Rezko’s world
Friday, Mar 7, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This opening statement by the defense will almost certainly come back to bite them in the posterior…
Wilmette businessman Tony Rezko raised money for candidates in both political parties — including Democratic Gov. Blagojevich, former GOP Gov. Jim Edgar and Illinois senator turned Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama — but he never asked for anything in return, Rezko’s lead defense counsel said this afternoon.
* This, however, will be more effective…
“The government has embraced what will probably be the most corrupt individual you will ever see in your life –a very, very sophisticated con man in the fullest sense of the word,” Duffy said in an opening statement.
He said claims about Rezko’s role in the corruption by Levine are false and began as name dropping to impress people. He said Levine is now lying about Rezko in hopes of getting a lenient 67-month prison sentence.
* A surprisingly large number of the charges against Rezko are based on what Stu Levine told others. And Levine has a whole lot of problems…
“Mr. Levine’s days at times would include the substance Special K — and it wasn’t the cereal,” he said.
Instead, it was ketamine, an animal tranquilizer that Levine took in liberal amounts, as well as cocaine, ecstasy, pot and crystal meth, he said.
* But the defense is gonna have to overcome stuff like this…
“Defendant Rezko was the man behind the curtain pulling the strings,” Hamilton told jurors as the trial expected to last three to four months and hand Blagojevich a nasty black eye got under way.
One of the first witnesses, FBI agent Charles A. Willenborg, said that federal investigators have identified $1,437,350 raised by Rezko for Blagojevich from 2000 to December 2004.
* Barack Obama wasn’t mentioned by prosecutors yesterday, but the defense dropped his name, which got some people all atwitter…
Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s attorney on Thursday invoked presidential front-runner Barack Obama’s name in telling jurors what good judgment Rezko has in picking friends — an unwelcome compliment for Obama — as yet another federal corruption trial involving Illinois politics gets under way.
As if to make sure jurors were getting the point, the defense also noted that the star witness against Rezko was a disciple of disgraced former Gov. George Ryan.
* Obama has admitted time and again the two men were friends and that Rezko raised money for him, so it’s really not a huge deal. As I told you late yesterday, Obama is seriously considering doing a press conference to explain all that went on between them.
He needs to do it soon, because half-baked stories like this are beginning to spread…
Accused Illinois fixer Antoin “Tony” Rezko is in debt by $50 million and relies on “family” handouts of $7,500 a month to pay monthly costs, according to a previously sealed court transcript reviewed by ABC News.
Rezko’s bleak financial picture raises the question of how the Rezkos were able to buy a vacant lot adjoining the home of Sen. Barack Obama in 2005, at a time Rezko says he was already in deep debt.
Super-active, bigtime developers like Rezko rarely have a lot of cash on hand. They live on borrowed money. They were able to “afford” the lot because Rezko, like most other developers, had a giant line of credit, which dried up after he was indicted.
* And, finally, I will say this again: if Jimmy DeLeo was the “real” governor, we wouldn’t have been in session for eleven months last year. That notion simply defies all reality. Influence? Sure. Friendship? Certainly. Does he call the shots? Preposterous.
- DumberThanYouThink - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:35 am:
So while the “we Don’t Know and We Don’t Care” Crowd was busy lying to most county chairmen, ward committeeman, campaign activists, etc.; TR was sitting in on job interviews.
That should be well received
- wordslinger - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:53 am:
Random thoughts:
They couldn’t get Rezko on tape discussing the schemes? That doesn’t bode well for the prosecution, I would think.
Tony didn’t ask for anything in return — except to have a big say in who was being hired.
Obama has mismanaged this house situation terribly. Now, a let-it-all-out press conference appears to be forced upon him and his answers will have less credibility
DeLeo drives a Bentley? Public service has its rewards.
- Quiet on the set! - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 10:57 am:
Levine may have been on drugs but I don’t think his microphone was.
- Ghost - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 12:40 pm:
Rezko biggest hrudle is his position that he was completly uninvolved at all. But the firts witness talks about him being present at key interviews of top employees, and at strategy sessions dealing with govt operations, which makes no sense if he is not influence pedling. Why have the guy at these things if he is not controlling them. Then there is his lieing about how much monmey he raised…why lie about it if levine made everything up….then there is the tape recordings.
Rezko’s story about it being all Levine does not add up with the non levine peices of the puzzle. He needs a different explanation, this one does not fit.
- steve schnorf - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 12:41 pm:
Excuse me, John, for asking that you be specific. Exactly who of Cellini’s Reublican friends helped elect a Democrat Governor, and how did they go about that?
- VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 12:47 pm:
Q: Sources have said the senator has long used the words “political godfather” to describe how he views Tony Rezko. Is that true? If so, what does that mean, and why does — or did — he feel that way?
A: The Senator has never used that phrase in relation to Tony Rezko.
- Sun-Times’ questions, and Obama campaign’s answers, April 23, 2007
But that hasn’t stopped this from becoming an attractive sound bite recently. I am hearing it repeatedly. It is too catchy to forget and it sounds too “Chicagoan” not to be true to many voters.
He’s got a problem.
- Kevin Fanning - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 1:33 pm:
Watch it nino or you risk getting the boot
- What A Bundle - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:01 pm:
The most revealing info was Rod’s finance director testifying under oath that they kept a database that allowed them to track the credit given to TR and many others for the contributions they brought in. This is nothing new but the guy who was going to end the old way of doing business and pay to play found it necessary to systematically track the bagmen and monitor if they were meeting their expectations/quotas. Why would records be kept in this fashion except to use in rewarding goodies which has taken place nonstop for 5 plus years. Of course he has always said he has no idea how much people give and raise. Another look at what went to friends and clients of all these now identified bundlers would be instructive. TR got his share, but he is not alone.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:14 pm:
Steve, Bill C. saw the changing tide and decided not to anger the incoming governor. To me, the writing is on the wall. Cellini has prospered just as much under Blago as he has under other governors.
- Can't quit laughing... - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:22 pm:
Quiet on the set!, that is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time! Good one!
- Reddbyrd - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 2:39 pm:
How did the GOPs help Blaggo get elected?
1. Got someone else named Ryan to run in 2002
2. Got the AccordianGal to run in 2006
Next question.
- steve schnorf - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 3:36 pm:
Kass said Cellini’s friends. That’s pretty specific. Who are they, and what did they do? And, BTW, don’t demean Jim Ryan or JBT to me. They both were very good public servants. Who, in this state, should we Republicans have nominated that would have beaten Blago?
- Anonymous - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 3:44 pm:
Steve, did the GOP really put ALL of its support and resources behind JBT in a serious effort to get her elected?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 3:45 pm:
Enough. Move along.
- Pete Mitchell - Friday, Mar 7, 08 @ 9:01 pm:
Since when is it important what kind of cars politicians drive and where they vacation? that is some real crack reporting.
Rich, good move calling Kass out on the “real governor” comments.
- Iceman - Saturday, Mar 8, 08 @ 8:24 pm:
Pete, you must have ejected once without your brain pan tightly fastened.
The question of where Uncle George vacationed and how he “paid” for it turned out to be fairly important to the US Attorney.
Questions about the “lifestyle” of a legislator who drives a $175,000 automobile (I’ve seen it, but never in the ‘Patch, though) takes fancy vacations, and wears $5000 Brioni suits (”hey I gotta guy onna Irving dat gets ‘em for half”) with no readily apparent major source of income to fund that lifestyle are absolutely fair game for the press.
I agree the “real governor” stuff is overblown. Kass clearly has the wrong Italian.