Tag Archives: Rod Blagojevich indicted

Rod Blagojevich indicted, Arrested, Chicago Tribune, December 9, 2008, Illinois pay to Play, Leutenant Governor Pat Quinn information, Obama endorsed Blagojevich, Rezko trial, Emil Jones picked to replace Obama, John Wyma

Illinois Governor Rod Blagovich has been indicted and arrested
in a continuing investigation into pay for play politics in
Illinois. The Leutenant Governor of Illinois is Pat Quinn.
Here is some biographical information on Pat Quinn:

“Not to be confused with the other Pat Quinn, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn was elected to executive office in 2002, and recently won a second term, defeating Joe Birkett. He served as the elected State Treasurer of Illinois from 1991 to 1995, and was the Commissioner of the Cook County Board of (Property) Tax Appeals in the early eighties. He has also served as Revenue Director for the City of Chicago. In addition to being first in line of succession to the Governor, the Lt. Governor serves on a variety of boards and commissions around the state.

Regarded in political circles as a progressive, Pat Quinn has a record of organizing grassroots political initiatives around the state since the 1970s, including the ultimately unsuccessful push for the “Illinois Initiative,” which would have amended the state constitution to give state citizens the power to enact statutes through the process of referenda, much like California. Although the petition drive was successful, it was blocked by the Illinois Supreme Court, which ruled that the Illinois Initiative was an “unconstitutional constitutional amendment” and was never put before voters. In 1980 he successfully led the fight for the Cutback amendment to the Illinois Constitution, which reduced the size of the Illinois House of Representatives from 177 to 118 members. In 1983 he led the drive to create the Citizens Utility Board. His undergraduate degree is in International Economics, which he earned at Georgetown, and he holds a law degree from Northwestern and teaches Tax Law at Chicago-Kent. Recently, he has led the fight against utility rate hikes in Illinois, and, much like former Lt. Governor Paul Simon, he has used his position in state government to advocate for taxpayers and other people that lack powerful interests in our political system.

Much like the political culture in this state, Illinois election law has some unusual requirements, among them that candidates for lieutenant governor run separate in the primary from candidates for governor. As such, the two highest elected executives in the state don’t always agree, and the Blagojevich-Quinn administration has been no exception. Chicagoist had the opportunity to sit down with Quinn in his Chicago office a few weeks ago to discuss grassroots activism, tax relief, ethics, public transit, and Paul Simon.”

Read more here:

http://chicagoist.com/2007/04/20/interview_illinois_lieutenant_governor_pat_quinn.php

Rod Blagojevich indicted, Arrested, Chicago Tribune, December 9, 2008, Illinois pay to Play, Obama endorsed Blagojevich, Rezko trial, Emil Jones picked to replace Obama, John Wyma

** Updates Below **

Illinois Governor Rod Blagovich has been indicted and arrested
in a continuing investigation into pay for play politics in
Illinois. The citizen Wells blog has reported for months the
ties to Tony Rezko, including Obama, Blagojevich, Stuart Levine
and many others. Barack Obama had endorsed Rod Blagojevich. Here
are exerpts from a Chicago Tribune article dated December 9, 2008:

“Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges.

Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

 

“Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.”

Blagojevich was taken into custody hours after the Tribune reported that the investigation into allegations of pay-to-play politics within his administration had been expanded to include his pending choice of a Senate replacement for Obama. The Democratic governor has said he expects to make a decision on the state’s next senator in weeks.”

Read more here:

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/source-feds-take-gov-blagojevich-into-custody.html

US Department of Justice Press Release

In my estimation, Obama is next.

** Updates from the Chicago Tribune **

Updated at 9:17 a.m.: Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year’s end.

Even Blagojevich’s recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and “green lanes” on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged.

The complaint repeatedly makes reference to conversations secretly recorded by federal authorities.

The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. “If they don’t perform, (expletive) ’em,” Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.

Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to the FBI. They were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago, where they remained at 9 a.m.

Updated at 9 a.m.: Blagojevich is slated to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan today at a time that has not yet been scheduled, according to Randall Samborn of the U.S. attorney’s office.

Updated at 8:57 a.m.: On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate. An Obama spokesman had no immediate comment.

Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts.

“The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement. “They allege that Blagojevich put a ‘for sale’ sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism.”