[Rhodes22-list] Politics: Brad -- What Does He Mean?

Tue Dec 16 09:53:12 EST 2008

Thanks for keeping ahead of me in the reading, Brad.

Fitz had to do something spectacular, and stuff only leaks out of his 
office when he wants it to leak.

He certainly didn't need this nonsense to make his case against Blago, 
so nothing was lost from a prosecutor's point of view, and he needed to 
capture all the headlines before the democrats started talking about the 
"traditional" "firing of the prosecutors" ritual Bill Clinton started.

I don't think even Obama can get away with firing Fitz at this point, 
although I would not be surprised if he didn't at least make a stab at it.

If he tries now, I would expect a special prosecutor, and I would expect 
that special prosecutor to be Fitz.

He may try anyhow, because he's toast if he can't get Fitz out of the 
picture.  I believe this is why the Chicago machine fielded a 
candidate--specifically to get Fitz out of the picture before they all 
wound up in jail. 

It IS an interesting struggle, and it WILL be interesting to see how it 
turns out.

The fact that it has gotten this far speaks volumes about the state of 
this nation across the board.

Bill Effros

Brad Haslett wrote:
> Bill,
>
> Here's another version of what you already know but it does raise a
> question.  Did Fitz leak to the Chicago Tribune?  I'm wondering if he
> saw a window of opportunity that would close after 20JAN09 and decided
> to make a pre-emptive strike.
>
> Brad
>
> -------------------
>
> Obama's Helpful Hand in Blago-Rezko 'Pay-to-Play' Scheme
>
> Posted By Abraham H. Miller On December 16, 2008 @ 12:00 am In .
> Feature 01, . Positioning, Crime, History, Legal, Money, Politics, US
> News | No Comments
>
> Against the backdrop of Chicago's Wacker Drive, Fox News' Greta Van
> Susteren stood and analyzed Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's most
> recent [1] "pay-to-play" scheme, the auctioning of President-elect
> Barack Obama's seat in the U.S. Senate.
>
> Absent from the analysis of Governor Blagojevich's role as auctioneer
> was the governor's involvement in an earlier scandal.  [2] That
> earlier story went generally untouched by the media — outside of
> Chicago — because it had a direct bearing on the character of
> then-presidential candidate and media darling Barack Obama.
>
> Now, numerous journalists have been captured before the camera's lens
> wondering why U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald "prematurely" had Blago
> arrested and didn't build a stronger case.
>
> None of them is suggesting the obvious - that perhaps Fitzgerald had
> to compel a media frenzy to avoid being transferred or even fired by
> the new administration for his involvement in the earlier case that
> has ties to the president-elect.  (After all, it is only the most
> partisan Democrats that believe only [3] Alberto Gonzales fires
> non-compliant U.S. attorneys.)
>
> To understand Fitzgerald's potential problem with the Obama
> administration, you need to go back to the original "pay-for-play"
> scheme that caused Blago and wife, Patty, to come under the eye of the
> federal prosecutor.  You also need to confront Barack  Obama's role in
> that scheme.
>
> If you don't remember [4] Antonin (Tony) Rezko, here's the Cliff Notes
> version: If you wanted to build or expand a medical facility in
> Illinois, you had to cut a deal with Tony. He was the guy with
> contacts on the state board whose approval you needed. To put it
> bluntly, he was the guy you paid off to pay off the other guys so you
> could get the required permits.
>
> Originally, the board was made up of fifteen members. Now, in Chicago,
> where bribery has become a cultural art form, bribing half of fifteen
> means you need eight guys in your pocket. That's a heavy overhead
> cost.  What if you could reduce your overhead by about forty percent?
> Just think how much more money you could make.
>
> [5] Enter Barack Obama, state senator and chairman of the senate's
> Health and Human Services Committee. Obama successfully introduced
> legislation to cut the size of the board down to nine members.  Now
> you only have to bribe five members. But Obama's legislation didn't
> just cut the size of the board; it put appointment power directly in
> the hands of Governor Rod Blagojevich.  And Governor "Blago" (as we
> Chicagoans love to call him) quickly appointed a number of Rezko's
> cronies to the board.
>
> One Democratic stalwart without flinching said to me, "Obama did that
> because he believed in more efficient government." And Mrs. Rezko
> closed on the adjoining property next to the Obama mansion on the same
> day as the Obamas closed on their house, which netted the Obama's a
> $300,000 discount on their purchase, because Mrs. Rezko believed the
> Obamas would be good for the neighborhood. I understand that
> thoroughly. In a neighborhood with unrepentant terrorists like Bill
> Ayers, you need some people with integrity to keep up property values.
>
> After his conviction on sixteen of twenty-four counts of the federal
> fraud indictment and a revocation of his bail, Rezko, according to
> Chicago observers, was meeting in the federal holding pen with
> Fitzgerald and singing like the first robin of spring.
>
> Veteran Chicago journalists were on 24/7 Patty watch, thinking that
> Mrs. Blago was at least going to be the refrain in Rezko's song and
> Blago himself was going to be the entire first stanza.  But if Rezko
> could sing about Blago, would Blago be cooing about Obama? Or maybe a
> duet would be in the works?
>
> Federal prosecutors do get transferred and even fired for prosecuting
> the party in power. [6] Ask Carole Lam who successfully prosecuted
> Congressman Randy Cunningham and found herself looking for work as a
> result. So Fitzgerald was probably looking at being replaced by a more
> compliant prosecutor who would know how to cut a deal and keep the
> song birds silent.
>
> If Obama could be connected to the "pay-for-play" scheme for building
> medical facilities, both Rezko and Blago had a reduced jail time card
> to play.  And just as the latest Blago scandal broke, Rezko, whose
> lawyers were screaming for a quick sentencing hearing, [7] has had a
> postponement.  And in a rare display of coordinated silence, neither
> the Rezko defense team nor the talkative Fitzgerald is commenting on
> the delay.
>
> So, Blago's newer and bigger indictment keeps Fitzgerald in the game.
> There is now no way the Obama administration is going to be able to
> transfer or fire Fitzgerald and keep alive the "change" mantra.  Too
> bad the eight federal prosecutors that [8] Alberto (I don't  recall)
> Gonzales fired couldn't drop a high profile case in front of the
> media.
>
> As for how contagious Chicago corruption is, it now appears that [9]
> Rahm Emanuel, despite denials, has been engaged in conversations with
> Blago over the president-elect's replacement.  That in itself is not
> illegal.  But if Blago told Emanuel that he wanted money or a cushy
> union-related job for Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett's appointment to
> the vacated senate seat, and Emanuel didn't report it, that is a
> problem for the administration.
>
> It's a long way to spring, but who says song birds can't sing in the winter.
>
> Article printed from Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com
>
> URL to article:
> http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obamas-helpful-hand-in-blago-rezko-pay-to-play-scheme/
>
> URLs in this post:
> [1] "pay-to-play" scheme,:
> http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5332897.ece
> [2] That earlier story: http://pajamasmedia.com../../../../../favicon.ico
> [3] Alberto Gonzales fires:
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/republicans/3110808/Alberto-Gonzales-and-o
> ther-Republicans-could-face-criminal-charges-in-US.html
>
> [4] Antonin (Tony) Rezko:
> http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/rezko/989635,CST-NWS-timeline05.article
> [5] Enter Barack Obama: http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=3566
> [6] Ask Carole Lam:
> http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2007/02/09/united_states_attorneys
> [7] has had a postponement:
> http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/12/11/rezkos-sentencing-is-delayed
> [8] Alberto (I don't  recall) Gonzales:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIgbJSrIvWc
> [9] Rahm Emanuel:
> http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/12/11/a-show-of-support-or-a-signal
>
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 8:39 AM, Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> wrote:
>   
>> Brad,
>>
>> What do you suppose Blago means when his spokesman says ""The governor
>> has indicated in the past there is more to this story that he's wanting
>> to tell at an appropriate time."
>>
>> How do you cut a deal with this guy when you know the FBI is listening
>> in and watching everything he hears or sees?
>>
>> The only deals Fitzgerald will cut are for Daley and Obama.
>>
>> Bill Effros
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