Chicago Tribune: Ill. Gov. Blagojevich in federal custody

[NickD 202]

Apparently that guy has a 4% approval rating - lowest in the country.

Glad you finally dumped that picture of what's his name, Paul, chewing on a cob of corn, could supply you with some photos of pretty girls if you want. Could even give you a photo of my dog licking his butt, but not nearly as nauseating as that guy sucking on a corn cob.

[Dan J 277]

Apparently that guy has a 4% approval rating - lowest in the country.

I think that says it all. Not really going to get sympathy from anyone.

[HAL 9000 96]

Apparently that guy has a 4% approval rating - lowest in the country.

I think that says it all. Not really going to get sympathy from anyone.

YUP

[GiGii 4]

Apparently that guy has a 4% approval rating - lowest in the country.

I think that says it all. Not really going to get sympathy from anyone.

That rating is only so low, because it depends on who you ask. Lots & lots of immigrants & elderly love Blagojevich. No matter what they hear, they say he's a good man, and has helped the state tremendously.

I say his big accomplishments were increases in property taxes so high, that some are loosing their homes due to taxes... not mortgages, and more tolls around Chicago suburbs than any other state.

[HAL 9000 96]

Apparently that guy has a 4% approval rating - lowest in the country.

I think that says it all. Not really going to get sympathy from anyone.

That rating is only so low, because it depends on who you ask. Lots & lots of immigrants & elderly love Blagojevich. No matter what they hear, they say he's a good man, and has helped the state tremendously.

I say his big accomplishments were increases in property taxes so high, that some are loosing their homes due to taxes... not mortgages, and more tolls around Chicago suburbs than any other state.

I wonder if his push to give elderly CTA riders free CTA rides has anything to do with that love.

All his positives are now in overshadowland thanks to his sleaze.

[GiGii 4]

I wonder if his push to give elderly CTA riders free CTA rides has anything to do with that love.

All his positives are now in overshadowland thanks to his sleaze.

You bet it does.

[HAL 9000 96]

I wonder if his push to give elderly CTA riders free CTA rides has anything to do with that love.

All his positives are now in overshadowland thanks to his sleaze.

You bet it does.

Which is an example of one positive getting swept under the rug and he has nobody to blame but himself. Besides... he has been way too abrasive even with his own party in Springfield when it comes to balancing the state budget and taking care of what the State needs.

[Ling Ling 22]

Cool, another job opening in Illinois.

What a moron.

[GiGii 4]

I think Patty will be next in line to get escorted out of their home. He's been funneling cash through her secret real estate business.

Poor kids, mom & dad in the slammer.

[almaty 19]

illinois had issues with him prior to the last election, but the GOP is even worse and put forth their usual weak canidate....if they had a even half way viable canidate, he would not have been re-elected

[GiGii 4]

illinois had issues with him prior to the last election, but the GOP is even worse and put forth their usual weak canidate....if they had a even half way viable canidate, he would not have been re-elected

Illinois has issues with this historically. Kind of like the mayor of chicago situation, no one can get rid of Daley. And as he ages, he's getting his son all ready for the role.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Wow!

Illinois First Lady Prominent in FBI Affidavit Charging Governor

Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich is mentioned a number of times in the FBI affidavit accusing her husband and his chief of staff of corruption.

Illinois first lady Patricia Blagojevich's official Web site says she's "committed to spreading the governor's message."

That's putting it mildly, according to the 76-page FBI affidavit released Tuesday accusing her husband, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his chief of staff of corruption.

The first lady was not arrested Tuesday, but federal prosecutors nevertheless allege that she was engaged in the governor's attempts to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder and to intimidate The Chicago Tribune. The court document mentions the first lady, though not by name, 19 times in six graphic sections.

Much of the information authorities collected came from bugs in the governor's campaign office and his home phone, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said at a press conference Tuesday. The prosecutor said Mrs. Blagojevich was referenced in the complaint, but he would not describe her involvement further.

"I'm not going to comment on anyone not charged," Fitzgerald said.

According to the affidavit, in one profanity-laced account, Patricia Blagojevich was allegedly heard in the background of a call between her husband and someone identified as "Deputy Governor A" advising the governor on how to handle The Chicago Tribune, which had published an editorial critical of the governor.

"F--- them," Patricia Blagojevich is quoted as saying, according to the affidavit. In an apparent reference to the Tribune Company's attempts to sell Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs, she urges the two engaged in the phone call to "hold up that f---ing Cubs s---."

The affidavit also says Mrs. Blagojevich then got on the phone and said the Tribune owner could "just fire" the editorial's writers. Gov. Blagojevich then got back on the phone and adopted that same position, the affidavit claims.

The affidavit alleges that the governor and his chief of staff, John Harris, threatened to withhold financial assistance to the Tribune Company, which declared bankruptcy Monday, in connection with the sale of the Cubs and the storied ballpark in which they play.

Blagojevich is responsible for appointing Obama's successor to fill out the remaining two years on the president-elect's Senate term. The affidavit claims that the governor conspired to trade Obama's Senate seat in exchange for his wife's placement on paid corporate boards or some other compensation.

The FBI complaint repeatedly mentions Blagojevich's attempts to win a plum assignment for his wife. On one Nov. 8, 2008, phone call, he discussed the possibility of getting his wife a high-paying job at a Washington or New York firm, or with a union.

On a Nov. 10 call, both Rod and Patricia Blagojevich -- in a two-hour phone call with Harris and other advisers -- allegedly discussed what they could obtain in exchange for appointing certain candidates to Obama's seat. The first lady allegedly suggested that she is qualified to sit on corporate boards. The governor discussed on a phone call later in the day whether Obama could get his wife a job on a corporate board immediately, according to the document.

Patricia Blagojevich has a personal history of friction with The Chicago Tribune. The newspaper has published a series of critical articles on her real estate dealings with politically connected clients.

In an Oct. 19 article, the Tribune reported that since Rod Blagojevich began raising money in 2000 for his first run for governor, the first lady's home-based River Realty, Inc. earned more than $700,000 in commissions -- and that "more than three-quarters came from clients with connections."

One such deal, reported on last year, involved the $650,000 sale of a condo from a businessman who later won $10 million in no-bid state contracts.

The Tribune reported that the first lady earned a likely commission of between $26,000 and $39,000 in the sale.

The newspaper also reported that Mrs. Blagojevich also had a long business relationship with Antonin "Tony" Rezko, the Chicago developer and former Obama fundraiser who was convicted on fraud charges earlier this year. The Blagojeviches reportedly refuse to disclose how much the real estate company made off Rezko.

The governor and his supporters have called the reports "Neanderthal" and "sexist."

Asked if anyone else would be charged in connection with this case, FBI spokesman Frank Bochte told FOX News, "This investigation certainly is not over. It's ongoing."

Patricia Blagojevich is a licensed real estate broker and appraiser, and has an economics degree from the University of Illinois. As Illinois' first lady, she championed early childhood literacy as well as health care programs to children.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/09...rging-governor/

[kaydee457 13]

Wow!

Illinois First Lady Prominent in FBI Affidavit Charging Governor

Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich is mentioned a number of times in the FBI affidavit accusing her husband and his chief of staff of corruption.

Illinois first lady Patricia Blagojevich's official Web site says she's "committed to spreading the governor's message."

That's putting it mildly, according to the 76-page FBI affidavit released Tuesday accusing her husband, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his chief of staff of corruption.

The first lady was not arrested Tuesday, but federal prosecutors nevertheless allege that she was engaged in the governor's attempts to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder and to intimidate The Chicago Tribune. The court document mentions the first lady, though not by name, 19 times in six graphic sections.

Much of the information authorities collected came from bugs in the governor's campaign office and his home phone, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said at a press conference Tuesday. The prosecutor said Mrs. Blagojevich was referenced in the complaint, but he would not describe her involvement further.

"I'm not going to comment on anyone not charged," Fitzgerald said.

According to the affidavit, in one profanity-laced account, Patricia Blagojevich was allegedly heard in the background of a call between her husband and someone identified as "Deputy Governor A" advising the governor on how to handle The Chicago Tribune, which had published an editorial critical of the governor.

"F--- them," Patricia Blagojevich is quoted as saying, according to the affidavit. In an apparent reference to the Tribune Company's attempts to sell Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs, she urges the two engaged in the phone call to "hold up that f---ing Cubs s---."

The affidavit also says Mrs. Blagojevich then got on the phone and said the Tribune owner could "just fire" the editorial's writers. Gov. Blagojevich then got back on the phone and adopted that same position, the affidavit claims.

The affidavit alleges that the governor and his chief of staff, John Harris, threatened to withhold financial assistance to the Tribune Company, which declared bankruptcy Monday, in connection with the sale of the Cubs and the storied ballpark in which they play.

Blagojevich is responsible for appointing Obama's successor to fill out the remaining two years on the president-elect's Senate term. The affidavit claims that the governor conspired to trade Obama's Senate seat in exchange for his wife's placement on paid corporate boards or some other compensation.

The FBI complaint repeatedly mentions Blagojevich's attempts to win a plum assignment for his wife. On one Nov. 8, 2008, phone call, he discussed the possibility of getting his wife a high-paying job at a Washington or New York firm, or with a union.

On a Nov. 10 call, both Rod and Patricia Blagojevich -- in a two-hour phone call with Harris and other advisers -- allegedly discussed what they could obtain in exchange for appointing certain candidates to Obama's seat. The first lady allegedly suggested that she is qualified to sit on corporate boards. The governor discussed on a phone call later in the day whether Obama could get his wife a job on a corporate board immediately, according to the document.

Patricia Blagojevich has a personal history of friction with The Chicago Tribune. The newspaper has published a series of critical articles on her real estate dealings with politically connected clients.

In an Oct. 19 article, the Tribune reported that since Rod Blagojevich began raising money in 2000 for his first run for governor, the first lady's home-based River Realty, Inc. earned more than $700,000 in commissions -- and that "more than three-quarters came from clients with connections."

One such deal, reported on last year, involved the $650,000 sale of a condo from a businessman who later won $10 million in no-bid state contracts.

The Tribune reported that the first lady earned a likely commission of between $26,000 and $39,000 in the sale.

The newspaper also reported that Mrs. Blagojevich also had a long business relationship with Antonin "Tony" Rezko, the Chicago developer and former Obama fundraiser who was convicted on fraud charges earlier this year. The Blagojeviches reportedly refuse to disclose how much the real estate company made off Rezko.

The governor and his supporters have called the reports "Neanderthal" and "sexist."

Asked if anyone else would be charged in connection with this case, FBI spokesman Frank Bochte told FOX News, "This investigation certainly is not over. It's ongoing."

Patricia Blagojevich is a licensed real estate broker and appraiser, and has an economics degree from the University of Illinois. As Illinois' first lady, she championed early childhood literacy as well as health care programs to children.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/09...rging-governor/

Faux News? Who believes them?

[Peikko 1,575]

Ah, the vacuous Kaydee. Good afternoon.

[star_dragon 0]

The columns in today's Tribune are amusing (online). Of course, they're not gonna have any sympathy for him

Edited December 10, 2008 by star_dragon