrillo said he isn’t surprised to see Mahajan mix it up with politics and business. “He got that attitude from the Parrillo family,” the former alderman said. “He wanted to get in the game.”
And Mahajan certainly is in the game. The banker of the Chicago machine, he is also the man who wrote the mortgage for Rita Rezko that facilitated Obama’s purchase the mansion he could not afford. This is why I believe prosecutors are interested in Harvey Mutual Bank. Not only did Rezko receive loans from this institution; this bank is heavily involved in problematic real estate dealings involving Blagojevich and Obama. And if I may quote Rezko in the 9 JUN letter he wrote to Judge Amy St. Eve:
Your Honor, the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened. They are pressuring me to tell them the “wrong” things that I supposedly know aboutGovernor Blagojevich and Senator Obama. I have never been party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator. I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes. I will take what comes my way, but I will never hurt innocent people. I am not Levine, Loren, Mahru , or Winter.”
Rezko is now talking, and prosecutors are presently interested in a politically connected financial institution. I bet Obama now regrets paying Rita Rezko $104,500 for the strip of the land in the lot on which his house sits in January 2006. Acquired with the assistance of a questionable $500,000 mortgage from Amrish Mahajan’s Mutual Bank of Harvey, this lot and Obama’s desire to expand his yard by bit was the catalyst for all the investigative reports into Obama’s deep ties to Rezko. By the way, Rita’s lot is only accessible through the front gate of Obama’s home; it is not a separate property, and it was never intended to be a separate property.
“It was a mistake to have been engaged with him at all in this or any other personal business dealing that would allow him, or anyone else, to believe that he had done me a favor,” Obama says of the real estate transactions with Rezko. I wonder if now he also believes it was a mistake for him to serve as the legislator who represented and bankrolled Richard Daley, Amrish Mahajan, Valerie Jarrett, Allison Davis and the Chicago Plan Commission. But at least he and Michelle have a house, a house the Mutual Bank of Harvey, the politically connected bank that wrote loans for Rezko, helped them procure in 2005. Too bad that house will be the end of Barack Obama.
Rezko for Radicals book, Kenneth J. Conner author and whistleblower in the Rezko Obama lot transactions, Qui Tam lawsuit, Mutual Bank of Harvey, Adams Valuation Corp.
“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 did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
Rezko for Radicals
A new book by Kenneth J. Conner
whistleblower in the Rezko Obama lot transactions
Kenneth J. Conner, whistleblower in the Rezko Obama lot transactions, is the author of a new book, “Rezko for Radicals.” The scheduled release date for the book is October 1, 2012. I am not at liberty to divulge the contents yet, but as soon as I am permitted, I will do so. At some point more information will be available here as well.
With all of the books being written about Chicago pay to play politics and corruption, why would this book be of interest? Kenneth J. Conner was there at Mutual Bank of Harvey, doing his job, asking questions about another questionable appraisal froma Adams Valuation Corp. except this time the borrower was Rita Rezko, wife of Tony Rezko. And the other party involved in these transactions was Barack Obama, an IL senator at the time. Here is why Conner’s story has credence.
In early 2005, the Rezkos were broke and heavily in debt.
In June 2005, Rita Rezko obtained a loan from Mutual Bank of Harvey in the amount of $ 500,000 for the lot next to the mansion purchased by the Obama’s at the same time.
The Rezkos paid the full asking price $ 625,000.
The sellers mandated that both properties close at the same time.
Rita Rezko’s salary was approx. $ 37,000.
Kenneth J. Conner was a real estate specialist at Mutual Bank in 2005.
In late 2005 to early 2006, Mr. Conner was asked to review the appraisal by Adams.
Mr. Conner reported to his bosses that the property was overvalued by $ 125,000 and that based on comparables it was worth $ 500,000.
On November 21, 2005 Barack Obama had an appraisal of the lot done by Howard B. Richter & Associates. That appraisal was for $ 490,860.
The Rezkos and Obamas signed a purchase agreement on January 4, 2006 for one sixth of the lot. The Obamas paid $104,500 instead of the appraised value of $40,500.
Mr. Conner’s valuation was subsequently removed from the loan file.
On October 19, 2006 Mutual Bank received a grand jury subpoena requiring it to produce information concerning Rita Rezko’s purchase, including the bank’s files on the property.
On December 28, 2006 former Rezko business attorney Michael J. Sreenan purchased the Rezko lot.
“In 2007, Conner observed that his ARR of the 5050 S. Greenwood property was not in the Rezko 5050 Greenwood loan file and in it’s
place was the Murphy Checklist purportedly dated “06/15/2005.”…On June 18, 2007, Conner sent an email to James Murphy which provides, in part, “I spent time trying to track down work of mine that should be in a particular high profile loan file, though it is not–having been replaced by a checklist.”
” In October, 2007, Conner had various communications with Mutual Bank’s Human Resources Department representative, Lana Schlabach. In an email communication of October 15, 2007, Conner directly referenced “Resentment over my mentioned discovery of the removal/replacement of an appraisal review that I conducted. That appraisal review contained substantial observations and suggestions. The transaction and parties involved were high profile in the media.I am under the impression that the FBI has since looked at the file.”
“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”
Late 2007 the FBI investigated the lot transactions. Mr. Conner stated. “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,”
On October 16, 2008 Kenneth J. Conner filed his first lawsuit for retaliatory dismissal.
On October 25, 2011 the FDIC initiated a lawsuit against Mutual Bank officers, directors and the bank lawyer. “5. Collectively, the Director Defendants and Officer Defendants (“Director and Officer Defendants”) (a) recklessly implemented a strategy of rapid asset growth through approving a high concentration of risky CRE, ADC and out-of-area loans to a small concentration of high-volume borrowers; (b) failed to implement appropriate underwriting and credit administration practices; (c) ignored the Bank’s loan policies; (d) ignored federal lending regulations; and (e) disregarded warnings from the Bank’s regulators regarding the Bank’s lending activities.”
Mr. Conner has filed a Qui Tam lawsuit against the officers, directors and employees of Mutual Bank as well as Adams Valuations Corp. and others. The lawsuit is no longer under seal.
Rezko for Radicals
The whistleblower account of Obama’s $125,000 real estate scam.
Obama Rezko lot purchases, Court records prove Obama lied about contact with Rezko and Rezko requests, Obama Rezko et al Chicago pay to play
“Why were portions of the motion to subpoena Obama by the Blagojevich defense team, damning to Obama, redacted?”…Citizen Wells
“Why did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
My research, review and discussions regarding Obama’s involvement in Chicago pay to play are progressing. Yesterday I got a clarification from someone who was involved in one of the transactions. Before I proceed, I want to clarify the Obama Rezko relationship and Obama lies about it.
From TPM Muckraker March 3, 2008.
“The connection has dogged Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) ever since it was first reported in November of 2006. With Tony Rezko’s trial finally beginning this week, and with the trial expected to last for months, it will keep dogging him.
You know the general outline. In June of 2005, Obama bought a home in Chicago’s South Side. On the same day, Tony Rezko bought an adjoining lot, the house’s side yard. It was not an isolated association between the two. Rezko was a big-time fundraiser and supporter of Obama, who raised more than $150,000 for Obama’s state and federal campaigns over the span of nine years ($20,000 of that was from Rezko himself). Over the past 16 months, Obama has donated almost $160,000 of those Rezko-linked contributions to charity.
Rezko, a big-time real estate developer and mucky-muck in Illinois politics, was indicted in October of 2006 on fraud and extortion charges.
Although Obama’s longterm relationship with Rezko has gained plenty of scrutiny, the house purchase has understandably gotten the most. Given Rezko’s central role in Illinois’ influence-buying and cronyism scandal, suspicion is natural. Obama himself has called his subsequent purchase of a strip of the adjoining lot from Rezko “bone-headed.” It’s hard not to agree.
There is no sure evidence that the house deal was worse than bone-headed. Not that the question has been put to rest. A number of unanswered questions remain.
For instance, it’s unclear whether Rezko was actually doing a favor for Obama: whether Obama could not have bought the house otherwise or whether Obama derived a financial benefit from Rezko’s involvement in the deal. The main suspicion has been that Rezko’s purchase of the side yard at the seller’s asking price allowed Obama’s purchase of the house to go through since the seller insisted on closing both properties on the same day. But both Obama and Rezko have said that someone else had bid on the side yard, raising the bidding to the asking price. If that’s the case, then Obama could have bought the house without Rezko’s involvement. And Obama has said that his family has stayed off the side yard and never used it for family activities.
Obama has acknowleged, however, that Rezko’s likely motivation for buying the lot was to curry favor with him. Rezko reportedly admitted as much to his business associates. And as The New York Times reports today, Rezko was so heavily in debt at the time he purchased the lot that he did it under his wife’s name in order to protect it from creditors.
And then there’s the other big question, whether Obama ever did anything for Rezko in return for his purchase of the side yard or all those contributions. Obama has said that Rezko “never asked me for anything” and “I’ve never done any favors for him.” No substantial evidence has surfaced to contradict that claim. (The Chicago Sun-Times did dig up letters from Obama in 1998, some seven years before the house sale, urging Illinois and Chicago officials to provide funding for a Rezko company to build apartments for senior citizens, but both Obama and Rezko denied that Rezko had asked Obama to write the letters, and there’s no evidence to the contrary.)
As Rezko’s trial nears, you’re sure to hear the two names raised together again and again. And you’ll be hearing about that house purchase. So we’re laying it all out here. We’ve compiled the main details in our timeline of Rezko and Obama’s relationship here.
Recently, NBC News got a good aerial view of the Obama’s home and side lot, which is now owned by Michael Sreenan, a former business attorney of Rezko’s:
Back in 2004, the home’s owner put both parcels on the market. There was no fence between the two properties, since the undeveloped land served as the house’s side yard, but the properties were listed separately.
In January of 2005, the Obamas made three successive bids on the home, which had been listed at $1.95 million. After bids of $1.3 and then $1.5 million, the Obamas, through an agent, finally offered $1.65 million, a bid which the seller ultimately accepted. Obama has said that the house was on the market for a number of months and was overpriced. The seller, a doctor at the University of Chicago named Fredric Wondisford who has refused to speak to the media, has stated in an email released by the Obama campaign to Bloomberg that Obama’s bid was the highest bid on the home. Obama has said that he didn’t purchase the side yard because he could not afford it.
It’s still unclear exactly how Rezko came to buy the side yard. Back in November of 2006, when Obama was first interviewed by The Chicago Tribune about the deal, he was very hazy on the details: “I don’t recall exactly what our conversations were or where I first learned, and I am not clear what the circumstances were where he made a decision that he was interested in the property.”
In answering written questions from The Chicago Sun-Times later that week, he was clearer: “to the best of [his] recollection,” he’d told Rezko about the side yard and that “he developed an interest, knowing both the location and, as I recall, the developer who had previously purchased it.”
Last month, an Obama spokesman divulged more: that at some point before the purchase, which closed in June of 2005, Obama and Rezko had toured the property together “because Rezko was a real-estate developer in the area” and Obama wanted his opinion. The spokesman could not specify when, exactly, this tour had occurred — before Obama had made successive bids on the home in January of 2005, or after.
It’s not clear when Rezko bid on the property, but Obama has said that the seller accepted Rezko’s bid on the yard before accepting Obama’s bid on the house.
Both Obama and Michael Sreenan, Rezko’s former attorney who now owns the adjoining lot, have said that at least one other party bid on the yard, as an explanation for why Rezko ultimately paid the seller’s asking price, $625,000. The burning question, of course, is whether Rezko was doing Obama a favor by buying the side lot at the asking price. Though the seller, via the campaign, has corroborated other details about the purchase, he has not confirmed that there were other bids on the lot.
Though Obama made his final offer in January of 2005, the purchase did not close for another five months. It’s unclear why.
By June of 2005, when the purchases did close, Rezko’s ethical and legal troubles had begun unraveling on the pages of the city’s major newspapers. Just a month before, The Chicago Tribune had run a major profile of Rezko and his many entanglements, including the fact that he’d been subpoenaed as part of a sprawling corruption probe of the state government.
As you can see from the picture of the property above, the two properties are now divided by a fence. But there was no fence when the purchases were made. The Obamas have provided documents to The Chicago Tribune to show that, immediately following the purchase, they began making preparations for installing a fence — an undertaking that required considerable paperwork since the properties are landmarked. That process lasted several months.
When it finally came time to install the fence, the Obamas also wanted to extend their property by another five to ten feet so that the fence would be at a distance from the house. The Obamas ultimately purchased from Rezko a 10-foot wide strip adjacent to and paralleling their property line.
Obama has said that he approached Rezko personally in January of 2006 about buying some of the adjacent lot. To set the price for the 1,500-square-foot strip, which was one-sixth of the entire lot, Obama hired a firm to appraise its value. When that appraisal came in at $40,500, Obama says he judged it too low for appearance’s sake and instead set the price at $104,500, which was one-sixth of the price Rezko had paid for the entire lot. There’s been no suggestion that Rezko actually negotiated with Obama on the price. In any case, he accepted.
Rezko’s rapidly deteriorating situation might explain Obama’s extra caution. Since its profile of Rezko the previous May, the Tribune had also brought word (as you can see on our timeline) that Rezko had been subpoenaed on a number of other matters, all pertaining to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation of influence-buying, cronyism, and extortion in Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) government. It was increasingly clear that he was of central interest to prosecutors. He was finally indicted in October of 2006.
Though Obama’s name may come up at the trial, since Rezko allegedly made illegal “straw” contributions (via intermediaries) to Obama in addition to a number of other politicians, he is expected to be only a peripheral player. As The Los Angeles Times puts it this morning, Obama will be in “the background.” But unfortunately for Obama, Rezko is also certain to be in the background of his campaign through November.”
“Though Obama made his final offer in January of 2005, the purchase did not close for another five months. It’s unclear why.”
Answer: The Obamas did not have the money or income in January 2005 (see 2004 tax return). The Rezkos were flat broke and heavily in debt (from Rezko Trial records and other sources). More later.
“And then there’s the other big question, whether Obama ever did anything for Rezko in return for his purchase of the side yard or all those contributions. Obama has said that Rezko “never asked me for anything” and “I’ve never done any favors for him.” No substantial evidence has surfaced to contradict that claim. (The Chicago Sun-Times did dig up letters from Obama in 1998, some seven years before the house sale, urging Illinois and Chicago officials to provide funding for a Rezko company to build apartments for senior citizens, but both Obama and Rezko denied that Rezko had asked Obama to write the letters, and there’s no evidence to the contrary.)”
We know from Rezko trial transcripts that Obama lied about his contact with Tony Rezko.
Chicago SunTimes February 10, 2008.
“In the media, Obama always made it sound like he rarely saw Rezko, saying they met for breakfast or lunch once or twice a year. However, the FBI mole John Thomas helped investigators “build a record of repeat visits to the old offices of Rezko and former business partner Daniel Mahru’s Rezmar Corp., at 853 N. Elston, by Blagojevich and Obama during 2004 and 2005,“
Chicago SunTimes March 14, 2008 interview with Obama.
“Thomas is an FBI mole and he “recently told us that he saw you coming and going from Rezko’s office a lot.””
From the Blagojevich Trial subpoena of Barack Obama. Portions related to Obama were initially redacted but then discovered.
“21. Tony Rezko is one of the government’s main witnesses.8 Mr. Rezko’s credibility is extremely relevant in this trial. In many instances, Mr. Rezko is the government’s crucial witness to prove up their allegations.9 Mr. Rezko wrote a letter to a federal judge stating “the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened. They are pressuring me to tell them the “wrong” things that I supposedly know about Governor Blagojevich and Senator Obama. I have never been a party to any wrongdoing that involved the Governor or the Senator. I will never fabricate lies about anyone else for selfish purposes.” (Exhibit A)”
“22. However, the defense has a good faith belief that Mr. Rezko, President Obama’s former friend, fund-raiser, and neighbor told the FBI and the United States Attorneys a different story about President Obama. In a recent in camera proceeding, the government tendered a three paragraph letter indicating that Rezko “has stated in interviews with the government that he engaged in election law violations by personally contributing a large sum of cash to the campaign of a public official who is not Rod Blagojevich. … Further, the public official denies being aware of cash contributions to his campaign by Rezko or others and denies having conversations with Rezko related to cash contributions. … Rezko has also stated in interviews with the government that he believed he transmitted a quid pro quo offer from a lobbyist to the public official, whereby the lobbyist would hold a fundraiser for the official in exchange for favorable official action, but that the public official rejected the offer. The public official denies any such
conversation. In addition, Rezko has stated to the government that he and the
public official had certain conversations about gaming legislation and
administration, which the public official denies having had.”10?
“10 The defense has a good faith belief that this public official is Barack Obama. See, “Obama on Rezko deal: It was a mistake”, Dave McKinney, Chris Fusco, and Mark Brown, Chicago Sun Times, November 5, 2006. Senator Barack Obama was asked: “Did Rezko or his companies ever solicit your support on any matter involving state or federal government? Did Al Johnson, who was trying to get a casino license along with Tony Rezko, or Rezko himself ever discuss casino matters with you?” Senator Obama answered: “No, I have never been asked to do anything to advance his business interest. In 1999, when I was a State Senator, I opposed legislation to bring a casino to Rosemont and allow casino gambling at docked riverboats which news reports said Al Johnson and Tony
Rezko were interested in being part of. I never discussed a casino license with either of them. I was a vocal opponent of the legislation.” Obama’s involvement with Tony Rezko and this legislation coincides with the three paragraph summary the government has provided to the defense referenced above.”
“23. President Obama is the only one who can testify as to the veracity of Mr. Rezko’s allegations above.
24. President Obama has pertinent information as to the character of Mr. Rezko.
President Obama can testify to Mr. Rezko’s reputation for truthfulness as well as his own opinion of Mr. Rezko’s character. See, Fed. R. Evid. 405(a) and 608. Mr.
Rezko and President Obama became friends in 1990. According to President Obama, Mr. Rezko raised as much as $60,000 in campaign contributions for Obama.11
25. Based on the relationship that President Obama and Mr. Rezko had, President Obama can provide important information as to Mr. Rezko’s plan, intent, opportunity, habit and modus operandi. See, Fed. R. Evid. 404(b) and 406. For example, in June 2005, President Obama purchased a house for $1.65 million, $300,000 below the asking price. On the same day Tony Rezko’s wife, Rita, paid full price — $625,000 — for the adjoining land. In January 2006, Obama paid Mr. Rezko $104,500 for a strip of the adjoining land. The transaction took place when it was widely known that Mr. Rezko
was under investigation.12 President Obama’s relationship with Tony Rezko is
relevant and necessary Fed. R. Evid. 404(b) and 406 evidence.”
Blagojevich prosecution delays protect Obama, Part 1, Blagojevich arrest delayed after 2008 election, Patrick Fitzgerald USDOJ had key witness and crimes
“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells
“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“Blagojevich’s name has been mentioned often. It was brought up at least 30 times Wednesday morning by Stuart Levine, the government’s star witness against Rezko.”…Tony Rezko trial
“Regardless of how this plays out, it benefits Obama. If there is no appeal or the appeal is denied, Blagojevich will be sequestered. If the appeal proceeds, it could drag out beyond impacting the 2012 election cycle. The intent is obvious.”…Citizen Wells, July 19, 2011
Part 1
The Blagojevich arrest was delayed
Was Barack Obama the original plan for the presidency by the DNC and Chicago Machine? Rod Blagojevich envisioned himself in that office. But in a high
profile position as Governor of Illinois, with brashness by nature and a less stealthy approach to pay to play politics than Obama, the feds began investigating him in 2003 and reports soon hit the Chicago media of corruption in his administration.
The bulk of the charges in the Criminal complaint, indictment and evidentiary proffer and indeed, what the Tony Rezko trial centered around, took place from 2003 to 2005. They include much activity involving the TRS, Teacher Retirement System, Hospital construction approval, a plan to shakedown Children’s Memorial Hospital, appointments to state government such as Ali Ata to the Illinois Finance Authority and real estate transactions involving Blagojevich’s wife Patti.
One of the clearest examples of impacting the citizens of Illinois was the corruption of the TRS.
2003: “Of the five funds, the one in the sorriest shape is the Illinois Teacher Retirement System, which provides the pensions for suburban and downstate
teachers. Its ratio of assets to liabilities stood at a mere 52 percent last year, so poor that it was considered among the five worst-funded plans in the
country.” Chicago Magazine March 23, 2011
“Rezko’s partner in the Rezmar development company, Daniel Mahru, is referred to as “Individual Z” in the indictment, and according to court filings, Rezko told Mahru that “$500 million” of TRS money was earmarked for their company. Mahru is reportedly cooperating with federal investigators.”
“In addition to lining their own pockets, the money gained through the scheme was funneled to the campaigns of Blagojevich and Obama. Prosecutors have identified two $10,000 payments that were made to Obama’s US Senate campaign through straw donors Joseph Aramanda and Elie Maloof, which originated from a kickback paid by investment firm, Glencoe Capital, to secure approval for a $50 million deal. Evelyn Pringle, “Operation Board games for Slum Lords”
Hospitals:
“The brief conversation was between Levine and Rezko on April 24, 2004, just three days after Levine said he and Rezko had rigged a vote of a state hospital
planning board to approve a controversial hospital in Crystal Lake. Hospital contractor Jacob Kiferbaum was going to pay Levine and Rezko $1 million in
bribes if the Crystal Lake facility won approval, Levine has testified.
Levine testified that he called Rezko on April 24 to set up a meeting to discuss their next shakedown target: Children’s Memorial Hospital. Just minutes
before Levine called Rezko, Levine had hung up with a money manager from the investment banking firm Bear Stearns named Nicholas Hurtgen, who prosecutors say was a confederate in past Levine kickback schemes.” Rezko trial, March 21, 2008
So, why would the prosecution of Blagojevich be delayed despite the fact that he profoundly affected the citizens and state of IL?
Obama had a clear role in the rigging of the health planning board.
Obama played a role in cronyism affecting the TRS, Teacher Retirement System.
Obama had long time and regular associations with Tony Rezko and was as Blagojevich stated in a wiretap “more tony’d up than me.”
A blagojevich trial before the 2008 elections would have stopped Obama. Tony Rezko would not talk about Obama, Blagojevich did and would.
The following facts make the argument that Rod Blagojevich should have been arrested long before December 8, 2008 and before Tony Rezko.
Blagojevich began scheming as soon as he entered office. From the Blagojevich arrest press release. “The charges include historical allegations that Blagojevich and Harris schemed with others – including previously convicted defendants Antoin Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ali Ata and others – since becoming governor in 2002 to obtain and attempt to obtain financial benefits for himself, his family and third parties, including his campaign committee, Friends of Blagojevich, in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts and access to state funds.”
Pamela Meyer Davis began wearing a secret FBI wiretap in late 2003 to record conversations involving state health planning board.
Most of the corruption in the Tony Rezko, Stuart Levine and Rod Blagojevich indictments took place between 2003 and 2005. Counts 1, 2 and 4 in the Blagojevich Indictment were eventualy dropped. Those counts covered that time period and represented approximately half of the indictment.
“FBI Special Agent Daniel Cain, the primary case agent on the investigation into Levine and Rezko, is on the stand now in testimony that is laying the foundation for entering the wiretaps into evidence. Cain said the investigation, dubbed Operation Board Games by the federal agents, began in December 2003 and was prompted by information gleaned from an informant whom he did not identify. That witness, he said, took part in meetings with two other individuals who were in contact with Levine by phone at his home. Cain said Levine had three phone lines in his North Shore home. Federal agents recorded conversations on those lines April 8-May 21, 2004. Those dates span the time when Levine, Rezko and others allegedly were working to rig the hospital board vote on a Mercy Health System hospital proposal for Crystal Lake and other kickback schemes prosecutors claim they were engaged in.” Rezko trial March 12, 2008
June 7, 2004: Stuart Levine, member of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, abruptly resigns. This is the first indication that the Blagojevich administration is under federal criminal investigation.
July 2, 2004: Stuart Levine resigns from the state Teachers’ Retirement System board.
May 9, 2005: Stuart Levine indicted on corruption charges. Federal subpoena issued to Tony Rezko.
Sept. 15, 2005: Joseph Cari, former lawyer for the state’s teacher’s pension board pleads guilty to extortion. A high ranking public official is described in court documents only as “Public official A.”
Oct. 25, 2005: The Chicago Tribune reports about a federal grand jury investigation into the alleged political hiring practices of the Blagojevich administration.
Aug. 5, 2006: The Chicago Tribune reports that Stuart Levine is cooperating with the federal investigation of state government.
Sometime between May 9, 2005 and August 5, 2006, Levine has begun cooperating with the feds. Levine knows almost as much as Rezko and becomes the key witness in the Rezko trial and other prosecutions. The Feds know plenty about Blagojevich at this point.
Oct. 11, 2006: Tony Rezko is indicted on federal charges he sought millions of dollars in kickbacks and campaign donations from firms seeking state business.
So far everything seems normal and makes sense. The next move should be to indict Blagojevich. Blagojevich, the governor, versus Rezko, the businessman, has the power to corrupt state government, has been doing so and thanks to Levine, the Feds know the details. If you have any doubts about this, read the transcripts of the Rezko trial. For example: “Gov. Rod Blagojevich has avoided answering questions about the corruption trial of Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the other day declaring, “I’m not in that case.” But Blagojevich’s name has been mentioned often. It was brought up at least 30 times Wednesday morning by Stuart Levine, the government’s star witness against Rezko. Rezko trial March 19, 2008.
Patrick Fitzgerald and the feds wait over 2 years, until December 9, 2008 to arrest Blagojevich and then state they are trying to protect the citizens of Illinois. From the Government’s Sentencing Memorandum, signed by Patrick Fitzgerald and filed on November 30, 2011: “By way of comparison, Antoin Rezko,…received a sentence of 126 months imprisonment for corrupt activity that he engaged in directly with Blagojevich or with Blagojevich’s tacit approval. Yet, Rezko:(a) held no elected office of trust;”
Oct. 22, 2006: Obama publicly states he is considering a run for the Presidency.
Oct. 27, 2006: Stuart Levine pleads guilty in a scheme to squeeze millions of dollars from firms seeking state business. Court papers contain allegations that Rezko and Christopher Kelly were using their influence for corrupt purposes.
January 16, 2007:”Judicial Watch filed an open records lawsuit against the office of Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL), who is under federal investigation on several fronts, including corrupt hiring practices. Judicial Watch’s lawsuit, filed on January 16, 2007 in the Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court, specifically seeks, among other documents, any and all grand jury subpoenas received by the Governor’s office or any state agencies under the Governor’s control.” http://www.judicialwatch.org/blagojevich
October 28, 2007 the Chicago Tribune reports: “Removing a governor” “The public disappointment in Rod Blagojevich, whose tenure follows the corrupt regime of George Ryan, should launch a public debate: Do the people of this state want a way to say to their politicians, “You are serving your interests, not ours. You are dismissed.”” http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/11/gnad.html
May 2, 2008 a governor recall initiative was narrowly defeated. “State government is hemorrhaging with scandal and corruption,” Sen. Dan Cronin, sponsor.
June 4, 2008 Tony Rezko convicted on 16 of 24 counts. Counts 1, 11, 12, 14, 15 were related to Mercy Hospital and the rigging of the Planning Board.
Dec. 9, 2008 Blagojevich is arrested. “Fitzgerald said, “We make no allegations” that Obama was aware of any alleged scheming by Blagojevich.”
Jan. 9, 2009 IL House votes 114 to 1 to impeach Blagojevich.
Jan 29, 2009 IL Senate removes Blagojevich from office.
Having read the above, forget for a moment the supposition that Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department were protecting Obama and ask the simple question:
Why was Blagojevich left in office until December 2008?
Good question, eh?
Some truths are ageless and I often quote Shakespeare.
For example:
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
Patrick Fitzgerald stated after the Blagojevich arrest:
“The complaint makes no allegations about the president-elect whatsoever.”
“We make no allegations that he’s aware of anything.”
“But we ask that the press, in particular, recognize that we are not casting aspirsions on people other than the two people we charged and bear that in mind and be responsible.”
Fitzgerald admits that the crime spree had been going on for years.
“I just think it’s very, very disturbing that we have these pay-to-play allegations going on for years.”
Yes, disturbing.
And I would add, criminal.
I stand by earlier statements that the selling of the senate seat was a well crafted diversion. The facts presented above and in coming articles will make this intuitively obvious.
Obama ties to Chicago corruption still haunt, Obama’s Ghosts of Christmas Past, Blagojevich appeal delay hard evidence of conspiracy to obstruct justice
“There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”
“You will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by Three Spirits.”
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
“Long Past?”
“No. Your past.”…Charles Dicken, “A Christmas Carol”
“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“Regardless of how this plays out, it benefits Obama. If there is no appeal or the appeal is denied, Blagojevich will be sequestered. If the appeal proceeds, it could drag out beyond impacting the 2012 election cycle. The intent is obvious.”…Citizen Wells, July 19, 2011
I recently issued a request for citizen journalists to assist in researching an important story that is playing out before us in real time.
The Rod Blagojevich appeal process has been delayed in direct contradiction to US Court rules and guidelines. The court reporter for Judge James Zagel, the person responsible for producing trial transcripts needed for the appeal, took a 5 and 1/2 month leave of absence and now has filed a request for an extension. She now claims to have the transcripts ready by late September.
Read the guidelines for yourself. The Court Reporter has accountability, Judge James Zagel has accountability and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has accountability.
This case impacts a former governor and current occupant of the White House.
Over the past almost 4 years I have presented compelling circumstantial evidence why Blagojevich should have been arrested much earlier and before Tony Rezko. Certainly not after the 2008 election to protect Obama.
There is so much to keep up with about Obama, some may have forgotten some details and new readers come along, so I will be presenting some information again.
In part 1 of a multi part series, I will lay out the facts in detail that support my contention. To paraphrase Dickens, it is important to know this information to understand what is happening now.
Part 1 – Events leading up to the Blagojevich arrest.
Part 2 – Prosecution.
Part 3 – Appeal.
Oh, and by the way, another spectre from Obama’s past is about to pay him a visit soon. I will say more about this when I am permitted.
Obama Chicago style corruption continues, Blagojevich appeal delayed, Appeal of former governor affecting White House delayed, Obama judicial appointments provide clues?
“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells
“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“Why has the production of transcripts for the Blagojevich Appeal been allowed to be delayed far beyond US Court guidelines and who permitted this to happen?”…Citizen Wells
With all of the huge Obama corruption, radical ties and hidden records stories we have tried to get reported, one of the biggest scandals ever to hit this country is playing out now. It is barely being reported and mostly here.
I am calling for all citizen journalists to join in this effort. To bring this enormous chicanery to the surface & discover who is orchestrating it.
As some of you know, and predicted here in 2011, the Blagojevich appeal process is being delayed.
What is the biggest reason for the delay?
The court reporter assigned to Judge James Zagel took a 5 and 1/2 month leave of absence.
Your response might be, well things like this happen, and that is true. However, there are strict guidelines, especially when a case is being appealed.
And this case impacts a former governor and sitting occupant of the White House.
Judges are in general terms considered supervisors of court reporters, but I wanted more clarification. Eralier today I called the Court Reporter Coordinator, Brooke Wilson. I received a voice message indicating she will return next Tuesday.
My next move was to present an article on the court reporter and associated rules. However, my mind began playing connect the dots and I then began looking for connections to district court judges for the Northern District of Illinois.
Judge St. Eve presided over the Rezko and Levine trial and sentencing. She took part in the delay of sentencing of Rezko until November 22, 2011 and Levine June 28, 2012.
Judge Zagel presided over both trials of Blagojevich and made several controversial rulings and statements. He also, presumably supervises his court reporter, Blanca Lara. Regardless, he has accountability for her job performance.
Judge Kendall is presiding over the trial of FDIC lawsuit, Mutual Bank v. Mahajan . Mutual Bank loaned the Rezkos the money for the lot purchase that was sold to the Obamas. Mutual Bank also fired whistleblower Kenneth J. Conner who questioned the appraisal of the lot. The lawsuit is still active and moving slowly.
Judges Chang, Coleman, Feinerman, Lee and Tharp were appointed by Obama.
From NBC Chicago November 10, 2011.
“President Obama on Thursday nominated two men for federal judgeships in the Northern District of Illinois, both of whom once worked at the same law firm as his current chief of staff, Bill Daley.
Nominated Thursday were John Lee, a partner specializing in commercial litigation at Freeborn & Peters law firm, and John Tharp, a partner at Mayer Brown and co-leader of its securities litigation and enforcement practice.
Daley was once a partner at Mayer Brown.”
“Lee began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice. He received his J.D. in 1992 from Harvard Law School and his A.B. in 1989 from Harvard College. He worked as an associate at Mayer Brown from 1994 to 1996 and at Grippo & Elden from 1996 to 1999. He’s currently a partner at Freeborn & Peters.
Tharp served in the United States Marine Corps for five years before earning law degrees at Northwestern University and Duke University. He worked in private practice at Kirkland & Ellis from 1991 to 1992 and is currently partner at Mayer Brown.”
Blagojevich appeal delay perfect Chicago crime, Prosecution and appeal delay protect Obama help Blagojevich, Judge Zagel USDOJ violate federal court rules
“Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich, Governor of IL, prosecuted before Tony Rezko, a businessman?”…Citizen Wells
“Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?”…Citizen Wells
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich
The delay in the prosecution and appeal of Rod Blagojevich.
A perfect Chicago Crime?
From Citizen Wells July 19, 2011.
“We await the appeal of Rod Blagojevich. He was convicted of most counts remaining after counts 1,2 and 4 were removed by the Justice Department. You know, the Justice Department headed by liar and Obama buddy Eric Holder. As reported here yesterday, denying the motion from the Blagojevich defense team to unseal recorded conversations that were wiretapped, appears to be a huge argument to support the appeal and possibly part of the setup. The question is, was Blagojevich picked as the fall guy or will he end up with a slap on the wrist?”
“Regardless of how this plays out, it benefits Obama. If there is no appeal or the appeal is denied, Blagojevich will be sequestered. If the appeal proceeds, it could drag out beyond impacting the 2012 election cycle. The intent is obvious.”
“You have read it here at Citizen Wells for some time. The delays in prosecuting Rod Blagojevich were designed to protect Obama. You also read here that the appeal process for Blagojevich would drag on past the election. We now have more proof.”
It’s been almost eight months since Blagojevich was sentenced on Dec. 7, 2011. His attorneys discussed how they’d appeal six days after that.
“Well there’s a tremendous amount of work to do now, we need to read through all the transcripts,” defense attorney Lauren Kaeseberg said. “There’s two trials, there’s a significant amount of work.”
“But FOX Chicago News learned that since then, that first key step toward an appeal – getting the 16,000 pages of transcripts – has not yet been accomplished.
“They have to file briefs. The briefs have to be based on alleged errors that occurred in the course of the trial,” Kent College of Law professor Richard Kling said. “Those errors, if they occurred, are reflected in the transcript.”
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently warned Kaeseberg that she could face monetary or disciplinary sanctions if she didn’t explain why the transcripts weren’t done yet.
Kaeseberg responded by producing these emails she had sent to Judge James Zagel’s court reporter, asking for the transcripts.
Finally, about two weeks ago, the court reporter filed her own motion asking for more time, saying she had taken a leave of absence for five and half months and has been swamped with work since her return.
She has now promised to have the transcripts done by late September, with any appellate review not likely for months after then.”
However, Larry Yellen, the FOX Chicago News Legal Analyst states the following:
“Defense lawyers actually faced possible sanctions because they’ve been unable to get the trial transcripts up to the appeals court to start the appeal.
The delays have gone on for months in part because Judge James Zagel’s court reporter took a 5 and 1/2 month leave.”
“The court reporter now has promised to have the transcripts done in about 7 weeks, around September 28.”
“In the George Ryan case he was sentenced on … September and 5 months later they had the transcripts done and they were already doing oral arguments.”
What the Fox News reporter did not tell you is that there are extensive references to procedures in handling appeal case transcripts. The rules are clear.
I can tell you that, based on court rules and procedures, Judge James Zagel carries some of the blame for the delay in the transcripts.
The question is, what was Judge Zagel’s motivation?
Ҥ 130.20.20 District Court
Each district court must develop a Court Reporting Management Plan.”
“(g) Providing for avoidance of backlogs of transcripts and assuring prompt
delivery of high quality transcripts, particularly for cases on appeal to the
court of appeals; ”
Ҥ 440.60 Judge Appointed (Involuntary) Use of Substitute Reporter
§ 440.60.10 Introduction
A district judge or the chief judge of a circuit may appoint a substitute reporter in the event a court reporter is unable to complete transcripts in a timely fashion.
§ 440.60.20 Judicial Conference Policy
“Because of the inordinate delays that have taken place throughout the system in the preparation of transcripts by court reporters in cases that are being appealed, the Conference agreed that substitute reporters should be employed to service the requirements of the district judge where the official court reporter is unable to complete his [or her] transcripts in a timely fashion and that the salary of the official reporter be subject to withholdings not to exceed the sum necessary to compensate the substitute reporter until the transcripts are current. The need for substitute reporter service is to be determined by the district judge affected or by the chief judge of the circuit, at his [or her] option, acting through the circuit executive.” JCUS-MAR 75, p. 8.”
“(1) Appeals to a Circuit from a District Court
Transcripts for appealed cases should be delivered within 30 days from the date ordered or from the date satisfactory arrangements for payment have been made. If the customary practice of the court reporter is not to require prepayment, the 30-day period
begins upon acceptance of the transcript order by the court reporter.”
“Late delivery of transcripts impedes the work of the courts. Each circuit council decides the due dates for the delivery of transcripts and the amount of penalties to be applied when such dates are not met. Therefore, reporters and transcribers may not charge the full fee if they do not produce an appellate transcript within the time limits required by the circuit councils. Additionally, the district courts or circuit councils may impose other penalties. One such penalty would be to require the reporter to compensate a courtroom substitute while the reporter prepares the overdue transcripts.”
Ҥ 540 Transcripts for Cases on Appeal
§ 540.10 Introduction
Cases appealed to the United States courts of appeals require the timely transmission of the record from the lower court. A transcript of the proceedings normally is a required part of the record to be transmitted to the court of appeals.”
Ҥ 540.20.20 Rule 11, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (Forwarding the Record)
The statute states:”
“(B)
If the transcript cannot be completed within 30 days of the reporters receipt of the order, the reporter may request the circuit clerk to grant additional time to complete it. The clerk must note on the docket the action taken and notify the parties.”
“(D)
If the reporter fails to file the transcript on time, the circuit clerk must notify the district judge and do whatever else the court of appeals directs.”
Ҥ 540.60 Use of Substitute Reporters
In the event that an official staff, additional, temporary, or combined-position court reporter is not able to provide transcripts in a timely fashion, i.e., within 30 days, the judge may appoint a substitute reporter at the expense of the reporter. See: Guide, Vol 6, § 440 (Substitute Court Reporters).”
Ҥ 540.60.10 Judicial Conference Policy
“Because of the inordinate delays that have taken place throughout the system in the preparation of transcripts by court reporters in cases that are being appealed, the Conference agreed that substitute reporters should be employed to service the requirements of the district judge where the official court reporter is unable to complete his transcripts in a timely fashion and that the salary of the official reporter be subject to withholdings not to exceed the sum necessary to compensate the substitute reporter until the transcripts are current. The need for substitute reporter service is to be determined by the district judge affected or by the chief judge of the circuit, at his [or her] option, acting through the circuit executive.” JCUS-MAR 75, p. 8.
§ 540.70 Withholding Salary / Placing Reporter on Leave Without Pay
If it is necessary for the judge to appoint a substitute reporter while the court reporter is preparing backlogged transcripts, either the court reporter bears the cost of a substitute appointed by a judge or the court reporter is placed on leave without pay.”
As you can see, appeals cases transcripts are expected to be produced in a timely fashion. There are numerous clearly defined rules for processing them. The responsibilities and contingencies are well covered.
So why is this possibly a perfect Chicago crime?
First of all, without a doubt, this protects Obama again during an election cycle. News from a Blagojevich appeal stays out of the media as does Blagojevich himself.
Secondly, this is another nail in the coffin of judicial misconduct during the Blagojevich prosecutions and another reason for an appeals court judge to throw out the convictions.
Who engineered these delays and who is responsible?
What were Obama and Blagojevich discussing in 2008?
“Just because it’s a conspiracy theory doesn’t mean it is not true.”
Blagojevich appeal delayed waiting on transcripts, Court clerk 5 1/2 month leave of absence, Delays help Obama, Transcripts of Blagojevich wiretaps hurt Obama
“this guy is more Tony’d up than I am. …. they got the Chicago media to f…ing make me wear Rezko more. To f…ing dilute it from him.…Rod Blagojevich wiretap November 12, 2008
“BLAGOJEVICH: You know, Axelrod and Obama’s people, you know, clearly turned, you know, got the Chicago media to make Rezko all about me. And hardly about…
HARRIS: Yeah, in other words, they focus their,they focus their attention on you. They couldn’t make it go away so the bes-, next best strategy is deflect it.
BLAGOJEVICH: Right.
HARRIS: This is somewhere where it, it’ll satisfy the, the hunger of the beast, being the media.
BLAGOJEVICH: Right, right.
HARRIS: Yeah, it makes sense. It’s not a stretch. If I’m, if I’m his message advisor, media advisor or whatever, operative, yeah I’m gonna try to feed the beast by giving ‘em something else to eat on.”…Rod Blagojevich wiretap November 12, 2008
“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich wiretap November 7, 2008
You have read it here at Citizen Wells for some time. The delays in prosecuting Rod Blagojevich were designed to protect Obama. You also read here that the appeal process for Blagojevich would drag on past the election. We now have more proof.
From Fox News August 6, 2012.
“Blagojevich appeal delayed due to undone transcripts: EXCLUSIVE”
“Before he went to prison, Rod Blagojevich expressed confidence that his conviction would be overturned on appeal.
But so far, no appellate briefs have been filed and no arguments have been heard.
Several sources told FOX Chicago News that Rod Blagojevich is upset and disappointed at the lack of progress on his appeal.
When former Illinois governor George Ryan was sentenced, his lawyers were in court just five months later, arguing his case.
It’s been almost eight months since Blagojevich was sentenced on Dec. 7, 2011. His attorneys discussed how they’d appeal six days after that.
“Well there’s a tremendous amount of work to do now, we need to read through all the transcripts,” defense attorney Lauren Kaeseberg said. “There’s two trials, there’s a significant amount of work.”
But FOX Chicago News learned that since then, that first key step toward an appeal – getting the 16,000 pages of transcripts – has not yet been accomplished.
“They have to file briefs. The briefs have to be based on alleged errors that occurred in the course of the trial,” Kent College of Law professor Richard Kling said. “Those errors, if they occurred, are reflected in the transcript.”
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently warned Kaeseberg that she could face monetary or disciplinary sanctions if she didn’t explain why the transcripts weren’t done yet.
Kaeseberg responded by producing these emails she had sent to Judge James Zagel’s court reporter, asking for the transcripts.
Finally, about two weeks ago, the court reporter filed her own motion asking for more time, saying she had taken a leave of absence for five and half months and has been swamped with work since her return.
She has now promised to have the transcripts done by late September, with any appellate review not likely for months after then.
“They wont’ decide what errors occurred based on what lawyers said,” Kling said. “They want the real McCoy’s, the transcripts, in front of them.”
The two attorneys handling the Blagojevich appeal, Lauren Kaeseberg and Leonard Goodman, both declined to comment on the delay.
There is a reason that I keep presenting this video containing the audio of Rod Blagojevich wiretaps from November 2008. Blagojevich repeatedly speaks of Obama’s Rezko problem and that Obama has more connections to Rezko than he. Blagojevich also accurately states that the Chicago media has focused their attention on him instead of Obama.
Here are exerpts from the actual transcripts. The full transcripts can be read at the links below.
DATE: 11/05/2008 TIME: 8:58 A.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 262
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
HARRIS: John Harris
HARRIS You know, if I were him, um, you know, a top cabinet post, I don’t, I wouldn’t consider it. I wouldn’t do it if I were him.
BLAGOJEVICH I agree with you.
HARRIS To be honest with you.
BLAGOJEVICH Because of Rezko.
HARRIS Because of Rezko and just because that’s not how I’m gonna build my team. It’s like the mayor, when we, whenever we filled, you know, top positions in city government?
DATE: 11/06/2008 TIME: 12:13 P.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line outgoing call.
SESSION: 345 and 347
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
P. BLAGOJEVICH: Patti Blagojevich
BLAGOJEVICH If you were the president of the United States and you can get your choice for senator who you really want. She really wants it. She’s on his ass, okay.
P. BLAGOJEVICH Yeah.
BLAGOJEVICH And you got a governor who makes the choice and he wants to be DHS. Okay,the Cabinet, he’d do it, but you don’t want all that ’cause of corru-, Rezko and all that shit.
(gap)
BLAGOJEVICH Yeah, that’s good. In other words, we’re predicating this on, Michelle Obama, he’s more hen pecked than me.
BLAGOJEVICH He wants to get out of Chicago politics. Okay. That’s their way of saying Rezko. HARRIS (Laughs)
BLAGOJEVICH Know what I’m sayin’?
DATE: 11/7/08 TIME: 11:06 A.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 375
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
SCOFIELD: Doug Scofield
P. BLAGOJEVICH Patti Blagojevich
BLAGOJEVICH: Hey. Hey. So, they want to get out of Chicago politics is a euphemism for, they want to get away from Rezko.
SCOFIELD: Oh yeah, I, yeah, I agree with that.
BLAGOJEVICH: Huh?
SCOFIELD: Yeah, I agree with that.
BLAGOJEVICH: Yeah, I’m gonna tell you something…
SCOFIELD: I mean I think it’s true, generally they don’t want to make any deals at all of any kind. But, yeah, no that’s, yeah, it’s Rezko. Yeah, I think that’s right.
(gap)
BLAGOJEVICH: Yeah, wants out of Chicago politics? Rezko, yeah.
SCOFIELD: Yeah, I agree.
DATE: 11/07/2008TIME: 4:11 P.M. ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.SESSION: 403, 405, 406 and 408 Speakers:BLAGOJEVICH: Rod BlagojevichYANG: Fred YangHARRIS: John Harris STEWART: Mary Stewart
BLAGOJEVICH So he thought it through, you know, and he’s a little con-, concerned with, you know, well, maybe not right away and I say, “well, look, because, because of the Rezko stuff, Tom? Is that what you think?” And, well, he didn’t want directly say it so I talked about the Rezko stuff.
(gap)
BLAGOJEVICH That Barack would quote unquote, he wants to get away from Illinois politics. To me that’s a euphemism for Rezko.
YANG Right.
BLAGOJEVICH Okay?
YANG Well, and, and also, governor, he went with Rahm as chief of staff.
BLAGOJEVICH Correct.
YANG That’s another Illinois guy.
BLAGOJEVICH Correct. So Illinois politics to me is, and Axelrod, is more Rezko.
(gap)
BLAGOJEVICH … Now, you know I’m under, you know, what I believe is disgusting federal investigations, with them out to get me and I, I’ve been nothin’ but fuckin’ tryin’ to be very honest in my administration. You know made some misjudgements, but compared to even Obama, you know, I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.
DATE: 11/12/2008 TIME: 10:44 A.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 545
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
HARRIS: John Harris
BLAGOJEVICH I just talked to Balanoff.
HARRIS Yeah. You called him?
BLAGOJEVICH Yeah.
HARRIS Okay.
BLAGOJEVICH It’s clear he got the message back from them they want no part of me. You know the Rezko thing and…
HARRIS Right, right.
BLAGOJEVICH I thin-, you know, it’s really, I get that I’m a big boy and I can handle that, but it’s really fucking galling, this guy is more Tony’d up than I am. And it’s almost like they fucking conspi-, made a concerted effort and they got the Chicago media to fucking make me wear Rezko more. To fucking dilute it from him.
DATE: 11/12/2008 TIME: 12:36 P.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 558
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
HARRIS: John Harris
BLAGOJEVICH I mean think about that. I mean they, they want me here in Illinois. That’s a faraway Illinois problem from my old life.
HARRIS Mm-hmm.
BLAGOJEVICH The governor’s got that problem with Rezko, boom. But if I’m in the Senate it’s not just mine anymore, it’s his too. Isn’t it? If the Rezko thing got worse?
HARRIS Mm-hmm, Mm-hmm. Well we’ve always thought that.
BLAGOJEVICH And, and from a legal stand point on the substance of, you know, did, did you do something wrong or didn’t do something wrong it doesn’t change that. But in terms of the, the people who are trying to chase all that down and does it change any dynamic if you’re there verses being left back here.
(gap)
BLAGOJEVICH But don’t forget uh, Obama’s gonna have uh, you know, do something about that. And is Obama more or less likely to wanna contain that if I’m out there with him. I mean I’ve got this theory that even Knapp says could be possible and Balanoff. You know, Axelrod and Obama’s people, you know, clearly turned, you know, got the Chicago media to make Rezko all about me. And hardly about…
HARRIS Yeah, in other words, they focus their,they focus their attention on you. They couldn’t make it go away so the bes-, next best strategy is deflect it.
BLAGOJEVICH Right.
HARRIS This is somewhere where it, it’ll satisfy the, the hunger of the beast, being the media.
BLAGOJEVICH Right, right.
HARRIS Yeah, it makes sense. It’s not a stretch. If I’m, if I’m his message advisor, media advisor or whatever, operative, yeah I’m gonna try to feed the beast by giving ‘em something else to eat on.
BLAGOJEVICH So, if I wanna be safe from Rezko, am I a little bit safer over there with him.
DATE: 11/13/2008 TIME: 12:35 P.M.
ACTIVITY: Rod Blagojevich home line incoming call.
SESSION: 627
SPEAKERS:
BLAGOJEVICH: Rod Blagojevich
SCOFIELD: Doug Scofield
BLAGOJEVICH He wants to keep Rezko a million miles away, you know what I’m saying?
Citizen WElls 