[Tom Burns]

from an Illinois news service to which we subscribe:

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

>>Blagojevich Charged With Selling Senate Seat

(Chicago, IL) -- Federal authorities have arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for allegedly trying to peddle President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, are in custody on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. A 76-page FBI affidavit claims court-ordered wiretaps caught Blagojevich last month trying to sell or trade Illinois' open U.S. Senate seat in exchange for personal benefits. The FBI claims Blagojevich was trying to get his wife on corporate boards, promises of campaign funds, and even a cabinet post or ambassadorship. Blagojevich also allegedly threatened to withhold state assistance from the Tribune Company because of unflattering editorials in the "Chicago Tribune." The charges are not directly connected to other alleged pay-to-play schemes, such as those that landed Blagojevich fundraiser Tony Rezko in prison.

###
12-09-2008 08:16:47

[Southsider2k12]

This man takes the cake as the planets biggest idiot. Trying to sell the seat of the man who is going to President, while under federal investigation... Gee its not like anyone will be watching or anything.

[JHeath]

I heard about that on WIMS this morning, shortly before 9am. While things like this might normally be surprising, this particular incident didn't really shock me in the slightest. It was, however, disappointing.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Amazed, not surprised. I agree that blago or whatever the fip press calls him, is the world's biggest idiot. He takes the place of Daniel Ortega, who, on the eve of a vote on continuing the Contra war on Nicaragua, decided it was the ideal time to visit Moscow.

[Roger Kaputnik]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=97998307



llinois Governor Arrested On Corruption Charges
Listen: NPR's David Schaper and Renee Montagne discuss the arrest on 'Morning Edition' [url="java script:void(0);"][/url][url="java script:void(0);"]Enlarge[/url]
M. Spencer GreenIllinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich holds a news conference in Chicago on Nov. 5. AP


The Case Against Blagojevich

• Read the Federal Complaint (PDF)
• Read the U.S. Attorney's Press Release (PDF)

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald
Timeline

• A 'Chicago Tribune' Timeline of the Investigation

From the 'Political Junkie' Blog

• Whither The Obama Senate Appointment?

NPR.org, December 9, 2008 · Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his top aide were arrested Tuesday on corruption charges following a federal investigation of the 51-year-old Democrat's administration.

Among the allegations: Blagojevich conspired to benefit financially from his role in appointing a U.S. senator to fill the vacancy left by Barack Obama's election as president.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to press for campaign contributions, prosecutors said.

Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, 46, also was arrested.

Illinois Republicans called on Blagojevich to resign, and said that as the result of the charges, he should not appoint a replacement for Obama.

Federal agents were in Blagojevich's office in the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago on Tuesday morning.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

Both men are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan later Tuesday.

Corruption in the Blagojevich administration has been the focus of a federal investigation — dubbed Operation Board Games — into an alleged $7 million scheme aimed at squeezing kickbacks out of companies seeking business from the state. Federal prosecutors have acknowledged that they are also investigating "serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" under Blagojevich.

The 76-page affidavit from the FBI case agent Daniel Cain alleged agents intercepted conversations during which Blagojevich was conspiring to sell or trade the Obama's Senate seat for financial and personal benefits for himself and his wife.

Blagojevich allegedly proposed: getting a salary from a non-profit organization or a labor union affiliate; putting his wife in paid positions on corporate boards for as much as $150,000 a year; campaign contributions; and an ambassadorship for himself.

In addition, Cain's affidavit said Blagojevich discussed using his authority to get an appointment to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration.

The affididavit said agents tapped the phone at Blagojevich's home and the phone of the Friends of Blagojevich for 30 days beginning Oct. 22.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna called on Blagojevich to resign immediately. McKenna said Blagojevich also must not appoint a U.S. senator "under this cloud of extremely serious allegations."

Political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who raised money for the campaigns of both Blagojevich and Obama, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and other charges. Blagojevich's chief fundraiser, Christopher G. Kelly, is due to stand trial early next year on charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, took the chief executive's office in 2003 as a reformer promising to clean up former Gov. George Ryan's mess.

Ryan, a Republican, is serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges. The decade-long investigation began with the sale of driver's licenses for bribes and led to the conviction of dozens of people who worked for Ryan when he was secretary of state and governor.

From NPR staff and the Associated Press

• E-mail|
• Comments (15)|

FirstMost Recommended
Tim Camp (Cycle1956) wrote:

Put him in a cell next to his predecessor. They can discuss their favorite methods of getting money and power.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008 11:15:28



A Vickers (prof007) wrote:

I am truly shocked by this! Corrupt politicians in Chicago and in Illinois?!! Heaven forbid. Gee..I'm sure glad this type of corrupt behavior has not spilled over to Washington D.C. I live in New York and our governor is in the process of picking a successor to Hillary Clinton. I'm sure thankful that our New York governors are clean and above the board in everything....errr uhhh...except when it comes to prostitution rings.
Question: Why don't they have a Christmas pagent and manger scene in Washington D.C.?
Answer: They could not find three wise men or a virgin.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008 11:12:41



Jim Tedford (jt2337) wrote:

Yes Mark, its all a liberal media conspiracy. Did you read the latest memo - thats getting to be a tired and invalid argument. You need some new material on which to blame your own party's inadequacies and unpopularity.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008 11:05:16



Shelly Hughes (koolkat) wrote:

Hey Jim...it's been a long time coming. You need to understand, in Illinois, it doesn't matter if you're a dem or a repub, it's all corrupt. The guy makes decisions based on what is good for him, his family, and Chicago. The corruption runs deep and there are Republicans being indicted in connection with the gov, also.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008 11:04:21



Vincente Stong (Vincente) wrote:

Hell, people have been saying that Richard Daley's puppet leader is corrupt for years now. In the last governor's race, they called him out on how most of his major campaign contributors, including his daughter's babysitter, had recieved kickbacks from the state.

If Blagojevich put as much effort into balancing the budget as he put into trying to make my turkey shotgun illegal, maybe he wouldn't have to sell the state lottery and tollways.

But as Cadillac Captain stated, now that he's soon to be a convicted felon, Blagojevich won't have to worry about any shotguns nonetheless turkey guns.


Tuesday, December 09, 2008 11:03:23

[
View all comments (15)»

[Roger Kaputnik]

http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/dec/il...s_complaint.pdf

This is the Fed complaint.






http://media.npr.org/documents/2008/dec/illinois_release.pdf

This one is the DOJ press release.

[Homey]

I just watched the press conference. WOW.

I realize they "the state's attorney's office" doesn't have the power to remove him, but I hope it doesn't end up costing the citizens of Chicago and arm and a leg to end this mess.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Does the State pay for his defense? I don't think so, so I do not know how the taxpayers will be on the hook for this.

[Roger Kaputnik]

The link to the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7773717.stm




Low-graphics version:


BBC NEWS / AMERICAS
Graphics Version | Change to UK Version | BBC Sport Home News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Video and Audio | Have Your Say | 17:42 GMT, Tuesday, 9 December 2008
State governor held in US probe
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested, accused of trying to trade the Senate seat left vacant by US President-elect Barack Obama.

Mr Blagojevich, as governor, has sole authority to select a successor to Mr Obama as junior Illinois senator.

FBI investigators said telephone intercepts showed he was trying to sell or trade the seat for personal benefit.

There has been no official word from Mr Blagojevich's office, although he has denied previous corruption allegations.

The US Attorney's Office released a 76-page FBI affidavit detailing the charges against Mr Blagojevich, which includes transcripts of his telephone conversations intercepted by court-authorised wiretaps over the last month.

In the conversations, the Democratic governor allegedly discussed offering Mr Obama's senate seat in return for getting a well-paid position at a non-profit organisation or a group affiliated with trades unions, according to the affidavit.

In the transcripts, on 3 November Mr Blagojevich said the seat was "[expletive] valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."

The day after the election, according to the affidavit, Mr Blagojevich was recorded as saying: "I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing."

He also allegedly talked about getting his wife Patti placed on a corporate board.

'For sale'

Mr Blagojevich has also been charged with illegally threatening to block state aid to the company that owns the Chicago Tribune.

Mr Blagojevich allegedly demanded that the company fire members of the newspaper's editorial board in return for financial assistance in the sale of Wrigley Field, a Chicago sports stadium.

The governor's chief of staff, John Harris, has also been arrested.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," he added.

Mr Fitzgerald stressed at a later news conference that there were no allegations in the case against Mr Obama or his transition team.

Mr Fitzgerald has been involved in a number of high-profile prosecutions in recent years.

He led the case against the former vice-presidential chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, as well as heading up the investigation into media tycoon Conrad Black.

The prosecutor was also involved in the corruption trial of Mr Blagojevich's predecessor as Illinois governor, George Ryan.







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[Tom Burns]

The link to the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7773717.stm
Low-graphics version:


BBC NEWS / AMERICAS
Graphics Version | <a href="http://"http://newswm.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/change_edition.pl?http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/default.stm"" target="_blank">Change to UK Version | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/low/default.stm" target="_blank">BBC Sport Home</a> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/default.stm" target="_blank">News Front Page</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/africa/default.stm" target="_blank">Africa</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/default.stm" target="_blank">Americas</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/asia-pacific/default.stm" target="_blank">Asia-Pacific</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/default.stm" target="_blank">Europe</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/default.stm" target="_blank">Middle East</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/default.stm" target="_blank">South Asia</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/default.stm" target="_blank">UK</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/default.stm" target="_blank">Business</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/health/default.stm" target="_blank">Health</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/default.stm" target="_blank">Science & Environment</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/technology/default.stm" target="_blank">Technology</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/default.stm" target="_blank">Entertainment</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/also_in_the_news/default.stm" target="_blank">Also in the news</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/video_and_audio/default.stm" target="_blank">Video and Audio</a> | <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/talking_point/default.stm" target="_blank">Have Your Say</a> | 17:42 GMT, Tuesday, 9 December 2008 </a>
State governor held in US probe
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested, accused of trying to trade the Senate seat left vacant by US President-elect Barack Obama.

Mr Blagojevich, as governor, has sole authority to select a successor to Mr Obama as junior Illinois senator.

FBI investigators said telephone intercepts showed he was trying to sell or trade the seat for personal benefit.

There has been no official word from Mr Blagojevich's office, although he has denied previous corruption allegations.

The US Attorney's Office released a 76-page FBI affidavit detailing the charges against Mr Blagojevich, which includes transcripts of his telephone conversations intercepted by court-authorised wiretaps over the last month.

In the conversations, the Democratic governor allegedly discussed offering Mr Obama's senate seat in return for getting a well-paid position at a non-profit organisation or a group affiliated with trades unions, according to the affidavit.

In the transcripts, on 3 November Mr Blagojevich said the seat was "[expletive] valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."

The day after the election, according to the affidavit, Mr Blagojevich was recorded as saying: "I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing."

He also allegedly talked about getting his wife Patti placed on a corporate board.

'For sale'

Mr Blagojevich has also been charged with illegally threatening to block state aid to the company that owns the Chicago Tribune.

Mr Blagojevich allegedly demanded that the company fire members of the newspaper's editorial board in return for financial assistance in the sale of Wrigley Field, a Chicago sports stadium.

The governor's chief of staff, John Harris, has also been arrested.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," he added.

Mr Fitzgerald stressed at a later news conference that there were no allegations in the case against Mr Obama or his transition team.

Mr Fitzgerald has been involved in a number of high-profile prosecutions in recent years.

He led the case against the former vice-presidential chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, as well as heading up the investigation into media tycoon Conrad Black.

The prosecutor was also involved in the corruption trial of Mr Blagojevich's predecessor as Illinois governor, George Ryan.







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Chicago Tribune
Illinois state government
US Department of Justice
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More from our Illinois wire. The audio will not post to CitybyTheLake. If anyone interested in hearing it I can however e mail it if you send
me your e mail address.


Blagojevich Impeach w/audio
(4 bites)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


>>Some Illinois Politicians Want Governor Blagojevich Impeached

(Undated) -- Politicians from both parties are calling on the Illinois state legislature to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich [[ bla-GOYA-vich ]] after the governor and his chief-of-staff were arrested on corruption charges. Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Chicago says the option belongs to the governor.

{SchakowskiIL1} Q...begin impeachment proceedings :14.6

Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna has also asked for impeachment proceedings. McKenna said since Blagojevich took office, there have been more federal investigations in Illinois than ever before in the history of the state. He called it a failure of the Democratic party for not calling each other out when they saw problems. The next gubernatorial election in Illinois will be in 2010. McKenna said Democrats gained control of the state after corruption brought down Republicans, and the other party has just "done the same thing."

Additional audio:

{McKenna1} Q...the state's history :07.1
Illinois Republican Party chairman Andy McKenna says there have been a lot of problems under Governor Rod Blagojevich.

{McKenna2} Q...challenged this guy :10.3
McKenna says Democrats ignored the problems.

{SchakowskiIL2} Q...make an appointment :05.4
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky says Blagojevich has to be prevented from being allowed to appoint a successor for Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

###

12-09-2008 15:47:34

[Tom Burns]

IL -- IL Gov Second City (again from our Illinois news wire)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>Second City Rewriting New Show To Add Blago

(Chicago, IL) -- The arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is even impacting one of Chicago's legendary theater companies. Second City is set to open a new revue, "America: All Better" in less than one week. But the cast is planning to re-write portions of the show just days before opening to include the prosecution. A preview performance of the show is scheduled for tonight, but Second City vice-president Kelly Leonard says the governor might not make it in until Sunday.

###

[Homey]

Does the State pay for his defense? I don't think so, so I do not know how the taxpayers will be on the hook for this.

I wasn't referring to the cost of his defense..but a big trial could cost the city some $$. Everything in Chicago is expensive

Was listening to the Today Show this morning. They suggest he has a mental problem. Maybe that will be his defense

[Roger Kaputnik]

Could it be all those years with that haircut?

[Tom Burns]

Could it be all those years with that haircut?

Just a few minutes ago a local Democrat mayor near one of our Illinois stations was on-air with us and said "He has more hair than sense."

[Southsider2k12]

Just a few minutes ago a local Democrat mayor near one of our Illinois stations was on-air with us and said "He has more hair than sense."

That would be true still if he were bald.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Full graphics version

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7777905.stm



Low:

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools...777905.stm?ad=1



Illinois governor faces ultimatum The attorney-general of Illinois has told under-fire state Governor Rod Blagojevich to quit or she will take legal action against him.

Lisa Madigan said she could file a suit with the Illinois Supreme Court asking to declare him "unable to serve".

Mr Blagojevich has been arrested for allegedly trying to "sell" the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.

Barack Obama has said he is "appalled and disappointed" by the Illinois governor's alleged actions.

Mr Blagojevich denies the charges but the perceived abuse of his role has led to calls from Mr Obama and others for him to quit.

As governor, Mr Blagojevich has the sole authority to pick Mr Obama's temporary successor as senator until an election is held.

In transcripts of intercepted conversations released by the FBI on Tuesday, Mr Blagojevich is quoted as saying that a man referred to by officials as Senate Candidate Five would "raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him a senator".

'Unable to serve'

"The easiest way for us to move on in the state of Illinois is for Governor Blagojevich to do the right thing for the people and resign," Lisa Madigan said.

"Now, it doesn't appear that he has any inclination to do that. Maybe things will change today or tomorrow."

But she warned she would not wait "terribly long" before taking action.

"I have the opportunity to go to our Illinois Supreme Court and ask them to declare our governor is unable to serve and put in our lieutenant governor as acting governor," she said.

Ms Madigan said she was "working quickly to move forward on the next legal steps should the governor refuse to resign".

Mr Obama said he had not discussed his vacant Senate seat with Mr Blagojevich and was confident that nobody on his staff had either.

He promised to release shortly a record of any contacts with the governor's office regarding the vacancy.

"Let me say that this Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade - it belongs to the people of Illinois and they deserve the best possible representation," he told reporters in Chicago.

Wiretaps

Mr Blagojevich caused outrage by returning to work on Wednesday, a day after he was released on bail having appeared before a federal judge.

His lawyer told reporters that Mr Blagojevich believed he had done nothing wrong and had no plans to resign.

Federal investigators, who have been working on a case against Mr Blagojevich for several years, have charged him with a number of offences including soliciting a bribe.

The charges relate to a variety of corruption schemes in which the governor was allegedly involved, including so-called "pay to play" deals - the doling out of jobs, contracts and appointments in return for campaign contributions.

The US Attorney's Office released a 76-page FBI affidavit detailing the charges against Mr Blagojevich, which includes transcripts of his telephone conversations intercepted by court-authorised wiretaps over the last month.

In the conversations, the Democratic governor allegedly discussed offering Mr Obama's Senate seat in return for a well-paid position at a non-profit organisation or a group affiliated with trades unions, according to the affidavit.

In the transcripts, on 3 November Mr Blagojevich said the seat was a "[expletive] valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing".

The day after the presidential election, according to the affidavit, Mr Blagojevich was recorded as saying: "I've got this thing and it's [expletive] golden, and uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for [expletive] nothing."






Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7777905.stm

Published: 2008/12/11 17:33:00 GMT

© BBC MMVIII
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[Roger Kaputnik]

I cannot get this posted but I encourage your visiting this site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/ju..._patronage.html

[Ang]

Wow.