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Duffy: Rezko never interviewed about Obama, Blagojevich or anyone else

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Thoughts on this?

In a letter to a judge publicized last week, political fund-raiser Tony Rezko said “overzealous” prosecutors pressured him to tell them “the wrong things” about presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

But that letter appears to be misleading, given that Rezko never submitted to an interview with federal prosecutors or any federal investigators, sources said.

Rezko’s lawyer, Joseph Duffy, said Rezko never sat down for an interview and was never pressured directly, or indirectly, through Duffy, to talk about Obama, Gov. Blagojevich — or anyone else. […]

“Your honor, the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened,” Rezko said. “They are pressuring me to tell them the wrong things that I supposedly know about Gov. Blagojevich and Senator Barack Obama.”

Sources say Rezko believed he was put in jail just before his trial as a tactic to get him to flip.

…Adding… From Rezko’s letter to the judge…

Your Honor, the prosecutors have been overzealous in pursuing a crime that never happened. They are pressuring me to tell them the “wrong” things that I supposedly know about Governor Blagojevich and Senator Obama.

Rezko also claimed that the feds had “supoenaed and interviewed hundreds of people in my life.” If Rezko is telling the truth - and that may be a big “if” - then perhaps the pressure was applied to those people.

19 Comments

Question of the day

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Somebody over at DKos posted the other day about potential replacements for US Sen. Barack Obama if he is elected president. It was a pretty good list, but some were more than a little ridiculous (Speaker Madigan?).

Jan Schakowsky “won” the poll included in the post, so I thought we should do our own voting here. I’ve deleted some of the DKos poster’s selections and added a few of my own.

Keep in mind that this poll is about who should replace Obama if he’s elected preznit, not who will be named by the governor.

Use comments to explain your vote and/or add more names to the list that I have overlooked. We’ll hold a runoff election later this week. Also, be honest and only vote once. It’s difficult to get around the poll’s safeguards but not impossible, so have a little integrity…

…Adding… There are lots of write-in votes for Secretary of State Jesse White. Secretary White says he doesn’t want the job and won’t accept it, so that’s why he was left off the list. Move along, please. Thanks.

Whom do you think Gov. Blagojevich SHOULD pick to replace Sen. Barack Obama if Obama is elected president? ( polls)

100 Comments

Emanuel: Obama helped elect Blagojevich

Monday, Jun 16, 2008 - Posted by Rich Miller

* I don’t recall ever hearing about this, but the Republicans now have an avenue to directly connect presidential candidate Barack Obama to our embattled, investigated, unpopular and all but humiliated Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Congresscritter Rahm Emanuel says Obama helped get Blagojevich elected…

“I’ve known [Obama] a long time. We used to sit around helping our governor get elected, help those strategy meetings, stuff like that.”

I’m assuming that since Emanuel said “elected,” he meant 2002, before it was widely known that Blagojevich had some seriously shady pals. Even so, Obama can now be tied to the Blagojevich shipwreck. Not good.

* Emanuel did provide a great insight elsewhere in that article…

I asked him about the phrase “Chicago-style politics,” ubiquitous in profiles of both him and Obama.

Chicago-style politics? Well, first of all, politics is our all-season sport… People always know somebody or someway or somehow to make it into politics, it’s not some distant thing. Look at today, just pick up the paper. The Speaker of the House, who’s a Democrat, is the one encouraging people to file articles of impeachment against the governor, who’s a Democrat. That usually how we do it?” He laughs. “So that’s Chicago-style politics. A lot of elbows, a lot of tackling.”

Yep.

* Meanwhile, in other political news…

The annual banquet of Association of Indians in America (AIA) held last week at Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows notched many firsts this time and in no small measure it was reflective of a vibrant and imaginative leadership of its newly elect AIA Executive team headed by Naren Patel.

It was for the first time that one of the most powerful Illinois Politicians who also happens to be the longest serving House Speaker, Mike Madigan decided to attend the event as the Chief Guest.

Madigan so far had never come to any function organized by ethnic Indian organization and his present at AIA Banquet at the behest of Naren Patel was a pleasant surprise to many.

Up until now, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been the star at these sorts of events. For years, Blagojevich has aggressively pursued Indian-American campaign financial support. This Madigan visit makes me wonder what he’s up to. Lisa?

Discuss.

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