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* 1:50 PM - There’s been a whole lot of speculation that Greenlee is “Deputy Governor A” in the federal criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich and John Harris.
Well, Greenlee just resigned…
A spokeswoman for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says one of his top aides has resigned.
Spokeswoman Kelley Quinn on Wednesday said Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee resigned. The reason for his resignation wasn’t immediately clear.
Greenlee’s resignation comes a day after Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges.
Greenlee was promoted to be a top aide to Blagojevich in June, replacing former Deputy Governor Sheila Nix. Greenlee had been a top administration aide previously.
Thanks once again to a commenter.
* 2:01 PM - The Illinois Senate is convening Monday at 5 o’clock and then against Tuesday morning at 10. They can’t convene much earlier than that on Monday because the electoral college is meeting that morning. Fun.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 1:53 pm
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Things are rather fluid.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 1:54 pm
Hey Look, A Kitty!
Stated by Mr. Greenlee as he walked out of the JRTC.
Comment by SLICK Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 1:55 pm
Quite.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 1:55 pm
Maybe he is going to get a higher paying job so he can pay his legal bills.
Even if not charged or if innocent, a lot of people caught up in these high-level govt scandals have to pay huge legal fees to extricate themselves.
Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:01 pm
Well, let’s hope he did it out of principle. There’s no reason for loyalty when your boss is (presumably) corrupt.
Greenlee’s a smart guy. I’m hoping this resignation is the first of many to come.
Comment by Macbeth Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:01 pm
If people weren’t running away already, they’re going to be leaving him in droves. I’ve never seen anything like this!
Comment by Levois Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:04 pm
Who is the Chairman of his committee?
Comment by anon Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:04 pm
Now if his former boss would just repeat the process life would be easier for all.
Comment by Dan S, a Voter and Cubs Fan Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:04 pm
There’s been so many comments in the past two days it’s been tough to keep up, but I haven’t seen a lot of chatter about how the international olympic committee folks are going to take all this… thoughts?
Comment by Team America Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:06 pm
Team America, any short, unbiased history of the IOC will quickly reveal they’ve had no problem with corruption, and a lot worse, in their short history.
Put it this way, Chicagoan Avery Brundage, longtime chair of the IOC, always said his favorite games were the 1936 Summers at Berlin and Winters at Garmish. In fact, he was buried at Garmish. His successor, Sammarch (sp), came out of Gen. Franco’s movement in Spain. Remember the Salt Lake City bribery that Mitt was brought in to clean up?
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:11 pm
A couple years ago I gave a rundown here on a number of people involved in one way or another in “job peddling” or forcing agencies to take politically connected people, circumvent or outright ignoring Rutan. The FBI investigated that and found it to be credible and information was submitted to the then seated Grand Jury. It is likely that this will be the undoing of many of these people, many of whom have transferred from the agencies they were in at the time to their present hiding places. This cannot be a comfortable time for them, and it should not be. This ongoing investigation alone would have sent the gov to the slammer. The incredible stupidity displayed by his fullness in the recent run of arrogance was simply too much for the feds to hold off on. After Fitz’s encouragement yesterday for citizens, suspecting pay to play job assignments to come forward, the flood gates of evidence will pour in. It is a good day for us and a bad, bad day for them.
Comment by Justice Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:13 pm
I’m not sure at this point that I would call anyone on Blago staff “smart”, especially anyone who has gone to work for him in the past two years.
Comment by Little Egypt Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:19 pm
The Guardian is calling Fitzgerald “Man who brought down Blagojevich”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/10/barackobama-congress
Comment by Ahem Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:21 pm
Is Fitzgerald the next Jim Thompson?
Comment by Shelbyville Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:23 pm
I just got a call from Lansing, MI number polling me about Blago. Some of the questions: Do you think he should resign or stay in office? Do you think he should be impeached? Do you think he or Quinn should appoint the Senator? (BTW, nothing on a special election.) Plus demographics.
Any ideas about who commissioned this?
Comment by I knew it before term one Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:23 pm
bob is a good guy. i am sad for him to be dumb and get wrapped up in this, i didn’t realize he drank the kool-aid that strongly.
Comment by green line Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:30 pm
If I had to guess, Deputy Governor A is LouAnner Peters, not Bob Greenlee. First, there was talk of putting DGA into the Senate seat as a seat warmer. Peters is more likely for that than Greenlee. Second, s/he got questioned by the Gov on the tapes about the hospital reimbursements, not in Greenlee’s area. My guess, he quit because he’s disgusted. And too smart to stick around.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:30 pm
===If I had to guess, Deputy Governor A is LouAnner Peters, not Bob Greenlee.===
Deputy Governor A is referred to in the complaint as a “he.”
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:35 pm
Shelbyville: Fitzgerald the next Jim Thompson?
I hope not as what I saw of his span as Governor, though less confrontational, seemed to have an awful lot of the same kind of crap going on in the background.
Comment by Pot Stirrer Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:35 pm
Bob greenlee is one of the smartest people you will ever meet.
Leaps and bounds. Feel sorry for such a bright and good-hearted person to be caught up in this mess.
Comment by 888 Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:38 pm
===Deputy Governor A is referred to in the complaint as a “he.”===
On page 46 of the complaint…
===Deputy Governor A confirmed that he has people doing the “research right now.”===
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:39 pm
The Senate is to convene at 5pm? The Electoral College is scheduled for 10am — does it take that long to clean up after them?
Comment by IllinoisEddie Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:41 pm
I think it would have been wise for Mr. Fitz to have given a phone number or email address or something to direct those with information on corruption to submit. It should have been flashing on the screen as he spoke. How about someone doing so here?
Comment by You Go Boy Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:46 pm
Maybe they will get the proctors at the CMS testing facility who flip a switch under their desk so the answers to the vaguely worded questions become wrong.
Comment by SPFLDnet Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:59 pm
Bob Greenlee is a great man - smart and very talented. He obviously got way, way in over his head. Sad.
Comment by get a grip Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 2:59 pm
Get a grip, Greenlee sounds a lot like Scooter Libby
Comment by Luis Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:02 pm
How long will it take to remove all of the unqualified, over paid hacks from the State’s payroll? I was there for only the first two years of the Blago admin. and there were quite a few (dozen) of these people at the department I was in. It will take a lot of work to dig through all of the paperwork, if there is any.
Comment by Big Mama T Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:10 pm
Don’t know Greenlee personally, but if he were that smart he would have gotten out of this administration a long time ago.
Comment by Master of the Oblivious Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:12 pm
Bob Greenlee is a stand up guy. Really bright. It’s too bad he got caught up in this crap.
Comment by Ditto Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:16 pm
Justice, your post was very prescient. Mr. Greenlee was and is no Gandhi and he is resigning quite likely to make the inevitable perp walk a bit less public.
He, and other similarly situated “Deputy Governors” or others who signed off for the Governor or GOMB on the hundreds of tainted hires are in a world of hurt.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:19 pm
If anyone could convince Mrs. Edgar to let Jim run, I think the former Governor would win 60% of the vote in 2010. A Edgar/Kirk ticket in a probable bad off year election for the DEMS would be formidable.
Comment by Luis Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:25 pm
I see Blago’s former Deputy, Sheila Nix, jumped ship last year and ended up on the CTA Board.
How lovely
Comment by Luis Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:32 pm
In my dealings with Bob, I found him to be a very smart and reasonable person, despite the idiotic and questionable things his former director at GOMB had him doing. However, I also found him to be someone who drank the kool-aid big-time. Hopefully he is clean in all of this.
Comment by Former 4d3 Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:40 pm
As to Fitz flashing a number for citizens to call - Maybe he could just get Billy Mays of TV ad fame to do an ad for the Feds. Would be a classic.
Comment by A Citizen Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:48 pm
I worked with Bob before he became Deputy Governor. He is a very bright guy, so it was odd that he took the position in the first place. Filan was his boss and he held his ground. Maybe he was given a choice, become head of GOMB or become Deputy Governor, who knows. I never worked with Dean Martinez, but I agree with Bebe about Louanner.
Also, did anyone else notice that Filan was made head of the IFA on 11/12? Blago mentioned that even if he left his position, he would have appointees still in place to help with the sale of Wrigley Field…hmmmm, who could that be?
Comment by Shallow Pharnyx Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:54 pm
So what happens now to all of the agency directors who show up as a Rezko-linked appointee?
Comment by From the Sidelines Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:56 pm
What’s that saying about rats leaving a sinking ship?
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 3:57 pm
Not sure about the rats, but I prefer Kass. Those that get on the Federal Bus first get the best seats. Those that wait get tossed under the bus.
Comment by How Ironic Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 4:08 pm
Concur: Bob Greenlee is a young guy who is both very bright and good-hearted. Intelligence and wisdom don’t always go hand in hand, particularly in your early 30s–and particularly when someone is a relative political novice.
Of course, scope of his involvement is yet to be determined. But looks as if he got in over his head.
Can’t say this about many in the Blago administration, but I very much hope he recovers from this.
Comment by Anon Too Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 4:12 pm
Bob Greenlee is a friend of mine and faithful public servant. I wish him well.
Comment by Black Ivy Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 4:13 pm
Somewhere, Elvis weeps….
Comment by Conservative Republican Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 4:17 pm
Maybe Bob Greenlee can make a comeback like John “Quarters” Boyle did with the State Tollway Commission.
Comment by Luis Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 4:20 pm
This administration brought in its fair share of hacks as did the admninstrations that preceded it. But it also brought in many bright, hard-working, dedicated people, Bob Greenlee was definitely one of them, who will be left out in the cold. Every time an administration changes, I feel bad for the political hires who worked their tails off and got dumped by the new guy.
Comment by Sap Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 5:00 pm
Bob is a smart guy but not always pleasant and he definitely drank the Kool-Aid by the gallons. He spent years as Filan’s de facto enforcer and learned from his boss well. He intimidated and threatened people to get the job done as a GOMB staff person and deputy chief of staff. It appears he just continued that method of operating as a deputy governor. I find it difficult to admire a bully for his smarts.
Comment by zeke Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 5:31 pm
Folks, what document are you reading? those who enable or facilitate corruption aren’t stand up guys, they’re just corrupt.
One trait of “Stand-up guys” is that, in the tough moments, when others woudn’t, they stand up. Deputy Governor A had his moment…”What do you think of that idea?” How about “it’s crazy” or “it’s illegal” or “why don’t we run that one by the lawyers” or “splunge” or anything but giving voice to essentially a word for word summary of the tribune plot that was put into place after “he” put it into words. The only appropriate description of “Deputy Governor A” - if the audio tapes were appropriately transcribed - is either “Co-conspirator” or “Co-Defendant. If that person also happens to be Bob Greenlee, which seems likely, as he is the only DG who was also a “he” when the conversations took place, then Bob Greenlee is neither a “stand-up guy, nor a “good public servant”. If he were, the whole hare-brained idea may have been shot down in the minute that it was brought up.
If the U.S. Attorney who was smart enough to bring this investigation to this point couldn’t figure out that Ms. Peters is not a “he”, then I take it all back.
Comment by Are you kidding me? Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 5:58 pm
Fitzgerald has surpassed Thompson’s career as a U.S. Attorney by a longshot. He’s probably the greatest USAT public oorruption prosecutor in history based upon his results. Who else will have presided over the investigation and conviction of two Governors? I know its a team effort - other attorneys and the FBI - but great job everyone!!!
Comment by Captain America Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 6:07 pm
I have worked with Bob Greenlee in both of the Agencies I worked for during the last six years. I found him to be both an intelligent and a bright individual. I only wish for him the best in the future and I hope that any issues that arise from this he can rise above.
Comment by the ole precinct captain Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 7:22 pm
Those who would tout Edgar as governor: Don’t for a minute think that MSI didn’t reach to the top of his administration and most likely to Edgar himself.
Comment by Not so fast on Edgar Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 8:38 pm
Sap,
I agree with what you are saying. I have worked with some great people that have started working for the state or who have advanced under this administration. I have also seen my share of worthless hacks. This was the same under the Ryan administration but I noticed you forgot to acknowledge that. Many of the Blago people came in the door with the attitude of if you were here before us, you are bad. I wonder how they view it now. Should they be held to the same standard when Gov. Quinn takes office?
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 9:23 pm
He’s probably the greatest USAT public oorruption prosecutor in history based upon his results.
But, to paraphrase Rich, he has had such a “target rich environment” to work in, and it couldn’t have been too much more difficult than shooting fish in a barrel, or at least fishing in an overstocked pond.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 9:53 pm
Six, a lot of difficult things look easy from a distance, like downhill skiing, car racing, or beating Michael Jordan one-on-one.
I agree that Fitz had a target rich environment. However, there was a great deal of good old police work, a handful of early cooperating witnesses who put their livelihoods and perhaps more at risk by taking out Stu Levine (and I’m not talking about that opportunistic bleep Pamela Davis) and that old deadly sin, greed.
My final memory of Greenlee is of him giving the death stare to a guy who dared dis the last goofy Filan idea to sell pension bonds, lease the lotto, etc. BTW, that guy was right. If the State had sold those pension bonds, the $16 billion would be worth about $11 billion right now.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 10:15 pm
So whats the over/under on USAT’s tenure once prez-elect takes office?
Comment by chessplayer Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 10:51 pm
To “not so fast on Edgar” - BRAVO!
Let’s not forget that for a botched MSI prosecution, the grand jury’s indictment of Janis Cellini and Michael Belletire would have gone forward. (And for those of you who don’t remember, their being named as unindicted co-conspirators was documented in the September 2000 issue of Illinois Issues - last time I checked, those issues were archived at NIU’s library website).
Comment by Smitty Irving Wednesday, Dec 10, 08 @ 11:42 pm
“I find it difficult to admire a bully for his smarts.”
“My final memory of Greenlee is of him giving the death stare to a guy who dared dis the last goofy Filan idea to sell pension bonds, lease the lotto, etc. BTW, that guy was right.”
Greenlee is Filan, Jr. They both are smart men, but neither was a leader. There are three important traits of a great leader: Smarts, energy and ethics. They had the first two but failed miserably on the last one. Their schemes and need to control almost everything and everybody made many of the true leaders with promise ineffective. Those folks have left long ago out of frustration.
Now Filan and several Agency Directors should follow Greenlee’s lead and leave.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 11, 08 @ 12:59 am