* Of all the letters written on behalf of John Harris for his sentencing hearing, this one stood out for me the most…
Blagojevich’s longtime executive assistant, Mary Stewart, said he was “very difficult to work with and for” and “basically would wear a person down” — for instance, by peppering Harris with calls early in the morning, late at night and on weekends and holidays.
“Had the former governor just listened to John more, I just know in my heart that the outcome for the administration would have been better,” wrote Stewart, who also worked for Blagojevich when he was a state representative and congressman.
This statement could be said about a lot of people, including myself. Many of us tried to publicly and privately steer Rod Blagojevich toward a more sane, honest governance. He never listened to anyone but the voices in his own head, and the FBI surveillance tapes made that pretty clear.
And that’s really the answer to Patti Blagojevich’s question that she posted on her Facebook page after Harris was sentenced to 10 days in prison…
“I can’t help but wonder what planet we are on. 10 days vs. 5110 days, a sentence that is 51,100% higher than Rod. How do you explain that to your children?”
Harris was culpable, but he fully admitted wrongdoing, never pocketed any cash and he helped the government prosecute his former boss. Rod still won’t admit anything.
* Lon Monk was sentenced to two years in prison last week while I was on break. Some background…
Monk, who was a groomsman at Blagojevich’s wedding, admitted he helped shake down a racetrack owner for a hefty campaign contribution to Blagojevich. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and testified against Blagojevich in exchange for a recommendation from prosecutors of a two-year sentence rather than the maximum five years.
Monk was a key prosecution witness at Blagojevich’s two trials, telling jurors how he and Blagojevich tried to squeeze the racetrack owner for a $100,000 campaign contribution by threatening state action that would hurt the racing industry. Blagojevich withheld approval of legislation that the industry wanted pending the contribution.
Jurors even heard a conversation in which Rod Blagojevich is heard coaching Monk on how to ask track owner — and Monk lobbying client — John Johnston for the cash.
“Give us the money. One has nothing to do with the other,” Monk told Blagojevich he would tell Johnston, referring to the contribution and the legislation. “Give us the f—ing money.”
Eventually, Blagojevich signed the bill — after his arrest in December 2008. The contribution was never made. […]
While prosecutors never accused Harris of profiting personally, they have said that Monk did, accepting illicit $10,000 payments from former Blagojevich campaign fund-raiser Tony Rezko, slipped to him in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.
Taking the money is what really made the difference here. Also, Monk initially refused to cooperate with the feds. Big mistake. The US Attorney is just too powerful a force to successfully resist in cases like these. Plus, Monk knew Blagojevich from way back. He should’ve known what he was in for. Harris was plucked from the Daley administration. I’m not sure he had a good idea what he was getting into when he took the job.
That being said, Harris was a Class A jerk as chief of staff. He made life miserable for a whole lot of people, both on his own accord and at Blagojevich’s command. But, I suppose, that’s not an imprisonable offense. If it was, I could think of a lot of folks who would still be behind bars.
* Related…
* Harris suffered plenty enough while on the job: For instance, Blagojevich wanted Illinois State Police troopers assigned to Chicago to help combat a crime wave in 2008. But he also wanted them clothed in special outfits that would identify them as part of this special unit. In other words, play dress up with real people in a potentially dangerous situation. Harris reportedly intervened and stopped the entire enterprise. Then there was the letter that outlined how Blagojevich wanted to fire his entire legal department because they lacked professionalism. Instead, he wanted to hire an unemployed attorney he met in line at a Starbucks to be the state’s chief legal counsel. What mature leader of a major state would want to install someone he met in line at a coffee shop as his state’s chief legal counsel?
* Sneed: Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is now serving his 14-year prison sentence at a federal penitentiary in Colorado, is expecting his first batch of visitors. The visitor’s list: Sneed is told attorneys Sam Adam and Sam Adam Jr., the father-son duet who represented Blago at his first federal corruption trial, will be Rocky Mountain bound at the end of the month. Familial fodder: “We are like family and my dad talks to him about twice a week,” Sam Adam Jr. tells Sneed. Father & son: “Before he [Blago] went to prison, my dad would literally talk to him four or five times a day,” said Adam Jr. “It had nothing to do with the case most of the time. They read the same books, are both history buffs . . . he’s the intellectual son my dad never had. I love that, it means I don’t have to read that stuff,” said Adam Jr., who plans to bring his 4-year-old son, Parker, on the trip.
* Illinois ranks high for fighting corruption: Illinois ranked tenth in the nation for fighting corruption, according to a recent study by the Center for Public Integrity… The study, part of the State Integrity Investigation, rated Illinois in terms of the systems it has in place to prevent and discourage political corruption. Randy Barrett, the center’s communications director, said although some of this year’s top-scoring states have a reputation of being corrupt in the past, the reforms they’ve created to guard against repeat offenses helped earn them high ranks. “We were not looking at corruption per se,” Barrett said. “We weren’t looking at individuals. We weren’t looking at convictions. We were looking at states’ systems to guard against corruption in the future.”
* Zorn: Fine Line: Unimaginatively venal and irrationally demanding… Frank Kruesi’s description of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in a letter to U.S. District Judge James Zagel regarding the sentencing of John Harris, Blagojevich’s one-time chief of staff.(CST)
* Bernard Schoenburg: Nix lands job on Biden’s re-election team
* Beavers holding legal defense fund-raiser at a McDonald’s
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:16 am:
I can’t help but wonder what planet Patti and her husband are on in their refusal to admit or take responsibility for his grievous crimes.
- HaHa Man - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:17 am:
The media sure loves talking about Blagojevich.
- kerfuffle - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:28 am:
It would really be nice if the next time there was a news story on Blago it would be when he is released years from now.
- Cincinnatus - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:29 am:
“* Illinois ranks high for fighting corruption”
Practice makes perfect…
- CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:29 am:
Let’s skip PB —she is just screen testing for a counter job at Pawn Stars
The study you reference came out during your well deserved break…it included the following…
“In addition to identifying about 300 different qualifiers for what is and isn’t considered “corrupt,” the study was compiled by veteran reporters from every state. They conducted interviews and researched public records in order to rate states based on a variety of criteria, including campaign finance transparency, executive, legislative and judicial accountability, civil service management, lobbying disclosure and pension fund management. Illinois scored an F for redistricting, D for state and civil service management, D for legislative accountability and C for lobbying disclosure…..”
Attempts to get explanation F for redistricting have been unsuccessful. This is important since the 2011 remap held a record number of hearings across the state, passed both chambers, was signed into law and affirmed by the federal courts without modification.
How this warrants an “F” makes little sense. We understand the system does not please all the handwringers who want to be like Iowa — very scary — and violate teh voting rights act.
Of course this means IL will actually score higher and really pose problems for paid “reformers” like HandOut Andy or these Philly dudes at Medill or taxpayer funded Ald. Dick.
How can these dudes lounge around and wait to cluck to some reporter about how evil IL is and then head to lunch?
- OneMan - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:30 am:
I think it would be worth Zagel taking 6 months off of Rod’s time if he would tell about the uniforms he wanted those guys to wear.
- South of Sherman - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:30 am:
Oh, John Harris had a demanding boss? Cry me a river. And as for his “cooperation”? Next time, tell the feds what you know about the crimes you’re involved in BEFORE they come at you with handcuffs. I’ll be a lot more impressed.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:31 am:
I used to run into him all the time. Why didn’t he ever offer me a job?
- JustaJoe - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:40 am:
“Illinois ranked tenth in the nation for fighting corruption…” Huh? Of course with so much corruption to choose from, how can you miss? The flaw here is that no matter what corruption preventing systems are put in place, they either are superficial, or subject to creative maneuvers, or they are just ignored. If one digs even just a little below the surface, measures put in place are pretty ineffective. Did Governor Blago and his minions take the required annual ethics training?
- anon - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 11:50 am:
Im glad that somebody has finally said that John Harris was a jerk. While he may not have pocketed cash, he was drunk with power. He loved being the gate keeper to the governor, and I would say that he was the worst enabler of all. Im glad that he wont serve long in prison, but I hope that he looks back on his time with rod as a lesson on how NOT to treat people.
- IrishPirate - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 12:11 pm:
Oneman,
I suggest you google the uniforms Nixon wanted the uniformed White House Guards to wear. He was ridiculed and the uniforms were donated to a school marching band.
Here’s one link.
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/PRESIDENCY/2b4_b.html
I picture Blago dressed up in a cowboy outfit with a big badge and riding a donkey down the hard mean streets of the west side of Chicago.
- McPartlin - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 1:09 pm:
Patti B, just go away. Really.
When you are explaining Rod’s sentence to your kids make sure you explain to them what you meant when you said ““hold up that f—ing Cubs sh–t … F— them.” … which we all overheard on Rod’s wiretap.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 1:32 pm:
@Wensicia -
Whatever planet they are on, you can rest assured that when they look up at the sky on a clear night, they marvel at the entire universe revolving around them.
Thanks Rich for reminding us that Harris’ sentence does not change the fact he was a jerk. He brought from the Daley administration the view that the legislative body should sit up and bark like dogs upon command, and swatted with a newspaper if they dare disobedience.
- Capital View - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 1:33 pm:
Illinois corrupt?
The reality is that many states tolerate corruption and do not arrest or prosecute. Look at Florida, after the Gore-Bush election farce was revealed in total — was anyone prosecuted for the abuses in keeping down Democratic votes in African-American areas? Of course not.
Springfield was recently cited as a dangerous place to live, based on FBI crime reporting data. But the truth is that Springfield reports many crimes that go unreported in other jurisdictions. And similarly, Illinois looks bad to the nation not because we are more corrupt, but because we (or at least our federal prosecutors)go after the Cook County and state officials who abuse their positions.
- wishbone - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 2:23 pm:
I can understand the nature of individual corruption in a person like Blagojevich, but what I fail to comprehend is the collective incompetence that has led our state to the edge of bankruptcy, like the unfunded $54 billion retiree health care bill on top of the $83 billion pension shortfall. And unfortunately these were decisions for which no one will ever do prison time. There has to be a way to hold politicians accountable for these mega crimes just as we do for the relatively minor theft of a million dollars or so.
- Shore - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 2:56 pm:
I said the day blago went to jail on here I thought mrs. blago and his team (lawyers et al) would stay in the news if not more so now because they’re just that desperate for attention and the media loves covering this story that much. I expect the first adams return from fci englewood will be covered in the sun-times and on the nightly newscasts in full detail. It’s disgusting but such is life.
as for the 5,100 days, nbc5 has a ticker on their website/blog says it’s 4300 until he’s out.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 3:55 pm:
It will never end - we are all doomed -
No (hair) piece - no peace.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 3:55 pm:
@Wishbone-
The tolerance for white collar crime and incompetence in Government mirrors tolerance for misfeasance and nonfeasance in corporate board rooms.
That’s why i find the lecturing by Pat Collins, who now gets paid to shield corporations from prosecution, so hilarious.
That said, while its easy to poke at the State Integrity Project, I do find their study very useful. I certainly don’t agree with every point, but atleast you can dig down in to their research to understand their rationale.
- Gregor - Tuesday, Apr 10, 12 @ 7:04 pm:
You just know Blago’s special police squad would have had his name on those uniforms somewhere, like the tollway signage. I’m picturing Curtis Sliwa berets with a NASCAR-like logo windbreaker, and Starsky-and-Hutch Torino stripes on the squad cars… Blago will continue to fascinate for decades due to all the crazy in his reign. You can’t make up better stuff if you tried.
Did anybody else notice Rod is referred to by name in one of the “what not to do” examples in this year’s mandatory State Worker Ethics Training “exams”? Delicious irony.
It amazes me that Sam Adam is apparently bringing his little boy to a penitentiary to see a client his father and grampa couldn’t save. It should scare the kid straight, I guess.
Patti should thank the lord every day that the feds didn’t bother to charge her too, because her case would have been a slam-dunk compared to Rod’s.
- SurfDrive - Wednesday, Apr 11, 12 @ 4:04 am:
Memo to Patti - Return all the money you recieved for doing nothing from 2002 to 2008. Worry more about raising your two daughters.