* This can’t be good for Barack Obama’s post South Carolina momentum…
Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a key fundraiser for Gov. Blagojevich and other Illinois politicians, was arrested early today by federal agents after prosecutors alleged he had violated terms of the bond in his fraud case.
“Tony Rezko was arrested without incident at his home in Wilmette,” FBI spokesman Tom Simon said. “It was pursuant to a warrant issued following a government motion to revoke his bond.”
Rezko appeared briefly this morning before U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve, who is to preside over his fraud trial next month. Another hearing will be held at 12:30 p.m. today; Rezko remains in federal custody.
* More…
Investigators had in recent weeks become concerned about the movement of some of his finances, a source said.
- curious george - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:39 am:
The CLOCK has started….
I am just waiting to see how long it will take for someone to blame the Clinton campaign for this “untimely” arrest.
- A Citizen - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:44 am:
- curious george -
I think you just did, so you are the winna!
- YNM - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:45 am:
I agree it can’t be good. But I’m not sure how damaging it will actually be, either. Curious George - the blame for the Clinton camp will probably come about the same time that the Clinton camp tried to tie Obama to the arrest.
In all honesty, I think Obama’s best move would be to hold a press conference, come clean on the Rezko stuff and move on. He needs to own it before it owns him.
- YNM - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:47 am:
Rich must be sleeping or busy .. after all the talk recently about a Kennedy endorsement of Obama, I figured Ted’s Barack-backing would be here somewhere by now …
- Bill S. Preston, Esq. - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:48 am:
Why is it bad news? Obama advised him to violate his bond terms? I don’t see how it really makes a difference. If anything, it gives the campaign a test run of how questions might come at them once the trial is underway. Billary’s Rezko name-dropping during the debate (which wasn’t done very well) didn’t set off the kind of firestorm they, and others, expected. Regular people just don’t care that much.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:55 am:
I’ve been concerned about Rezko returning to Syria and avoiding this entire mess. It is good that he is in custody.
Obama’s supporters don’t care about his connections to Rezko because their support is based on faith - not facts. It will take a whole lot more to keep them from believing that Obama is sent from heaven to fulfill their boomer political fantasies and return the US to Camelots and Kennedys. Logic need not apply.
- Wumpus - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 9:58 am:
So a guy under federal indictment who haapened to give Obama a sweethart deal on some property which they happen to share..yes, they are/were neighbors…it may not say that Obama was giving him orders, but it is not a good thing.
- Bill Baar - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:10 am:
I’ve been concerned about Rezko returning to Syria and avoiding this entire mess.
Just what Democrats need.
- Anon - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:15 am:
Finally! VanillaMan brings honesty and sense to the folks who choose to believe in the wizard behind the curtain. The far off land of Oz-bama.
- Jon Shibley Fan - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:23 am:
“I’ve been concerned about Rezko returning to Syria and avoiding this entire mess.”
Well, I, for one, will sleep better tonight knowing your concerns are allayed.
Do you not recall he RETURNED from overseas when he was indicted? Now, I’ve never been indicted. But if I were, and I were considering jumping bail. And if I were already overseas in a country that would be unlikely to honor an extradition request from the US, I’m pretty sure that THAT’s when I’d opt to stay out of the US, rather than returning and trying to leave again (and I’d lay dollars to doughnuts the Fed has taken his passport).
- Anonymous45 - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:29 am:
I am hunkering down for a loooong primary season ‘tween Hill and Barack…I don’t think this event will effect BO’s throngs of supporters…his victory sppech irked me to no end …all fluff, no substance. He said he would rid DC of the influence of lobbyists…can we see his 1000 point plan to accomplish this? Didn’t think so…
- Be Real - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:40 am:
Jon Shibley makes a great point. I never understood why he came back-his lawyer must have a secret theory or he must have enough on someone to leverage an eventual pardon. Obama cannot come clean on this because to do so is just one side or the other of criminal conduct.
- one of the 35 - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 10:48 am:
Perhaps Rezco had to return to this country to “rearrange” his finances in preparation for a permanent departure. He might also have figured that he would never be convicted because of his many friends in high places.
- Anonymous45 - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 11:16 am:
“how convenient “as the church lady used to say…keep Tony in the pokey so he cannot be seen this week while his friend Obama is here sprinkling fairy dust…
- Leave a light on George - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 11:24 am:
Antoin you had better play nice with the feds or you’re not going to see the light of day for a long time. Give it up - all of it.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 11:29 am:
Why would an executive branch agency take action that would clearly help Clinton just before supertuesday?
- Bill - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 11:39 am:
Because Hillary Clinton is the Republicans’ only hope of keeping the White House.
- Greg - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 12:32 pm:
Yes, Bill, the federal judge was without doubt acting on behalf of the GOP in issuing this order.
- Be Real - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 1:27 pm:
Chiatty-my last comment was dumped, so let me rephrase. The problem with being linked to TR is that he will become even higher profile during his trial, which is difficult timing for BO.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 1:41 pm:
Tribune update at 1:15 p.m. now says his bond has been revoked which will keep him in custody indefinitely.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 1:50 pm:
Question: I noticed Rezko’s laywers are the same guys Rod’s campaign uses. Is the Friends of Blagojevich paying Rezko’s laywers? Or are the lawyers just keeping Blago posted. This seems like a conflict ?
- Garp - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 2:06 pm:
I have a conspiracy theory that I have wanted to espouse for quite a while.
The last thing Obama wants is the Rezco trial to be hot and heavy during the campaign. Rezco knows his case is a dead bang loser. Obama will have someone reach out to Rezco to get him to roll over and start singing. This will get the feds to go easier on Rezco and if Obama gets elected he can help even more by commuting or pardoning him.
There ya go. Now back to my Grisham novel.
- Anonymous45 - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 2:09 pm:
again-how convenient for BO-do ya think Daley called Bush to help Barack?
- Be Real - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 2:33 pm:
Question to Anonymous 1:50. More facts please. I thought Blago campaign is using Winston. They do not represent Rezko. Are you suggesting that Rezkos lawyers represent others involved in the investigations of the Administration? Not sure what is wrong with that without knowing more particulars.
Your comment is serious if you have any details.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 2:45 pm:
Oh, please are you trying to tell me Joseph Duffy has not done business with Friends of Blago ?
- Be Real - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 3:02 pm:
To anonymous 2:45. I have no idea. If the answer is yes, maybe there is something interesting. Do you have any information on a Duffy/Blago connect?
- curious george - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 3:07 pm:
Now that Rezko’s bond has been revoked and he cannot conveniently shift any more funds, the Feds have tight control over whom he can contact. More importantly, the Feds keep others away from him. With Rezko’s impending federal trial I would be more inclined to think this would be more a detriment to Public Official A’s team rather than the purported conflicts with any presidential aspirant.
- Garp - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 3:58 pm:
If Rezco’s bond is truly revoked and he has to stay in the can up to and during his trial I would bet he will flip before the trial even gets going.
- Bud Man - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 4:21 pm:
This is bad news for the Blago camp indeed . . . it seems ovbious that Tony was not looking foward to the prospect of a prison term, and now he gets a small taste of what that might be like.
Did anyone see the report the other day detailing how the feds gave the defense 1.5 million pages of documents pertaining to the case? 1.5 million!!! There is so much evidence, the feds gave the defense a searchable compute database of all it. Tony is toast, he’ll realize it, and now that he is in a vulnerable position, he’ll start singing.
- A Citizen - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 4:49 pm:
Oh if I had wings, o’er these prison walls I’d fly! Rezko, 1.5 million pages, searchable database? RICH, quick, FOIA that computer disc w/ the searchable database. Wonder how many times guv’s name or various pseudonyms (Public Official A etc.) is/are mentioned?
- A Citizen - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 5:19 pm:
When Rezko was abroad it was reported he was elbow deep in Iraq’s infrastructure projects (electricity generating plants) and he gets a 3.5 million loan or whatever form it truly is from a Syrian billionaire. Since he appears to be so cozy with the middle east folks, probably both our friends and foes, what the heck is guv thinking getting entangled with him? Is the guv just nuts?, oh but I repeat myself. Last I heard, Syria was considered a terrorist state.
- Cat - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 5:38 pm:
Could the Duffy team be paid by Friends of Blago to defend Rezko? That would explain the high legal fees for the campaign, and the reason Blago doesn’t want to answer any questions about it. Just asking…..
- Bud Man - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 6:27 pm:
Cat -
No, Friends of Blagojevich is not paying his legal bills. An earlier commentor asked this as well. Duffy works for Stetler and Duffy, Ltd. As far as I know, Friends of Blago has not paid a dime to this firm. The high legal bills of Blago are being paid to Winston & Straum. No connection and if there was one, it would have been front page news as soon as the campaign reports came out. Blago might be stupid (he’s admitted as much) but the people who run these things for him are not!
- jACK rYAN - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 8:38 pm:
There’s so much heat on Rezko right now and it’s only going to escalate in the coming weeks and months. Blagojevich and Obama would like nothing more than for Rezko to disappear into thin air. Rezko is the key to many things Blagojevich and Obama and could definitely screw up Obama’s bid for president, as for Blago, stick a fork in him, he’s done.
So is REZKO a Flight Risk? YOU BETCHA!
- anon - Monday, Jan 28, 08 @ 11:19 pm:
Hillary or Bill Clinton better not say anything about these Rezko developments or they will have more prominent Democrats like the Kennedy’s deserting them to the Obama Camp. South Carolina has shown the media will jump on the Clinton Camp if they even foresee any harsh criticisms of Barack. It’s seems to me that it is the media who is race baiting. If this continues you will see more white males going to Hillary. Let’s stick to the issues. I like Edwards but he doesn’t have a chance.