Blagojevich trial scandal, Part 2, US Department of Jusctice corrupt?
Blagojevich Trial Coverup Scandal
Part 2
Rod Blagojevich’s name was mentioned constantly during the Tony Rezko trial. The FBI was wiretaping star witness in 2004 and knew plenty of Blagojevich’s extensive involvement in the corruption. Here is just a snippet from the Rezko indictment.
“In or about early May 2004, REZKO instructed a State of Illinois employee responsible for facilitating appointments to state boards to move forward on LEVINE’s reappointment to the TRS Board, and represented that the reappointment had been approved by a high-ranking state official. The high-ranking state official subsequently directed that LEVINE be reappointed to the TRS Board. Also in or about May 2004, two new members were appointed to the TRS Board who voted with LEVINE on matters of interest to REZKO and LEVINE.”
From the Rezko trial.
“March 6, 2008; 11:50 a.m.
In her opening, prosecutor Carrie Hamilton likened Antoin “Tony” Rezko to a master puppeteer. She said he made sure that Gov. Rod Blagojevich kept Highland Park businessman Stuart Levine on the boards of the Teacher’s Retirement System and the Illinois Hospital Facilities Planning Board.
Levine, she said, was the front man, but “Rezko was the man behind the curtain pulling the strings.”
Hamilton said that Levine and Rezko worked as a team to “corrupt” the two regulatory panels, siphoning off millions of dollars in finders fees paid to investment firms seeking pension fund business. At the Teacher’s Retirement System, which invests billions of dollars in teachers pension funds, Hamilton said the pair made it clear to investment firms seeking pension fund business that “they were going to have to pay to play.””
Trial transcripts:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-rezko-court-story-7,0,5224754.htmlstory
Read more:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/indict/2006/us_v_levin_et_al_super.pdf
We now know with a 100% certainty that the “high-ranking state official” is Rod Blagojevich. The feds knew it then.
These questions beg for an answer and we deserve one.
Why wasn’t Rod Blagojevich indicted soon after the Rezko trial ended in June 2008? He was wreaking havoc on the citizens of Illinois.
Why was the arrest of Blagojevich delayed until December 2008, after the 2008 elections?
Why was prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald given this assignment by Barack Obama?
August 5, 2009
“I was preparing a new article, a more detailed version of an earlier article about Obama’s role in rigging the Illinois Health Planning Facilities Board (you know, the board mentioned in the indictments of Rezko, Levine, Weinstein, Blagojevich, et al). The events leading up to the Blagojevich trial are dragging on in typical fashion and I did not want the American public to forget about Obama’s strong ties to Chicago corruption. The Citizen Wells blog has for many months stated that Obama should be indicted next. The question was, would Patrick Fitzgerald do his duty or be controlled by the Obama camp.
Now we have the answer.
I was hoping that Patrick Fitzgerald had integrity and patriotism.
Perhaps he received, in the tradition of Chicago thuggery, an offer he couldn’t refuse.
In February 2009 we learned
“US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who brought criminal fraud charges against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, will stay on with the Obama administration, reports Pete Williams at NBC.””
“July 30, 2009, we discover
“Patrick Fitzgerald, the top prosecutor in Illinois’ Northern District, has been named interim chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC).
In his new role, Fitzgerald will be the lead voice for the U.S. attorney community. It’s the latest high-profile assignment for America’s prosecutor, who has been busy overseeing the prosecution of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), bringing down mortgage fraudsters, and fighting with journalists.””
Read more
On December 11, 2008, the following article was posted here and faxed to the US Department of Justice office in Chicago, IL.
“From the Petition to Impeach, expel Senator Obama
Whereas: Senator Barack Obama used the office of IL Senator to facilitate the vote rigging in Chicago as chairman of the Illinois Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Mr. Obama pushed legislation in Senate Bill 1332 to reduce the number of members of the Health Facilities Planning Board from 15 to 9.
Mr. Obama did conspire with Stuart Levine, Tony Rezko and Rod Blogojevich to rig the committee and was rewarded with campaign contributions. The new members appointed included 3 doctors who contributed to Mr. Obama. On April 21, 2004, Stuart Levine explicitly advised Dr. Robert Weinstein, who is now indicted, of Tony Rezko’s role in manipulating the Planning Board’s vote.”
“Chicago Tribune Rezko Trial Transcripts
March 6, 2008; 12:29 a.m.
“Hamilton finished remarks after an hour. She did not mention the name of Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama, whose U.S. Senate campaign in 2004 allegedly was the beneficiary of $20,000 in campaign cash from intermediaries in the kickback schemes the government says were orchestrated by Rezko.”
March 10, 2008; 4:16 p.m.
“The name of Barack Obama, the Democratic front-runner for the presidential nomination, also appears in the e-mail as a member of a strategic team reviewing hospital board matters with the governor’s staff when he was a state senator. The hospital board was scheduled to be revamped in the summer of 2003.
Obama was then chairman of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services. Other legislative leaders, including Madigan, were part of that review panel as well, according to the e-mail.”
March 13, 2008; 3:09 p.m.
“Dr. Imad Almanaseer is on the witness stand this afternoon, testifying about his links to Antoin “Tony” Rezko and his time on the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board”.
“Almanaseer was appointed to the planning board in 2003 on Rezko’s recommendation. Prosecutors contend he became part of a five-member voting bloc on the board that followed Rezko’s wishes. Almanaseer said board Chairman Thomas Beck tried to steer his voting.”
March 19, 2008; 11:21 a.m.
“Prosecution witness Stuart Levine is walking jurors through the evolution of his relationship with defendant Tony Rezko. The two met at a dinner party shortly before the 2002 election in which Rezko’s close friend Rod Blagojevich was elected governor.”
“Levine said he met increasingly with Rezko in early 2003 after Blagojevich was sworn in as governor. On occasion, Levine said, Rezko described his close relationship with Blagojevich.
“He said that he had raised a great deal of money for Gov. Blagojevich and that he had great hopes and expectations that Gov. Blagojevich would run for president,” Levine recalled. “And although he knew it was a long shot, he was working toward that end.””
“”Mr. Rezko told me that he was able to have individuals appointed to state boards and was able to have individuals hired into state agencies and that he spoke very often — and in fact went over decisions — that Lon Monk would put into place,” Levine said.”
March 21, 2008; 12:10 p.m.
“Another government wiretap has been played with Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s voice on it, and this one could prove damaging to his defense. On the tape, recorded May 18, 2004, Rezko can be heard giving orders to political fixer Stuart Levine about how he wanted to manipulate the vote of one of Levine’s fellow members on the Illinois Health Facilities Planning board, Danalynn Rice.
On the call, Rezko is heard mentioning Chris Kelly, who with Rezko was one of the top fundraisers for Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Both Rezko and Kelly were key members of Blagojevich’s kitchen cabinet.
Rezko makes it clear in the phone call that Kelly, too, had been involved in trying to manipulate decisions of the hospital board, which Rezko has been charged with corrupting. Kelly apparently had called Levine earlier and told him he should be Rice’s mentor on the board, directing her to follow his lead on voting. Rice had been recently installed on the hospital panel at the insistence of a leader of the Laborers’ International Union, which had contributed more than $133,000 to Blagojevich’s campaign.””
“Obama’s role in rigging the Health Planning Facilities Board
Evelyn Pringle, Obama Curtain Time 2
“Obama was chairman of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee in January 2003. A few articles in the media have mentioned that Obama sat on a committee that reviewed matters related to the Planning Board in conjunction with the Governor’s staff but none have discussed his integral part in getting the bill passed.
A review of senate records from January 2003 to August 2003, shows Obama played a major role as chairman of that committee, in pushing through Senate Bill 1332, that led to the “Illinois Health Facilities Planning Act,” which reduced the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, making the votes much easier to rig.
Democratic Senator Susan Garrett sponsored the bill in the senate, and the chief co-sponsor was Republican Senator Dale Righter. These two senators were also on the Human Services Committee with Obama.
The bill was filed with the senate secretary on February 20, 2003, and assigned to Human Services Committee for review on February 27. Less than a month later, as chairman, Obama sent word that the bill should be passed on March 13, 2003.
On May 31, 2003, the House and Senate passed the bill and the only senator listed in the “yes” votes mentioned in the Board Games indictments is Obama.
Blagojevich made the effective date June 27, 2003, and the co-schemers already had the people lined up to stack the Board and rig the votes with full approval from Obama.”
Read more
We now have another reason
to question the
US Department of Justice
and
Patrick Fitzgerald
The following is included in the Second Superceding indictment of Blagojevich.
“The Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board (“Planning Board”) was a commission of the State of Illinois, established by statute, whose members were appointed by the Governor of the State of Illinois. State law required an entity seeking to build a hospital, medical office building, or other medical facility in Illinois to obtain a permit, known as a “Certificate of Need,” from the Planning Board prior to beginning construction.”
“Defendant ROD BLAGOJEVICH, Monk, and Harris, while serving as officers and employees of the State of Illinois, and Levine, while serving as a Trustee of TRS and a member of the Planning Board, were bound by the following laws, duties, policies, and procedures:
As Governor, defendant ROD BLAGOJEVICH was a constitutional officer and as such, at the outset of each term as Governor, was required to take an oath of office to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor to the best of his ability.”
Indictment:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2010/pr0204_02a.pdf
The following was included in the Blagojevich Criminal Complaint
“According to Levine, in approximately late October 2003, after Levine was
reappointed to the Planning Board, he shared a private plane ride from New York to Chicago
with ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Kelly. Levine, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, and Kelly were the
only passengers on the flight. According to Levine, at the beginning of the flight, Levine
thanked ROD BLAGOJEVICH for reappointing him to the Planning Board. ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded
that Levine should only talk with “Tony” [Rezko] or [Kelly]
about the Planning Board, “but you stick with us and you will do very well for yourself.”
ROD BLAGOJEVICH said this in front of Kelly. According to Levine, Levine understood
from ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s manner of speaking and words that ROD BLAGOJEVICH
did not want Levine to talk to ROD BLAGOJEVICH directly about anything to do with the
boards, but that Levine should talk to Rezko or Kelly. Levine also understood that ROD
BLAGOJEVICH meant that Levine could make a lot of money working with ROD
BLAGOJEVICH’s administration. According to Levine, ROD BLAGOJEVICH did not
seem to expect a response from Levine, and Kelly then shifted the conversation to something
else.”
“b. Corruption of the Planning Board
“As described more fully in the following paragraphs, Mercy Hospital, which
sought permission from the Planning Board to build a hospital in Illinois, received that
permission through Rezko’s exercise of his influence at the Planning Board after Rezko was
promised that Mercy Hospital would make a substantial campaign contribution to ROD
BLAGOJEVICH. Rezko later told a member of the Planning Board that Mercy Hospital
received the permit because ROD BLAGOJEVICH wanted the organization to receive the
permit.”
Levine’s criminal activities included his abuse of his position on the Planning
Board to enrich both himself and Friends of Blagojevich. The Planning Board was a
commission of the State of Illinois, established by statute, whose members were appointed
by the Governor of the State of Illinois. At the relevant time period, the Planning Board
consisted of nine individuals. State law required an entity seeking to build a hospital,
medical office building, or other medical facility in Illinois to obtain a permit, known as a
“Certificate of Need” (“CON”), from the Planning Board prior to beginning construction.”
Why was the above left out of the Indictment?
Why is this not being shouted from the rooftops?
“At the relevant time period, the Planning Board consisted of nine individuals.”
The following sentence is one of the clearest connections of Obama to the rigging
of the Planning Board. Obama was chairman of the IL Senate committee that changed
the number of members from 15 to 9.
Why was this left out of the indictment?
It is damning for Blagojevich and Obama.
Why did the US Department of Justice wait until after the 2008 elections to arrest Blagojevich?
It was damning for Obama.
Why did Obama give Patrick Fitzgerald a supervisory position in 2009?
Why is the media, including Fox, not covering this???
Citizen WElls 