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As expected, ARDC hearing board recommends Blagojevich be disbarred

Tuesday, Mar 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Meanwhile, John Bambenek recently paid $65 to troll local Democratic candidate Emily Rodriguez…

Getting endorsed by Blagojevich? Bold move, @emilyrod. cc: @electmikeingram @news_gazette pic.twitter.com/pCeueSE39I

— John Bambenek (@bambenek) March 2, 2020

Set aside the prank for a moment. That’s just a bad video all around and… what the heck is on Rod’s face? This is the clearest evidence yet that you should not be paying him for one of his goofy videos.

* Anyway, a Rodriguez ally actually filed a complaint with the Board of Elections claiming there should be a “paid for by” on Bambenek’s silly tweet. Click here to read it. That’s kinda weird because Bambenek isn’t running for anything and currently has no active candidate committee. It’s paid for, in other words, by Bambenek himself.

Mark Maxwell…

The complaint, dated March 2nd, alleges that Bambenek has supported Rosales in his primary challenge, and that he should have included a “paid for by” disclaimer in the video he posted to his 35,000 Twitter followers.

As chairman of the County Board, Rosales, a Democrat, has an obligation to appoint someone to fill the vacant Treasurer position. Bambenek, a Republican, has expressed interest in running for that seat in November. Bambenek claims he did not coordinate the gag with Rosales, and that the $65 expense is below the reporting threshold. He also argues the satire is protected under his right to exercise political speech, and does not consider the video an ‘in-kind contribution’ to the Rosales campaign.

If the expense were to be filed with the State Board of Elections, it would not appear until the next reporting period, which is after the primary will have concluded.

Even if it was an in-kind contribution, Rosales has no campaign committee. Bambenek couldn’t file an A-1 even if he wanted to.

* From Bambenek’s response…

In fact, until about the time of filing this complaint, [Emily Rodriguez’s] own twitter profile stated something of the form “once described as a gussied up Blago”. It has since been deleted.

Yep.

* Since she was the object of ridicule, Rodriguez will get the last word…

A man retaliates against a woman who denied him the attention he feels entitled to… I wish I were more surprised by this pattern of behavior. https://t.co/Tm7xsqG7kI

— Emily Rodriguez (@emilyrod) March 2, 2020

15 Comments

- 47th Ward - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:36 pm:
Can we all pitch in and get Lindsay Lohan or Sean Spicer to send him a Cameo greeting offering condolences on being disbarred?

- Practical Politics - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:46 pm:
Why did this process take so long? If the ARDC was waiting for Blagojevich to exhaust his appeals that effort ended a long time ago.

- Ginhouse Tommy - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:54 pm:
Looks like he belongs on Sesame Street

- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:55 pm:
I guess I’m confused.

If you felt you were “railroaded” and did nothing wrong, why give up your right to practice law, uncontestedly too?

It’s rhetorical… obviously.

- Jibba - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 2:56 pm:
Please remember this distasteful episode when Bambenek inevitably runs for something again.

- Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 3:28 pm:
-Why did this process take so long?-

He’s been under an interim suspension since 2011. As I recall his appeals were exhausted in 2018 and this case was filed in 2019. He was theoretically entitled to discovery, etc. if he had bothered to participate.

- JoanP - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 4:19 pm:
=He was theoretically entitled to discovery, etc. if he had bothered to participate. =

Not to mention that he wouldn’t have been able to appear and testify in front of the board, had he wanted to do so.

- Skeptic - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 4:34 pm:
“4. Given Respondent’s serious misconduct [..], we recommend that Respondent, Rod R. Blagojevich, be disbarred.”

Picard: “Make it so.”

- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 5:18 pm:
- What the heck is on Rod’s face?

That’s a mark from a twenty foot pole.

- JP Altgeld - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 5:24 pm:
I never was under the impression that Rod had much interest in the sweet, scholarly delights of jurisprudence.

- Chambana Grouch - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 6:29 pm:
I hope Bambenek never gets elected to any office.
He’s been doing stuff like this for years. And I also hope I’m never represented by the lawyer who drafted the complaint against Rosales. That was godawful.

- Rich Hill - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 8:00 pm:
== if he had bothered to participate.==

You can add that to the conclusion of almost any sentence involving Rod Blagojevich that doesn’t involve groveling for money.

- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Mar 3, 20 @ 9:58 pm:
===what the heck is on Rod’s face?===

I thought my monitor was dirty.

- filmmaker prof - Wednesday, Mar 4, 20 @ 12:06 am:
Bambenek lives for media attention. You just fed the troll again.

- Champaign Poltical operative - Wednesday, Mar 4, 20 @ 7:09 pm:
After 3 years of Trump’s “just kidding” comments, this latest Bambenek stunt made me so angry, just had to do something. Yes, the guy has been at it for years, yes, he is a troll, but bringing this garbage to an election involving the basics of Democracy has to stop NOW. Precinct Committee persons and County Board Members work hard, without pay and should be encouraged, not made a public laughing stock. I can take a joke as well as anyone, have never been accused of being a “snow flake”, but enough is enough. Ironically, if Mr. Rosales loses the primary, he has Bambenek to thank.

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