* 10:55 am - Not that I believe a single word that comes out of Stu Levine’s mouth, but this is worth noting. According to Levine, Gov. Blagojevich wanted Tony Rezko to monitor David Wilhelm’s success at winning contracts…
“My understanding was that Mr. Wilhelm’s success before the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board would be decided by Mr. Rezko and that would be based upon whether or not he felt Mr. Wilhelm was deserving of whatever the help he was seeking,” Levine testified.
“Mr. Rezko told me that Gov. Blagojevich and Mr. Rezko wanted to keep track of what clients Mr. Wilhelm had before various boards in the state of illinois and they wanted to keep track of what success he had and what success he did not have.”
Levine continued: “And that it should not be taken for granted that Mr. Wilhelm should be successful on anything (before) a board I was on unless I was specifically told by Mr. Rezko that he wanted him to be successful.”
They wanted “to assess the value of Mr. Wilhelm’s contribution to helping Gov. Blagojevich,” Levine said.
Wilhelm eventually left the state to care for an ailing parent. The rumor at the time, which has since been flatly denied, was that he had a major falling out with Blagojevich. Wilhelm chaired the governor’s 2002 campaign.
* 11:11 am - The Tribune has a few more details…
Through intermediaries, Levine said he conveyed to Edward [Hospital] officials that Wilhelm was on the outs with the administration. It was part of an elaborate shakedown scheme to convince Edward it needed to hire a corrupt contractor working with Levine if it wanted to get the go-ahead for its Plainfield facility.
What Levine and his confederates did not realize was that the hospital’s chief, Pam Davis, had alerted the FBI about the shakedown scheme. That triggered an investigation that eventually led to Levine’s indictment on a broad range of extortion-related charges.
- Sock Puppet Express - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 11:07 am:
Actrually the rumor was Wilhelm fled the state after ratting out Gov. Delusionavich & friends.
- Canseco - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 11:35 am:
David is a great American. Blago, not so much.
- Leave a light on George - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 11:47 am:
In on the deal or had a falling out because of the deal - neither scenerio helps the Gov out.
- Anonymous45 - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 11:47 am:
I would love to be a fly on the wall in the office of Rep. Rahm Emmanuel…fascinating!…
- Just Because - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 12:48 pm:
I still think these little details will all come together before this trial is over. These pesky little tid bits will take down rezko and the governor
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 12:49 pm:
Here’s to Pam Davis at Edwards. Integrity and toughness in the face of a shakedown by people who at that time were still considered powerful, respectable, pillars of the community.
She could have gone along, no skin off her nose. But she took a chance, did the right thing and exposed low-life crooks who were stealing from all of us. Well done. Cheers.
- DaveChgo - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 1:36 pm:
Unfortunately these crazy rumors never die.
This notion of Wilhelm leaving the state is such a bunch of BS. He’s from Ohio and moved back there to help out his sister who suffered brain damage in a car crash that killed her husband, and to help his parents who suffer from Parkinson’s and dementia. They all now live within blocks of each other.
He still has an office in Chicago, serves on a number of nonprofit boards here and is back in town pretty much every week.
- BigWindy - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 2:00 pm:
Hurtgen hearing got bounced to the 30th…
- Oh please... - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 2:42 pm:
Sorry, wordslinger, I don’t believe that wearing a wire for the unelected, unaccountable and completely unchecked federal government means you have integrity. Who is watching the feds? Or do you assume they can do no wrong, are always have the purest intentions, and are always “the good guys”? That is a dangerous and anti-democratic assumption, my friend.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 3:05 pm:
Oh Please, Oh Please –
I’m vigilant to abuse of executive power, but I don’t think Mr. Rezko is a candidate to be the poster child for this year’s ACLU telethon.
As far as “the unelected, unaccountable and completely unchecked federal government,” I assume you mean the U.S. attorney. He was appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the (elected) president, was confirmed by the (elected) Senate and is limited to enforcing the laws passed by the (elected) Congress. He then needs to make his case before an appointed an confirmed judge. Hardly Torquemada.
Checks and balances.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 3:11 pm:
Wilhelm lied to get Rod elected….collected tons of insider deals after the election. Had his TRS contract subpoenaed by Feds. He may have had family health issues. But he also was one of chief architects and a major beneficiary of one of the most corrupt schemes in Illinois history, the Blagojevich administration.
- Oh please... - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 3:30 pm:
Reality check, wordslinger…the U.S. Attorney is untouchable. No elected official can even think about challenging him or his office’s efforts without being called corrupt by do-gooder drones like you. Checks and balances? Get real.
- Fox Mulder - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 3:43 pm:
Word, are you part of Pamela’s PR machine? She would be the same person who hired Honey Bunny and Disappearing David to shill for her deal in front of the health board. She comes off more like the person who ratted Stu out because she was outclouted as opposed to being some kind of Lady Diogenes wandering through the suburbs with a lamp.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 3:57 pm:
Oh Please, what should Kelly have done? Gone along? Asked for a piece of the action?
And the U.S. attorney is a powerful office, but I hardly think the United States is the police state you describe. Those U.S. attorneys who were fired by the Bush Administration might have a different opinion as well.
- some former legislative intern - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 5:11 pm:
Rich, I don’t understand the statement that you don’t believe a word that comes out of Stu Levine’s mouth considering your constant updates about “Reform and Renewal, Part XXXXX”, highlighting the many specific examples of cronyism and double standards of the Blagojevich Administration. You have also criticized Rezko and Kelly quite harshly over the years if I remember correctly.
Why, then, do you think Levine is lying? Everything he has testified to is consistant with your image of an administration that is out of control and quite ethically challenged.
Could you explain this? It seems like you are contradicting yourself.
- A Citizen - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 5:16 pm:
Seems there were a lot of scared and angry bees buzzing around guv’s hive! Also appears quite apparent Lon Monk saw the whole thing going down in flames and got out so early you could say he was prophetic. Wonder what he knew/knows? Dick Mell would also fall into that arena. Unlikely as that seems.
- Louis G. Atsaves - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 5:44 pm:
What is Pam Davis’ reward for calling the feds when she was subjected to a shakedown? She is the CEO of Edward Hospital in Naperville. Did she get her expansion? Did she get her new hospital? The answers are “no” and “no.”
Did she get “out-clouted?” Clearly she hired the wrong “insiders” to try to get the deal done.
She got nothing for calling the feds. Some out there are probably wondering why she just didn’t go along with it all, pay the extra cash and have Edward Hospital expand and be a hero.
And we wonder why so many in Illinois “pay to play.”
And we wonder why healthcare costs are so high? With protected little hospital monopolies in areas governed by a corrupt board?
Pam Davis is a hero in my book.
- Disgusted - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 5:45 pm:
Tusk and Monk got out while the getting was good for mega-bucks jobs in the private sector. Imagine if they had hung around until now. They would be in hiding like our infamous governor with no hope of lucrative future employment. I would love to see these two plus Mell called to testify. Worth 3 times the price of admission.
- There he goes again - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 9:04 pm:
This news proves David Wilhelm is a man of integrity. It was because he was on the outs with the sleazy administration that they wanted to monitor him and they wanted him to fail. Wilhelm is one of the good guys who got caught up with some bad guys and quickly left the scene. Who can blame him? He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met in this business.
- stuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!! - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 10:00 pm:
joe……please, no more math questions!!! Its too hard to lie and count at the same time.
- anon - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 10:01 pm:
The Wilhelm spinning is a bit nauseating. Wilhelm was campaign chief of this gigantic illegal fundraising operation. He then cashed in big time with insider deals that were all over the newspapers. He is exactly what is wrong with politics in Illinois. He was responsible as anyone for bringing us this mess. The fact that he may have been feuding with ONE of the schemers means nothing. Whatever the truth of that feud, he still was able to get his grubby hands on a bunch of handout contracts. He ought to be hauled before the grand jury, not praised.
- Fox Mulder - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 10:25 pm:
Louis G. wrote:
“What is Pam Davis’ reward for calling the feds when she was subjected to a shakedown? She is the CEO of Edward Hospital in Naperville. Did she get her expansion? Did she get her new hospital? The answers are “no” and “no.”
With all my “files”, I get confused about the details of all the stories here, but I believe that this phase of the story also included a federal “whistleblower” suit personally filed by Pam and two of her minions against Levine, Hurtgen, and Kiferbaum-you know, the kind that pays off with treble damages if the allegation is sustained. (Also handy that this FBI does most of your investigative work for you. A much better return on investment than a new hospital.)
Pam and her MD hubster (who runs a clinic associated with the hospital) pull down seven figures annually, according to public documents filed by Edward. What more “reward” do they
deserve?
FWIW, the professional staff of Public Health and the Health Board said then and still say, “Turn down Edward’s recommendation-Not needed.”
PS: David, good to hear from you at 9:04 PM. How’s the weather in Ohio?
- There he goes again - Wednesday, Apr 9, 08 @ 10:45 pm:
David Wilhelm is a man of integrity in a profession too often filled with the greedy.
He has not been accused of doing anything wrong, but because he decided to leave the administation because his integrity told him to do so he’s being pulled into the story. He’s a good guy.
He’s a smart guy. And he’s an honest guy. This process smears good people, and David Wilhelm knows that. But don’t tell me he lacks integrity.
He’s got more in his little finger than Blagojevich his gang do combined.
- anon - Thursday, Apr 10, 08 @ 7:16 am:
Wilhelm is PART of the Blagojevich gang. He ran the campaign that raised all the dirty money. He then took the dirty money in dirty contracts. He’s dirty.
- DaveChgo - Thursday, Apr 10, 08 @ 7:43 am:
Anon, it’s clear you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Wilhelm wasn’t involved with the dirty fundraising and nobody has ever said he was. He wasn’t “PART” of the Blagojevich gang. He was a guy who thought Illinois should have a Democratic governor for the first time in 30 years and saw a chance with Rod. The most you could accuse him of is making a mistake in believing Rod was an ok guy. You can’t accuse him of being one of the crooks. It’s just fantasy on your part. He has had no part in any contracts that anyone could possibly call “dirty.” Just more fantasy.
If you persist in this ad hominem attack of slime and fantasy, perhaps you would care to identify yourself. If not, perhaps our moderator would care to remove your “excessively rabid comments.”
- anon - Thursday, Apr 10, 08 @ 3:00 pm:
Wilhelm parlays clout into cash
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/c
gi-bin/article.pl?article_id=20925&seenIt=1