Illinois Governor Taken Into Custody By Feds


Yeoowch:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges.

Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

Here's the *.pdf from Fitzmas.

If all this is true, he should be locked up for a long, long time. I don't care if he is a Democrat or Republican. Selling high offices? Lock him and his wife up. And his chief of staff too.


Sean Paul Kelley December 9, 2008 - 9:54am

The Tribune just melted down in a corrupt deal that is taking the employee's pension fund with it.

The Senate can refuse to seat any Blag appointee, and should do so. "A tainted Senate appointment has no place in the Senate."

Stirling Newberry December 9, 2008 - 10:36am

me thinks that this indictment is hypocritical since his crimes are common behavior.

For example, nobody is mad at Obama for giving Hillary a job based, perhaps, on an agreement they made during the campaign.

IMO, Blagojevich is being taken down just like Spitzer since Blagojevich went after the banks and-- by implication, Bush Adminstration Policy, over the Republic Windows and Doors situation.

Blagojevich even wanted Illinois to stop doing business with the Bank Of America:

SOURCE #1 (bloomberg) ; SOURCE #2 (sean paul kelly)

The real crime here isn't petty nepotism but rather the behavior of the Bushies who are behaving like the Grinch: they're stealing everything on their way out the door.

mrmx December 9, 2008 - 12:01pm

But what it is ain't exactly clear.

Who is really naive enough to not realize that a lot of horse-trading goes on whenever a governor has to appoint anyone?

Be that as it may, we shouldn't forget that in withholding state aid for the Tribune, he put about $1 billion of JP Morgan's investment in Tribune in chapter 11 limbo, and another $7 billion of JP Morgan's $ backing Tribune bonds in the same doghouse. Couple that with the unprecedented and incendiary comments about Bank of America, a thoroughly corrupt DoJ, Spitzer's ouster after an Op Ed about the Comptroller of the Currency and lax lending standards, as well as the Siegelman prosecution, and you've got to wonder how much do we really know about anything that's going on here?

Jonathryn December 9, 2008 - 3:34pm

when the mortgage mess cost us so much more?

I don't know if it's true but supposedly the union workers were doing a sit-in and becoming noticed; so, was the arrest simply to stop people from saying "I'm Mad As Hell And Not Going To Take This Any More"?

mrmx December 9, 2008 - 5:32pm

and that is assuming that you can use logic and reason to figure out Blago's motives.

Or that there is more to Fitzgerald than meets your eyes.

You can take off the tinfoil now.

Jeff Wegerson December 9, 2008 - 10:41pm

I don't know the details of his other scandals, but how could this guy, who knew that he was under investigation by the feds, believe that he could get away with this, especially over the phone?

pigola December 9, 2008 - 11:12am

are in the link to Fitz. Wow. Sounds like "Senate candidate 5" should also be charged with something. This is a hornet's nest of corruption and bribery...wonder if they can implicate Sam Zell.

jtruett December 9, 2008 - 11:20am

You cannot understand his motivations by using logic and reasoning. It fails every time. He limped into office in a multi-candidate field on the back of a fractured Daleyite machine and his ability to get reelected is a testament to political inertia.

Lt Gov. Pat Quinn, the likely next governor, is fairly progressive.

Jeff Wegerson December 9, 2008 - 11:22am

since the white crayon can't be seen on white paper. Thus, it's rarely used.

this situation is about Bush smearing the artwork of others with his nasty, black, grease.

mrmx December 9, 2008 - 12:23pm

I might have your suspicions as well. But Blago has been at best a quasi-populist. Mostly he's just been inept. There are going to be very few people in Illinois not glad to see him go.

Now here's crossing our fingers that a progressive Lt Gov Pat Quinn can be effective with the next two years and get re-elected after that. It should be very do-able. Even if the Bush regime were behind this, which I doubt because they are no fans of the Federal Attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald of the Valerie Plame prosecution, they could well end up regretting getting what they wished for.

Jeff Wegerson December 9, 2008 - 2:37pm

It's obvious he should be kept in Chicago because the corruption in Illinois politics is endless.

Numerian December 9, 2008 - 11:28am

After a quick read of the complaint, it looks as though Obama's people were smart enough to not touch this with a ten foot pole.

They basically offered him appreciation for their favored candidate.

edit: look around pgs 63-66

pigola December 9, 2008 - 11:49am

I would have expected something like this when democrats would have been 6 or more years in power.

-- Storm brings only richness with it

Singular December 9, 2008 - 12:13pm

with one of his first "teachable moments".


"The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Escher Sketch December 9, 2008 - 12:16pm

..."for which the press conference was called" does not seem to be part of his vocabulary at this point.

Obama’s Health Care Briefing (transcript).

The press conference. on the other hand, was not dominated by discussion of the Illinois issue, but reports on the press conference were- see the VOA spin: Obama: No Contacts With Disgraced Governor



Yes, I can come up with a post-election signature, just... not... yet...

nymole December 11, 2008 - 3:46pm

I'm not worried about. I have visions of Whitewater in my head at the moment. Even after being cleared of all charges, the Clinton's were hounded by the VRWC until troopergate resulted in the eventual impeachment proceedings. You really don't think this is going to go away anytime soon, do you? No doubt we will be hearing about this, and all the wacko theories, for years to come.

If I had wanted cream and sugar, then why order the damn coffee?

Rook December 9, 2008 - 1:10pm

today I'll say that I hate mayonnaise and like asking waitresses "why did you put mayo on my sandwich? I didn't ask for it."

usually, and unless I specifically tell them "no mayonnaise," I scrape it off since any other reaction would be cruel to those who have nothing to eat.

so maybe that guy, who got cream and sugar with his coffee, should be reminded how lucky he is since some folks have nothing to eat and can only dream about having cream and sugar in their coffee instead of having the living nightmare that "there's cream and sugar in my coffee so I'm going to die!"

mrmx December 9, 2008 - 2:16pm

Seriously, it's suppose to project my obstinate, bitchy nature. Also, it's from Stephen King's novel "The Stand."

If I had wanted cream and sugar, then why order the damn coffee?

Rook December 11, 2008 - 2:06pm

obama should say what S-P says...a stain on the good guys is much worse than the same stain on the already filthy republicans. Fry the SOB and clean his closets for any rotters that work with him or like him.

Freedom is not more important than fairness, just easier to sell and a lot easier to fake.

greensmile December 9, 2008 - 8:55pm

Obama’s Intervention for Ethics Bill Indirectly Led to Case Against Governor

New York Times

quiet Bill December 10, 2008 - 3:08am

Chicago Tribune, By Rick Pearson & Ray Long, January 4

The governor was arrested by the FBI and faces impeachment proceedings, his appointee to a U.S. Senate seat is in limbo and the state treasury is in shambles—a combination that has turned Illinois into a national punch line.

But who's laughing around here?

The state owes billions of dollars to day-care providers, hospitals and physicians treating the poor. Lawmakers have shelved ambitious agendas, such as fixing health care and reforming the state's method of financing public schools.

The tortuous saga of Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put Illinois government on hold.

"Absolutely, we're in a mess," state Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) said of the state of the state. "This is the reason that Barnum & Bailey has three rings. The Senate appointment is on one side, the federal prosecutors and the criminal charges are on the other, and those of us dealing with impeachment are in the center ring."


They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm.

Raja January 4, 2009 - 2:42pm

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