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* The least popular thing to do in Illinois is question the sainted Patrick Fitzgerald. The US Attorney has put “The Fear” into almost every politician in this state, so it’s difficult to find fault.
However, a ruling yesterday by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve yesterday has made me rethink parts of Tony Rezko’s prosecution. I went through a bunch of this with subscribers already, so let’s just look at this one avenue here…
The ruling disclosed another alleged transaction involving Blagojevich’s campaign fund. Rezko promised a businessman an appointment to a state post in exchange for a $50,000 political donation to the governor, according to prosecutors.
Joseph Cacciatore allegedly asked Rezko to help his brother, Phil, land a spot on the Illinois Banking Board. Rezko said it would happen if he kicked in $25,000 to the governor’s campaign fund. Rezko offered to contribute another $25,000 through one of his companies on behalf of Cacciatore, according to the ruling.
Phil Cacciatore did get that Banking Board spot, but there are no corresponding contributions on the State Board of Elections website.
* Why is this important? Because Judge St. Eve said that prosecutors could use the alleged Cacciatore scam to buttress a charge against Rezko. The charge centers on an alleged shakedown of Tom Rosenberg for a $1.5 million campaign contribution to Blagojevich. That story has lots of its own serious holes, not the least of which is star witness Stu Levine’s credibility and his alleged $25,000 a month drug habit…
“Two federal fraud indictments did not motivate Levine to plead guilty,” Rezko’s attorneys wrote in a 16-page filing, many parts of it redacted. “Rather, the evidence shows that Levine was fearful that the government would discover his secret life” and that Levine began cooperating only after learning that the government “had discovered and was investigating his secret life.
“As much as the government would like to describe Levine’s [redacted] as merely [redacted], the fact that each such affair involved [redacted] and all-night sessions fueled by huge quantities of illegal drugs gives Levine much more to hide, and much more to fear.”
They really want to get this out, but I’m not gonna help. You shouldn’t, either. Don’t risk being banned.
* And this is a bit weird, too…
Monday’s ruling indicated that prosecutors allege that Kjellander served as a straw man for Rezko in the bond deal. Rezko, the ruling suggested, directed the investment bank Bear Stearns to give the fee to Kjellander, who then transferred $600,000 of the $809,000 fee to Joseph Aramanda, a Rezko business associate. Aramanda then allegedly turned over $450,000 to four other people designated by Rezko.
In an interview Monday, Kjellander said he made a “loan” to Aramanda “because I got a very favorable interest rate. That loan was repaid before the due date, and I made a very nice profit on the interest.”
So, if Kj loaned the money to Aramanda, what, exactly is the beef with Kj? Judge St. Eve decided that this particular avenue would be inadmissable evidence against Rezko. I’m not sure why prosecutors even brought it up, except to throw more mud on the defendant, which is not their job.
* This is mostly irrelevant…
In Monday’s ruling, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, Lon Monk, was mentioned as signing off on Levine’s reappointments.
Since Monk was the chief of staff, he probably signed off on all appointments.
* All that being said, there are some obvious problems with the Blagojevich administration and serious charges against Rezko. For instance, because this contribution actually exists, I give this bit of evidence more weight…
According to the ruling, Rezko and Levine met at a dinner party on Nov. 2, 2002—just three days before Blagojevich defeated Jim Ryan for governor. At the time, Rezko was one of Blagojevich’s biggest fundraisers and Levine, Jim Ryan’s law school classmate, was the largest single contributor to Ryan’s campaign for governor.
The party was hosted by Fortunee Massuda, a shareholder in Rezko’s pizza business, and her husband, Charles Hannon, according to the ruling. In 2003, Blagojevich appointed Massuda to the state’s Health Facilities Planning Board, just weeks after she gave Blagojevich’s campaign $25,000. Prosecutors contend Hannon was to be the recipient of a bogus consulting fee from an investment firm awarded business by the Teachers Retirement System, on whose board Levine sat, St. Eve said in her ruling. The fee is alleged to have been arranged by Rezko and Levine.
I’m not sure if that fee was ever paid. But there is that campaign contribution, and that’s all bad for the governor. There were others just like it around that time.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 5:02 am
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Kjellander says “I made a very nice profit on the interest”.
For a man in the money management business, a very strange use of words.
Return on loaned money is not usually referred to as profit.
Of course, the real business he engaged in was to get a couple of Republican Senators to go against the party and pass the bill.
This resulted in his reward of the public $809,000 over which he took a lot of grief or as is probably the case the lesser sum of $209,000.
The one thing that needs to be looked up, is whether the Republican Senators who ratted on the party got something out of it.
Incidentally, one shouldn’t make a big deal out of contributions not being reported to the ISBE.
Like this den of thieves really cared about dotting all the i’s.
Comment by True Observer Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 7:42 am
Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind. He has no standing grain. The stalk will yield no head. If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.
Comment by Careful using the Lord's name for political gain Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 7:47 am
At this point in time, what Kjellander says I wouldn’t take as gospel. We won’t know the truth about the “interest” until he perhaps goes on trial like a whole bunch of others. Get in line Bob, you’ve just moved up a rung on Fitzgerald’s ladder.
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:05 am
I’m sure that there will be plenty of posters here who will say that this is proof that Blagojevich is a “crook.”
Well, try telling the parents of thousands of Illinos children who can sleep soundly tonight because they know their kids have healthcare coverage that Blagojevich is a crook.
Try telling the thousands of seniors who now enjoy freedom of mobility on public transportation that Blagojevich is a crook.
Just look at the election results from the last gubernatorial race! The voters of this state overwhelmingly rejected the notion that Blagojevich is a crook.
The fact of the matter is, all these allegations that are coming out of this federal investigation are merely technical violations of laws designed to keep the fat cats in power and prevent us from establishing an open, progressive society.
Forget about these technical violations of these stupid laws. The most important thing is that we re-elected the most caring governor this state has even known.
I say throw Patrick Fitzgerald in jail for wasting the taxpayers’ money on this politically motivated witch hunt.
Comment by Frosty Da Snowman Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:12 am
[…] The Cap Fax Blog notes the feds don’t have an open and shut case against Rezko. There may well be some holes. […]
Pingback by In Chambers » It’s Official: Blago is ‘Public Official A’ Updated X1 Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:18 am
Keep in mind two things: First, the feds may have evidence showing donatrions were made under different names so a simple name search of the database would not show anything. Second, we know they have tape on some of this stuff from Levines help. You can argue about Levines credibility all you want, but depending on what has been recorded, we have Reezko and other conspirators own words as the evidence against them. I am curious to see what they really have recorded to support Levines version of events.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:26 am
Frosty, as a parent I can truly say I do not sleep better at night with Blago as governor. In fact the thought makes me ill. Forget about the last election, his approval ratings are now lower than Bush’s in Illinois. Technical violations of stupid laws? Who gets to decide which ones we should follow and which ones are stupid?
Comment by Leigh Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:28 am
Hey Frosty, try telling the families of all the people on death row whose loved ones are now serving a life sentence instead of having lethal juice run through their veins that George Ryan is a crook. But George Ryan IS now a convicted crook.
Sorry to correct you on the overwhelming support for Blago; however, I believe he won the last election with slightly less than 50% of the vote. Now bear in mind that right around 50% of people in this state eligible to vote are even registered to do so. Then only half of those went to the polls in the ‘06 election. Now we’re down to 25% of the people who even bothered to vote. Now figure a little less than half of those who actually voted punched a hole for Blago. I’d say that around 12% favorability in this state was not really a good sign for Blago’s second term. And now his ratings are down lower than that. So I would say quite the contrary, the voters/non voters of this state are probably quite happy right now to read the headlines in the morning papers.
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:29 am
Nice job, Frosty.
Keep practicing.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:34 am
An interesting perspective. But when you write that neither of the $25,000 Cacciatore donations came through, I don’t think that’s accurate. This from your own link to the campaign contribution site:
Cacciatore, Joseph & Maria
850 Hill Road
Winnetka, IL 60093
Occupation: President
Employer: Hunter Alliance Corporation $25,000.00
9/24/2002 Individual Contribution
Friends of Blagojevich
You are correct, however, that there’s no corresponding donation from Rezmar. But is it really that hard to believe Rezko would have pocketed that money or laundered it by some other means before it got to Blago?
Comment by somewhat.correct Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:36 am
I keep wondering when fitzgerald is going to drop the big bombshell.
So far, I don’t know if they have proved anything other than Rezko was a slimy guy who was trying to boost his favor with the new blago administration. He assumed, apparently correctly, that if he was responsible for more donations, he could get more access.
I just don’t know if they have made the link that makes blago complicit. Yet.
Comment by Hmmmm Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:36 am
Fitzgerald is only “sainted” when he is going after Republicans. Lets see if some now rethink the Scooter Libby prosecution, and jailing a reporter for not revealing a source. Beating up on the Il GOP and its candidates/ officerholders is one thing, lets see what happens when the prosecutions start targeting -finally, powerful Democrats, and not just their “buffers.” Are we starting to see Fitzgerald’s fall from grace.
Comment by Cousin Ralph Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:47 am
In light of this revelation, I think the state should modify that so called ethics test it requires all employees to take. A specific hypothetical test example could reference a shakedown for political contributions to an anonymous public official. Another suggestion, whenever the governor is seen in public, everyone should point to him and say, “aaaaay!” He will probably think we are referring to him as the Fonz.
Comment by one of the 35 Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:48 am
“Just look at the election results from the last gubernatorial race! The voters of this state overwhelmingly rejected the notion that Blagojevich is a crook.”
Last I checked over 50 percent of the voters voted for some other than Blagojevich, I would say that is far from an overwhelming vote of confidence. Hell if th GOP had the money and a better candidate they probably would of unseated him.
Comment by RMW Stanford Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:51 am
I think Frosty & Bill are the same folks
Let’s think about the parents with children who despite Blaggo’s hype cannot find docs who will treat their kids
Let’s talk to seniors who will get a free ride to no where, but worry if they will get their meds because use no is paying pharmacies
You get teh drift.
Comment by DumberThanYouTHink Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:52 am
Frosty, Many criminals do good things for the community, but they are still criminals. As far as GROD, Fitzy is coming and there is nothing you can do about it.
Comment by He makes Ryan Look like a Saint Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:57 am
Rich, re: your last para:
that fee was not paid. (source; Levine plea agreement or Rezko proffer, take your pick.)
A couple other points:
-perhaps it’s not a show-stopper, but it should not go unnoticed that Tony had apparently placed two “friendly” board members on the Investment Board, Joe Cacciatore and the ubiquitous Allison Davis.
-again, this may not be relevant to the matter at hand, but many will remember the furor over Kj’s fee from both sides of the aisle. How many of those folks would have felt any better had they known that 3/4 of the cash was going to be “loaned” to Tony Rezko creditors?
BTW, Frosty, have you been out in the sun too long?
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 8:59 am
I think it’s safe to say — especially in Illinois, but probably everywhere — your vote tally has *nothing* to do with your crookedness or lack thereof.
Frankly, Illinois politics is at the point where it’s safe to assume — cynically, perhaps, but nonetheless potentially accurately — that *everyone* running in any given race is a crook. Moreover, it’s probably also safe to say that the crook with the highest vote tally is probably the *better* crook.
Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:01 am
UM, is not really irrelevent when a sitting GOV is named ina Idictment.
Comment by A Working Stiff on The Road Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:03 am
Hey guys everyone should check out the Nursing home Vote investigations going on in the South part of the State. This is going somewhere.
Comment by A Working Stiff on The Road Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:04 am
Did not KJ was in the loan biz. Need to ask that to the Palm in case I need some cash and the pay day loans shops are closed.
Capt Fax is right! This all sounds like normal stuff to me….people make $400K loans all the time.
Comment by DumberThanYouTHink Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:05 am
Opps typed too fast. Meant to say…
Did not know KJ was in the loan biz. That is info I’ll need to add this to his Palm listing for those days when cash is needed and the payday loan shops are closed.
Capt Fax is still correct about how “routine” this all is….tee hee.
Comment by DumberThanYouTHink Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:12 am
The Byzantine ways that the Kjellander money was funneled to Democrat candidates should wake up sleeping Republicans. as to how th combine works in Illinois.
If the Republican State Chairman had a hairline and a forehead, he should be scratching the former and raising what eyebrows remain. Unless, of course, this is old news to him.
Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:25 am
“The fact of the matter is, all these allegations that are coming out of this federal investigation are merely technical violations of laws designed to keep the fat cats in power and prevent us from establishing an open, progressive society.”
Hey Snowman. . .our Governor cannot fairly be called “open” or “progressive”. He is as reclusive as Howard Hughes and as unyielding as any Illinois politician in our lifetime.
I say march onward Patrick Fitzgerald, ignore the 2% who oppose you and give us hope that this corruptive state can be remedied.
Unfortunately, for the umpteenth time in my adult life, I am not proud to be from Illinois.
Comment by Jake from Elwood Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:29 am
So we expanded health care for kids, but we do not pay the bills for the healthcare so no doctors will see the kids covered by the State.
The gov did spend over a hundred thousand printing up ads to tell people who was providing coverage. I guess its better spent on publicity then actually paying for the treatments.
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:32 am
All interesting, but nothing new. Joe Cacciatore has held leases with various IL state agencies way before Blago became governor. He probably donated to the other party’s officials too to get these contracts. So no, influential businessman didn’t all of a sudden start buying influence in IL in late 2002. The only difference was how blatant this gov and his office was in ramming contracts and staff appointments down the throats of state agencies in the early days of 03 and 04, coupled with the public pronouncements of “Reform and Renewal”.
Comment by Bebe Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:32 am
How about this (from the Daily Herald)….Over the weekend, Rezko’s attorneys submitted filings asking the judge to allow evidence of key witness Stuart Levine’s “secret” relationship and lifestyle. Details of that lifestyle were blacked out in court filings. Levine is the key witness against Rezko, and Rezko attorney Joseph Duffy says the details should be admitted because it was fear that lifestyle would be revealed that led him to cooperate with federal agents.
Duffy contends federal agents promised to do everything they could to keep that secret under wraps, and benefits witnesses receive in exchange for testifying are fair game, he argued.
St. Eve has already once refused Duffy’s request but said she would hear further arguments on the matter.
Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe the SpinSisters can toss some denials on this stuff too.
Comment by DumberThanYouTHink Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:36 am
This whole deal reminds me of the line in Shawshank Redemption when Andy tells Red: “We’ve got kickbacks on our kickbacks.”
This truly is mind-numbing stuff. I know the basic premise of the whole deal isn’t difficult to understand, but the details seem to be never-ending. It’s a shame our state government leaders and top officials can’t put as much effort into actually running the state in an efficient manner and instead use their time and means to concoct schemes or go along with programs designed to fleece the taxpayers.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:39 am
Resko is the first Domino. Once he gets convicted he will have to decide to serve the full sentence or flip on Blago for a deal. Does any one believe he will do the full bit? Second, I don’t care how many people voted for Blago, it is only going to take 12 to convict him.
Third, where is Lisa Madigan. She lambasted Jim Ryan for not indicted George Ryan and waiting on the feds. Oh, Lisa, where art thow?
Comment by the Patriot Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:39 am
Isn’t it high time that the Feds freeze up Blagojevich’s campaign coffers/magic money machine?
Comment by Opie Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:45 am
And I am in no way offended that Pat Fitz & Co. are pursuing this matter further. If the political culture in this state is to ever change - and I hate to admit this - these types of federal investigations and cases need to happen.
At the federal level, Congressmen and lobbysists crow about their opinion of earmark validity and importance. But they miss the point: it’s a fundamental spending problem and sickness. If you cut off one of the Hydra’s heads, you might be able to take care of the beast. If you reign in earmark and grant spending, you might just see a drop in overall spending as an effort to tighten the purse strings.
How does that relate to Illinois? Simple: make an example of people like Rezko, Levine and Blago and future powerbrokers might not be as inclined to shake officials down. And if you make examples and there is a ripple effect, perhaps the overall attitude of those who serve US in this state will change and we will see a more responsive, responsible government.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:47 am
Rich, I agree that you cant always hold prosector’s statements as gospel, but you cant discount them because you don’t see the trail of money. Of course there isn’t a $1.5million contribution. they split the money up into smaller donations and had a variety of conduits make the contributions. if you dont want someone to know you’re making a donation, you give the cash to someone else. the proffer states this is what they were doing.
Illinois’ campaign disclosure system is a joke and makes it completely easy for things like to happen without anyone batting an eye.
Comment by stop drinking the cool aid Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 9:51 am
Bet the lights were on late Monday at the northside bunker and Winston & Strawn’s. Wonder how M.R. Blagojevich is spinning yesterday’s revelation, was it a WIN WIN DAY or just a win win day?
Comment by Cornflake Girl Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:01 am
Where’s Bill?
Bill knows the TRUTH, help us make sense of all this.
Has the man behind the curtain finally been exposed?
Comment by Poolside @ Hotel Ibiza Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:06 am
Once upon a time, Rezko held a fundraiser at the office on Elston for Luis Gutierrez for Congress.
Who attended, who paid? Were there other fundraisers at the office for other candidates? This is the office for which there is a list of comings and goings by Blagojevich and Obama. it is difficult to track this kind of contribution, but if you put people together, the money tracking is not so easy. you connect them by pulling them into one place and directing. There was/is probably more of this kind of thing going on.
Comment by amy Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:07 am
Antoin you had better make a deal. Remember you have antoher trial to go after this one.
Comment by Leave a light on George Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:07 am
The L-A-W is the L-A-W as Rod stated during an embarrassing interview about 18 months ago will be redefined along with with the “TRUTH” in the coming months. The “L-A-W and the TRUTH will join the ranks of “is” and “was”.
Comment by Northside Bunker Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:20 am
Neither Joseph nor Phil Cacciatore could be reached for comment Monday night.
February 2008
“This is the first that we’ve heard of this and (we) certainly have no knowledge of this,” said Abby Ottenhoff, a spokeswoman for the governor.
January 2005
Mell said the governor “raises $50,000 at a crack from his ace fund-raiser, Chris Kelly, who trades appointments to commissions for checks of $50,000.”
Something certainly seems to be impacting the short term memory here.
Comment by Anheuser's Disease Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:24 am
has anyone heard about Fitz’s office showing up at a DHS facility in Southern Illinois on Monday? Apparently his people were down there checking into hiring practices?
Comment by anon Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:26 am
I’m here but, unlike Dumber and friends, I’m hesitant to comment on an upcoming trial, other than to say that, except for comments here, the governor has not been accused of any wrong doing and has not been indicted. Even if he, in fact, is POA, there is no allegation that he had any knowledge of any “shakedown”.
Have your fun today. Its quite possible that you are in for a big disappointment.
Comment by Bill Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:27 am
Kool-Aid, good point. Bundlers can do a lot of the dirty work and people never know much about them. They help federal-level candidates and incumbents raise wads of cash with little fanfare.
Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:29 am
-Bill- Thanks for yanking us back into focus. The smokescreen may eventually clear and we may Know, but as you so helpfully point out that time has not yet arrived. The overhang on innuendo and sketchy facts is too far out to support itself. Bring on the trial(s) and let’s see what the guv may really have known/did and when.
Comment by A Citizen Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:48 am
Why should Rezko make a deal? Pardon me but doesn’t a President Obama owe him a favor or two?
Comment by anon Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:48 am
If it was a loan then how was the interest/profits reported and what IRS implications are there?
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:54 am
Bill, did you ever consider that you are quite possibly in for a big disappointment?
Guess, Squeaky isn’t so clean after all.
Comment by It's 'pay-to-play . . . on steroids' Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 10:56 am
WBBM radio spins that the only pol to get contributions during the time in question is
Obama.
in honor of the beginning of the federal trial, to me it’s all Rezkobamagojevich. fun in the courtroom!
Comment by amy Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 11:14 am
If you are accused of white collar crime, have no previous criminal history, have access to millions of dollars and still can’t get out on bail before your trial you need new lawyers. Rezco should be furious. This means he may not get out of jail for years because, if he is convicted, they surely won’t let him out till sentencing and then he goes away for good. Ouch!
Comment by Garp Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 11:36 am
Duffy has never been the sharpest tool in the shed.
Comment by Gibson's Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 11:51 am
This all seems very familiar to me. Only the names have changed.
The feds have Rezko’s “head in a vice” and he is singing.
Comment by Shelbyville Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:02 pm
I echo that comments that aside from Rich’s summary are all speculatve, and yet cannot beleive the US Attorney’s case could be so weak against Rezko…sit back and watch it unfold, all…
Comment by Anonymous45 Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:03 pm
Garp - Rezko was out on bail but he violated the terms of the bond by shaningans regarding a loan of $3.5 millions after assuring the Court that he had no access to money. He has excellent lawyers but so do a lot of people at 219 South Dearborn.
Comment by paddyrollingstone Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:28 pm
You haven’t been reading any of my postings celebrating this event. There are too many unknowns, and the entire situation is nothing to cheer about anyway.
I only can point out that when he was first elected, Rod Blagojevich promised us a clean house and a new way of doing business. He saw the embarrassing mess Ryan made of it and took steps to portrait himself as a different kind of guy. He was elected not to become scandal-fodder or to become a crisis-instigator. He has failed spectacularly. He set his own standard. No one demanded he make the self-righteous statements he made during his campaign. He has failed by his own standards.
He has the benefit of a doubt, but he is relying on our own conscience to assist him through a situation because of his lack of a conscience. Anytime a politician needs to turn to us for pity, they are abusing us, not leading us.
Blagojevich is guilty of that - but that is not a legally defined crime. It is a different kind.
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:30 pm
somewhat.correct, that contribution was before the meeting.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:34 pm
stop drinking the cool aid, there was no $1.5 million contribution. it never happened. even the feds admit that.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:39 pm
paddyrollingstone,
Don’t you think Rezco conferred with his lawyers and told them about his access to additional funds? I can’t believe he would go about securing 3.5 million in loans without their advice. Didn’t Rezco claim the loans were to pay legal fees. No defendant on earth would be making these moves on his own.
Comment by Garp Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:52 pm
Bill, there’s no need for you to begin being shy at this point in time. You can go ahead and comment on any upcoming trial that may possibly implicate your boy Elvis and continue to take a peek at him in his ivory tower. Just because Blago has been outed by the judge as POA, why would that keep you from professing the greatness of Blago? We have too much fun reading your posts for you to now jerk the rug out from under us and escape to a cave.
Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 12:53 pm
The gun was fired, the hankie was dropped, the car crash started a long time ago… its been running in slow-motion since his first term, and soon we’ll begin to see the first painful results. It is a fabulous time to be a part-time pundit or full-blown wonk. Almost tantric, this is. Modern Greek tragedy.
Comment by Smoking on the balcony Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:16 pm
To the commenter I just deleted, there were some, me included, who questioned and continue to question some of the charges against George Ryan and the way the trial was handled.
Injecting red-baiting into any argument here is a very good way to get yourself banned for life. Take a breath.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:27 pm
I believe that Blagojevich *didn’t* have any knowledge of this. This plays into the idea I suggested earlier that the administration will portray Blagojevich as a patsy — the king duped by his loyal subjects.
I believe that this will set the stage for the “sympathy strategy” in the upcoming election — and that Blagojevich will win because of the strategy.
Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:31 pm
Wow - all this talk about the Governor being unmasked as “Public Official A” and not a single comment about “Co-Schemer A” - one William Cellini … . Elected officials come and go, but Cellini is eternal … . For example, at the December 2002 first meeting between Levine and Rezko, they discussed common acquaintances - including Cellini and Kjellander. The night of that first meeting … “After the dinner party, Levine will testify that he called William Cellini and informed him of his conversation with Rezko about the Scholl Building. Cellini said that he knew Rezko well and that Rezko was a good guy.” So Rezko knew Kjellander and Cellini (”well” according to Cellini) in December 2002, before Blagojevich ever took office. Hmmm. Perhaps the next indictment will include Cellini?
Comment by Smitty Irving Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:37 pm
Smitty, considering that the feds have never even interviewed Cellini, I’m not sure I’d make that bold prediction yet.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:38 pm
Wasn’t Kjellander paid the $800,000 finder’s fee from Bear Stearns’ Nick Hurtgen who did the billions in bond funding? Same guy who Fitz just re indicted in the Edwards Hosp- Levine, Kefferbalm, Cari, Glennon, Kelly, Rezko..oh and Peter Fox…former boss at Bear Stearns who now lives downstate and flies A-Rod around on his private jet?…seems that Fitz is connecting all the dots…and Rod is at the epicenter!
Comment by Webb Weaver Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 1:42 pm
can we have someone look into how this campaign money was used after it was given to rod?
Comment by dan webb Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 2:35 pm
Would Cellini admit he has been “interviewed” by the Feds? If he hasn’t been interviewed, then my guess is the only reason not is the Feds already have the goods on him and don’t need to hear his side of the story. Fitzgerald and company are so far ahead of us on all of this Blago stuff that all we can do is guess and speculate in what order all the players are going to be taken down. Some of the smaller players may roll over in exchange for a lighter sentence or probation. But they will all be taken down, one way or another.
Comment by Just My Opinion Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 2:53 pm
Cellini could have asserted his 5th Amendment Rights through counsel, thus obviating a meeting, even a short one.
Comment by Cousin Ralph Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 3:44 pm
Nope. They never whistled him in.
It’s amazing to me how Fitzgerald is given the complete benefit of the doubt on absolutely everything by so many people. He ain’t God.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 3:45 pm
Rich, is it okay now if a drop the parenthesis when I refer to him as Unindicted Official A?
Comment by The Mad Hatter Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 3:48 pm
If he isn’t God, then Aaron Schock must be [(:-))
Comment by Truthful James Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 4:00 pm
In reference to Rich’s 3:45 comment, there are, indeed, similarities among the charges in the Ryan case, the Rezko case and also the Vrdolyak case: I did not realize that one could be charged with considering taking a commission on a real estate deal that never took place.
Comment by Clean as a Whistle...? Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 4:25 pm
Prosecutors, be they federal or state, can be vicious and ambitious as anybody. Many are in it to “hang scalps on the wall”, and then go out and sell themselves to large law firms and collect big fees. I don’t think for a minute the majority primary concern is “justice”.
Comment by MOON Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 4:36 pm
I’m looking forward to the Rezko trial. I am particularly looking forward to all the “no comments” from Ms. Ottenhoff and the other spokespeople for the Gov. On the one hand, this is sad, but on the other, it has the potential to be very amusing.
To the commenter who believed Blago’s promises of “no business as usual”- I’m sorry, but I can’t believe anybody could have looked him in the eye and believed a word he ever said. Like many people, I hoped he would be a decent governor- maybe a C+ or B- governor even- but he’s been such a disappointment to those of us with low expectations. Whether he’s ever convicted of anything doesn’t matter. His account at the Credibility Bank is empty.
Comment by Jack Jackson Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 5:35 pm
Radio commentary around the state capitol this morning was focused on the Obama Africa photo that apparently Hillary’s folks are promoting and Mr. Rezko’s influence with our state government. For myself, I feel much better about Obama in a turbin and native dress that I do about Rezko in a pinstripe suite.
Comment by Disgusted Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 6:54 pm
That would be “suit.”
Comment by Disgusted Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 6:54 pm
To tell the truth. I was shocked Ryan was convicted. It seemed like such penny sums. By comparison Blago millions seems so greedy. I see Lon Monk being squeezed by the Feds.
We will probably be watching this for years. Although channel 2 legal experts think Tony will fold in the next few days. He probably doesn’t want to go to trial.
Comment by Maggie Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 7:09 pm
A poem:
As I was going to the court of St. Eves,
I met a fundraiser with tricks up his sleeves,
And lawyers to defend such thieves,
and media to document the skeeves.
And a governor who played with these.
Lawyers, informants, reporters, thieves
how many will fall, going to St. Eves’s?
Comment by Gregor Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 7:29 pm
Any irony there, A Citizen, in your description of Fitz driving a “Paddy Wagon”?
Comment by JohnR Tuesday, Feb 26, 08 @ 11:20 pm
I would respectfully suggest that Tony R is trying to figure out the odds of a pardon from a Democrat President and hold out until that becomes more clear.
Comment by Truthful James Wednesday, Feb 27, 08 @ 7:43 am