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* The theme of a new Village Voice article about the Blagojevich administration is familiar: Blagojevich was a crook who surrounded himself with crooks. The angle is somewhat unique, though: Former Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk’s alleged role in the corruption. The story’s hook is that Tusk was recently named to run NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign, a job Tusk has never before held. The tone is harsh and conspiratorial…
Unlike so many other onetime Blagojevich supporters, Tusk has yet to say one critical word about the former governor. […]
The Chicago Sun-Times compared Tusk to Karl Rove […]
It’s hard to imagine that Tusk, an alert and 12-hour-a-day man, was unaware of this mire all around him […]
The first 31 pages of the 76-page arrest affidavit recount events that occurred while Bradley Tusk was at the helm of the government and notes that the government began the probe in 2003. […]
The Bloomberg campaign claimed a couple of months ago that Tusk had never been questioned, much less implicated, in the investigations—by either federal or state officials—of Blagojevich. But the Voice has obtained a copy of his June 22, 2006, interview with the state’s Auditor General, William Holland, which establishes his culpability for a flu vaccine program that the state itself conceded, when sued by an unpaid vendor, was illegal. […]
In a letter to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, written just eight days after Tusk’s campaign appointment was announced by Bloomberg, the impeachment committee included him on a list of 15 former Blagojevich staffers it wanted to subpoena. Fitzgerald objected, asking the committee not to question any of them, including Tusk, because it “could significantly compromise the ongoing criminal investigation.” […]
Fitzgerald’s criminal complaint against Blagojevich alludes repeatedly to a Blagojevich flight aboard a chartered private plane to New York in 2003 that Tusk helped organize and that included a press conference with Bloomberg about the drug importation program. Five of the seven people aboard—excluding only Tusk and Blagojevich’s bodyguard—have since been charged with federal crimes, and all but the former governor have pled guilty. […]
Edwin Eisendrath, the former Chicago alderman who ran against Blagojevich in the Democratic primary, said: “It’s unimaginable that Tusk didn’t know about the corrupt selling of public services.”
And on, and on, and on, and on.
You have to get to the end of this very long piece before you see the Tusk that some of us knew…
Regenstein tries to put some perspective on his and Tusk’s efforts: “We knew the governor had flaws. We knew all this was going on, but we had no way of knowing if the accusations were true or not. Brad always said to me, ‘How many people did we help?’ We were trying to stay focused on policy.” […]
Aware, no doubt, that the feds were everywhere, when Tusk got campaign calls on his personal cell phone, says Regenstein, he would leave his office in the government center and “go to common space” in the building so he was not doing campaign work “on government time.”
Tusk was a Blagojevich enabler and willfully ignorant. He got out while the getting was good and has since stayed as far away as possible. But while I’ve had countless disagreements with him over policy or style or whatever, I never thought him to be corrupt - at least, not when compared to the typical Blagojevich insider.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:22 am
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== Tusk was a Blagojevich enabler and willfully ignorant. ==
Is that not the same thing as corrupt? I know its different when you know people, but come on, from what you have posted from this article, I dont see how this is a “Hit Job” by the Village Voice.
Comment by Speaking at Will Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:29 am
==Aware, no doubt, that the feds were everywhere, when Tusk got campaign calls on his personal cell phone, says Regenstein, he would leave his office in the government center and “go to common space” in the building so he was not doing campaign work “on government time.”==
Just because he went to “common space” when he got calls on his cell phone doesn’t mean he wasn’t doing campaign work on government time -unless all those calls were after 5 p.m.
Comment by Anonymous ZZZ Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:37 am
The faint praise still rings hollow. That guy and Monk actually ran our government for a couple of years while Elvis was out touring. No way anyone can convince me, or more importantly, a grand jury, that he was unaware of or somehow “above” these kinds of details. Not when the corruption ran so deep that it had an affect on nearly every state agency and office and program. I don’t know him on a personal level, he might be a really nice guy, then again, there are mobsters that have been described that way too. Your great personality doesn’t get you off the hook for your bad judgement. Tusk and Monk made Faustian bargains and the bills are now coming due.
Comment by Gregor Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:41 am
Yeah, well , at least the trains ran on… well, nevermind…
Comment by Bennie Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:42 am
Not sure if he’s a “really nice guy.” That’s not what I’m basing my opinion on.
Try not to jump to so many conclusions. Not everybody who worked for RRB was a crook. Some were, to be sure. Many weren’t.
And to claim that a grand jury won’t believe his story based on absolutely nothing is very borderline. I’ve deleted people for less. Watch yourselves.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 11:45 am
I have no idea if Tusk was personally corrupt or not but being an enabler in many ways is just bad. Every person, particularly the people at Tusk’s level, that willfully ignored what Blagojevich did helped to continue the culture of corruption that has plagued Illinois. Far to many people in Illinois government and the public in general have tolerated corruption and allowed the culture to take hold.
Comment by RMWStanford Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:07 pm
I never thought him to be corrupt - at least, not when compared to the typical Blagojevich insider.
While that is not an inaccurate statement in it’s entirety, you are describing a corrupted person. His career, while in Illinois, was used as a stepping stone and could be seen as a Faustian Bargain by an individual willing to bargain.
While his stated sentiments are appealing and noble-sounding, his action were neither. The end does not justify the means. Key government decision makers willing to accept otherwise are not serving the Public, and have been corrupted away from their own publically stated standards.
Tusk’s political success, so far, does not alter his corrupted past. Mayor Bloomberg should reconsider Mr. Tusk’s role in light of his personal involvement with Illinois’ most corrupted gubernatorial administration.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:08 pm
Without reaching any conclusions about Tusk — I’ve reached some, but it’s speculation — it seems like the real story here is that Blagojevich will become an issue in the NYC mayor’s race. That’s got to hurt Bloomberg, who is not so popular in NYC anymore I hear.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:09 pm
==Just because he went to “common space” when he got calls on his cell phone doesn’t mean he wasn’t doing campaign work on government time -unless all those calls were after 5 p.m. ==
And, according to the Administration’s high-tech ethics courses, doing campaign work on state property is a no-no, “common space” or not.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:11 pm
I am sure this account is true…these insiders used Rod to further their careers, fill their wallets, and knew what they were doing…there are many folks appointed by Blago currntly still employed in the upper echelons of State government that are complicit in the fleecing of state revenue for legitimate expenses that siphoned off money from the GRF to finance the “people friendly” initiatives cooked up by Tusk and Blago without going through the proper channels legislatively and otherwise… they are grown ups and had a choice about whether to be part of this, or not…What goes around comes around in this business and others…too effen bad…
Comment by Anonymous45 Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:31 pm
Well written article. I would like to note that it cites at least two pay-to-play schemes “were blocked by House Democrats.”
“I stood in opposition to Blagojevich, many times alone.” - Speaker
Thank you Speaker Madigan!
Comment by carbon deforestation Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:33 pm
Wow, did Bradley steal that author’s girlfriend?
Comment by Scooby Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:40 pm
knowing folks who were on the inside, and knowing Bradley, I would say the characterization of him as enabler is true - to a point.
Compared to later people in his position, Bradley Tusk was a far greater “no”-man than any of them combined.
Comment by George Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:45 pm
In a perfect world he would have cautioned Blagojevich or even stepped aside and given up the position in protest. But, like a lot of “well intended” people he elected to ignore the bad and try and exact some good from it. Unfortunately that is why we are where we are today in this national disgrace. The only way to fight corruption is to hit it head on. Far too many people turn a blind eye as long as it doesn’t affect them directly; afraid to lose their job; afraid of retaliation by their superiors; let someone else do it, I have kids in college, or I can make a difference because of my position. If it is wrong, assigning degrees of wrong does not make it any more right. Tusk was and is part of the problem. He turned away and watched other families suffer. We have stood by and let our political system become a culture of corruption….by degrees, ever so slowly, by ignoring those most egregious. That in my opinion puts him in the same bag as Blagojevich.
Comment by Justice Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:45 pm
Being an enabler does not make one crooked. MAny of us were enablers, from staff, to donors, even the media at times. I’ve worked for elected officials before, and most of us are enablers, whether we realize it or not. If you believe in what your boss is doing, you continue to press on and work through the accusations of corruption. If you didnt see the illegal activity, you have no way of knowing it happened. You can say what you want about that, but I know that Springfield is full of people who would be giulty of the same “enabler” definition if the wool were fully pulled back. Even in lover levels of government, subordinates often overlook a boss’s imperfections and loyalty causes them to soldier on. This isnt uncommon.
What is uncommon is somebody who worked as hard as Tusk and who genuinely cared for people and the policies that came out of that office as Tusk. He was one of a kind and was sorely missed as soon as he departed. I did know Bradley and he is a person if integrity who viewed his public service as his opportunity to get things done that helped real people.
Bradley had more guts than anybody I’ve seen in government — period.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:50 pm
“Willfully ignorant” sounds like you know something bad’s going on, you just don’t want to know exactly what it is, like the piano player in the bordello who can’t say for certain what’s going on upstairs.
And if enable that, you’re at least an accomplice, no? Morally, if not legally. There were plenty of them, GOP and Dems, and including the plurality of voters for the second term.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:53 pm
>
He could have easily been asking this in order to fluff the gov’s next speech.
Blago is one of the many politicians and advocates who conceal self interest behind pious gestures about “helping people”.
Given Tusk’s close proximity, what’s more likely, that he knew these were empty gestures, or that he struggled against his boss to somehow extract a bit of public benefit from them?
If he’s conducted himself in ways that suggest the latter, it sure doesn’t show.
Comment by Zora Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:53 pm
The quote I was commenting on didn’t show up for some reason. It was:
“Brad always said to me, ‘How many people did we help?’ We were trying to stay focused on policy.”
Comment by Zora Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 12:54 pm
One of my heroes was pretty corrupt - Harry Truman. But take a look at what he did to make amends, and ask yourself why this kind of honesty is rarely seen in today’s governments.
Like Roland Burris, Harry Truman had a cloud over his head when he entered the US Senate. And like Burris, Truman’s cloud was self-made. He was a shill for Tom Pendergast’s Kansas City machine and he owed his political success to Tom. Truman never denied this truth in public and even after Tom Pendergast spend years in jail, became a public pariah, and then died, Truman - then Vice President - didn’t shun his past. The newly elected Vice President attended Mr. Pendergast’s funeral against the protest of nearly the entire White House staff.
Truman earned his US Senate seat after it was handed to him by Mr. Pendergast. Truman was a lonely man during his first years in office. Even his wife abandoned him for her mother’s house in Missouri. Few senators spoke to “the senator from Pendergast”. Truman knew this and built up his own reputation with hard work and even harder ethics. By the time of his re-election in 1940, no one believed he would win. But Truman proved to Missouri’s voters that his Pendergast past was indeed past through his actions, not his words. Truman was the only person who believe he could be re-elected. This prepared him for his own election as president in 1948, didn’t it?
We need more honesty like this. If Mr. Tusk is really as great a guy as he hopes other believed him to be - he would acknowledge his Blagojevichian past and through his actions demonstrate his renewed sense of ethics and governmental standards. Citizens do believe in second chances, but first must come public admission of wrongs. Until guys like Tusk come forward to admit their ethical compromises, we have few reasons to trust him anymore.
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:05 pm
Guess he was the one driving the get away car, not the one robbing the bank.
Comment by Jacksonville Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:12 pm
Van Man, lol. Yur last post has a bigger stretch than Derrik Lee-which leads me to believe your up to something. So I won’t even bite any further.
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:16 pm
Through all my interactions with him, I found Bradley Tusk to be a straight shooter that was exclusively focused on moving good public policy. All Kids is a perfect example of the types of policy initiatives that moved under Tusk’s leadership. He was just about the only member of Blago’s inner circle that had a clue about how to move policy. For that he should be applauded.
Comment by Laborguy Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:33 pm
Tusk was up to his kiester in the foreign vaccine deal and the illegal importation of foreign drugs deal. Both were known to be unequivocally illegal and only in a small way were these done to “help people” - they helped almost no one. They were done to burnish the health meme about Blagovich, who Tusk expected to ride into the White House. Don’t paint this guy as a populist saint - his intentions were much less noble.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:34 pm
Hey Anonymous-
More than a half a dozen Democratic governors introduced similar drug importation programs. Your line on the “unequivocally illegal” drug importation program is straight out of the Carl Rove playbook. You are on-message for a right wing, pro drug company hack. Way to go, Dude!
Comment by Laborguy Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:45 pm
Have to agree with George @ 12:45…Bradley was only consistent “no” to RRB in the chorus of “yes” people that Rod surrounded himself with. Ultimately, that’s what did him in with Blagojevich.
Bradley was not loved by staff, and could be hard on people, but he was fair. He’d make a good CM for Bloomberg, it’s a shame that he’s getting torn down like this by the Voice.
Comment by Nice Suit Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 1:56 pm
{Tusk was a Blagojevich enabler and willfully ignorant. He got out while the getting was good and has since stayed as far away as possible. But while I’ve had countless disagreements with him over policy or style or whatever, I never thought him to be corrupt - at least, not when compared to the typical Blagojevich insider.}
Using the same measuring tape, what size suit would you fashion for David Wilhelm in this regard?
Comment by Quinn T. Sential Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 2:14 pm
and once Bradley left, there was no one willing to say NO to Blago, or was it that he didn’t listen to anyone who told him NO unless it was Bradley?…government by weaklings and/or those lacking in testicular/ovarian virility…LOL
Comment by Anonymous45 Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 2:27 pm
== “Willfully ignorant” sounds like you know something bad’s going on, you just don’t want to know exactly what it is, like the piano player in the bordello who can’t say for certain what’s going on upstairs. ==
LOL! Wordslinger, you always have a way of getting to me. Heres a visual for ya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqFWOCO0ySY
Comment by Speaking at Will Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 2:38 pm
Alot of very good people turned down jobs with the Blagojevich administration because they cared more about their reputation than the potential power or making a six-figure salary.
Tusk made his career choice, and these are the consequences.
One name not mentioned yet in this discussion: John Wyma.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 2:42 pm
I believe that the Chief of Staff’s job is to say “No, you can’t do that.” I don’t think that anyone ever told Blagojevich that.
Comment by Sangamon Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 3:25 pm
YDD, Wyma’s name is all over the Village Voice article.
Comment by the Other Anonymous Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 3:25 pm
“What is uncommon is somebody who worked as hard as Tusk and who genuinely cared for people and the policies that came out of that office as Tusk. He was one of a kind and was sorely missed as soon as he departed. I did know Bradley and he is a person if integrity who viewed his public service as his opportunity to get things done that helped real people.
Bradley had more guts than anybody I’ve seen in government — period.”
Amen to this. And anybody who says Tusk never said No to Blagojevich never set foot on 16. Because you could hear Bradley screaming “@#$% NO” to the Governor throughout the entire floor.
Bradley risked his own career by staying as long as he did, and he did it because of his heartfelt commitment to the policies he championed.
He’s a good man, and Bloomberg is lucky to have him. If I were staffing a lifeboat, Tusk is the first guy I’d pick. He might not always be polite, but everybody in our boat would get to shore alive.
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 4:12 pm
Reading the article and reading this thread leads me to assume (never assume my platoon sergeant always said) that Bradley Tusk is and was an amoral political climber. His Faustian bargain or bargains are catching up with him, whether from ingratiating himself with Blago or lying to Bloomberg to get the campaign manager job. The question will be whether he is merely publicly humiliated or indicted, perhaps convicted, and maybe imprisoned for those bargains.
Comment by walter sobchak Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 4:41 pm
–And anybody who says Tusk never said No to Blagojevich never set foot on 16. Because you could hear Bradley screaming “@#$% NO” to the Governor throughout the entire floor.
Bradley risked his own career by staying as long as he did, and he did it because of his heartfelt commitment to the policies he championed.–
Careful how you praise someone.
Given his position, some might want to know what he was “screaming @#$% NO” about at Blago (more than once, I take it), and how “he risked his own career staying as long as he did.”
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 4:44 pm
Wordslinger, thanks for your response. I should have been less emotional and more precise. When Tusk shouted his opposition to the Governor, it was about policies he thought were bad ideas. And he risked his career by working for the State even after the Governor’s legal problems became public.
In both instances, I thought Bradley was showing integrity — not the opposite.
Comment by soccermom Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 4:52 pm
Rich, I admit to be more black or white in my decision making than most but I don’t see any meaningful defense for any of the insiders of the Blago administratrion. My father had more than one kid to feed and the normal working stiffs debts. but on more than one occasion he quit a job rather than be even remotely included in any unethical behavior. Your are what you do and how you do it. If you ride with horse thieves you may well be hung with them. Tusk knew the risks and deserves the guff.
Comment by matthew Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 5:46 pm
You mean he only shouted his opposition about policies? What about politics? And the gov’s personal wants and legal problems?
Remember, Blago and his inner circle talked that those 24/7: “this decision, like every other one” needs to be based on “legal, personal, political.”
So Tusk worked on priority #4 (policy isn’t even mentioned, maybe it was priority #64), and yet he held an important post?
Comment by Zora Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 5:49 pm
I listened and read nearly every word uttered by Tusk.
He was clearly part of the problem.
The people & things that were a part of the State of Ilinois were used & abused at the pleasure & personal gain of Blago and his team. They did it openly and proudly.
As I think about the money squandered and programs dismantled, it seems so trivial as compared to the havoc wreaked upon on state employees and their families.
For Tusk and all others who participated in the bogus blago admin, there is not even a small degree of forgiveness or level of understanding offered in other post here today. NONE
Comment by Larry Mullholland Wednesday, Mar 11, 09 @ 10:04 pm
Tusk’s sins would be forgivable if it were only looking the other way while Blago and cronies committed crimes. Nobody is saying that every person who served in the Ryan administration should be permanently barred from positions of responsibility.
But the truth of the Blago administration is that it was terrible without even considering the criminality involved. The arrogance of Tusk, a 29 year old with NO experience in Illinois, let alone Illinois government, in taking the Dep. Gov. position and helping Rod to gut the functions of State government while proposing ludicrous policies and purposefully alienating every person they could is unforgivable.
Comment by Quizzical Thursday, Mar 12, 09 @ 9:06 am