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* The trial begins at 10 o’clock. We’re supposed to hear excerpts from the FBI surveillance tapes today, which will hopefully shut more than a few traps once and for all. You can listen or watch here, or check CNN or others for live feeds.
* These folks live-blogged yesterday…
* Sun-Times
* Illinois Review
* Tribune
* SJ-R (on Twitter)
* Lee news (on Twitter)
* Illinois Channel (Twitter)
* Melissa Hahn (Twitter)
* Post-Dispatch
* NBC5 (Steve Rhodes)
I’ll be back in a few with some news excerpts.
* 10:00 am - FBI Agent Cain is now on the stand.
* 10:09 am - I just put several more stories in the post directly below. There’s really no need to go over most of what was written yesterday since we already know what happened and talked about it for hours.
* 10:37 am - The Tribune has the governor’s media schedule for today…
7:00 a.m. CBS, Early Show
8:10 a.m. Fox & Friends
8:45 a.m. AP TV
10:30 a.m. Fox Business Network
11:15 a.m. In Session/TruTV
12:30 p.m. FOX, Glenn Beck
1:30 p.m. CNN, Campbell Brown
2:00 p.m. MSNBC, Rachel Maddow
2:30 p.m. FOX, Greta Van Susteren
3:30 p.m. CNN, DL Hughley
These are apparently recording times, since many of the above shows run at night.
* 11:58 am - Trial is recessed until 1:15 pm. The Democratic Senators will meet in Senate President Cullerton’s office.
* 12:14 pm - Mike has been covering the goings on in comments while I work on a couple of stories and keep an eye on the wires. Just about everything discussed this morning has been known for quite some time. However, this is from the Post-Dispatch…
[House Prosecutor David Ellis] is also asking about the issue of “voice identification,” seemingly to address any notion that Blagojevich might claim that wasn’t him on the tapes.
Ellis: “How did you positively identify the voice of the governor?”
Cain: “The governor is a very public figure. . . . so there is a certain voice recognition with that element alone. . . . At times he would self-identify.”
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 9:53 am
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Thanks for the links, for those of us wintering elsewhere.
I wonder how long it will take for us to see the surveillance videos that were taken? I have never heard of that type of “bug” other than in murder and drug cases. It just seems odd to me.
Comment by PPHS Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 9:57 am
ABC Chicago 7 has a nice clean video and audio feed up now. Prayer and Pledge finished. Going over procedures to ask questions.
“Is the Gov present? Is counsel for the Gov present? Record will reflect neither the Gov or counsel is present”.
“Special Agent David Cain has been called” and we are on.
Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 9:58 am
I missed the opening. Did the presider once again ask scheduled witnesses, or potential future witnesses to leave the chamber again?
Comment by Blago Sphere Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:05 am
I want to congratulate the citizens of four Illinois Counties (Edgar, Effingham, Japser and Wayne). We should look to these counties for future leadership. Why?
Because not only did these counties vote for Topinka over Blago in the 2006 General Election - They were the only counties to vote for Ed Eisendrath over Blago in the 2006 Primary.
What’s more remarkable, is that Eisendrath didn’t appear in any of these counties, didn’t have a coordinator and didn’t run an ad! And yet, the citizens had the foresight to see what a trainwreck this Governor was!
Comment by Downstater Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:07 am
Court authorized Feds to bug two rooms at Friends of Blagojevich Campaign Office for 2 30-day periods. (RRB’s Office and the conference room)
Also had a wire tap on RRB’s home phone for 2 30-day periods.
All recordings were positively identified as Blagojevich’s voice. Now we are in to the specific charges from the avadavat.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:19 am
Went through the brief overview of the charges. Now getting into specific quotes.
“Unless I get something real good for canidate one, I am just am going to taking it my self.”
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:23 am
Needs to be “Good stuff for the people of Illinois and good stuff for me” (re: Senate seat)
RRB knew his wish list was for the seat was not on the level…he said that it “could not be put down in writing”
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:26 am
Live on CLTV
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:27 am
They are keeping the discourse civil and not droping the F-bomb.
“I have got this thing and its F-ing golden and uh, uh I am just not goint to give it up for F-ing nothing.”
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:29 am
“I want to make money”… RRB was financially hurting and was thinking about his family and his political viability.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:31 am
RRB wanted to make from 250,000 to 300,000 a year from boards and the Change to Win Foundation in exchange for President Elect’s preferred choice for the seat (Senate Candidate #1)
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:34 am
I want this thing to be over, yet I don’t want it to stop. Rich, as always, thanks for all the links and all the information, which keeps me from working. Hehe…
p.s. Campbell Brown, rowrrrr
Comment by Tony Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:41 am
RRB wanted to get his wife on corporate boards and wanted a position on Change to Win from Obama. Rod was “struggling” financially and did not want to be governor for the next two years.
Mrs. Blago was in background talking when RRB was talking about getting his wife paid positions on boards. RRB mentioned that it the trade of a position for the appointment would have to be done discretely
RRB had many possible schemes to trade with Obama (Change to Win, Ambassadorship, Wife’s Job, Buffett, Gates, Etc. could create a Non-Profit Headed by RRB)
RRB’s advisers told him Obama would not deal and that RRB would have to suck it up and be Governor for the next two years with nothing to show for the seat and RRB let the F-bomb’s fly:
They want me to give it to them for F-ing nothing. F-them.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:46 am
Rachel Maddow? I hope she chews him up. Wonder if the SNL skit will come up? I’m thinking not.
Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:51 am
RRB’s priorities for every decision were 1. Legal situation 2. Personal situation 3. Political situation
Harris told him that Legal would be the hardest to satisfy.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 10:53 am
Can someone tell me who the two empty seats in the front row, to the right of the aisle, belong to? Someone who is now sitting elsewhere?
Comment by Ann Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:05 am
“We were approached pay to play…from an emissary for candidate #5… offer was $500,000 contribution” RRB needed something tangible up front because he had previous dealing with candidate # 5 in which candidate #5 did not keep his word.
“Got to be careful…everyone is listening…the whole world is listening” (RRB to an aide RE: dealings with Candidate #5….So Ironic)
RRB spent significant amount of time considering himself for the position.
That wraps up the Senate seat quotations (these quotes being read into the record…no audio yet)
They are now entering the Trib Op Eds into the record and will resume with testimony and quotations re the Chicago Tribune Editorial board and the Chicago Cubs.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:06 am
@Ann
Check the caption… (a little hard to read)
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/pop_up.asp?fpVname=IL_SS&ref_pge=map&tfp_map=USA
Comment by Anonymous Coward Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:13 am
Ann, there are more seats than Senators. AC is right. Those seats are reserved for Blagojevich and his attorney.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:14 am
Sam Zell had debt from his acquisition of the Trib and he wanted to use IFA (IL Fin Assist.) funds to assist in the sale of Wrigely field.
RRB had Harris go to Zell and express that IFA funds would be withheld unless certain editorial writers were fired.
Trib wrote negative op eds about RRB (endorsing MJM in his impeachment efforts) and Mrs. Balgo got on the phone…”F-them, hold their F-ing stadium up”
Help at IFA for Trib from RRB was contingent upon firings, but Zell had no control over editorial board.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:18 am
So, with Milorot doing the TV scene for 2 or more days; does that mean he’s been calling in sick? LOL
Comment by sal-says Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:19 am
RRB’s advice for Zell… “Fire all those F-ing people. Get them the F-out of there, and get us some editorial support!” This was expressed to Harris.
Harris said that he would not be so direct in his discussion with Trib Fin. Advisor (a close friend of Zell’s).
RRB: “yea, you know what you have to say”
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:20 am
Thank you! I’m so glad I asked.
Comment by Ann Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:23 am
If Trib cooperated with RRB, they stood to gain $100 million. RRB thought it was going to be 500 million, but said that 100 mil is “nothing to sneeze at”.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:26 am
Harris singled out McCormick as the desired writer to be axed in his conversation with the Trib’s Fin. Advisor. RRB loved it as he disliked McCormick.
RRB placed high priority upon getting Trib Op Ed straightened out.
Now switching topics from Trib to Pay to Play for campaign contributions prior to October 2008.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:34 am
Mike, appreciate the work.
Comment by Concerned Observer Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:35 am
Discussing testimony of Ali Ata from Spring 2008.
Ata was approached by Rezko, asked to raise 25,000 for the Gov. Rezko promised Ata a position in RRB’s administration.
Ata gave Rezko the check, watched it handed to RRB
Resko told RRB that Ata was a team player.
Ata gave RRB another 25g’s later that year…RRB told Ata that he was a strong and loyal supporter and that he would get Ata a position in his administration and that the position better be able to make Ata some money.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:42 am
Yeah, CC, I was just thinking that too. I can come back after actually doing what I should be doing and see Mike’s updates. Appreciate it, Mike. But did you miss anything? I keep reading for Rod, for Rod. Have not read for the people, for the people, ya know everything’s he’s done supposedly was for the people ;p
Comment by Princess Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:45 am
Rezko trial stuff now.
Rezko and Kelly tried to get Kerry to agree to raise money for RRB on a national level in exchange for any state contracts Kerry wanted
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 11:47 am
My pleasure folks.
On to the Mercy Children’s Hospital in relation to Rezko.
Rezko had control of the planning board that gives out CONs (which are building permits for large structures). Rezko used his influence to sway the Mercy rulings on CONs in order to compel campaign contributions.
Stewart Levine offered a bribe to Resko and RRB in the form of campaign contributions. Levine was acting on behalf of the contractor that was going to build the new hospital.
RRB liked this offer and told Rezko that it wanted to pass.
Rezko, as a result of this, switched his votes on the Mercy CONs and Mercy got its CON
Rezko and Levine have both testified to the above facts in pursuant to plea agreements.
Senate adjourns for lunch…back at 1:15
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:00 pm
MM, great job. But Rezko with a Z, like Zorro.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:05 pm
Mike,
Unless you know something that the rest of us do not; Rezko (with a Z) was found guilty by a jury of his peers in U.S. Criminal Court, on 16 of 24 counts.
Although Rezko had been free on a $8.5 million bail, he voluntarily surrendered to authorities after the verdict and said he wanted to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Now since that time he has begun discussions with the U.S. Attorney’s office which they indicated could efect their sentencing recommendations. At one point in November it looked like he was having a change of heart, since he asked the judge for a sentencing date ASAP. Subsequent to the Governor’s arrest however he requested again that the sentencing date be pushed back, and it appears as though his willingness to talk has been re-evaluated once again.
I don’t think any of this has come in the form of a Plea Agreement per se, and I don’t believe any of those negotiations have been made public either.
If you know something more however please share it.
Comment by Blago Sphere Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:13 pm
Mike,
No only that; but neither Rezko, nor anyone else testified in his defense, they opted not to call a single defense witness in his trial, believing that the government had not met its burden of proof against him.
Comment by Blago Sphere Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:17 pm
The governor’s inane PR hack is twittering the misadventures of His Hairness at http://twitter.com/PublicityAgency.
Comment by Reality Check Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:18 pm
edit above link: http://twitter.com/PublicityAgency
Comment by Reality Check Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:18 pm
I would pay money to see DL Hughley bust Rod Blagojevich out. He’d better!
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:20 pm
Yeah, I’ve been following him for a few days. Funny, no?
No.
I’ll post the link after lunch in the fresh thread.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:22 pm
-Princess- Re: for Rod, for Rod
LOL. Yea it is pretty clear what his priorities were. I guess his list went like this: HIS legal situation, HIS personal situation, HIS political situation, and if there was still time left over he considered the people of IL.
Though I have heard 3 examples so far today where it appears as if, at some level, he was doing what he was out of concern for the people of IL. 2 such times with the Senate seat appointment where RRB said he would pick someone good for the people of IL and good for RRB. The other time was not so direct, but he said that he Harris needed to stay on top of the “Trib thing” to ensure that RRB would be able to continue to do good. (The context seemed to indicate that he meant continue to do good for the people of IL…but it was not explicit and its Rod so who knows, he could of meant keeping doing good for RRB)
However, in all these cases the concern for the public was mentioned in passing, the primary focus of RRB was getting paid. He wanted to bank off of his power and position while he still had it. That’s what drove his actions. No question
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 12:34 pm
-Word Slinger and Blago Sphere-
Yea my bad. I had heard about the Z instead of S already, and it was being changed while u were sharing ur imput, but thanks anyway.
-Blago Sphere-
Testified and plea agreement were a poor choice of words.
The plea agreements were not to roll on Blago, they were guilty plea agreements. I should have specified, but it did not cross my mind.
As I am sure you know, defendants -pursuant to the terms of any guilty plea- must confess to their crimes publicly in open court and in detail or as much detail to meet the satisfaction of the court as well as the DA.
Both Levine and Rezko statements were not from testifying, but from their guilty pleas, which are still a part of the public record. I could be wrong, since I was listening to the avadavat being read instead of reading it myself, but that is my understanding of the situation
Sorry for the poor choice of words, but I have to post things as they happen and when they happen fast I just try to get the meaning across. The meaning was that much of the Mercy hospital charges in the avadavat come from the mouths of Levine and Rezko while in open court. Thanks for busting my chops though.
Comment by Mike Murray Tuesday, Jan 27, 09 @ 1:01 pm