Illinois Governor Blagojevich arrested for trying to sell Obama's Senate seat
FoxNews reported: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested Tuesday morning[Dec. 9] in Chicago on two counts each of federal corruption charges stemming from allegations Blagojevich was trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Fox also noted: A statement by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant 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."
"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," Fitzgerald said in a statement.
"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," he added.
The Chicago Tribune (whose holding company, Tribune Co., declared bankruptcy on Dec. 8) was first to report the story:
The Chicago Tribune was first to report the arrests. Informed Monday of the wiretap, Blagojevich told reporters 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.
**Separately, note the matter of the Longo complaint-->
6. During the time during the 1992 State Representative campaign and shortly thereafter, the Plaintiff Longo was involved in an organization later to be called the Coalition for Better Government (CBG). Rod Blagojevich accepted the support of the Coalition for Better Government at that time, attended the annual Christmas Party and was the Honorary Chairman of at least one golf outing fundraising event during their relationship.
29. That Rod Blagojevich in 2002 at a fundraising event for then State Representative Robert “Bugs” Bugielski told Dominic Longo that he would make him a rich man.
-->Only in Illinois-->
Fox also noted: A statement by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant 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."
"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," Fitzgerald said in a statement.
"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," he added.
The Chicago Tribune (whose holding company, Tribune Co., declared bankruptcy on Dec. 8) was first to report the story:
The Chicago Tribune was first to report the arrests. Informed Monday of the wiretap, Blagojevich told reporters 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.
**Separately, note the matter of the Longo complaint-->
6. During the time during the 1992 State Representative campaign and shortly thereafter, the Plaintiff Longo was involved in an organization later to be called the Coalition for Better Government (CBG). Rod Blagojevich accepted the support of the Coalition for Better Government at that time, attended the annual Christmas Party and was the Honorary Chairman of at least one golf outing fundraising event during their relationship.
29. That Rod Blagojevich in 2002 at a fundraising event for then State Representative Robert “Bugs” Bugielski told Dominic Longo that he would make him a rich man.
-->Only in Illinois-->
posted by Lawrence B. Ebert at 7:31 AM
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