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Blagojevich after arrest: “How does my hair look?”

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* Daniel Cain and Patrick Murphy were two of the FBI agents who arrrested Rod Blagojevich ten years ago this coming Saturday. Their Chicago Magazine article about that arrest is an absolute must-read. Excerpts…

That afternoon, we went over the plan step by step. We would arrest the governor — whom we had code-named Elvis because of his fascination with the King — and Harris early in the morning at their homes, then dispatch agents to conduct interviews with 10 other people who we determined would be key to the investigation. Other agents would conduct searches of Blagojevich’s campaign office on the North Side and Deputy Governor Bob Greenlee’s office at the Thompson Center downtown. Surveillance teams had photographed the homes of Blagojevich and Harris so that we could get a sense of their layouts. We also had agents drive by to get a firsthand look. Members of the interview teams had reviewed witnesses’ files and gone over what questions to ask. We knew preparation was key to this operation going down without a hitch.

A tech-savvy agent provided the arrest and interview teams with audio clips of some of the “greatest hits” of conversations captured on the wiretaps. These were put on agents’ smartphones. Our hope was that those being approached would cooperate once they heard what we had. These included Robert Blagojevich, the governor’s brother; Tom Balanoff, head of the local Service Employees International Union; Deputy Governor Greenlee; Blagojevich’s friend and adviser Doug Scofield; and road construction executive Gerald Krozel. […]

At 4 a.m., we met Rob, the special agent in charge, in the basement parking lot of the Chicago office. We all got into Rob’s car and headed to a downtown hotel. There, waiting outside for us, was Chuck Brueggemann, a trusted high-ranking member of the Illinois State Police, the agency in charge of the governor’s security detail. The officers assigned to protect Blagojevich had no idea what was about to happen. Chuck had already been briefed and would serve as our liaison with them. This was critical. The last thing we needed was a standoff with the governor’s security detail in front of his house. […]

The governor picked out a blue Nike jogging suit, white socks, and running shoes to wear. As we prepared to leave, he turned and asked: “How does my hair look?”

“You look fine,” we told him, astonished by the question. It was as if he were preparing for a press conference.

Go read the whole thing.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:04 pm

Comments

Danny Cain, the pride of Tuscola, IL.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:11 pm
Blago never fails to incite contempt for him. Millions of dollars and valuable law enforcement hours spent on this (exletive deleted). Ironically, had a small contingent of officers simply kidnapped his hair brush, mirrors, and hair dryer for ransom, he would have fallen to his knees in tears, begging, and quickly capitulated to all required demands. What a putz.

Comment by Matts Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:19 pm
I always loved this.

Ironically from John Kass… August, 2012

===Which one of my friends could this be?” Blagojevich wrote. “… state Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, a lawmaker and friend, and a guy known for his sense of humor … could this be him? For a moment, I thought it was him.”

But he wasn’t being punked by DeLeo. He was being arrested at the order of Rob Grant.

“I told him who I was,” Grant told me in an interview Thursday at the FBI’s Chicago headquarters. “And said that, ‘There are FBI agents outside your door, and we’d like to do this as quietly as possible. We have a warrant for your arrest.’

“He didn’t believe me at first and hung up. Then I called back and he gave it to Patti and Patti inquired as to why we were calling from a phone registered to the state police. As she’s trying to interrogate me, the agents were going through the door,” Grant said.

Did he say he thought you were Jimmy DeLeo?

“No,” Grant said, smiling. “He never mentioned DeLeo’s name to me. While that might have been in his mind and he remembers it that way, he didn’t say it to me.”===

Hysterical.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:20 pm
A perfect anecdote in the story is Blago not picking up the “red” phone.

Rauner never learned the job. Quinn couldnt get his hands around the job. And Blago just never did his job.

Here’s hoping we have ended our long streak of electing bad Chief Executives.

Comment by Gallactic Cupcake Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:37 pm
== As we prepared to leave, he turned and asked: “How does my hair look?”==

Sounds about right

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 12:51 pm
This should be required reading for anyone who wants to pardon or commute Blago’s sentence. In addition to being unrepentant, he couldn’t be bothered to hush for his sleeping daughter.

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:03 pm
A great reminder that no public office holder is above the law, no matter how obsessed with their hair they are.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:04 pm
It had never occurred to me but of course you would need to liaison with the State Police ahead of the arrest.

Somehow doesn’t surprise me that Rod couldn’t pick up the emergency phone, but did pick up the residential.

Cue angry tweet from Patti in 3…2…1…

Comment by Not It Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:04 pm
Well at least we have a President who isn’t concerned about his hair. Oh wait, we do.

Comment by Sir Reel Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:19 pm
Thanks for sharing this. It’s golden.

Comment by morningstar Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:30 pm
“Does this hair make my head look small?”

Comment by Tequila Mockingbird Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:38 pm
Kind of sad and depressing. If he had co-operated from the minute he got arrested, what would the outcome have been?

Comment by ugh Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 1:54 pm
Not a Rod supporter but this is kind of bush league to tell-all in this fashion. Seems unprofessional.

Comment by 5 Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 2:04 pm
=Not a Rod supporter but this is kind of bush league to tell-all in this fashion. Seems unprofessional.=

It’s been ten years since that went down. All the while we’ve continued to hear from Rod, Patti, and his brother how much of a victim he was. Personally I’m glad this information has come out. It reminds us all of the arrogance Rod had and complete disregard for the people of this state. If anything was “bush league” it was the way the people of Illinois were treated.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 2:42 pm
I bet Trump will say the same thing.

Comment by XDNR Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 3:35 pm
===I bet Trump will say the same thing.===

Nah, he’d be confident his hair looked the best it’s ever looked.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 3:46 pm
Let’s not forget the conduct of the government. From the appellate court ruling: The “jury was entitled to conclude that” any campaign donation would be “for [Blagojevich’s] personal benefit rather than a campaign” because petitioner “had decided not to run for a third” term as
governor. Illinois law in force when Blago was governor strictly forbids this. The government repeated this untruth all the way to the Supreme Court, over Blago’s lawyers objections.

Comment by Public Citizen Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 3:55 pm
He was arrested on my birthday. Best present I ever received.

Comment by Behind the Scenes Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 4:35 pm
@ Public Citizen- Is that you Patti?

Tell us again how Blago didn’t openly solicit bribes?

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 5:07 pm
=Not a Rod supporter but this is kind of bush league to tell-all in this fashion. Seems unprofessional.=

It’s important to know as much as possible about historic events.

We’ve certainly got enough willful ignorance going around these days. Facts and truth are welcome, no matter what.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 5:14 pm
Js Mill - I am a person who never voted for Blago but who believes in fair justice.

Comment by Pulic citizen Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 5:54 pm
–Js Mill - I am a person who never voted for Blago but who believes in fair justice.–

What are your thoughts on using the power of the governor to withhold duly-passed appropriations for a baby-cancer hospital to shake them down for campaign contributions?

Where does that fall in the “fair justice” category?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 6:06 pm
Wordslinger - The issue becomes the entire trial and appeals process was tainted by allowing the jury to believe raising money was for his personal benefit.

Comment by Public Citizen Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 8:02 pm
I don’t understand why he wouldn’t want to hear the audio of the recordings, and why it took 25 minutes to come to that decision. Maybe if his lawyer had heard the damning evidence on day #1 he would have steered his client towards cooperating, resigning, and then Blago would be free right now.

Comment by Just Me Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 9:09 pm
–Wordslinger - The issue becomes the entire trial and appeals process was tainted by allowing the jury to believe raising money was for his personal benefit.–

Tainted? You lost me.

Blago shaking down the baby-cancer hospital for campaign contributions was for his personal benefit, was it not?

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Dec 4, 18 @ 11:27 pm
Wordslinger - Under campaign finance laws while Blago was governor, money for campaign contributions cannot be used for his personal benefit. Since he wasn’t running again for governor, about all he could do with campaign contributions was donate it to charity, other politicians, attend public policy conferences, etc. He could use them for legal fees, but he wasn’t under indictment at that point. Check out the Illinois campaign finance code. While you are at it, check out Rutan vs. Republican party Supreme Court decision. The Thompson administration’s shake down of government employees for constitutions was while the presiding Judge in the Blaog case, Zagel, was a high ranking state official.

Comment by Public Citizen Wednesday, Dec 5, 18 @ 12:35 am
==money for campaign contributions cannot be used for his personal benefit==

…except for clothes, trips, five-star hotels, cars, and expensive dinners.
https://tinyurl.com/y8km97stThis

Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Dec 5, 18 @ 7:22 am
= I am a person who never voted for Blago but who believes in fair justice.=

Then you should take comfort in the fact that the appellate court found the evidence against Blagojevich to be, in their words, “overwhelming”.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Dec 5, 18 @ 8:28 am
Patti better remind Trump about commuting Rod’s sentence. Trump might not be president much longer.

Comment by DuPage Wednesday, Dec 5, 18 @ 9:20 am