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.
