What are the charges? How does this affect Obama replacement in senate?

I still think the guy looks like Roman Polanski.

ChiTrib is reporting a connection with the Senate replacement pick. Says the feds told the judge in a (warrant application?) that they were concerned that the selection process might get tainted.

You know after my pardon speculation, so many people jumped down my throat saying I was engaging in guilt by association, when I was really fixated on the fact that it had just come to light that his close friend/ former aide/ now lobbyist and mega fundraiser–Wimmer? I think the guys name is?–had been taped in conversation with the Governor.

I guess there was some prosecutorial gold in those phone calls

I am reading David Iglesias’ book.

From a Press release from PatFitz’s office. SPEW ALERT

Blagojevich and aide allegedly conspired to sell U.S. Senate appointment, engaged in
“pay-to-play” schemes and threatened to withhold state assistance to Tribune Company
for Wrigley Field to induce purge of newspaper editorial writers

ZMOG!

He does, doesn’t he?

It’s the hair.

What do you bet they took him into custody today because of his threat to BoA? The timing of this really really stinks. I know he’s been under investigation for a long time, maybe this is just the normal course of events, but it sure looks like the powers that be don’t like to see the profits of enormous financial institutions threatened.

gak! was just over at the Trib trying to get updates on the Strikers and saw the headline – damn

Investigation Timeline

But this is Fitz’s office, not a hack USA’s. I doubt very much if it has anything to do with the BofA.

I don’t care which Party these guys are from, if they are crooked, they should be held accuontable. That said, whatever, they did that was not kosher, they are all criminally stupid. These days you have to assume that your phone calls are not private, your e-mail is compromised and your pals will bail on you. ,

I’m getting ‘404 error’ on the complaint pdf.

Yeah, I was wondering about the timing of the BofA thing and the support for the union.

On the other hand, if they have recordings on the “pay to play” aspect of the Senate seat, do they have bids from candidates, demands from Blago, or both? Inquiring minds want to know!

At least, if it’s Fitz, I trust the action more than I would from just about anyone else currently at DOJ.

I agree, the timing does stink. And it brings to mind Heather Wilson and Petey Domenici yanking Iglesias’ chain over the timing of indictments of some dems.

Might get tainted? Preventive arrest?

Just goes to show the confidence we the public have in the DOJ, even with someone of Fitzgerald’s reputation.

So who picks Obama’s replacement now?

I wouldn’t trust Fitz or anyone else in DOJ. This could have been th price he paid to keep his job about the Libby prosecution.

Yep, for them to have this timing, the case damn well better be bulletproof. If it’s Spitzer all over again (which it doesn’t look like on the surface, but let’s get to the evidence), I can’t imagine how DOJ could ever regain credibility.

So far you guys have scooped quite a few big name news outfits, I just heard them break into the local morning newscast with this.

My my, it’s a good thing I stocked up on popcorn last week.

According to CNN the mosted trusted name in news, lol, the lt. gov would select the next Senator. He is also a democrat.

;-)

WAPO just now put it up.

Agree with you and MikeDM, that it is Fitz. But the timing still stinks. I don’t doubt Blago is corrupt — we are talking Chicago here — but it is still highly suspicious that he proposes a serious threat to the bottom line of BoA, and poof(!) off he goes to the clink.

Are these guys related?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV-RxVHD7Es

So they’ve been listening to Blago phone conversations. Some of those have been with Obama & his minions, I suspect. What do you suppose the content of those were?

Or remember this guy.

Oh my, but this does have the smell of BofA and union busting all over it, PatFitz or no PatFitz. And if not Rod of the Amazing Hair, who gets to appoint Obama’s Senate successor?

http://www.standingupforillinois.org/

Phred we just got the press release, which I have barely had time to skim–VERY LONG, and the complaint –which I have not read yet.

Phred, they got him ten ways to Sunday. Tapes, affidavits from people who incriminating conversations with him, the whole shebang. It’s a mountain of info.
Christy’s gonna have more if the press conference gets televised and soon as we have a chance to read all this stuff (PatFitz’s shop uses many many pages) we’ll get out to you.

Prosec. Presser at Noon Eastern per MSNBC

I admit I haven’t been following the case, but past DOJ malarkey and timing make me want to question.

What bothers me is that he is allowed to name Barack’s successor and now that right is taken away. It does taint the Senate seat. Toobin is also questioning the timing.

Yep, this DOJ has now taken down three Democratic Governors to no Republican Governors. Can’t they arrest Palin just to start evening the score?

Ohhh, they have this guy dead to rights.
He wanted 2.5 million.

Beg to differ.
Blago was incubated and sprouted in corruption, then bloomed in hubris.
Ripe for a takedown for at least a year now.
The Senate appointment is more of a factor than Republic.
There is still PLENTY of support of Republic.
Blago was actually late to jump on that political haywagon.
Probably because there weren’t any $ for him there.

Evidently Blago was trying to SELL the Senate seat but was vacilalting b/c he thought he might need for himself to try to stymie the criminal investiagtion. Referred to it a parachute.

Blago tried to shake down a union who was in foavor a particular cnadaite for the Senate appointment. Tried to shake down another candiate for the appointment directly. Evidently tried to shake down the tranistion team for a cabinet post or ambassadorship in exchange for appointing whomever it is that Obama favors for the seat.

He tried to extort the ChiTrib to fire memebers of the editorial board who have done honest article on him.

It’s unbelievable in its audacity

The press release is liberally salted with direct quotes fro teh wiretaps and they are prety damming. Quotes from Rod own mouth.

OMFG. That is breathtaking.

Thanks for that. Sounds like a class A scumbucket. Let’s hope there’s no carryover to Obama.

He apparetnly took a shot at trying to extort the transition team, to trade the appointment of the seante candidate favored by Obama for a cabinet post or ambassadorship.

Obama turned him down, Blago reacted with 4 letter words

It’s a bit of a stretch to try and link Blago’s arrest to Valerie Jarrett, methinks.

Put the tinfoil hats carefully away. Blago was dirty and everyone in Illinois knows it. We also knew it was just a matter of time before Fitz pulled the trigger on him. It does sort of break a longstanding tradition, though. Usually, our governors aren’t arrested until after they leave office.

Also, please recall Fitz is (David Broder please note) bipartisan. George Ryan, now actually in jail, is a Republican; Blago’s a Dem.

That these guys would still be carrying on business as usual when they knew they were under investigation shows what idiots they are. Nobody likes crooked pols; everybody hates stupid crooked pols.

from what I read, it’s a male not a female that they are looking at.

Sounds like Obama dodged a bullet. Not a hard one to dodge, and with Obama’s clearly superior political instincts, one I would hope he would dodge. But phew. My opinions of Obama not withstanding, the last thing the coutry needs now is the next prez mired in scandal before he even gets inaugurated.

Charter cable has me in a black out here in MI, I can get internet but no tv.

Excuse me, check my first link in the main piece. PatFitz took down GOP Gov. Ryan. So WHY OH WHY was Dem Sen. Dick Durbin campaigning for a Ryan pardon–oh and in the same breath saying he would probably re nominate Pat , but not until he sat down with Pat and found out what Pat wanted to do????

Sorry, that sounded like an implied threat to me at the time. I used to really think well of Durbin, but now I am pretty shaken where he is concerned.

Not given lhp’s comment at 42. If Obama wanted Jarrett and Blago tried to extort them for her to get the appointment, then putting her into another slot the next day was their best protection against getting caught up in what Blago was trying to do. If he had chosen their candidate, he could have claimed they went for his deal.

Blagojevich And Chief Of Staff Indicted For Attempting To Sell Obama’s Senate Seat
more from Christy upstairs

You know after my pardon speculation, so many people jumped down my throat saying I was engaging in guilt by association

I wasn’t sure about your pardon argument with regard to Durbin and Ryan because I don’t think Durbin and Blagojevich are that close. Blago isn’t that popular even among Democrats. He got re-elected in 2006 because the Republicans had no real candidate to run against him. And I have to say I refused to vote for him at the time because I wouldn’t vote for someone who I thought was going to get indicted. I’m just surprised that it took so long.

yes, kickin’ it Chicago Old School

would love for some Illinois firedogs to weigh in on Lt Gov Quinn. From his wiki, looks like he’s been lifelong member of Cook County/Daly Machinery – not necessarily a bad thing, but would be safe to assume his Senate Appt would be next up in the Patronage que

so listen here, do-the-right-above-reproach thing and appoint Congresswoman Schakowsky to the Senate – you can fill her seat with the Patronage candidate

Sorry Jim, didn’t mean to sound so shrill. I am kind full of adrenyline right now.

Oops, got ahead of the facts on that one. Thanks for pointing out the error. (But I’d still like the score to be 3 to 2).

No problem. I want to stick with reality and don’t mind being reeled back in now and then. g* (And adrenaline is a very good thing.)

I think you ought to take Durbin at his word on the Ryan thing. He’s known Ryan and his wife personally, politically, and professionally for decades and I think he feels sorry for the old doofer. Ryan is described as unrepentant about his crimes, but it’s pretty clear he simply doesn’t believe what he did was criminal; it’s the way things were done in Illinois for decades and he’s nonplussed it turns out to be against the law. Of course, anyone not in Illinois politics can take even a cursory glance at what Ryan and his buddies were doing and instantly know it was corruption. So you’ve got Ryan in prison, his elderly and ailing wife calling Durbin and asking if he can’t do something to help his old friend George. Sometimes, things really are actually as they appear.

There won’t be. The Rezko proffer Fitzgerald issued back in December of 2007 only references Obama once, and not as the subject of any probe. Illinois Republican (and Rove buddy) Bob Kjellander, who tried to get Fitz dumped from his job, is much more likely to be in trouble over this.

The links for the complaint and press release are terminally busted, linking to a Google mail sign-up screen.

Yes, I’m amazed that people aren’t more skeptical when a leading Democrat gets taken down, but all I read is “faux outrage” . Is pretending that we condemn corruption, Dem or Republican, supposed to make progressives more acceptable? Clearly we’re not acceptable to Obama’s people anyway, so I argue we should be fiercely partisan. The take-down of ANY Democrat is political warfare.

Yeah, and how did Pat Fitz work out for us?
The real culprit, Rove, works for Newsweek AND Fox, and Libby was pardoned.

Thanks LHP. I appreciate the follow up. I’ll catch up on the newer threads… I’ll stop grumbling in a minute, the banking crisis has me crankier than usual, so everything looks suspicious to me these days…