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* Rod Blagojevich is apparently losing yet another attorney. Terry Gillespie is reportedly abandoning ship because of a conflict of interest. Gillespie also represents Bill Cellni, who was indicted with Blagojevich last week. Hence, the conflict. Gillespie’s law partner, Ed Genson, bailed out weeks ago.
* The Tribune claims that former Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee is cooperating with the feds and Lon Monk may start cooperating, which is no big surprise. The Daily Herald has an “experts say” piece on why Patti Blagojevich may not have been indicted.
* There’s undoubtedly much more to come…
“I think this is a highlight, but this indictment is by no means the end of this,” said former prosecutor Ronald Safer, now a defense lawyer who once fielded federal subpoenas on behalf of the governor’s office.
“There’s a whole infrastructure in state government that supported what’s in these allegations, and I think prosecutors will continue to investigate that,” he said.
He ought to know.
* The new era was on full display today…
One of Chicago’s worst pothole-scarred streets was selected as the backdrop Saturday for Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Richard Daley to outline nearly $200 million for city road repairs and other improvements included in a new statewide construction package. […]
“This money alone will fund 100 miles of (street and bridge) repairs and traffic signs,” Daley said at the event also attended by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago), Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and several other lawmakers and aldermen. [emphasis added]
* But Gov. Quinn should expect to get more questions like these…
Meanwhile, Gov. Quinn tiptoed around questions about more purges of Blagojevich holdovers with ties to Thursday’s indictment.
Blagojevich’s former budget chief, John Filan, was a lead architect of a $10 billion borrowing plan in 2003 that federal investigators indicated was designed to provide kickbacks to Blagojevich and others.
Filan, who now heads the Illinois Finance Authority, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Quinn also was asked about the future of Julie Cellini, chairwoman of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency board and wife of Springfield businessman William Cellini, who also was indicted Thursday.
Sidestepping questions about both, Quinn said, “Every person should be evaluated on their own. I think if they’re honest [and] they’re doing a good job, they have nothing to fear.”
Considering the disasterous Quinn budget proposal that Filan helped concoct, is he really “doing a good job,” governor?
* Finally, I wonder if WLS Radio will be so eager to have Rod Blagojevich on the station now that we know Blagojevich was allegedly scheming as far back as the 2002 campaign to pad his own personal bank account with ill-gotten gains.
The 50,000-watt clear channel station has eagerly helped Blagojevich spread his outrageous lie that his impeachment and removal from office was about tax hikes and not his own extreme venality.
Let’s go back to what the US Attorney said last week…
Beginning in 2002 and continuing after Blagojevich was first elected governor, Blagojevich and Monk, along with Kelly and previously convicted co-schemer Antoin “Tony” Rezko, agreed that they would use the offices of governor and chief of staff for financial gain, which would be divided among them with the understanding that the money would be distributed after Blagojevich left public office
He was a bad guy from the get-go. And now he’s looking at 325 years behind bars. Keep him off the air, please.
posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, Apr 4, 09 @ 7:28 pm
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==Keep him off the air, please. ==
Why? If no one wants to hear what he has to say, no one will listen. What were WLS ratings last time he was on the air?
Keeping people off the air because we don’t like them or think they are buffoons is a dangerous precedent, and I am not sure it is fair to all parties involved.
Comment by Leroy Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:18 am
The people of Illinois deserve to be rid of the former Governor Administrators.
I don’t care how great of a person they are, or that they were friends for a long time, they are and will always be associated with a tainted Administration.
Think about this, WHY was Filan put at the IFA? To help get the Wrigley Deal done? How much money did Filan get donated for the former Governor?
Where did all the other Administrators (Head of Traffic Safety, Sec of DHS, all the others) get their clout from? Rezko? We already know that Blago did NOTHING without getting something for it. Therefore they must go.
Comment by He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:27 am
–“There’s a whole infrastructure in state government that supported what’s in these allegations, and I think prosecutors will continue to investigate that,” he said.”–
That’s a very interesting statement. I interpret that as meaning even though the Big Fish is in the net, a lot of little fish downstream could still get caught up, too.
Anyone who thinks they might know something might be well-advised to talk to a lawyer as to whether they might want to help out before they get an unexpected knock on the door.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:28 am
Gillespie didn’t see Cellini and Blago getting tied together? That’s an interesting statement, too.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:31 am
He was a bad guy from the get-go. And now he’s looking at 325 years behind bars. Keep him off the air, please.
But Pat Quinn knew nothing. What a joke Quinn spent 6 years going along and getting along just keeping his mouth shut and cashing his checks.
Comment by fed up Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:35 am
Blago is not a politician corrupted by gangsters. He is a gangster that got into politics because, as Willie Sutton said after being asked why he robbed banks….”‘Cause that’s where the money is”. Nationally, I do believe organized crime has a large hand in the “meltdown”. Not just clueless, hapless, self-serving pols…or those influenced by O.C….many in the financial arena are gangsters first, and bankers second. We tend to separate them out, when they are too often one and the same.
Comment by You Go Boy Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:36 am
they would use the offices of governor and chief of staff for financial gain, which would be divided among them with the understanding that the money would be distributed after Blagojevich left public office
If they hadn’t gotten so brazen and greedy, and just settled for the typical spoils of office, they just might’ve gotten away with it.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:38 am
There will always be crooks and corrupted politicians, but what has the Illinois Democratic Party done to fix how they were nominating them to our state’s highest office?
When the GOP and the Dems both offer crooks, you can’t blame the voters for electing a crook.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 8:46 am
The IHPA is being dismantled, at the behest of John Filan, so the Julie Cellini problem will take care of itself. There will no longer be an IHPA Board of Trustees to chair. BTW Ed Genson is an IHPA trustee as well.
Comment by Annie E. Mouse Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 9:06 am
Big fish, little fish it doesn’t matter. They all stink like fish. Keep fumigating Governor Quinn.
Comment by Leave a light on George Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 9:31 am
Great point Rich - he was rotten from the beginning! I think that element of the indictment was pretty much a bombshell even for those of us who have been heaping shame and scorn on him for years. I never dreamed he was rotten to the core from before day 1.
Quinn’s fumigation has thus-far been about as effective as Blago’s promise to “rock the system”
Comment by carbon deforestation Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:00 am
Blagojevich’s rise can be traced to the downfall of real political parties in Illinois. He was– like many others– a self-financing entity that had only his own interests at heart. He was perhaps only more brutally efficient than others. There are no longer “wise old men” in either party who can pass judgment on potential candidates.
On one hand it’s a bit more democratic this way- anyone who can raise a lot of money can be a viable candidate. But on the other hand this system tends to favor self-centered, self-obsessed individuals with a minimal sense of right and wrong- like Rod Blagojevich.
The other main fault of the current system is that fundraising becomes the sole focus of the candidate’s or office holder’s time. It encourages the constant push for funds that creates the opportunity for those who are less than honest to divert those funds to other uses.
Or in the case of Blagojevich, fundraising for strictly personal uses becomes indistinguishable from fundraising for legitimate purposes. I’m sure it’s fairly easy to convince yourself that both kinds of fundraising are equally justifiable, since you’re only doing it to take care of your family, ensure your political future, and fight for the people.
I don’t think that contribution limits are the absolute answer to our problems in Illinois, but reasonable limits can’t hurt and have a chance of helping. It is definitely worth trying, if only to make dishonest pols work a lot harder to raise cash.
Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:03 am
DD, for the first primary, Mell sure lined up a lot of “wise old men” in the party, particularly ward and township organizations in Cook and county party chairs downstate.
Remember, it was the downstate Dem vote, plus the Burris stalking horse candidacy, that allowed Blago to beat Vallas.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:08 am
All of Blagoofs do nothing appointees need removed from the “dole” now. Why should the “enablers” be allowed to keep picking the taxpayers pockets?
Comment by Dan S, a Voter, Taxpayer and Cubs Fan Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:20 am
Filan knew in 2003 that Shill-ander did nothing to earn the $809 000 fee.He obviously was told by someone to let it go through.The someones could have been Blago,Monk,Kelly, or Rezko.With Hurtgen also cooperating, the full story should come out pretty fast.
Filan’s odds of getting out of this stinker scot-free are about the same as the POS budget he put together for Quinn passing as introduced.
Comment by Behind the Curtain Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:33 am
Let’s not overlook CapFax in this - even though he charges only $350 pay to play, if it wasn’t for the crooked politicians would we all follow this blog so closely? Hmmmm, RICO?
Comment by A Citizen Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:40 am
Blagojevich’s rise can be traced to the downfall of real political parties in Illinois.
I agree. But then you innoculate him from the party due to his ability to raise funds. Rod Blagojevich was fully supported by the Illinois Democratic Party. He started out as Mell’s son-in-law elected to state government, but he used these stepping stones to reach Washington and Springfield. Blagojevich didn’t do that entirely by himself because he could raise money.
Blagojevich and Ryan, and other lesser corrupted public officials indict both of Illinois’ political parties as failures. It isn’t all about the money. It is about the power.
Both political parties have publically demonstrated a willingness to nominated and actively elect - in Blagojevich’s case - re-elect individuals they know were not worthy of the governor’s office. They didn’t seem to care who they were electing, as long as their brand was sitting in the Office and controlling the power avaiable to their benefit.
This amoral mentality has to be in place in order for the level of public corruption, we have experienced in Illinois, to flourish. The root cause of Illinois’ corruption are the two political parties willfully electing unqualified individuals to public offices in Illinois.
The “wise old men” whom you are referring seem to be just stupid fools selling citizens out by not doing their jobs. There doesn’t appear to be any adequate vetting in place with either the Republicans or the Democrats. Whatever faith they placed in the primary or the election system to weed out incompetents is misplaced. Whatever faith they placed in the media to expose their nominees during the election cycle is also misplaced. Both political parties are liable for their negligence, not voters or the media. It was their willingness to cater to their baser instincts of power that closed their eyes to Blagojevich’s record of incompetence, shoddy PR stunts, and lack of accomplishments.
It wasn’t money that corrupted, it was power.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 10:50 am
I have to consider “fed up’s” comments. Quinn did spend 6 years behind Blago, and walked lock step through the budget and election process.
Quinn could easily ax all top Blago officials today and sweep the state clean. It would instantly win him over the rank and file state employees and make him widely popular with the rest of the state, so why not? Is Quinn so stupid to think that he can win over the Mike and Lisa Madigan? Surely not. Perhaps the top ranking officials have the dirt on him.
Pat, you have one shot to write yourself down in history as the guy who parted ways with political parties and cleaned the state. Don’t trash that opportunity chasing the 2% change you can even win the democrat primary.
Comment by the Patriot Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:00 am
VMan, once again, parties don’t anoint nominees. Voters elect them.
The landscape in both the GOP and Dem parties are littered with slated candidates who were defeated in primaries, especially among the Dems. Names include Dixon, Simon, Byrne, Rock, and Donnewald.
In ‘86, the slated candidates for Lt. Gov, George Sangemeister, and Secretary of State, Aurelia Pucinski, got beat in the primaries by LaRouchies who didn’t even campaign, but had nice sounding, non-ethnic names (Hart and Fairchild).
The voters are the ultimate deciders and bear the ultimate responsibility.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:02 am
We depend upon both political parties for our choices. We do not have the power to just vote outside these limits.
Right now we are expect reforms from the people who know how the game is played and won it. Reform doesn’t come from those that win. We are also hearing how both parties are private organizations that are protected from voters’ demands that they open up and reform. Reform will not come from these political parties as long as they decide who appears on our ballots and as long as they prevent voters from other choices. In Illinois, we do not have a pure democracy, so let’s not confuse our warped version to what has historically empowering voters to choose.
We are seeing corruption go unreported by other political players. We are not seeing Boy or Girl Scouts here. We are not even seeing self-cleaning by either political party to prevent future Ryans and Blagojevichs. Our political parties are corrupted, protected, and will not reform. They are both willing to wait out the digust we feel towards them, and willing to play a continued game of chicken with the other in hopes that their corrupted party ends up with the campaign edge and the political power.
You cannot blame voters forced to choose between two corrupted political parties under the present circumstances. They created the situations, they prevent us from changing it, and they hold all the political power to prevent us from enforcing our reforms upon them.
They are two corrupted private organizations protected from voter wrath by political monopolies they have themselves created. We see how the games have been played in Chicago for generations. It has replaced good government in the state government level in Illinois.
Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:17 am
There is more to come…people that were around TRS might have been keen to something happening there? There are probably a good amount of the folks that were at TRS that knew something was going on.
I think read somewhere that inside Bear Stearns there was a memo that Kjellander was paid for “no work”. That’s the kiss of death.
The folks at TRS have a lot to answer for- my guess is that they will and Fitz will be on the other side of that desk.
Did someone on the TRS board have a kid working for Hurtgen in the muni-bond department at Bear Stearns.
Rich- didn’t you at one time write an article about how the Hurtgen indictment was overreaching for Fitz? Perhaps this whole bond thing is actually the most weighty part of the indictment.
I still want to know what happened on that flight to NY…
As for Quinn, he was probably out of the loop- it’s the beaucrats that run things.
Comment by GlenView Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:20 am
the Patriot: “Quinn could easily ax all top Blago officials today and sweep the state clean. It would instantly win him over the rank and file state employees and make him widely popular with the rest of the state, so why not? Is Quinn so stupid to think that he can win over the Mike and Lisa Madigan? Surely not. Perhaps the top ranking officials have the dirt on him”.—
Surely you jest. Either I’m more naive than usual here or the only ‘dirt’ you’d find lurking around Quinn might be dust puppies from Bailey. You’re right though in that I’m real annoyed at the governor at the moment and think he has a lot more digging and sweeping to do. And as called above in another comment that “POS” budget propsal has a whole lot of tweakin’ left to do before I believe we’re ’sharing the pain’ around here.
And as I’m feeling opinated today, I thought that news video from Florida last week of the Blagojevich family really was wrong. There sat the child within inches of Rod, does the reporter have no shame? A camera and mic in his face could have waited a wee bit longer. He can’t hide in Florida nor behind his kids for ever and we all know Rod will be sticking his head out for attention to ‘get his side of the story out’ soon enough.
Comment by Princess Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:41 am
Pat Quinn was elected by the people of Illinois to be Lt. Governor, he was not selected by the former Gov to be his running mate–the first time. they ran as a ticket the second time and in hindsight, I imagine, Mr. Quinn would have been much more vocal in his opposition rather than support of the former governor. let’s not forget the former governor kept Mr. Quinn completely and totally out of the loop. I support what Governor Quinn is trying to do in cleaning up state government, though I think Mr. Filan needs a job outside of Illinois state government. he definitely was part of the problem with the former governor’s horrendous budget decisions to steal dedicated funds and use them for unintended purposes.
Comment by susie Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:49 am
I beg to differ that Quinn was in lockstep with Blago-he actually had little to do with he or his cronies/policy making…Quinn merely appeared on the ballot with Rod in ‘02 and ‘06…Quinn and Rep. Franks were the sole voices criticizing the Gov and his policies (GRT, Con-Con) whilst all others said nothing and kept their heads down…revisionist history is rarely accurate…Quinn DOES have to clean house starting with Filan…I don’t care how long they’ve been friends…
Comment by Anonymous45 Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 11:52 am
VMan, sorry dude, the voters could toss them all out in primaries, if they chose. And have done so.
You have to take responsibility.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 12:04 pm
Gov Quinn has gotten rid of every high ranking black from the last administration but not filan or lavin who have direct ties to rezko? Additionally he still employs guerra a convicted terrorist!
Comment by What? Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 12:34 pm
Rich,
Please deal with What’s post, post haste…pure drivel…
Comment by Anonymous45 Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 1:02 pm
Again, what, take a breath. Have a little patience.
Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 1:30 pm
Talkingpointsmemo has a piece about Blago - calls the pension bonding deal “Blago’s Risky Bet On Derivatives” - interesting. Filan and Kjellander are specifically mentioned.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/blagos_risky_bet_on_derivatives.php
Says Rezko’s portion of Kjellander’s money was split with Blagojevich. And that it was named “Deal of the Year” for its then new use of derivatives. Blagojevich wouldn’t know a derivative if it hit him in the face. Filan? Another story.
Comment by Smitty Irving Monday, Apr 6, 09 @ 9:32 pm