Big Fat Story
Blagojevich once set his sights on the White House.
Once, Blagojevich’s prospects looked so promising. They even spoke about him as presidential material. "Governor Rod Blagojevich rarely loses his temper," begins an upbeat profile from Chicago magazine, which dubbed him "Governor Sunshine." He grew up poor in Chicago, son of a Bosnian ticket taker and a Serbian janitor. Then he married Patti, daughter of “clever, scheming, clout-heavy ward boss” alderman Richard Mell, and his rise was assured. He won every election, leaping from the state legislature to Congress to the Illinois governor's mansion. According to Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, he and Obama ran Blagojevich’s gubernatorial campaign. Then Patrick Fitzgerald arrived on the scene and indicted the sitting governor George Ryan. "As it became clear that scandal had fatally wounded Governor George Ryan, Blagojevich redoubled his already energetic efforts to raise money," says the profile. Less than a year after bringing Ryan to book, Fitzgerald began probing Blagojevich’s dubious fund raising methods. Little did he imagine the sleazy trail would lead to Obama’s White House.
Photo: Seth Perlman/AP
"A Political Corruption Crime Spree"
In an act of corruption that's dastardly even by Illinois standards, Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested for trying to barter Barack Obama's Senate seat for a job in the Obama administration, or another lucrative job in Washington. Plus a high paid job for his wife. "The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, describing how Blagojevich shopped for kickbacks in return for naming Obama's choice of successor. It doesn't end there: the complaint, featuring wiretapped conversations that read like a gangster movie script, alleges he also threatened to withhold state aid from the Chicago Tribune if it didn't fire journalists who criticized him. While Blagojevich's crimes are shocking, few in Illinois are surprised he's dirty—the Democratic governor has been under investigation for over four years. Local Chicago press is also speculating that incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel may have tipped off the feds to the Governor’s alleged corrupt dealings.
Photo: Seth Perlman/AP
"Honest Fitz" took down Scooter Libby, Conrad Black, George Ryan—and now Blagojevich.
Little wonder Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, is dubbed “The New Eliot Ness.” His arrest of Blagojevich follows hard on the heels of his prosecution of Illinois Governor George Ryan, who was indicted for corruption and given six years in jail. As a federal prosecutor in New York, Brooklyn-born Fitzgerald, a Harvard law grad, prosecuted the Gambino mafia family and the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993. But it was after becoming U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois in 2001 that he became nationally famous. In December 2003 he was asked to investigate the leak of the name of CIA spy Valerie Plame and eventually brought down Cheney’s chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was sentenced to jail. In 2007 Fitzgerald nabbed headlines again when he put Canadian born media mogul Conrad Black behind bars.
Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
How Blago Got Busted
The corruption scandal enveloping the Illinois Governor over his alleged plot to sell Obama's Senate Seat involves an expanding Web of high wattage players—including Obama fundraiser Tony Rezko, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor who brought down Scooter Libby.
The Chicago real estate mogul gave more than $100K to Blagojevich.
Rod Blagojevich and Barack Obama apparently have the same taste in fundraisers. Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the Chicago influence peddler who caused a mini-scandal during Obama’s campaign, was also a major donor to Blagojevich. Since the early 1990s, he’s given more than $117,652 to Blagojevich's campaigns. Rezko was found guilty of fraud this year and awaits sentencing. Obama was involved in a questionable real estate transaction with Rezko’s wife, Rita, that he later described as “boneheaded.” Obama and Blagojevich also have another link to Rezko, who was indicted for soliciting kickbacks from companies seeking state pension business under Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors maintain that $10,000 from the alleged kickback scheme was donated to Obama's run for the U.S. Senate. Obama has given the money to charity.
Photo: Paul Beaty/AP
The governor dangled six names in front of Obama.
The indictment says the governor was weighing six "candidates" for Obama’s Senate seat. A highly speculative guessing game has already begun. The American Prospect blog floats the theory that Candidate 1 is Obama’s close friend and White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. Candidate 2 may be Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan, whose name was leaked by Blagojevich "to send a message" to the Obama camp. Candidate 3 is unknown and Candidate 4 is “a Deputy Governor of Illinois”, of which there are three: Dean Martinez, Bob Greenlee, and Louanner Peters. Blagojevich worked closely with one of them, “Deputy Governor A,” when crafting his crooked scheme. Perhaps the most tantalizing speculation surrounds Candidate 5 who, according to Fitzgerald, offered Blagojevich $500,000 for Obama's Senate seat. Rumors are flying that it could be Jesse Jackson Jr., although an alternate rumor points to Illinois State Legislator Emil Jones Jr. Candidate 6 is referred to simply as “a wealthy Illinois citizen”—which leaves it rather open ended.
Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP
Despite his arrest, Blagojevich is still technically in charge of choosing Obama's successor.
Blagojevich's arrest has further complicated the question of who will be chosen to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat. State law gives the governor total authority to choose Obama's successor and so long as Blagojevich remains the governor it’s his call. For the governor to be charged with corruption, and those charges centering around the Senate appointment, is a scenario the law's authors didn't seem to have in mind all those years ago. Since Blagojevich's mark could taint anyone he chooses for the seat, it's unlikely he'll offer it to real candidates like Jesse Jackson Jr. or Tammy Duckworth, a former contender for Congress. Instead, he may offer it to an inoffensive caretaker, like Secretary of State Jesse White, who would hold onto the seat until the 2010 election. Or the state legislature can pass a law mandating a special election, which would take Blagojevich out of the equation.
Photo: Ron Edmonds/AP
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If you want to be seen as a news source and not a gossip page I suggest you provide some facts and not just innuendo regarding the link between Obama and Blagojevich. Even Fitzgerald said there were no implications that Obama was involved in the complaint against Blago. Your suggestion that there was a "web" of "players" in this corruption scandal that involve Blago, Obama and Rahm Emanuel is simply a salacious fabrication aimed at gaining readers. I for one am disgusted by it and will not be relying or recommending this page as a news source.
I saw a profile of "The Daily Beast" on "60 Minutes" and I have logged on every day since. But the unfounded insinuation that the President- Elect is involved in this scandal has caused me to vote3with my feet. I am looking for a change from what has passed for journalism these past few years. I will look elsewhere.
This dude looks like Janet Reno.
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You can't be serious! You sound like you've been wounded or something. Politics and organized crime are like soup and sandwich. Yea, Obama is unfettered, Fitzgerald is just trying to keep his job so he thought he better act. Please, The Daily Beast is the best news that has come along so far.
With that hair, Blago could always have a career as an Elvis impersonator to replace his current job as a governor impersonator. Elvis never dies, even in tough economic times.
Yes, the hair... Where are the men these days getting all the hair? I'm seeing more and more older men with big hair! It's starting to get a little freaky.
lavlad, I don't know who you do not know or what you do not know. One thing for sure about Obama that you seem to missed is, this is Chicago politics, you play dirty, and dirty is the only way to win. I'm not convinced that Obama came out of this system untouched.
But then again, one of us can not be wrong.
Fitz untouchable???
Go figure
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9092510/Chicago
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9092344/Jesse-Jackson-Jr
http://www.archive.org/details/FedsUsTreasuryDeptRcmpEtc
Veritas Vincit
David Raymond Amos
Thank you.
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