* I meant to point this out earlier, but should Special Agent in charge of the Chicago FBI Robert Grant be calling into WLS AM’s Don and Roma show to cheerily explain why the Blagojevich arrest was made? Also, what the heck was he doing joking about endorsing Don’s “candidacy” for US Senate? This whole thing is already a circus without help from the FBI.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is carrying on as if nothing has happened…
A pre-Christmas gift? Sneed is told Gov. Blagojevich, who is showing no sign of yielding his power, wielded his pen to sign 60 petitions for clemency Thursday.
• • To wit: While everyone waits to see if President Bush grants clemency to former Gov. George Ryan (Dec. 23?), Gov. Blago decided to help erase the backlog of 2,300 clemency petitions awaiting approval.
• • Background: “The backlog contains requests from innocent people whose convictions were overturned but couldn’t get a job because they needed a pardon to erase the conviction from their record,” said a Sneed source.
Actually, he’s finally appearing to do the job that he was elected to do six years ago. He’s never shown any interest at all in those clemency petitions, for instance. He signed a bill yesterday that was passed by the Senate on Tuesday. That’s a complete rarity.
Blagojevich’s arrest has ironically been a boon for some.
* One of the governor’s strongest congressional supporters has finally spoken out…
[U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello] wants Blagojevich to resign or be impeached so Lt. Gov Pat Quinn can step in and make an appointment to fill Sen. Barack Obama’s senate seat.
* I’ve seen this “logic” used time and time again…
GIULIANI: You need, you need — the key here to look for is the overt act. You’ve got to have an agreement to commit a crime between two people, and they have to do something to bring the crime about.
HANNITY: Right. But they don’t have — they didn’t — do you think they did enough here then?
GIULIANI: I don’t know. I haven’t — I mean I haven’t seen all the evidence.
The “overt act” is ordering aides to make phone calls or visits to carry out the governor’s alleged schemes.
* The Daily Herald takes a look back…
It was 10 years ago today that the U.S. House voted to impeach President Bill Clinton and send the case on for a trial in the U.S. Senate.
Then-U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich was just finishing his first term in Congress and voted “no” on all four impeachment counts - two counts of perjury, one count of obstruction of justice, and one count of abuse of power - against the two-term Democratic president.
Now that Blagojevich, a two-term Democratic governor, finds himself the subject of impeachment proceedings for alleged abuse of power, his comments have newfound meaning and offer a possible insight into whether he’ll resign or force lawmakers to try to remove him.
“In the long view, our actions today will be a stain on President Clinton, but it will be a bigger stain on the 105th Congress,” Blagojevich told the Chicago Sun-Times after the 1998 vote.
Oops.
* Click the pic for a larger version. Originally from IR…
* More oddities…
* Feds informed of gov.’s alleged mob links
* Rod Blagojevich vs. Morty Seinfeld
* Sequel to Sarah Palin ‘nude painting’: A Rod Blagojevich ‘nude painting’?
* Rahm and Rod in happier times
* Bloomberg Campaign Manager Was Aide to Embattled Illinois Governor: When asked about Mr. Tusk on Tuesday evening, Mr. Bloomberg said, “Bradley is an honest, hard-working, competent guy,” who, he added, “never had anything to do with parts of that administration.”
* Britt: Blagojevich editorial cartoons
- leg - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:05 am:
Actually, I think the Gov’s office had been pushing the passage of the Medical Practice Act renewal - at least back in November.
If I recall, if it didn’t become law by Jan 1, no medical professional in the State would be authorized to practice medicine. Talk about a cluster…
It was a shame the General Assembly didn’t pass it during veto.
I guess there are some positive things that came out of the legislators being in Springfield this week afterall…
- OneMan - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:05 am:
==Blagojevich Attorneys Consider ‘Walking Out’ of Impeachment Proceedings==
If they do I so hope they do it just like when they walked out of the hearing in Animal House…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MFGeEil090
- Dan S, a Voter and Cubs Fan - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:06 am:
It was reported on WICS 20 that Blagoof’s legal begal was put up in the Governors Mansion rather then a hotel at his expense while he was in town. More Blagoof sunbbing Springfield.
- leg - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:07 am:
My point above being… Governor had to sign it quickly, or else there would have been disaster.
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:12 am:
How credible is the story about the Gov being a Bookie?
- GA Watcher - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:19 am:
Someone ought to tellloomberg that Bradley Tusk ran the show while he was with Blago. “Never had anything to do with parts of that administration,” HA!
- Larry Mullholland - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:32 am:
Regarding FBI Robert Grant …He may be correct to say that “Illinois may be the most corrupt State in the Union”.. However, I am a bit troubled by the comment. Is it the job of the FBI to characterize the entire state of Illinois as corrupt? I think not. Investigate, arrest and prosecute, but leave the politics at the door. We have quite enough voices sharing their opinion. I dont think the FBI’s stated mission would support his comments.
- wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:34 am:
Grant is way out of line. The feds have enormous power and resources to pursue their case and should be content with that.
He doesn’t need to provide subjective commentary on which is the most corrupt state, yuk it up on talk radio or, as I suspect, dish with gossip columnists. It’s unprofessional, prejudicial and not a part of his job description.
In my experience, the only FBI guy you could ever get to talk to the media was the public information officer. I suspect we might see Grant running for something in the near future.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:36 am:
GA Watcher, you’re wrong. Tusk had nothing to do with the patronage stuff. He appeared to keep his fingers pretty clean.
- Cranky Old Man - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 11:53 am:
Maybe I didn’t hear correctly, but after the “walking out” exchange I thought I heard Genson say that he will stay and play. Anyone else hear that?
- Ghost - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 12:05 pm:
Grant should be keeping silent during the pendency of the prosecution.
Besides I am not sure we are the most corrupt State in the Union, we have just been the most caught. Not to wander too far off the deep end, and I am glad the feds are helping to root out the problems in Illinois, but I have yet to see other states processed through the detailed audit/investigation Illinois has been subject too. You can not really say the other States are not corrupt unless/until you subject them to the same level of investigation and they come away with a clean slate.
There werea nukber of issues with the awarding of contracts in Alaska and CA as an example. Its easy to say they have no criminals in every location they have never looked.
- Anon - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 12:11 pm:
The painting is like “The Scream,” except the viewer screams.
- wordslinger - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 12:46 pm:
The fact that the feds confirm that Cooley told them in 1986 that Blago, then a relative nobody, was working as a bookie and collecting street tax certainly gives the accusation more credibility.
- Interesting - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 12:51 pm:
I just checked the SOS website. You can buy a vanity plate with GUV MADE and it is available…
- Louis G. Atsaves - Friday, Dec 19, 08 @ 5:19 pm:
Oof! That 12/12/08 Britt cartoon!
I mean, oof!