[Rhodes22-list] Politics: Brad -- What Does He Mean?

Brad Haslett flybrad at gmail.com
Tue Dec 16 07:19:51 EST 2008


Bill,

Here's another version of what you already know but it does raise a
question.  Did Fitz leak to the Chicago Tribune?  I'm wondering if he
saw a window of opportunity that would close after 20JAN09 and decided
to make a pre-emptive strike.

Brad

-------------------

Obama's Helpful Hand in Blago-Rezko 'Pay-to-Play' Scheme

Posted By Abraham H. Miller On December 16, 2008 @ 12:00 am In .
Feature 01, . Positioning, Crime, History, Legal, Money, Politics, US
News | No Comments

Against the backdrop of Chicago's Wacker Drive, Fox News' Greta Van
Susteren stood and analyzed Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's most
recent [1] "pay-to-play" scheme, the auctioning of President-elect
Barack Obama's seat in the U.S. Senate.

Absent from the analysis of Governor Blagojevich's role as auctioneer
was the governor's involvement in an earlier scandal.  [2] That
earlier story went generally untouched by the media — outside of
Chicago — because it had a direct bearing on the character of
then-presidential candidate and media darling Barack Obama.

Now, numerous journalists have been captured before the camera's lens
wondering why U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald "prematurely" had Blago
arrested and didn't build a stronger case.

None of them is suggesting the obvious - that perhaps Fitzgerald had
to compel a media frenzy to avoid being transferred or even fired by
the new administration for his involvement in the earlier case that
has ties to the president-elect.  (After all, it is only the most
partisan Democrats that believe only [3] Alberto Gonzales fires
non-compliant U.S. attorneys.)

To understand Fitzgerald's potential problem with the Obama
administration, you need to go back to the original "pay-for-play"
scheme that caused Blago and wife, Patty, to come under the eye of the
federal prosecutor.  You also need to confront Barack  Obama's role in
that scheme.

If you don't remember [4] Antonin (Tony) Rezko, here's the Cliff Notes
version: If you wanted to build or expand a medical facility in
Illinois, you had to cut a deal with Tony. He was the guy with
contacts on the state board whose approval you needed. To put it
bluntly, he was the guy you paid off to pay off the other guys so you
could get the required permits.

Originally, the board was made up of fifteen members. Now, in Chicago,
where bribery has become a cultural art form, bribing half of fifteen
means you need eight guys in your pocket. That's a heavy overhead
cost.  What if you could reduce your overhead by about forty percent?
Just think how much more money you could make.

[5] Enter Barack Obama, state senator and chairman of the senate's
Health and Human Services Committee. Obama successfully introduced
legislation to cut the size of the board down to nine members.  Now
you only have to bribe five members. But Obama's legislation didn't
just cut the size of the board; it put appointment power directly in
the hands of Governor Rod Blagojevich.  And Governor "Blago" (as we
Chicagoans love to call him) quickly appointed a number of Rezko's
cronies to the board.

One Democratic stalwart without flinching said to me, "Obama did that
because he believed in more efficient government." And Mrs. Rezko
closed on the adjoining property next to the Obama mansion on the same
day as the Obamas closed on their house, which netted the Obama's a
$300,000 discount on their purchase, because Mrs. Rezko believed the
Obamas would be good for the neighborhood. I understand that
thoroughly. In a neighborhood with unrepentant terrorists like Bill
Ayers, you need some people with integrity to keep up property values.

After his conviction on sixteen of twenty-four counts of the federal
fraud indictment and a revocation of his bail, Rezko, according to
Chicago observers, was meeting in the federal holding pen with
Fitzgerald and singing like the first robin of spring.

Veteran Chicago journalists were on 24/7 Patty watch, thinking that
Mrs. Blago was at least going to be the refrain in Rezko's song and
Blago himself was going to be the entire first stanza.  But if Rezko
could sing about Blago, would Blago be cooing about Obama? Or maybe a
duet would be in the works?

Federal prosecutors do get transferred and even fired for prosecuting
the party in power. [6] Ask Carole Lam who successfully prosecuted
Congressman Randy Cunningham and found herself looking for work as a
result. So Fitzgerald was probably looking at being replaced by a more
compliant prosecutor who would know how to cut a deal and keep the
song birds silent.

If Obama could be connected to the "pay-for-play" scheme for building
medical facilities, both Rezko and Blago had a reduced jail time card
to play.  And just as the latest Blago scandal broke, Rezko, whose
lawyers were screaming for a quick sentencing hearing, [7] has had a
postponement.  And in a rare display of coordinated silence, neither
the Rezko defense team nor the talkative Fitzgerald is commenting on
the delay.

So, Blago's newer and bigger indictment keeps Fitzgerald in the game.
There is now no way the Obama administration is going to be able to
transfer or fire Fitzgerald and keep alive the "change" mantra.  Too
bad the eight federal prosecutors that [8] Alberto (I don't  recall)
Gonzales fired couldn't drop a high profile case in front of the
media.

As for how contagious Chicago corruption is, it now appears that [9]
Rahm Emanuel, despite denials, has been engaged in conversations with
Blago over the president-elect's replacement.  That in itself is not
illegal.  But if Blago told Emanuel that he wanted money or a cushy
union-related job for Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett's appointment to
the vacated senate seat, and Emanuel didn't report it, that is a
problem for the administration.

It's a long way to spring, but who says song birds can't sing in the winter.

Article printed from Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com

URL to article:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obamas-helpful-hand-in-blago-rezko-pay-to-play-scheme/

URLs in this post:
[1] "pay-to-play" scheme,:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5332897.ece
[2] That earlier story: http://pajamasmedia.com../../../../../favicon.ico
[3] Alberto Gonzales fires:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/republicans/3110808/Alberto-Gonzales-and-o
ther-Republicans-could-face-criminal-charges-in-US.html

[4] Antonin (Tony) Rezko:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/989635,CST-NWS-timeline05.article
[5] Enter Barack Obama: http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=3566
[6] Ask Carole Lam:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2007/02/09/united_states_attorneys
[7] has had a postponement:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/12/11/rezkos-sentencing-is-delayed
[8] Alberto (I don't  recall) Gonzales:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIgbJSrIvWc
[9] Rahm Emanuel:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/12/11/a-show-of-support-or-a-signal



On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 8:39 AM, Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> wrote:
> Brad,
>
> What do you suppose Blago means when his spokesman says ""The governor
> has indicated in the past there is more to this story that he's wanting
> to tell at an appropriate time."
>
> How do you cut a deal with this guy when you know the FBI is listening
> in and watching everything he hears or sees?
>
> The only deals Fitzgerald will cut are for Daley and Obama.
>
> Bill Effros
> __________________________________________________
> To subscribe/unsubscribe or for help with using the mailing list go to http://www.rhodes22.org/list
> __________________________________________________
>



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