Tribune Co. disclosed today that federal authorities have subpoenaed documents from the company as part of their expanding investigation into charges that Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff schemed to get members of the newspaper’s editorial board fired.
“As we’ve said before, we will fully cooperate with the government in its investigation into Governor Blagojevich and his administration,” said Gary Weitman, Tribune Co. spokesman. “As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we will have to decline further comment.”
Federal authorities have alleged that Blagojevich–angry over editorials suggesting he be impeached–threatened to withhold state money for Wrigley Field renovations unless members of the newspaper’s editorial board were fired.
Notice that the story doesn’t say “when” the subpoena was issued.
*** 3:45 PM *** Via PI, we learn that Congresscritter Jan Schakowsky has decided she’ll run for the US Senate if the state legislature changes the law…
At the end of her speech, Schakowsky threw her hat in the ring, announcing that she was “passing around a clipboard” for people to sign up to be on an organizing committee for her “Senate race, and a basket for donations will follow right behind.” The audience cheered.
Kirk isn’t the only credible Illinois Republican mulling a Senate bid. A source close to Rep. Peter J. Roskam said the second-term congressman is also “very interested” in running for the Senate seat and wouldn’t automatically defer to Kirk. Roskam has a more conservative voting record than Kirk and has won election to a suburban Chicago seat during two rough election cycles for the GOP.
*** 3:48 PM *** Radogno says the law must be changed. From a press release…
Senate Republican Leader-Elect Christine Radogno today reacted quickly to suggestions that the Lieutenant Governor should appoint the next U.S. Senator from Illinois.
“It is ludicrous to talk about anyone appointing the next United States Senator,” Sen. Radogno said. “This decision absolutely must be made by the voters of Illinois. The only way to do that is to establish a Special Election that puts the power where it belongs — in the hands of Illinois citizens.”
Radogno said, “There is no way that an appointment process can be free from the stench of this corrupt Administration.”
Radogno is currently reviewing draft legislation that would allow for a Special Election to be conducted in conjunction with the already-established municipal elections in February and April.
“By piggy-backing onto the municipal elections, we can help save the taxpayers millions while at the same time providing voters the opportunity to make their choice,” Radogno said.
*** 3:55 PM *** Rep. Jack Franks, a harsh Blagojevich critic, has filed a new bill to at least temporarily strip the governor’s power to appoint Barack Obama’s replacement. Here’s the summary…
Amends the Election Code. Prohibits the Governor from temporarily filling a vacancy in the office of U.S. Senator by appointment if the Governor has been arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony offense and the Governor has not been acquitted, the charge has not been dropped or dismissed, or, in the case of an arrest, there has been no charge or indictment within 30 days after the arrest. Provides that a vacancy filled by election under those circumstances is filled at the next consolidated or general election.
Frustrated by the lack of direct action on the part of state legislative leadership, two private Illinois citizens said Friday they will be filing a petition before the Illinois Supreme Court to temporarily remove Governor Rod Blagojevich from office.
“Attorney General Lisa Madigan has been bringing up the possibility of removing the governor from office based on Rule 382, which allows the state Supreme Court to move quicker than any other recourse,” petitioner John Bambenek of Champaign told Illinois Review today. “Illinois can’t wait for months for the Governor to step down, we have too many crucial issues before us to wait.”
“The standards for incapacity are very broad. We’re saying he’s unable to fulfill his duty to appoint someone to fill the U.S. Senate seat, since Senate Majority leader Harry Reid refuses to accept his appointment,” Bambenek said. “He’s also unable to function politically, because he’s been caught on tape compromising his office. We’re also stating in the petition that Attorney General Madigan has a potential conflict of interest, as she has stated her own interest in running for governor in the future.”
*** 4:56 PM *** I told subscribers about this earlier today. Four House Democrats have sent a letter to their HDem colleagues asking that they join a move to impeach the governor…
A Chicago state representative has sent a letter to his fellow House Democrats asking them to quickly support rare impeachment proceedings against embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
State Rep. John Fritchey, who chairs the House Civil Judiciary Committee, urges his colleagues in a letter dated Thursday to help remove Blagojevich from office, rather than rely on the governor to resign voluntarily or hope that legal proceedings initiated by Attorney General Lisa Madigan would be successful. Fritchey asked the House members to respond by Friday and invited them to sign on as co-sponsors of a measure that is being drafted.
“Faced with a significant budget shortfall, a national recession, and a vacant United States Senate seat, we cannot afford to allow Illinois to operate without effective leadership in the Executive branch,” said Fritchey, who signed the letter with Reps. Thomas Holbrook, David Miller and James Brosnahan. “Simply put, it is imperative to replace Governor Blagojevich as soon as is practicable.”
*** 4:59 PM *** This was self-evident…
Illinois Deputy Governor Louanner Peters has been identified as “Senate Candidate 4″ in the criminal complaint filed against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
An unidentified source familiar with the complaint revealed the information to The Associated Press on Thursday. The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the complaint and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In the complaint, Blagojevich said he would put Candidate 4 in Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat instead of another candidate, if the governor did not get anything in return
Rev. Jesse Jackson says he played no role and was not “an emissary” in alleged efforts to make a deal with Governor Rod Blagojevich for the appointment of his son, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. to the U.S. Senate.” […]
“So I am not an emissary. I am not targeted. And I have no accusers. That’s simply not true,” Jackson told ABCNews.com
* I was wondering about the mentions on the surveillance tapes about the governor being financially strapped. The Wall Street Journal fills us in…
The criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich repeatedly refers to his family’s financial troubles. Those problems include more than $500,000 in unpaid legal bills, according to people familiar with the matter.
Earlier this year, Mr. Blagojevich, strapped for cash and burdened by a years-long federal investigation into his administration, stopped paying a portion of the millions of dollars in legal fees owed to the law firm Winston & Strawn, according to these people.
Mr. Blagojevich’s attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, didn’t return several calls seeking comment.
As a result, these people say, Winston & Strawn stopped representing the governor, who is now embroiled in one of the most spectacular public-corruption inquiries in years. In the criminal complaint filed this week, federal prosecutors charged Mr. Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. […]
It is unclear whether Mr. Blagojevich’s legal bills are for personal or campaign work or for both. Campaign filings show Winston & Strawn had charged the governor’s campaign fund, Friends of Blagojevich, nearly $2 million in legal fees through the end of 2007. The Winston & Strawn partner said the amount that remains unpaid exceeds $500,000. “If he asked us to represent him, we’d say no,” the partner said.
The family of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s wife said her profanity-laced comments recorded by federal prosecutors don’t reflect who Patti Blagojevich really is.
“That is absolutely not my sister,” Deborah Mell told the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC5 in an exclusive interview Wednesday. “Patti is a mother, a sister and a devoted wife. She is particularly protective of her family
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Political spouses should never read newspaper editorials. I can’t condone her reaction, and her desire for retribution against the Tribune, but I can empathize.
Well, com’on, guys. Everybody, including a little lady whose husband is running into trouble and who herself might do a little time, is entitled to express a few vulgarisms…even obscenities…without the august, sanctimonious mainstream media raising their eyes to heaven. After all, we know that journalists don’t swear, don’t take the name of the Lord in vain and never-ever make un-fastidious allusions to the male-female reproductive process.
I think the “Sun-Times” headline yesterday that gasps at the surreptitiously tape-recorded exclamations of Patti Blagojevich…gasps!…presses its fingers to its eyes so as to ward off a cerebral hemorrhage in astonishment…is really overdone.
Also, the congressman’s father, Jesse Jackson Sr., has retained legal council following the Blagojevich arrest.
Let’s not read too much into this, but one can’t help but wonder about this passage from the criminal complaint…
In a recorded conversation on October 31, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH described an earlier approach by an associate of [Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.] as follows: “We were approached ‘pay to play.’ That, you know, he’d raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made [Congressman Jackson] a Senator.” [emphasis added]
* The Sun-Times editorial board took Congressman Jackson to task today over the alleged emissary…
But if Jackson does not soon learn the identity of the emissary and publicly denounce that person, we would be disturbed by Jackson’s lack of curiosity and outrage.
Blagojevich, after all, had no problem believing that the emissary spoke for Jackson and could raise large sums of money. There can only be a small number of people within Jackson’s political world with those qualifications.
We’re also curious why Blagojevich would even believe it possible Jackson would pay to play.
To be fair to Jackson, Blagojevich at times comes off as delusional in his recorded statements. He seriously considered that President-elect Barack Obama would appoint him to his Cabinet.
But at other times, the governor is a cold-eyed realist.
Throughout his news conference, Jackson interspersed his denials with what sounded like a stump speech for the Senate.
The congressman is getting ahead of himself.
It appears as if there will be a special election for the open Senate seat — a critical step toward restoring voters’ confidence.
But the only way to resuscitate Jackson’s dying bid is to shine a bright light on what did — and didn’t — happen with the governor.
And not leave unanswered questions — and voters — hanging.
NBC Chicago learned that Jackson Jr. was given a phone call from the U.S. Attorney’s Office the night before the governor was taken into custody, advising him that the arrest was imminent.
[Hat tip to a commenter in our breaking news post.]
*** 3:14 PM *** The AP runs a snippet of that Glengariff Group poll I told subscribers about this morning…
Of the 600 people surveyed by phone Tuesday and Wednesday, 70% think he should resign. And 73% say they’d support moves to impeach him. [emphasis added]
* A new poll by Rasmussen Reports tracks pretty well with a Glengariff Group poll that I told my subscribers about this morning…
Eighty-four percent (84%) of Illinois voters say indicted Governor Rod Blagojevich should resign, according to a Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state Wednesday night. Just nine percent (9%) disagree.
Seventy-nine percent (79%) say Blagojevich should end up in jail.
Despite the strong desire for the governor to resign, only 18% believe he is Very Likely to step down. Another 22% say a resignation is Somewhat Likely.
Just seven percent (7%) say the governor is doing a good or excellent job in office while 83% rate his performance as poor.
[Hat tip to a commenter in our breaking news thread.]
Unlike the Glengariff Group, Rasmussen Reports did not ask about impeachment.
Sixty-six percent (66%) of all Illinois voters say the state should hold a special election to fill Obama’s Senate seat rather than let Governor Rod Blagojevich or his successor appoint a replacement. Twenty-one percent (21%) disagree, and 13% are undecided.
Among Illinois voters, 74% of Republicans, 66% of Democrats and 60% of unaffiliated voters favor a special election. Obama still has two years remaining in his Senate term.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has surged to the lead among Democrats on the list of favorites to take Barack Obama’s place in the U.S. Senate at the expense of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., whose image clearly has suffered in the growing Blagojevich scandal.
Thirty-two percent (32%) of Illinois Democrats now say Madigan should be named to the seat vacated by Obama, the state’s junior Democratic senator, according to a Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Illinois voters taken Wednesday night.
In a Rasmussen Reports survey last week, Jackson was the top choice of a plurality of the state’s Democratic voters (36%), but with the revelation that he is “Senate Candidate 5,” his support has been cut in half to just 18% now.
A week ago, Madigan was third on the list of five favorites among Democratic voters, with 17% support.
This telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports December 10, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
* It’s now humanly impossible to follow every nuance in the Blagojevich arrest saga.
I rely heavily on Google News for updates. But there have been hundreds of news stories just in the past couple of hours.
* So, I’m asking for some help. Here are some links to help you follow the stories as they progress. Post them in comments for all to see. This thread is ONLY for breaking news, not your own commentary. Please identify what the story is about and include a link. Try not to repeat stuff we’ve already discussed…
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said today that if he’s made governor, he may opt to appoint President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate replacement rather than wait for a special election.
Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show, Quinn said he may have to move quickly to name Obama’s successor because of the country’s economic woes.
“In general I’m for the voters deciding who the next senator would be or any other public official. We may have extraordinary circumstances here,” Quinn said. “Illinois does not want to go to Washington in this time of economic crisis without having two senators.”
With Gov. Rod Blagojevich ignoring calls for his resignation, legislative leaders in the state capital moved forward Wednesday on several fronts to force him from office or rescind his power to name Obama’s successor. The General Assembly will meet at a special session Monday to consider changing state election law to fill Senate vacancies by special election, rather than leaving the decision to the governor.
But holding an election could take months.
* This is apparently a switch in position. From a Tuesday Chicago Public Radio report…
Blagojevich is still the governor of Illinois. And that means he has the power to appoint someone to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn says the legislature has to change that.
* Dick Durbin came up with the idea of a special election, and the Politico had an interesting take this week…
Democratic insiders saw Durbin’s rapid call for a special election as a way to circumvent Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s authority to do so, should he take over for Blagojevich. Quinn is not close to Durbin, and their relationship frayed after they were rivals in a contentious Democratic Senate primary in 1996.
* Durbin and Majority Leader Harry Reid appear to be on opposite sides…
The momentum for a special election to replace President-elect Barack Obama ran into a major hurdle late [yesterday] afternoon in the form of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) who penned a letter today to scandal-tarred Gov. Rod Blagojevich making clear he would prefer the incumbent step aside and let Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn make the appointment.
If a special election were held in mid-2009, the governor’s arrest would still be fresh in voters’ minds. Democrats would likely face a crowded primary with the risk of the eventual nominee being tied to the corrupt Blagojevich administration. And Obama’s Senate seat would remain vacant for months, giving the president-elect one fewer Democratic ally in the Senate.
* Tips and leaks: If the governor were to wait until after Jan. 14 to veto or even tweak the plan with an amendatory veto, it would be dead. Why? Because that version of the General Assembly would exist only in history books. There’s no way to bring members who retired or were defeated back to override the governor
* Orr urges swift action on special elections, warns of price tag: If a special Senate election is held independently of the scheduled elections, it would cost about $8 million for suburban Cook County alone. The statewide price tag would be considerably larger - a staggering amount in these difficult economic times.
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn today called on the Illinois House to begin impeachment proceedings against embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich next week, saying the state needs to move quickly to dump the governor if he won’t resign.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Check out the timeline of former president Bill Clinton’s impeachment…
October 8, 1998: The House of Representatives authorizes a wide-ranging impeachment inquiry of President Clinton on a 258-176 vote.
December 11, 1998: The House Judiciary Committee approves three articles of impeachment, alleging that President Clinton committed perjury and obstruction of justice.
December 19, 1998: After 13 1/2 hours of debate over two days, the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment
January 7, 1999: With ceremonial flourishes, the perjury and obstruction of justice trial of President Bill Clinton begins in the Senate, with the swearing in of Chief Justice William Rehnquist to preside and the senators as jurors.
February 12, 1999: President Clinton is acquitted of the two articles of impeachment
Four months start to finish to impeach and try a president, with a break for an election included. That ain’t much.
Our election is over, and the Illinois Constitution has far lower impeachment standards than the US Constitution.
[ *** End of Update ***]
* From today’s Daily Herald, we get this comment about impeachment…
“It can’t be a slapdash kind of thing. That’s not how (House Speaker) Mike Madigan operates,” said Madigan spokesman Steve Brown. “It would take some time. I don’t know how much more quickly we’d get a resolution than a federal case.” [Emphasis added]
Really? As slow as a federal case? That means years and years of waiting.
* I asked Brown about this comment today. His response was threefold…
1) The impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice James Heiple took six weeks, and there’s every reason to believe this would take longer.
2) There are worries that Senate President Emil Jones may not convene a trial even if the House does impeach.
3) The evidence contained in the federal complaint against Blagojevich might not be held up by Chief Justice Fitzgerald, who would preside over the trial.
* Here’s my point-by-point response…
1) Then we’d better get on with it quick.
2) The House impeachment process is akin to a grand jury proceeding. Grand juries, particularly federal grand juries, often adjourn without taking action. Newly empaneled grand juries are then read a transcript of the previous GJ’s proceedings. The same thing could happen in the House. Get the investigation and the committee hearings started, and then after January 14th when the new General Assembly is sworn in and Jones is gone, read the proceedings’ record to the newly seated House. Then, impeach.
3) Evidence? First, the Illinois Constitution does not require any real evidentiary procedures. There are no “high crimes and misdemeanors” provisions for impeachment. Second, take a look at the history of former Arizona Gov. Even Meacham’s impeachment…
On Feb. 5, the House voted 46 to 14 to impeach Mecham and later approved charges in connection with the $350,000 loan, the $80,000 protocol fund loan and an alleged effort to stop the investigation of a death threat against a former Mecham lobbyist.
The Senate dismissed the campaign-loan coverup charge, but on April 4 it voted 21 to 9 to convict Mecham on the death-threat obstruction charge, removing him from office. The Senate also convicted him of the charge involving the $80,000 protocol fund.
Two months after his impeachment, Mecham was acquitted in criminal court of six felony counts of violating campaign finance laws related to the $350,000 loan.
Unlike Illinois, Arizona’s Constitution has a high crimes and misdemeanors component…
The governor and other state and judicial officers, except justices of courts not of record, shall be liable to impeachment for high crimes, misdemeanors, or malfeasance in office
By the way, the Arizona courts refused to delay the Senate trial. Mecham had argued that defending himself at the trial could prejudice his criminal proceedings. Too bad, the court said. Impeachment is a political process, not a criminal process.
* My own opinion is that Speaker Madigan probably wants to let his daughter take the lead. From today’s news reports..
“I have the opportunity to go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare our governor is unable to serve and put in our lieutenant governor as acting governor,” Madigan said.
We talked about this procedure yesterday. The lawyers I’ve spoken to over the past couple of days say they doubt that the Supreme Court would step in. But winning the case (or at least presenting it) would make AG Madigan a national hero. Therefore, the slow-walk on impeachment.
“I don’t want anyone to think we’re not moving as fast as we can,” [Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion] said.
Then get on with it.
* The Republicans are making lots of hay over this issue. From a press release…
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna today called on House Speaker and Blagojevich Campaign Co-Chairman Mike Madigan to come forward and let voters know whether he supports the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich.
“Illinois government is in crisis,” said McKenna. “Speaker Madigan owes it to the people of this state to let them know if he supports the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich”
In the wake of Rod Blagojevich’s arrest on federal corruption charges, numerous state leaders, led by Chairman McKenna, called for the General Assembly to move swiftly with impeachment proceedings against the Governor should he not resign.
However, Madigan indicated he was only prepared to discuss the suggestions from Republican Leader Tom Cross that impeachment proceedings begin.
“I do not understand why Speaker Madigan will not act decisively on this issue,” said McKenna. “Voters are fed up and ready for change and the sooner we get Rod Blagojevich out of office, the sooner we can bring real change to Illinois.”
According to published reports Speaker Madigan issued a memo earlier this year to members of his own caucus that there was already enough evidence to impeach Rod Blagojevich.
* I’m running behind today. Worked very late and then got up late. Oops. So, let’s do the QOTD while I’m collecting my thoughts on the rest of our posts. The setup is from David Broder…
As a fellow Illinoisan, I have to admit that this latest example of the Springfield Syndrome that has now tainted four recent governors is a signal that the ethics reforms Obama sponsored as a member of the Illinois Legislature did not go far enough to cleanse the pay-to-play culture.
Get out the scrub brushes.
* The Question: Will new ethics laws really do anything to clean up our system of government? Explain fully. And if you say “Yes,” then what law(s) would do the trick and why?
Also, this is not about Obama, so keep the national stuff out of it, please. Thanks.
Just as the cold weather takes hold, Chicagoans will be paying about one-third more to heat their homes in December with natural gas from Peoples Gas than suburbanites served by Nicor Inc.
A price-hedging strategy that appears to have backfired on Peoples and locked in higher-than-market prices for the natural gas it buys on behalf of customers is partly to blame for the gaping disparity between the city and suburban utilities, a Peoples spokesman confirms.
Peoples customers will pay 93 cents per therm for natural gas in December, 43% higher than Nicor’s December gas charge of 65 cents per therm, which mirrors the market price for gas as of early December.
In July, JPMorgan wrote off $5 million in loans and a $7 million investment that gave it a 40 percent stake in Republic, and resigned its seat on the company’s board, a spokesman said.
President-elect Barack Obama and other politicians have voiced support for the workers’ cause, arguing the Wall Street bailout was not serving its purpose of loosening credit for Main Street businesses. Bank of America has tapped the bailout for $15 billion and JPMorgan for $25 billion.
The poverty summit, entitled Opportunities for Change: Taking Action to End Extreme Poverty in Illinois, comes as the effects of the national economic crisis are being felt in Illinois and is a significant step toward the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty’s goal of eliminating poverty by 50 percent by 2015. The summit focused on income supports, employment, healthcare access, housing, and the elimination of assets tests, which would allow for thousands more families to become eligible for state assistance during dire economic times.
* STATE PANEL TO HEAR TESTIMONY ON PLAN TO CUT MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL CARE FOR SOUTH SIDE AND SOUTH SUBURBS
Tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 11) in Tinley Park, a bipartisan panel of state lawmakers will take testimony from stakeholders concerned with Governor Blagojevich’s push to close the South Side and south suburbs’ only public providers of intensive, in-patient care for individuals with severe mental illness and profound developmental disabilities.
* DOC temporarily reassigns more employees to other prisons
The Illinois Department of Corrections is temporarily reassigning another 119 employees because a legal dispute involving the Pontiac Correctional Center is preventing the department from following through on plans to open a maximum-security unit in Thomson.
Hispanics voted 67 percent for Barack Obama, playing a key role in flipping Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida to the Democratic column. The growing Hispanic vote in Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania was important to Democratic victories in close races in those states. Even more frightening for Republicans is the strong possibility that Latino voters could soon deliver Texas and Arizona to the Democrats. If this happens, Republicans can turn out the lights on their presidential hopes, lock the door and go on vacation for a decade or three.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Chicago, won a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, promising to make healthcare reform a top priority.
“It’s great for our district,” says Yul Edwards, the seven-term congressman’s chief of staff. “Given the number of hospitals we have and the need to create a better system of healthcare, his background and role in working on health for 30 to 40 years can be an asset.”
Mayor Richard Daley today named Paul Volpe his new chief of staff.
Volpe, currently the city’s chief financial officer, replaces Lori Healey, who is leaving to become president of Chicago 2016, the city’s Olympic bid.
The promotion continues Daley’s latest shuffling of the deck at City Hall. Last week, Budget Director Bennett Johnson III resigned.
Daley last week also named Patricia Scudiero the first commissioner of the new Zoning and Land Use Planning Department. She’s a former protege of Ald. William J.P. Banks (36th), chairman of the City Council Zoning Committee since Daley became mayor in 1989. She served as a Banks aide from 1989 to 2004.
Former Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in October, has been sending out letters on village stationery endorsing Acting Mayor Robert Callero in the April 7 election and setting the village up for a potential conflict of interest, Pioneer Press has learned.
* Unless something else breaks, this will be the last post of the afternoon. I wasn’t able to get to a few topics, particularly the Tribune stuff. We’ll talk about that tomorrow.
State Sen. Dan Rutherford wants the Department of Corrections to suspend the closure of Pontiac Correctional Center.
“I have heard repeatedly … that the Department of Corrections really wasn’t keen on wanting to close Pontiac to begin with,” Rutherford, a Chenoa Republican, said during a press conference Wednesday. “I think it’s time for Director (Roger) Walker to step up … and show some leadership right now.”
* Armchair psychology from a psychologist tends to confirm what most of us suspected…
[Blagojevich’s] behavior is consistent with what we would term the psychopathic personality and in that he’s very charming but he’s not really an authentic person,” said Dr. Larry Grimm, UIC Director of Graduate Studies.
Psychologist Larry Grimm doesn’t know the governor, but from his office at the University of Illinois Chicago office he’s read and heard reports of the governor’s behavior that sound to him like a personality disorder.
“They can be quite successful. But the people around them come to know them and can see how manipulative they are and see how they engage in behavior most people would feel very guilty about,” said Dr. Grimm.
A personality disorder is not considered a mental illness, said Dr. Grimm. He also says that personality disorders are believed to be created by both biological characteristics as well as environmental factors.
Meanwhile, top Blagojevich staffers held a conference call Tuesday and were urged by deputy governors to reassure rank-and-file workers that there still will be a chain of decision-making, to not let the governor’s arrest paralyze or distract them, and to keep serving the public well, according a high-ranking state official.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports Blagojevich was at home Tuesday night, visited by his attorney, Sheldon Sorosky. Patti Blagojevich was also at the home, for much of the day with her sister, Deborah Mell.
On Jan. 14, Deborah Mell will be sworn in as the new state representative from the district her brother-in-law once represented. She could be called up to vote on his impeachment. What will she do?
Tribune Co. chief executive Sam Zell — who is indirectly referred to in the government’s criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich– said on CNBC that he has been contacted by the FBI but wouldn’t give details, the Washington Post reports on its Web site.
A lengthy FBI document released Tuesday alleges Blagojevich wanted to help Tribune Co. with its sale of the Chiocago Cubs in return for the firing of Tribune editorial writer John McCormick.
On CNBC, Zell said that as far as he knew, no pressure was ever applied to John McCormick.
The question becomes, was that FBI contact before or after Tuesday morning?
I’m working on a couple of Tribune-related posts, but ran out of time. We’ll deal with that topic a lot more tomorrow.
* 3:53 PM - When asked about reports that the governor and his chief of staff sought to force firings at the Tribune, Zell said he wasn’t “personally familiar with any of that.”
Zell then said, when asked, that he had been contacted by the FBI.
“I think they’re asking questions as far as my knowledge is concerned,” Zell said.
Was there pressure to change coverage of the governor at the Tribune?
*** 4:08 PM *** Somewhat exculpatory report, from CNN…
The law enforcement official said there was no evidence — other than the governor’s taped remarks — that Jackson or others on his behalf ever approached the governor in an improper way. The official also emphasized that no conversations with Jackson were ever picked up on bugs or wiretaps, and there is no evidence that he was aware of anything improper […]
[Jackson’s attorney] said he has spoken with federal prosecutors and confirmed Jackson is not a target of the investigation.
James D. Montgomery Sr., Jackson’s attorney, said that Jackson learned he was mentioned in the complaint on the night before governor’s arrest, and that the House member never had a “pay to play” conversation with Blagojevich.
*** 3:30 PM *** And, we’re done. Not much “there” there except forceful denials. We’ll see what happens next.
*** 3:27 PM *** On advice of counsel, Jackson said, he will not be taking any questions. And now he’s starting to weep again.
*** 3:25 PM *** The congressman said, twice, that he met with the governor “for the first time in four years” on Monday. He said nothing toward was offered nor discussed.
*** 3:24 PM *** “I reject and denounce pay to play politics. I did not initiate nor authorize anyone at any time to promise anything to Rod Blagojevich on my behalf.”
Jackson said he didn’t send an emissary to cut a deal with the governor.
“I thought, mistakenly, that the process was fair, above board and on the merits.”
*** 3:22 PM *** Jackson calls on the governor to resign.
*** 3:21 PM *** It’s beginning.
*** 2:56 PM *** The feed went hot for a brief minute as reporters interviewed Jackson in a hallway. No news out of it. I’d click the link if I were you.
*** UPDATE: Watch live video of “Jackson 5’s” press conference at 3:15 pm by clicking here. ***
* 2:15 PM - He’s already back in DC, eh? Must not want to face Chicago reporters [Thanks to readers for pointing out that Congress is voting this week]…
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., will hold a news conference at 4:15 p.m. ET in Washington to respond to allegations that he is one of the Senate hopefuls listed in a federal criminal complaint that accuses Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
ABC News and MSNBC are quoting anonymous sources who say Jackson is the person identified as “Candidate 5″ in court filings.
“It is impossible for someone on my behalf to have a conversation that would suggest any type of quid pro quo or any payments or offers,” Jackson tells ABC News. “An impossibility to an absolute certainty.”
* 1:50 PM - There’s been a whole lot of speculation that Greenlee is “Deputy Governor A” in the federal criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich and John Harris.
A spokeswoman for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says one of his top aides has resigned.
Spokeswoman Kelley Quinn on Wednesday said Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee resigned. The reason for his resignation wasn’t immediately clear.
Greenlee’s resignation comes a day after Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges.
Greenlee was promoted to be a top aide to Blagojevich in June, replacing former Deputy Governor Sheila Nix. Greenlee had been a top administration aide previously.
Thanks once again to a commenter.
* 2:01 PM - The Illinois Senate is convening Monday at 5 o’clock and then against Tuesday morning at 10. They can’t convene much earlier than that on Monday because the electoral college is meeting that morning. Fun.
* Part of my Sun-Times column today discusses a bill that will be taken up by the General Assembly next week to strip Gov. Blagojevich of his power to appoint the next US Senator and instead create a special election…
Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin supports this idea. But the Democratic campaign consultants I’ve talked to are worried to death that a Republican such as moderate U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk could win a special election because Blagojevich’s arrest and subsequent prosecution could easily ruin a Democratic candidate.
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said Wednesday he is considering running for Senate if there is a special election to fill President-elect Barack Obama’s seat.
A special election to fill Pres.-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat could cost the state of Illinois between $45 million and $50 million, a state Board of Elections official told On Call this afternooon.
Ken Menzel, an elections specialist with the board, called the figure a “gross guestimate” based on the cost per precinct of running a special election earlier this year to fill the 14th District seat vacated by retiring Rep. J. Dennis Hastert.
“We don’t do specials for statewide offices,” Menzel said. “This is one of the reasons we appoint to them. It’s expensive to do these things.”
Menzel said the counties will largely be tasked with covering the costs.
“If it isn’t there, I don’t know where it would come from,” he said.
After consulting with State Board of Elections Executive Dir. Dan White, Menzel said he based his Senate contest estimate on the cost per precinct — $10,000 — to conduct the race to replace Hastert. He said that at approximately half that rate per precinct, with 11,600 precincts statewide, it could run as much as $50 million to hold a special Senate election.
The first problem which springs to mind is that Blagojevich, who was arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to auction Obama’s vacant seat to the highest bidder, would have to sign the [special election] bill into law.
Our jailbird governor could sit on the bill for 60 days before he does anything. And he might just veto it, which would only prolong the process.
* Plus, if he waits to veto the bill after the General Assembly adjourns sine die on January 14th, the bill dies.
Dawn Clark Netsch, a former state comptroller and an author of the state’s 1970 Constitution, said someone might challenge whether a new law would apply to a vacancy already pending. […]
Even if it becomes law, the matter could end up in the Illinois Supreme Court, which would prolong the drama.
Better to just impeach him now.
* By the way, there is little to no danger that Blagojevich could go ahead and make an appointment anyway. Well, he might, but it wouldn’t stick…
Secretary of State Jesse White could refuse to certify the choice.
The U.S. Senate could refuse to seat Blagojevich’s appointee.
The office of Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, is circulating a letter Wednesday to the Senate Democratic Caucus for signatures that recommends indicted Gov. Rod Blagojevich resign and under no circumstances make an appointment to fill Illinois’ vacant Senate seat.
The letter contains a threat to the governor, saying that the Senate is poised to use its power to refuse to seat any appointment Blagojevich makes.
Madigan said ne of the wilder speculations is that of the governor thinking of appointing himself.
“If he did that, we would be able to step in legally and say there is an inherent conflict of interest. He can’t appoint himself to this seat,” Madigan said.
Huh?. There’s no law against that, is there? He’d just get rejected by SoS White and the US Senate.
* My Sun-Times column today demands that the House get off its duff and start working on impeachment…
Enough, already. […]
What Illinois needs most right now is to excise this fatal tumor on our body politic.
Rod Blagojevich has been an astoundingly bad governor. His list of achievements is short and unimpressive. He has alienated almost the entire political establishment in Illinois. He is the most unpopular governor in the United States. And now we learn that he allegedly tried to sell a U.S. Senate seat, “like a sports agent,” according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
Illinois has, according to Fitzgerald, been subjected to a “political corruption crime spree.”
It’s time for that crime spree to end.
The Illinois House needs to convene as soon as possible and begin impeachment proceedings. Fitzgerald’s criminal complaint has basically given the General Assembly a 78-page road map.
We’re not talking a lot of hearsay. Much of Fitzgerald’s criminal complaint is composed of the governor’s own words caught on federal surveillance tapes.
All the House has to do is stipulate that Blagojevich’s words caught on tape are facts and then vote on whether that should be an impeachable offense.
For instance, the governor is quoted as saying this about Obama’s people refusing to go along with a quid pro quo for the Senate seat appointment: “They’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F - - - them.”
Here’s our governor talking about using the Senate appointment for financial gain: “[T]he immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family.”
The governor sure has a way with words: “I’ve got this thing and it’s f - - - - - - golden and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for f - - - - - -nothing. I’m not gonna do it.”
Blagojevich also was caught talking about using $8 million in state pediatric funding to extract a $50,000 campaign contribution from Children’s Memorial Hospital: “I’m going to do $8 million for them. I want to get [Hospital Executive 1] for 50.”
There’s more, but you’ve probably already read most of the quotes yourself.
The Illinois Constitution’s guidelines for impeachment are pretty bare-bones. Impeachment requires just a majority vote in the House. There’s no “high crimes and misdemeanors” language as in the U.S. Constitution.
After the House votes to impeach, a two-thirds vote in the Senate is all that’s needed to remove Blagojevich from office.
And then he’d be gone. Forever.
Blagojevich’s attorney said Tuesday that his client did nothing wrong and has no intention of resigning. He’s expected to be back in his office today.
Knowing him as I do, I am absolutely sure that Gov. Blagojevich thinks he’s in the clear. So nothing will stop this man except impeachment. This necessity can no longer be delayed.
Get it over with.
* As I noted to subscribers this morning, Speaker Madigan’s office distributed an impeachment memo several months ago which argued that there was enough evidence to impeach him back then.
If Blagojevich could’ve been impeached then, he most certainly can be impeached now.
* The House Democrats are being way too timid on this topic…
But Madigan spokesman Steve Brown cautioned there are several complications to proceeding with impeachment, including timing.
A new legislature will be sworn in Jan. 14, and if impeachment proceedings start before then, there’s a question of whether they could continue with new lawmakers or have to start over.
Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Litchfield, said the timing issue is why legislators might wait a few weeks to push impeachment. Hannig agreed that Blagojevich should resign first.
Just start holding the committee hearings now. Forget the holiday break. Get this over with.
* As I told you yesterday, this is what House Speaker Madigan had to say…
On the question of impeachment, I am prepared to discuss the suggestions of the House Republican Leader.
The House Republicans have taken the initiative and filed a resolutionwhich creates “a Special Investigative Committee to investigate the conduct of Governor Rod R. Blagojevich and make a recommendation as to whether cause exists for impeachment.”
Why let the minority party get ahead of the curve? Blagojevich is a Democratic governor. Madigan was his campaign co-chairman in 2006 and is the state party chairman. He’s also the Speaker of a House with 70 Democratic votes. This is his responsibility.
* Democratic Rep. John Fritchey is trying to take the lead…
A leading member of the Illinois General Assembly says he’ll begin immediate impeachment proceedings against Rod Blagojevich if the governor doesn’t quit first. […]
Mr. Fritchey said he already has phoned House Speaker Michael Madigan about moving an impeachment bill.
Trouble is, Madigan hasn’t returned Fritchey’s call, which Fritchey said he made yesterday morning. What the heck?
* This is a good summary of how it can be done quickly…
Under legislative rules and the Illinois Constitution, the House can convene in a committee of the whole and move to a fairly fast vote, or first hold a separate committee hearing, Mr. Fritchey said. If a majority of the House votes to impeach, the matter then moves to the Senate, which could remove the governor if a supermajority of at least 37 of the 59 senators so vote.
(b) The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation
of the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by law. […]
SECTION 14. IMPEACHMENT
The House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct legislative investigations to determine the existence of cause for impeachment and, by the vote of a majority of the members elected, to impeach Executive and Judicial
officers. Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, Senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law. If the Governor is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators elected. Judgment shall not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to hold any public office of this State. An impeached officer,
whether convicted or acquitted, shall be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.
*** UPDATE *** Man, things are moving quickly today. With a hat-tip to a commenter, here’s the latest on this particular topic…
President-elect Barack Obama is calling for the Illinois governor to resign.
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs says the president-elect agrees with other prominent politicians in Illinois and elsewhere that “under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois.”
He should’ve said that yesterday.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* Gov. Blagojevich was caught on tape talking about appointing someone favorable to Barack Obama to the vacant US Senate seat…
“they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation.”
That pretty much sums up the situation here. Obama has little to answer for.
“I have not discussed the Senate seat with the governor at any time,” [Obama] said. “My strong belief is that it needed to be filled by somebody who is going to represent the people of Illinois and fight for them. And beyond that, I was focused on the transition.”
* That’s not what Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod said several days ago…
“I know he’s talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”
“I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.”
First he said he knows, then he says he was mistaken. Not good.
* However, Patrick Fitzgerald seemed to back up the president-elect…
“We make no allegations that he [Obama] was aware of anything.”
“President-elect Barack Obama’s comments on the matter are insufficient at best,” said Robert Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee. “Given the president-elect’s history of supporting and advising Gov. Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue.”
“The serious nature of the crimes listed by federal prosecutors raises questions about the interaction with Gov. Blagojevich, president-elect Obama and other high-ranking officials who will be working for the future president,” said Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new GOP House whip.
On the Chicago TV show "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz" on June 27, 2002, state Sen. Obama said, "Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor, we…"
"You working hard for Rod?" interrupted Berkowitz.
"You betcha," said Obama.
"Hot Rod?" asked the host.
"That’s exactly right," Obama said.
In 2004, then-Gov. Blagojevich enthusiastically endorsed Obama for the Senate seat after he won the nomination, and Obama endorsed Blagojevich for his 2006 re-election race in early 2005.
In the Summer of 2006, then-U.S. Sen. Obama backed Blagojevich even though there were serious questions at the time about Blago’s hiring practices.
Axelrod worked for Blagojevich during his first run for Congress, but has since not been close to the man.
* There is this tiny item as well, posted by somebody in comments…
This is flying around the internet in many forums. I want to know if there is truth this…
“Michelle Obama Is The “Specifically Named Individual” On Page 64 of The Affidavit Submitted by FBI”
Whatever. Here’s the quote from the complaint…
ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he needs to find a way to take the
“financial stress” off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards.
Big whoop.
* This is a stretch, but I wouldn’t put it past the national media to pursue the angle…
One prominent Chicago Democrat close to many of those named in the indictment suggested the risk for Obama is “Whitewater-type exposure.” That was a reference to an Arkansas real estate deal that produced a series lengthy and highly intrusive investigations in the 1990s that never proved illegality by the Clintons.
What this Democrat meant with his analogy—which on the facts so far seems a bit premature—was that Obama could suffer by being in the proximity of a back-scratching and deal-making culture, even if he was mostly a bystander. “What will splatter on to Obama is he is to some degree a product of this culture, and he has never entirely stood against it,” said the Democrat, who wanted anonymity for fear of antagonizing the president-elect.
* Actually, the AP’s national desk has already picked up on the meme…
President-elect Barack Obama hasn’t even stepped into office and already a scandal is threatening to dog him. Obama isn’t accused of anything.
But the fact that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, has been charged with trying to sell Obama’s now-vacant Senate post gives political opponents an opening to try to link him to the scandal.
A slew of questions remain. The investigation is still under way. And the ultimate impact on Obama is far from certain
But from Chicago’s point of view, Obama and Blagojevich occupy two opposing worlds of Democratic politics that work together out of convenience. Obama launched his political career among the Hyde Park and lakefront liberals. Blago came straight out of what’s left of the old Bungalow Belt machine.
It is not uncommon to build a winning coalition in Illinois politics by making friends or, at least, neutralizing rivals.
Blagojevich’s troubles will test how well Obama kept his own hands clean on his way up, even as Blago was slipping down.
* 10:50 AM - No wonder J3 kept such a low profile yesterday. He was busy talking to the G…
Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5″ whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered up to a million dollars to name him to the U.S. Senate, federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News.
According to the FBI affidavit in the case, Blagojevich “stated he might be able to cut a deal with Senate Candidate 5 that provided ROD BLAGOJEVICH” with something “tangible up front.”
Jackson Jr. said this morning he was contacted yesterday by federal prosecutors in Chicago who he said “asked me to come in and share with them my insights and thoughts about the selection process.”
Jackson Jr. said “I don’t know” when asked if he was Candidate #5, but said he was told “I am not a target of this investigation.”
Jackson Jr. said he agreed to talk with federal investigators “as quickly as possible” after he consults with a lawyer.
Not good.
*** 1:20 PM *** J3 may have a Friday date with the G…
Jackson hired longtime Chicago lawyer James Montgomery Sr. on Tuesday after federal prosecutors unveiled criminal charges against Blagojevich and top aide John Harris, sources said.
“There is nothing there to implicate the congressman,” Montgomery told the Tribune. The attorney said he and Jackson have been advised by a top deputy to U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald that Jackson is not a target of the investigation.
Montgomery said he expected Jackson would meet with officials from Fitzgerald’s office as soon as Friday.
* We’ve been hearing about this little-known rule which could be used to oust Gov. Blagojevich…
If Blagojevich does not resign or is not impeached, Attorney General Lisa Madigan says she’s prepared to move ahead under state Supreme Court Rule 382 — which allows someone to file a request for the Supreme Court to conduct a hearing to determine if the governor has the ability to serve or resume office.
Rule 382. Original Actions in the Supreme Court Pursuant to Article IV, Section 3, and Article V, Section 6(d), of the Constitution
(a) Institution of proceedings. Proceedings in the Supreme Court when the court has original and exclusive jurisdiction under article IV, section 3, and article V, section 6(d), of the Constitution, which relate to redistricting of the General Assembly and to the ability of the Governor to serve or resume office, shall be instituted by filing a motion for leave to file a complaint, which motion shall be accompanied by the complaint and a brief in support of the motion. The complaint may be supported by affidavits or other pertinent documents.
The General Assembly by law shall specify by whom and by what procedures the ability of the Governor to serve or to resume office may be questioned and determined. The Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction to review such a law and any such determination and, in the absence of such a law, shall make the determination under such rules as it may adopt.
* Procedures…
…The court may dispose of the case on the papers filed or may order further briefing or may order oral argument on the motion for leave to file or on the complaint or on the pleadings or on the pleadings supplemented by pertinent documentary evidence, or may call for additional evidence and for briefs and argument after such evidence has been received. If the court determines that disputed issues of material fact must be resolved on the basis of oral testimony, it may appoint a judge or retired judge of any Illinois court to take testimony and to report his findings of fact and recommendations to the Supreme Court.
* From “Committee comments” of July 1, 1971…
The defendant need take no action until the Supreme Court indicates what is appropriate. If the court deems the complaint obviously insufficient on its face, it may dispose of the case without calling the defendant to do anything. It may request the defendant to file either an answer to the complaint or a brief, in part depending on whether factual issues are presented. Because of the constitutional prohibition against “fee officers in the judicial system” (art. VI, §14), the evidence must be taken by an active or retired judge, who will be already receiving a State salary, rather than by a master.
* So, is the governor fit for office? Mark Brown is not alone with this assessment…
Rod Blagojevich’s defense lawyers might want to consider an insanity defense.
The federal government’s secret tape recordings of the governor’s scheming during the past two months confirm what a lot of people have been saying about him for a long time now.
He’s utterly mad. Completely and totally off his rocker.
And here’s where it might actually work as a legal defense: He’s incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong.
“It just amazes me that he would continue to try to do these things. You just wonder, I mean, you heard some talking about the arrogance, or if there’s just something wrong with him.”
The state Constitution doesn’t explicitly indicate an officeholder can be ousted by the court or by impeachment if that person faces criminal charges. Instead, the Constitution uses terms such as “failure to qualify” or “disability” in laying out causes to impeach someone.
In other words, the Court could decide if he fails to qualify to hold office or is disabled.
But, to me, that’s the chicken way out. The General Assembly ought to do its job. More on that in a bit.
* The Sun-Times identifies a couple of players not named in the federal criminial complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich…
Gov. Blagojevich was on a mad dash for $2.5 million in campaign cash in advance of a new state law that will stop him from taking political donations from state contractors as of Jan. 1, federal prosecutors alleged Tuesday.
And the governor allegedly was asking two of his closest advisers — lobbyists John Wyma and Alonzo Monk — for help, according to court documents and sources.
Wyma and Monk are not identified by name in the FBI affidavit accompanying Blagojevich’s criminal complaint. But sources said Wyma is “Individual A” and Monk “Lobbyist 1.”
Monk, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, is a lobbyist for a horse-racing group controlled by the Johnston family, which owns the Balmoral and Maywood park horse tracks. Monk last month allegedly was seeking a $100,000 contribution for Blagojevich in exchange for signing legislation to give the horse-racing industry a share of revenues from Illinois casinos.
Monk “assured Rod Blagojevich” that somebody associated with the Racing Associations of Illinois “would be good for the donation because [Monk] ‘got in his face,’ ” according to the affidavit.
Children’s Memorial Hospital and a highway contractor also were targets.
On Oct. 8, Blagojevich allegedly told Wyma that he wanted a $50,000 contribution from Patrick M. Magoon, chief executive officer of Children’s Memorial Hospital, which had recently received a commitment of $8 million in state funds. When the contribution was not forthcoming, Blagojevich discussed rescinding the funding.
Sneed is told the feds also visited the home of attorney Bill Quinlan Jr., Gov. Blagojevich’s chief counsel, while the FBI was arresting Blago and his chief of staff, John Harris.
Questions were asked.
Cooperation was requested.
No arrest was made.
You do the math.
• • The buckshot: Sneed hears Gov. Blago will have a hard time claiming executive privilege. Quinlan’s salary is paid for by the State of Illinois.
* Fran Spielman looks at Chief of Staff John Harris’ role…
What happened is that a desperately ambitious Harris filled a power vacuum in state government caused by the federal investigations swirling around Blagojevich.
“The governor isn’t around. He’s never at the Thompson Center. … Everything goes through John Harris. He’s been filling the void. John Harris thinks he’s the governor,” one longtime observer said.
A source familiar the situation tells me that “Advisor A” in the Blagojevich complaint– who is present in some of the key conversations — is former Deputy Governor Doug Scofield.
Scofield left the Blagojevich Administration in 2003, but has remained a key campaign advisor and spokesman, with strong labor ties, while running his own consulting firm.
Scofield isn’t named in the complaint, and he appears there mostly listening to Blagojevich, placing items in the Sun-Times, and offering political advice about the merits of relative candidates.
* And claims the SEIU official mentioned in the complaint is SEIU President Andy Stern…
There’s no allegation that the SEIU official did anything wrong, and what appears to be a wiretap transcript has the official reacting non-commitally to Blagojevich’s offer of a quid pro quo. Another Democratic source tells me that Stern was been in Chicago November 3 meeting with Blagojevich, a discussion thought to have included talk about the Senate seat — though that meeting isn’t mentioned in the complaint.
* Illinois Review gets this wrong, according to my sources…
From the affidavit:
Only ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s portion of the phone call can be heard. The call started with ROD BLAGOJEVICH saying hello to “Mr. [Highway Contractor 1]” and noting that ROD BLAGOJEVICH was “excited” about the “Tollway” (believed to be a reference to ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s recent announcement of $1.8 billion in Illinois Tollway funding that will benefit Highway Contractor 1 and the trade association with which he is affiliated). ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked about speaking with “[Individual C],” (Individual C is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who is believed to be attempting to assist ROD BLAGOJEVICH in passing a capital bill worth billions of dollars that would benefit Highway Contractor 1 and the trade association with which he is affiliated) and began, in the context of asking Highway Contractor 1 to do fund raising, to discuss fund raising rule changes that will take effect on January 1, 2009. The conversation ended with ROD BLAGOJEVICH stating to Highway Contractor 1: “Call me if you need anything.”
Individual C isn’t mentioned as doing anything wrong, but Blago mentions speaking with him to let HC1 he was in contact. Only two former U.S.Congressmen were helping to promote the Governor’s capital program — Democrat Glenn Poshard or Republican Denny Hastert. Got any ideas who these guys are?
I’m told that Bill Lipinski is likely Individual C.
Is U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Senate Candidate 5?
Federal prosecutors say someone approached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Candidate 5’s behalf and offered to trade campaign contributions for an appointment to the Senate. […]
Jackson (D-2nd), in a pair of written statements addressing what he described as “rumors” that he is referenced in the government’s complaint, declined to address the question but protested his innocence and said he would cooperate “fully and completely” with federal investigators as they continue to examine the governor’s alleged efforts to auction off the state’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.
“Since the federal investigation of the governor is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to comment,” Jackson said. “However, I reject and denounce pay-to-play politics and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrongdoing.”
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said Tuesday she’s not the woman referenced by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald as taking herself out of the running to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.
* We’re going to take this Blagojevich arrest topic in steps. Each area will have its own post. Use this comment section to ask specific questions and I’ll try to answer them in subsequent posts. Thanks.
And try to avoid snark. Kinda busy today and really not in the mood. Keep your questions legit.
Also, sorry about the site performance yesterday. We were absolutely slammed with visitors and struggled all day to keep the blog accessible - to varying degrees of success.
One more thing. Y’all had ample opportunity to get your drive-by “I hate Rod” comments out of your system yesterday. Let’s try to keep a bit of decorum today as we discuss this very grave matter. If I have time, I’ll be deleting those comments. Don’t waste your time or mine.
A proposal to allow civil unions in Illinois between same-sex couples has been stalled in the state legislature and seems likely to stay that way, as gay rights activists Wednesday plan nationwide “Day Without a Gay” rallies to protest California’s Proposition 8 and other measures opposing gay marriage.
Early Tuesday, Bank of America sent a letter to Republic offering to provide limited loans so the company could pay employee claims. Though that sparked hope of a resolution, Bank of America spokeswoman Diane Wagner said agreement on the terms of those payments was still to be reached between management and union representatives.
“We’ll worry about ourselves later; right now we want to do what’s right for those employees,” Wagner said.
She also responded to a timeline released by Republic Monday, which stated that the company had proposed plans in October for an “orderly wind down” of the factory that the bank rejected. The bank had been concerned about Republic’s finances since February and had discussions with owners about closing the plant as early as July.
“Republic had plenty of time to give their employees 60 days’ notice under the WARN act,” Wagner said. “But instead they kept employees in the dark about the company’s dire financial circumstances.”
Debt-heavy shopping mall operator General Growth Properties Inc. cut more than 100 jobs this week.
The publicly-traded Chicago-based Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns and manages more than 200 regional shopping malls in 44 states, cut about three percent of its 4,000-person workforce, a spokesman said Tuesday.
An analysis of the Canadian National Railway’s plan to use a suburban rail line as a freight bypass around Chicago does not sufficiently address economic and safety issues, Sen. Dick Durbin and several members of Congress said Tuesday.
The environmental impact review conducted for the federal Surface Transportation Board falls short in its recommendations to ease traffic, noise and safety concerns in suburbs along the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway, the lawmakers said.
“A cursory reading of [the report] shows that the staff did not take into consideration the serious questions of safety and economic impact that this acquisition would have,” Durbin (D-Ill.) said.
CN seeks federal approval for its $300 million purchase of the EJ&E. The Montreal-based railroad wants to run freight trains on the line to avoid rail congestion in Chicago.
