Corruptocrat alert: Blagojevich taken into custody by FBI; conspired to sell/trade Senate seat, HHS position, stifle newspaper; Team Obama contradicts itself

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 9, 2008 10:05 AM

Scroll down for updates…

All that grandstanding yesterday by Illinois Dem. Gov. Rod Blagojevich over the Republic Windows and Doors plant closure was smoke and mirrors to distract from his corruption scandal.

The FBI was keeping its eye on the ball.

Blagojevich was taken into custody today by federal agents, the Chicago Tribune reports. The dirtbag details, which prosecutors call “staggering:”

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.

Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.

On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts.

“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.”

***

Time to play: Name that party!

***

The 12-page USDOJ release is here. The intro:

A 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps during the last month conspiring to sell or trade Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife. At various times, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich discussed obtaining: a substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions; placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year; promises of campaign funds – including cash up front; and a cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

Just last week, on December 4, Blagojevich allegedly told an advisor that he might “get some (money) up front, maybe” from Senate Candidate 5, if he named Senate Candidate 5 to the Senate seat, to insure that Senate Candidate 5 kept a promise about raising money for Blagojevich if he ran for re-election. In a recorded conversation on October 31, Blagojevich claimed he was approached by an associate of Senate Candidate 5 as follows: “We were approached ‘pay to play.’ That, you know, he’d raise 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him (Senate Candidate 5) a Senator.”

On November 7, while talking on the phone about the Senate seat with Harris and an advisor, Blagojevich said he needed to consider his family and that he is “financially” hurting, the affidavit states. Harris allegedly said that they were considering what would help the “financial security” of the Blagojevich family and what will keep Blagojevich “politically viable.” Blagojevich stated, “I want to make money,” adding later that he is interested in making $250,000 to $300,000 a year, the complaint alleges.

On November 10, in a lengthy telephone call with numerous advisors that included discussion about Blagojevich obtaining a lucrative job with a union-affiliated organization in exchange for appointing a particular Senate Candidate whom he believed was favored by the President-elect and which is described in more detail below, Blagojevich and others discussed various ways Blagojevich could “monetize” the relationships he has made as governor to make money after leaving that office.

Some details of Blago’s pay-to-play schemes:

The charges include historical allegations that Blagojevich and Harris schemed with others – including previously convicted defendants Antoin Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ali Ata and others – since becoming governor in 2002 to obtain and attempt to obtain financial benefits for himself, his family and third parties, including his campaign committee, Friends of Blagojevich, in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts and access to state funds. A portion of the affidavit recounts the testimony of various witnesses at Rezko’s trial earlier this year.

The charges focus, however, on events since October when the Government obtained information that Blagojevich and Fundraiser A, who is chairman of Friends of Blagojevich, were accelerating Blagojevich’s allegedly corrupt fund-raising activities to accumulate as much money as possible this year before a new state ethics law would severely curtail Blagojevich’s ability to raise money from individuals and entities that have existing contracts worth more than $50,000 with the State of Illinois. Agents learned that Blagojevich was seeking approximately $2.5 million in campaign contributions by the end of the year, principally from or through individuals or entities – many of which have received state contacts or appointments – identified on a list maintained by Friends of Blagojevich, which the FBI has obtained.

The affidavit details multiple incidents involving efforts by Blagojevich to obtain campaign contributions in connection with his official actions as governor, including these three in early October:

After an October 6 meeting with Harris and Individuals A and B, during which Individual B sought state help with a business venture, Blagojevich told Individual A to approach Individual B about raising $100,000 for Friends of Blagojevich this year.

Individual A said he later learned that Blagojevich reached out directly to Individual B to ask about holding a fund-raiser;

Also on October 6, Blagojevich told Individual A that he expected Highway Contractor 1 to raise $500,000 in contributions and that he was willing to commit additional state money to a Tollway project – beyond $1.8 billion that Blagojevich announced on October15 – but was waiting to see how much money the contractor raised for Friends of Blagojevich; and

On October 8, Blagojevich told Individual A that he wanted to obtain a $50,000 contribution from Hospital Executive 1, the chief executive officer of Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, which had recently received a commitment of $8 million in state funds.

When the contribution was not forthcoming, Blagojevich discussed with Deputy Governor A the feasibility of rescinding the funding.

The Smoking Gun has an excerpt of the criminal complaint. The entire brief is here.

***

More: Meet Patty “F’ing” Blagojevich.

Fun fact from Tom Elia: “This makes for the fourth out of the last seven elected Illinois governors to be indicted since 1960 (Otto Kerner, Dan Walker, George Ryan, and Rod Blagojevich) … since 1972, 28 Chicago alderman have been convicted of crimes. If this number was extrapolated to the US House, it would be as if over 240 congressman had been indicted in the same period.”

Update 3:41pm Eastern. Blago is free on his own recognizance.

Update 4:25pm Eastern. Obama and his team contradict each other on who knew what when.

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Posted in: Corruption

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Comments


  1. #301
    On December 9th, 2008 at 11:45 pm, Wellsy said:

    The high level of corruption cannot be underestimated here. This is a sitting Governor attempting to manipulate for personal gain the selection of the “people’s” representative to the upper House of the national legislative body. Again, the absolutely noxious Illinois Democratic machine is in full display here.

  2. #302
    On December 10th, 2008 at 12:14 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

    On December 9th, 2008 at 6:14 pm, Bill Grant said:

    I don’t think Blagojevich is going to rot in jail without holding up the Obamamessiah for a pardon. Rezko maybe.

    Are President-elects allowed to grant President-electial pardons?

    Obamas docket may already be full.

  3. #303
    On December 10th, 2008 at 12:15 am, feebiebabe said:

    Are President-elects allowed to grant President-electial pardons?

    Obamas docket may already be full.

    Heck, the guy has already materialized himself an “Office”… :roll:

  4. #304
    On December 10th, 2008 at 3:19 am, vatodio said:

    I am really worried about America.

    Obama campaigned for Blago in 2002 and 2006.

    He sat in the church of racist Wright for 20 years and still didn’t know who Wright is?

    He had associations with shady characters like Ayer, Rezko, Phleger,…

    This bafoon does not know his friends well enough after years of associations.

    And we have chosen him to sit down with rogue nations like Iran & Russia and discuss some serious issues facing the world!

  5. #305
    On December 10th, 2008 at 5:40 am, graysonret said:

    I am really worried about America.

    You and me both. It seems a day doesn’t go by without some sort of shady activity by him, or his “friends”. I suspect we’ll have one heckava corrupt government coming this January. Based on the election recently, many politicians feel that they now have a free hand to do whatever they want, regardless of law or the Constitution. The sad part is that the MSM will try to cover up anything that comes out.

  6. #306
    On December 10th, 2008 at 6:30 am, bilgerat said:

    On December 9th, 2008 at 10:06 am, Last Massachusetts Conservative said:
    “That’s not the Rod Blagojevich I know” – B. Obama

    On December 9th, 2008 at 10:10 am, Rogue Cheddar said:
    LMC, you beat me to it. Also, you’re not the last, I’m right there with you, but we are few and far between here in Taxachusetts.

    Isn’t Diane Wilkerson looking for a new roommate? Patty B. and Diane could compare notes, like what’s the best bra for stuffing full of payoffs….

    My personal choice is Bali….my checkbook fits nicely….

  7. #307
    On December 10th, 2008 at 6:37 am, FilmLadd said:

    Yes! Finally there is a state that is more corrupt than Louisiana!

    Laissez les bons temps roulez!

  8. #308
    On December 10th, 2008 at 6:38 am, bilgerat said:

    On December 9th, 2008 at 10:43 am, BKennedy said:
    Now if only they could nail Cadillac Deval on something.

    That would be delicious! But Governor Coupe Deval is small potatoes compared to Blago. Besides, I don’t believe the Cadillac Man has the t-fortitude to even attempt something of this magnitude….

  9. #309
    On December 10th, 2008 at 6:54 am, bilgerat said:

    On December 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am, granite said:

    One more here.

    Sometimes I still can’t believe that this New Hampshire boy moved into Massataxes (for a job) from God’s country to the north.

    My sympathies!! :-)

    Us Nanny-chusetts conservatives have to stick together!!

  10. #310
    On December 10th, 2008 at 7:02 am, mdt said:

    What’s the big deal here? This sort of thing is the normal way of conducing ‘business’ all over the third world and Eastern Europe to which we have become very much alike.

    In economics, if you have something of value (a senate seat perhaps) to give away, it always has a price. In this case, it was just done more crudely than usual.

  11. #311
    On December 10th, 2008 at 7:26 am, bilgerat said:

    On December 9th, 2008 at 4:31 pm, Flyoverman said:
    And all of you were wondering why so many former Clinton staffers as well as Hillary are an integral part of his new administration

    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer….

  12. #312
    On December 10th, 2008 at 7:32 am, Dasher said:

    On December 10th, 2008 at 6:37 am, FilmLadd said:

    Yes! Finally there is a state that is more corrupt than Louisiana!

    Laissez les bons temps roulez!

    Don’t forget New Jersey.

    No person should ever be elected to high office who is a product of the Chicago machine (i.e. Obama), or NJ Democrats.

  13. #313
    On December 10th, 2008 at 7:49 am, ThatSamIAm said:

    To say Obama has had no contact and is in no way involved with Blago making a decision to fill his senate seat requires a willful suspension of disbelief.

    A month ago an Obama adviser says he did have contact with Bago. Now they say the adviser misspoke. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Anytime someone from Obama’s team tells the truth they are misspoken. Sad.

    Words. Just Words.

  14. #314
    On December 10th, 2008 at 7:59 am, Jimmie said:

    Come on, don’t get excited he is a democrat, he is allowed to make these little mistakes. No crime here, time to move on….NOW if he intertained selling the seat to a Rebublican….BIG CRIME…maybe this is what this is all about..a REBUBLICAN was on the list of potential buyers….egadds….

  15. #315
    On December 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm, RetFireman said:

    Blagojevich is on tape colorfully complaining that Obama would not bribe him.

    Gee..that’s funny. The Cult of Obama Hierarchy is claiming that Obama has absolutely NOTHING to do with this trog, has no idea of his carryings on and is completely ignorant of the entire thing. Well now…how exactly can that be if the Trog is now on record as claiming that Obama refused to bribe him? Does that not admit that Obama knew he was wishing to be bribed and then refused?

    Does this not implicate Obama in being someone who knew that the Governor of Illinois was attempting to receive and demand bribes simply by having refused to take the bait?

    My my my…I wonder if anyone else of any importance will pick up on that?

    Once again, lgm steps in it and is completely ignorant of that fact.

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