Illinois Governor Arrested for Trying To Sell Obama's Senate Seat - Did Obama Know?

This is all over Drudge Report this morning. The DA seems to be also leaving open the door as to whether Obama and/or his staff knew anything about this developing scandal.

article

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest.

and

Fitzgerald said "there is no allegation in the complaint that the President-elect was aware of it and that is all I can say." His comment did not close the door on the possibility that Obama or someone on his staff may have known of some aspect of the governor's demands.

Note, that it does not say Obama or his staff knew about this, but it does say they are not closing the door on that possibility.



[edit on 12/9/2008 by centurion1211]

This guy should have never have been elected to any kind of public office!

FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat

"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on Nov. 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit.
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Blagojevich was overheard by the FBI saying "I want to make money," complaining he was "financially hurting."
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Told by two other advisers he has to "suck it up" for two years, the FBI says it heard Blagojevich complain he has to give this "motherf***er [the president-elect] his senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him."

The governor is heard saying he will pick another candidate "before I just give f***ing [Senate Candidate l] a f***ing Senate seat and I don't get anything."
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"We were approached 'pay to play.' That, you know he'd raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him (Senate Candidate 5) a Senator," Blagojevich was quoted as saying.
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Aware that he was under FBI investigation, Blagojevich apparently considered appointing himself to Obama's Senate seat, the affidavit says. He is quoted as saying "he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting senator as opposed to a sitting governor."

I wonder if this guy, the governor, has any connections to the mob, he sure does sound like one of them!

Originally posted by Keyhole
I wonder if this guy, the governor, has any connections to the mob, he sure does sound like one of them!

Sounds more like a banker to me. But that's splitting hairs.

For each time we prosecute someone for this kind of behavior, you have got to assume that it's been done this way for quite some time. This isn't the first 'purchased' representative position; I can assure you, it's not likely to be the last.

The game they play with 'our' power is obscene. Perhaps as more and more public officials take up residence at the local prisons, we might see some improvements in our human-rights records... Oh wait, prison for them is sleep-over in what can only be relatively considered, a luxury hotel!

This is clearly an old game in Chicagoland. The list of allegations against Blago is mind numbing (76 pages) including the alleged extortion of the now bankrupt Chicago Tribune.

I wonder how long it will take to connect Blago to Resko to Obama?

A game of "6 degrees of Blago" anyone?

They have got the tapes now they need to secure the names and faces on the other end. Put all of that together for an iron clad case and bye bye Blago.

This sure did seem to come about at a very awkward time don't you think?

I mean come on, the day after the gov. says that the state will no longer do business with the bank of America because they would not help businesses with the bailout money they got and that in turned caused a large Chicago company to go under and a couple thousand people are without work now.

I think there may be more to this that what this story tells us. If nothing else screams out "foul" then surely the timing must right?

This guy made a decision that was very much pro-citizen and the next day he is arrested by the FBI? Think about it.

I don't care how high or how low this goes, I hope they go after each and everyone of them and make a prime example out of them. People deserve better than this kind of trash.

Illinois Governor Arrested for Trying To Sell Obama's Senate Seat - Did Obama Know?

The origianal title of the article is,

FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat

Kind of sensationalizing I think adding that little extra to the title, especially since, in the article, the US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald states, ...

Fitzgerald said "there's no reference in the complaint to any conversations involving the president-elect or indicating that the president-elect was aware of it, and that's all I can say."

Thought only the original titles were suppose to be used in the "Breaking News" forums?

[edit on 12/9/2008 by Keyhole]

I hope he get a prison cell with Bubba and his friend Big Al.

I didn't see any where but is he a Dem. or a Rep.?

Roper

reply to post by Keyhole


I thought that only applied to the Breaking Alternative News Forum, where there is a specialized form for posting the thread. This one is free-form.

Anyway, the article also clearly states that although nothing was said at this time, the door for investigating others (including Obama and his staff) was clearly being left open. So, that makes the "Did Obama know?" question totally legitimate - even if it raises questions about Obama. We're still allowed to do that here ...

Originally posted by centurion1211
I thought that only applied to the Breaking Alternative News Forum, where there is a specialized form for posting the thread. This one is free-form.

Nope, all "breaking News" forums!

*Revised* - Instructions for the Breaking News Forums

Instructions for the Breaking News Forums
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* Copy the exact headline of the story into the headline field, don't make one up or sensationalise it.

At least that's how I've always understood the rules.

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Enough of that, a little more food for thought, ...

Seems like Illinois governors have a history of ending up behind bars!

3 ex-Ill. Governors Have Served Time Since 1970s

Three former Illinois governors have gone to prison in the past 35 years, and a host of other governors have gotten into legal trouble.

[edit on 12/9/2008 by Keyhole]

Here's another article, ...

No allegations against Obama in Illinois governor case

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said this afternoon that a federal corruption case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich makes no allegations of wrongdoing by President-elect Barack Obama.

"We make no allegations that he was aware of anything," Fitzgerald said of Obama.

Fitzgerald called the case a "political corruption crime spree," with the "most appalling" allegation that Blagojevich attempted to sell the US Senate seat vacated by Obama to the highest bidder.

And Obama had this to say, ...

UPDATE: Obama said he was "saddened" by the arrest and had no knowledge of Blagojevich's alleged attempts to sell the seat, according to press reports.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening. But as I said it is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don't think it's appropriate to comment," Obama said in a brief press availability after meeting in Chicago with former Vice President Al Gore about global warming.

So, so far it just looks like a greedy politician got caught!

Blagojevich, arrested at his home this morning, also was charged with threatening to withhold state aid to the Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, unless members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

He was even trying to silence "bad" press!

The criminal complaint said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat for benefits for himself and his wife, Patti. Blagojevich allegedly tried to drive a harder bargain by considering to appoint himself.

Shame on him!!

Maybe he'll get to stay in the same room as all the other Illinois governors got to stay in while at "The Big House"!

No Allegations Against Obama in Illinois: official (Reuters)

[edit on 12/9/2008 by Keyhole]

Of course Obama didn't know. Obama is starting to become the Sargent Shultz of Politics "I know nothing" "I see nothing"

He didn't know Reverend Wright was an anti-American racist. He didn't know Bill Ayers was an unrepentant terrorist. He didn't know Tony Rezko was a sleezy slumlord. So why would he know anything about the governor of the state he represented? Why would he know anything about the person who was to appoint his replacement to the US Senate?