Several Democratic operatives from Illinois say the Illinois state legislature will likely move as quickly as possible to hold impeachment proceedings against Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), in attempts to prevent the jailed governor from appointing President-elect Barack Obama's successor in the Senate. The Illinois General Assembly would be tasked with holding impeachment hearings, and the state Senate would vote on a conviction.
Illinois law allows Blagojevich to make an appointment while in jail. While the decision would be a disaster for Democrats politically, no one is ruling out that prospect. Any candidate appointed by the jailed governor would be immediately tainted, and would face immense hurdles winning on their own in 2010.
Blagojevich could also appoint a caretaker to the seat, but that also would not bode well for Democrats politically. Having a sitting Democratic senator from Illinois appointed by a jailed governor would hurt the party's chances of holding the seat in 2010.
I don't know, we in Illinois are used to this sort of nonsense. Only Joisey and Louisiana have the same degree of corruption, and I think we're still ahead ...
2010 is two years down the pike. By then it will all have blown over. Bring the matter up in the campaign and you'll be put off with "the Merkin people want to talk about the issues, not about old news." Y'see, it'll all be in the past, when we'll have all been ever so much younger.
Lieutenant governor Pat Quinn would take over if Blagojevich was forced to step down. He's from the progressive wing of the state Democratic party, and is very close with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
He's a perennial loser in the Kucinich mode and was put into the LG chair to shut him up. Successful, too.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2008 15:00 ||
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Illinois law allows Blagojevich to make an appointment while in jail.
Nice to see how "forward thinking" the Founding Fathers of Illinois were...
#7
Even if Blago did appoint someone at the point, the Senate would have to vote to seat him, which seems extremely unlikely.
As for ratting him out, he's been under investigation for a long time and since he's evidently not discreet, it doesn't have to be anyone "ratting him out". The only thing that surprises me about this is how blatant he was. I always figured he would "sell" the seat. He's been known as a "pay to play" guy for a long time. Most of the pols are glad to be rid of him.
Check out the CBS2 story. Oh my, selling the Senate seat and the ability of the Cubs to save themselves. And demanding that the Tribune fire the editorial page editor (and apparently to get it under the guise of 'cost-cutting'). Wow.
Read the various 'person A' and 'person B', etc, and you could easily see more indictments coming. Fitzpatrick can go to each of them and say, "We have you on tape. Why didn't you come to us?"
We in Illinois knew he was dirty, but we didn't know this dirty.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2008 14:45 ||
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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. A portion of the affidavit recounts the testimony of various witnesses at Rezko's trial earlier this year.
Coming around the far turn the long awaited entrance of the position of the VP of University of Chicago Hospital. Come on Pat Fitzgerald.... BRING IT ON HOME TO DADDY!
#3
Blagojevich also asked what he can get from President-elect Obama for the Senate seat: "Can [the President-elect] help in the private sector. . . where it wouldn't be tied to him? . . .I mean, so it wouldn't necessarily look like one for the other."
Blagojevich said that consultants (believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to "suck it up" for two years and do nothing and give this "motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him."
#4
We in Illinois knew he was dirty, but we didn't know this dirty.
What a naive young man you are, Dr. White. I presume there is little done in government that doesn't involve someone getting a back scratched. Isn't that why we have zoning laws?
What is surprising is his lack of discretion in phone use and the Gary Hart move of telling people to tape his phone calls yesterday.
Maybe he can bunk with Ryan and they can reminisce about the good old days.
#5
As Illinois former Secretary of State Paul Powell (Democrat) said: "There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke one."
Maybe the only thing worse than a broke politician is an indicted politician who retire to the Graybar Hotel
Powell, who in his lifetime of public service never earned more than $30,000 a year, left an estate worth more than $2 million$800,000 of it in bills packed into shoe boxes, briefcases and strongboxes in the closet of his hotel suite in Springfield.
I wonder how far the Blag thing is going to spread.
#9
Now, let me see if I've got this straight. The One helped Blago get elected, but now Blago is calling him a worthless blankety blank for not helping him with the bucket of stuff he's gotten himself into. Who may I ask...owes whom?
#10
Hey, Doc,, Fitzpatrick can go to each of them and say, "We have you on tape. Why didn't you come to us?"
What if the Big O is one of the others on tape?
#11
Glenmore, I don't know how you feel about this, but I've lived in Louisiana all my life and I really just have to stand back in awe of this thing. Between us electing Jindal last year and kicking Dollar Bill out this weekend, I have to wonder whether Louisiana has become a Division 2 ballclub when it comes to corruption. It's damn near tragic.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/09/2008 20:16 Comments ||
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#12
Yep, Matt. After our felonious governor, KKK rep, 3 straight convicted Insurance Commissioners (or was it 4?), and Ice Box Bill, (not to mention all the local crooks) we were on a roll, but we do seem to have dropped to the minors now - though still AAA. I guess we drained too much of the swamp. But I have confidence we will come back to the Big Leagues.
#13
Sounds like the Fitzmas the Dems were expecting finally came along--except they got coal and switches.
Couldn't happen to a more deserving crew. Let's just hope Blago brings Bama down as part of a deal. I'd like to see both of them sharing a cell with Bubba.
Looking for O-pardon?
A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the information, and a spokesman for the governor did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
A three-year federal corruption investigation of pay-to-play politics in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration has expanded to include his impending selection of a new U.S. senator to succeed President-elect Barack Obama, the Tribune has learned. pay-to-play is the Chicago way. Don't these guys respect tradition?
Federal authorities got approval from a judge before the November general election to secretly record the governor, sources told the Tribune, and among their concerns was whether the selection process might be tainted. That possibility has become a focus in an intensifying investigation that has included recordings of the governor and the cooperation of one of his closest friends.
The governor has not been accused of any wrongdoing. The specific contents of the recent recordings have not been disclosed. Blagojevich has said the appointment of a Senate successor, which is his choice alone, could come in a matter of weeks. heh heh...think that process just got longer
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2008 09:22 ||
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Posted by: Scott R ||
12/09/2008 10:51 Comments ||
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#9
Good. They got Ryan. Now this crook. How about da mayor ? When do they shackle Rezko ? Can the great Bambalooza be far behind ? He's one of the mayor's favorites. What a den of crooks.
#10
I was wondering when this would break. Blago has been selling everything he could get his hands on since being elected. Now he can join former Gov. Ryan in the jug. Maybe Durbin was setting the stage to get the Pres to pardon Roddie. Gotta love Illinois - can't tell the inmates without a scorecard.
#11
From this morning's Trib on-line. Must be somethin in the water.
3 former Illinois governors, Kerner, Walker, Ryan, served prison time since early 1970s
By The Associated Press
9:30 AM CST, December 9, 2008
Three former Illinois governors have gone to prison in the past 35 years.
Otto Kerner, a Democrat who was governor from 1961 to 1968, served less than a year of a three-year sentence after his 1973 conviction on bribery, tax evasion and other counts. He was convicted of arranging favorable horse racing dates as governor in return for getting horse racing association stock at reduced prices. Kerner died in 1976.
Dan Walker, a Democrat who was governor from 1973 to 1977, served 1½ years of a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty in 1987 to bank fraud, misapplication of funds and perjury. The charges were not related to his service as governor.
George Ryan, a Republican who was governor from 1999 to 2003, was convicted of corruption in 2006 for steering state contracts and leases to political insiders while he was Illinois secretary of state and then governor. He is serving a 6½-year prison term.
In addition, William Stratton, governor from 1953-1961, was later indicted but was acquitted on charges of income tax evasion.
Indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's election loss may have cost him more than just his congressional seat. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who likely faces a trial next year on bribery and money laundering charges, can no longer offer his resignation as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. Jefferson has pleaded not guilty in the case, which started in 2005 when federal agents found $90,000 in alleged bribe money stashed in the freezer of his Washington home.
That led to last year's indictment on charges that he took bribes, laundered money and misused his congressional office for business dealings in Africa. Jefferson has promised there is an "honorable explanation" for the money in the freezer, although he has yet to make it public. His campaign did not return a call for comment Monday.
He lost Saturday's hurricane-delayed election to Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao, who will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress.
Jefferson faces up to 235 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
"That was a huge bargaining chip: 'I'll plead, I'll resign.'" said Ed Chervenak, political science professor at the University of New Orleans. The loss also could also lessen the nine-term congressman's ability to get a deal for members of his family who face charges in separate cases, Chervenak said.
"I'll resign, don't indict my family? That's gone now," he said.
While the congressman was indicted in Virginia, his brother Mose and sister Betty, a New Orleans tax assessor, have been indicted on federal fraud charges in New Orleans. Both are accused of using family-owned companies to funnel federal and state grant money to themselves for personal use. A second sister, Brenda Jefferson, pleaded guilty in June to helping conceal the alleged scheme.
With his congressional seat no longer at stake, Jefferson may be more likely to accept a plea deal if he believes prosecutors have a strong case, said Dane Ciolino, a law professor at Loyola University. "Only because he's got less to lose now," Ciolino said. His seat "is something he had and didn't want to lose before."
National Republicans backing Cao emphasized the corruption allegations against Jefferson, Louisiana's first black congressman since Reconstruction. Cao won with 50 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 47 percent in a district dominated by African-Americans and Democrats.
Cao ran an enthusiastic and well-financed grass-roots campaign, but it was a series of improbable circumstances starting with Jefferson's indictment that led to his victory.
Hobbled by the scandal, Jefferson drew six opponents in this year's Democratic primary and had to fight for a runoff victory Nov. 4, when Barack Obama's presence on the national ballot generated higher black turnout.
An analysis of Saturday's results show turnout was low, about 30 percent, for white voters, but even lower, about 15 percent, for black voters.
Bill Rouselle, a New Orleans political consultant, said many black voters either thought Cao had little chance of winning or didn't realize the state's election system had recently changed and Jefferson still had to face a Republican opponent after winning the party primary runoff.
Had hurricanes Ike and Gustav not forced officials to delay primaries, the general election would have been Nov. 4. As the Democratic candidate, Jefferson likely would have benefited from the Obama-fueled turnout, which exceeded 40 percent in predominantly black precincts.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2008 00:00 ||
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The Big O will quietly pardon him, if the Big O's handlers say so.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/09/2008 1:06 Comments ||
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"Cold Cash" shouldn't mind going to jail. Don't they call it the "cooler"?
Lock him up for all 235 possible and tell him he's damned lucky he wasn't facing a firing squad.
#1
Maybe its a just a coincidence that on the same day Gov. Blagojevich is taken in for questioning that president and CEO of Mutual Bank, Amrish Mahajan, was served with papers relating to the Rezko/Obama land deal. Could it be that the Governors wife Patricia Blagojevich and the CEOs wife Anita Mahajans past indiscretions finally caught up with them? And do ya think First Lady-elect Michelle has ever had lunch with either of these two upstanding ladies from Cook County?
Search warrants were served Tuesday at the company's offices on the 17th floor of a Chicago office building at 220 S. State St. According to office workers across the hall, the offices had already been cleared out.
K.K. Bio-Science abruptly closed down Jan. 19, giving its employees no warning. Company representatives then spent the next week tossing records and office equipment into trash bins, said other building tenants.
"They threw away an incredible amount of stuff," said Paul Leslie Beals, who works across the hall at the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing. "I counted at least five Dumpsters in the hallway. There was a printer in there that one of my colleagues took. There were all kinds of files and documents. Somebody said they even saw some checks in the trash. They were throwing away everything."
Gov. Blagojevich's spokeswoman, Abby Ottenhoff, declined Tuesday to address the specifics of the investigation.
The criminal complaint filed today against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich contains a remarkable section detailing the Democratic politician's alleged attempt to cash in on his ability to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Attached to the U.S. District Court complaint is an FBI affidavit, excerpted below, alleging that Blagojevich was caught on wiretaps noting that the Senate seat "is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He was also recorded saying that unless "I get something real good," he would appoint himself to the vacancy. "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself." According to the surreptitiously recorded conversations, Blagojevich spoke with associates about the possibility of trading the Senate post for either an ambassadorship or a Cabinet post. The Democratic politician, according to the affidavit sworn by FBI Agent Daniel Cain, "analogized his situation to that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams." Blagojevich, 51, and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested this morning on political corruption charges.
#1
So, how much is a seat in the Senate worth these days?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
12/09/2008 13:04 Comments ||
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Less than what was spent on the Presidency. Unless the owners get into a bidding war like they do with their other hobby, professional sports teams.
#6
Yep, looks like the store is still open for business...
Illinois law allows Blagojevich to make an appointment while in jail. While the decision would be a disaster for Democrats politically, no one is ruling out that prospect. Any candidate appointed by the jailed governor would be immediately tainted, and would face immense hurdles winning on their own in 2010.
Blagojevich could also appoint a caretaker to the seat, but that also would not bode well for Democrats politically. Having a sitting Democratic senator from Illinois appointed by a jailed governor would hurt the partys chances of holding the seat in 2010.
Lieutenant governor Pat Quinn would take over if Blagojevich was forced to step down. Hes from the progressive wing of the state Democratic party, and is very close with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) Schakowsky was not considered a frontrunner in the appointment process, but could get newfound consideration if Quinn becomes governor.
On MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews often heaps scorn on politicians, but signs are growing that he wants to be one of them.
In recent weeks, Matthews has ramped up his exploration of a 2010 campaign, as a Democrat, against Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.). He has discussed the dynamics of a possible run with prominent Democratic fund-raisers, strategists and leaders from across his native Pennsylvania, according to several people who have spoken with Matthews during the last several months. He also is considering buying a house in the state.
It would help to live there ...
All the activity has set the political world abuzz but also fueled speculation that Matthews is using his inquiry to gain leverage with MSNBC executives in negotiations for a contract extension.
If I were those executives I'd wish him well and pledge $50 to his campaign ...
"He is clearly interested," said Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, a former congressman who was the Democratic nominee against Specter in 2004. Matthews has consulted him twice in the last six weeks.
"I told him his celebrity is a double-edged sword," Hoeffel said. "It gives him name recognition, but when national celebrities come home after many years they run the risk of resentment. . . . He needs to go on a six-month listening tour, spend 2009 getting around Pennsylvania. It would gain him a ton of information and contacts, and demonstrate he's serious."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Can the GOP get a non-RINO ready in case Specter decides to retire?
Posted by: Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton- D Ark NY ||
12/09/2008 14:39 Comments ||
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The Kansas governor is from Ohio. Pretty common deal anymore; get the cash and backing then find a position anywhere to compete for. Carpetbaggers indeed.
Celebrity: you will be a loudmouthed smokescreen for policy before we throw you under to bus to save our asses.
The missing 133 ballots in a Minneapolis precinct are going to stay missing - at least for now. City spokesman Matt Laible said today that officials had suspended the search for the ballots that began after they turned up missing in the waning hours of last week's U.S. Senate recount.
The matter will be turned over to the state Canvassing Board, which will decide whether the 133 will be officially counted, Laible said.
The ballots at issue are from the Dinkytown neighborhood, a heavily Democratic area, and a comparison of Election Day results and recount totals indicates that not counting them could cost Franken a net of 46 votes. That has prompted his campaign to complain loudly about the disappearance. The campaign of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, however, expressed skepticism that the ballots were truly lost.
After the discovery of the ballots' disappearance Wednesday, city elections officials scoured the warehouse in northeast Minneapolis where the recount was conducted, on the belief that the ballots, in a single envelope, had made it from the church to the warehouse.
Franken's campaign also complained today that several counties are balking at separating out crucial rejected absentee ballots in the U.S. Senate recount, saying the process is necessary to ensure that persons casting votes be accurately counted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Those are not missing - they were likely run twice by mistake on election night.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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