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Illinois Gov Taken in by Feds
Topic Started: Dec 9 2008, 10:03 AM (581 Views)
HistoryDude
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Shaken, not stirred...
This is like the 5th of our last 12 governors to have been in, currently reside, or will be going to jail... :rolleyes: This story has been developing for a couple years, but now seems to been getting even more interesting...if it weren't so pathetic.

Quote:
 
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested at his North Side home Tuesday morning. His chief of staff John Harris was taken into federal custody as well.

The criminal complaint by the FBI agents said the two had been arrested on federal corruption charges. Each were arrested on two charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

Blagojevich and Harris will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court Tuesday.

The arrest is the latest step in a three-year probe of "pay-to-play politics" in the governor's administration. A statement by U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said Blagojevich and Harris "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."

Federal authorities were permitted by a judge to record the governor secretly before the November election after raising concerns that a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama would be tainted.

Fitzgerald's office said the 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich was taped conspiring to sell or trade Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife.

According to the affidavit, Blagojevich floated the idea of "a substantial salary for himself at a either a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;" a corporate board seat for his wife worth as much as $150,000 a year; promises of campaign funds, including cash up front; and a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

The Chicago Tribune was first to report that the arrest. Informed Monday of the wiretap, Blagojevich told the Tribune that his discussions were "always lawful" and he defended a close confidant, John Wyma, who turned on him. Wyma as "an honest person who's conducted himself in an honest way," Blagojevich said.

"I should say if anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it," he said.


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Dwayne
Profanity deleted by Hoss
I suspect a pardon is coming his way some time this Febuary.

And this article is a great candidate for Name that Party. That's where you go through news stories about political scandals and then try to determine the political party of the perp based on the story.
Edited by Dwayne, Dec 9 2008, 11:15 AM.
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RTW
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There must be some mistake. An Illinois politician arrested for corruption? It can't be true! Surely a typo.

Dwayne
Dec 9 2008, 11:10 AM
I suspect a pardon is coming his way some time this Febuary.
That would be mighty brazen. A president would have to mistake himself for emperor to pull that off.

Dwayne
Dec 9 2008, 11:10 AM
And this article is a great candidate for Name that Party. That's where you go through news stories about political scandals and then try to determine the political party of the perp based on the story.
Yep. SMDD. Of course, those in the know realize that only one party gets elected in Illinois.
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HistoryDude
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Shaken, not stirred...
Careful, guys... :brow:

This one is a Chicago Democrat. But our immediate previous "governor" is already currently in jail on other corruption crimes.

Republican George Ryan

That's two governors in-a-row for Illinois. What a feat! :spank:
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HistoryDude
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Shaken, not stirred...
From the Washington Post with a little more analysis on the impact nationally...

Quote:
 
The news that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has been taken into custody on charges of seeking bribes in exchange for an appointment to the Senate (among other allegations) fundamentally reshapes the Illinois political landscape.

The impact of Blagojevich's arrest is far-reaching, with tentacles into the Senate, governor's mansion and the national political scene.

The most obvious fallout is in the race for the seat vacated earlier this month by President-elect Barack Obama. Under state law, Blagojevich is given total authority to replace Obama -- an authority he allegedly was using as collateral to extract concessions from those interested in the seat.

As long as Blagojevich remains governor -- and whether he will stay in office remains to be seen -- he retains the power to appoint the next senator. But, if an appointment from Blagojevich was problematic before (due to the long-running investigation into his Administration on other corruption charges) it is entirely tainted now.

According to conversations with several Chicago political sharps, the thinking now is that if Blagojevich makes the appointment, the only possible pick is a caretaker with an unimpeachable record on ethics who will hold the seat for two years and then step aside in 2010.

It's nearly impossible to imagine that anyone Blagojevich picks at this point would be able to run for a full term 2010 as they would immediately be labeled as the hand-picked choice of a scandal-tarred governor.

Given those realities, the new frontrunner for the appointment could well wind up being Secretary of State Jesse White who had been floated in the past as a safe -- and inoffensive -- pick. People like Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and former congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth may now have to turn their attention to the 2010 open seat as it seems increasingly unlikely that either of them would get (or want) an appointment from Blagojevich.

In the event Blagojevich resigns in the coming days, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, would step into the job and would be tasked with the appointment. If that happens, all bets are off and everyone is back in the mix.

In terms of the gubernatorial race, it now seems increasingly unlikely that Blagojevich will run for a third term in 2010. (Yes, we realize how insane that last sentence sounds but remember that Blagojevich was considering a reelection bid with job approval numbers in the mid teens.)

Assuming the seat is open, expect a contested primary fight between state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulas -- all three of whom were considering the race before today's news. Madigan had been prominently mentioned as a possible appointee to the Senate seat but apparently was far more interested in running for governor.

In terms of Blagojevich's arrest on national politics, remember that House Minority Leader John Boehner released a campaign memo earlier this week in which he makes clear that his party will push the idea of a culture of corruption within the Democratic party over the next few years.

Blagojevich, although a governor, spent six years in the House and, as a result, has ties to a number of sitting members. Expect House Republicans to use his arrest as a cudgel against their Democratic colleagues over the coming weeks.

This is a developing story with all sorts of twists and turns. We'll be following it closely. Stay tuned.


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RTW
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HistoryDude
Dec 9 2008, 11:34 AM
But our immediate previous "governor" is already currently in jail on other corruption crimes.

Republican George Ryan
Who didn't see that coming? Even I knew that being a Republican is considered a crime in Illinois.
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ds9074
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Seems wrong to me that the Governor can just appoint the replacement Senator. A by-election seems like a better way to go. I strongly dislike the idea of appointing legislators, they should be elected.
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Dwayne
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^^^ It is absolutely normal for the governor of a state to appoint a replacement for an unexpectedly vacated congressional seat.
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Admiralbill_gomec
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The feds are also probing the Rezko/Obama land deal from 2005 as well.

I'm not at all surprised about this. I'll say this now and say this for as long as Obama is in office. The man is part of the Chicago machine and is as crooked as they come. He and his ilk make LBJ look like a choirboy. Obama isn't even sworn in yet and he's already linked to a corruption scandal.

I was calling Obama "Jimmy Carter, Junior" amongst my friends and associates, but now the only comparison I can think of is Bill Clinton.

Yup, we get the government we deserve... and I'm disgusted!
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ds9074
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Dwayne
Dec 9 2008, 12:22 PM
^^^ It is absolutely normal for the governor of a state to appoint a replacement for an unexpectedly vacated congressional seat.
Normal and right can be two different things. By having a system that allows appointment to the legislature you allow for the possibility of corruption in the way that appointment is made (look up cash for peerages), you remove democratic choice and with that you remove any sense of responsibility from the legislator that they have been sent by the people to represent the people.
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RTW
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Admiralbill_gomec
Dec 9 2008, 04:19 PM
The feds are also probing the Rezko/Obama land deal from 2005 as well.
That's on the fast track to nowhere. Either they'll "find nothing" and end the investigation quickly or they'll string it out for 4 or 8 years.
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RTW
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When the governor of a state to appoints a replacement for an unexpectedly vacated congressional seat it's only for the remainder of the term as a special election would cost $millions.
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ds9074
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RTW
Dec 9 2008, 09:49 PM
When the governor of a state to appoints a replacement for an unexpectedly vacated congressional seat it's only for the remainder of the term as a special election would cost $millions.
What price democracy?
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HistoryDude
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DS, you're making way too much of this principle in our system. We have all kinds of appointed positions throughout our government. Allowing for governors to appoint replacement Senators in the event of an unexpected vacancy - which doesn't even happen all that often - is not what is bringing down American democracy (that is other things and for other threads). There are logistical and cost matters associated that make it beneficial not to have an election. And, besides, we're still a step up from how the Constitution originally set up how Senators were to be chosen - by election among the individual state legislatures. Thanks to the 17th Amendment, they're popularly elected, now.

Of course there can be corruption involved - there is in all facets of every government. That's why I believe in as limited a government as you can possibly get by with. The Governor "selling" an empty Senatorial seat has been a famous form of corruption in the history of American politics - rather that be myth or truth. The cynic in me tends to assume the latter...
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Swidden
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Seems like this is just good old, old fashion Chicago politics. Isn't that where they came up with the cliche that an honest politician is one that once bought stays bought?
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