The front page story for both of our major Chicago newspapers is the disclosure of heretofore secret portions of “investigative reports” related to the upcoming trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Just weeks before the start of his federal corruption trial, ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich sought Thursday to tie his credibility to that of President Barack Obama by asking that the leader of the free world be compelled to testify for the defense.
The court filing by the ex-governor’s attorneys attempted to protect sensitive details by blacking out references to sealed investigative records. But it became an instant Internet sensation thanks to a computer glitch that enabled people to view the entire document — a mix of new allegations and old details that combined to create fresh intrigue over charges Blagojevich sought to sell the Senate seat vacated by Obama when he was elected in 2008.
Stringing together tidbits from closely held FBI interviews and secretly taped phone conversations, Blagojevich’s lawyers suggested there is more to the story of the Senate pick than either federal prosecutors or the White House have acknowledged. And they argued that only Blagojevich and Obama know the details that could prove the former governor’s innocence.
Quoting from a sealed prosecution memo, the defense team aired a previously undisclosed allegation that convicted influence peddler Antoin “Tony” Rezko told investigators he tried to buy Obama’s favor with illegal campaign contributions. Rezko, a top fundraiser for Obama and Blagojevich, is cooperating in the case against the former governor.
The defense filing seeks to have the president rebut Rezko’s claims and in the process discredit him.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers asked a federal judge Thursday to force President Obama to testify at Blagojevich’s upcoming trial, as new information surfaced — accidentally — that Obama personally called a mutual supporter to discuss his replacement in the U.S. Senate.
On the day before he was elected president, then-Sen. Obama called a union official about the possibility that adviser Valerie Jarrett replace him in the Senate, according to Blagojevich’s defense filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago and sources close to the investigation.
The filing also claims that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had many contacts with Blagojevich’s staff pushing for various candidates, purportedly on the president’s behalf.
NBC Chicago reports that there are six significant disclosures in the redacted portions of the reports that were revealed due to the technological incompetence of those trying to redact the documents for publication:
- President Obama may have lied about conversations with convicted fraudster Tony Rezko.
- Obama may have overtly recommended Valerie Jarret for his Senate seat.
- A supporter of President Obama may have offered quid pro quo on a Jarrett senate appointment.
- Obama maintained a list of good Senate candidates.
- Rahm Emanuel allegedly floated Cheryl Jackson’s name for the Senate seat.
- Obama had a secret phone call with Blagojevich.
to which my only reaction is “duh”. I assumed that President Obama was lying about his and his staff’s interactions with Gov. Blagojevich with respect to his Senate seat.
Am I being too cynical? All presidents lie. It’s part of the territory.
For me there are only a handful of questions. Do they lie under oath? That’s a significantly more serious matter. Do they lie about matters related to policy that aren’t politically, personally, or legally embarrassing? That, too, is a significantly more serious matter.
And the third and for me the most important question (and the reason I despised the Clinton Administration) is are they capable of telling the truth, especially when a lie works better?
As I’ve said before the greatest problem with lying is not that you can’t be trusted but that you can’t trust anybody else. And you may lose track of what’s the truth and what’s a falsehood. I think that OJ may really believe that there’s a real killer out there somewhere.
Update
Politico is reporting that the White House isn’t eager to get involved in the Illinois senate race:
Sen. Dick Durbin slipped into the West Wing last week to ask Rahm Emanuel for White House help in saving Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.
But he didn’t leave with any ironclad commitments.
Durbin told Emanuel that Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias could use some serious presidential intervention in his uphill race against Republican Rep. Mark Kirk.
At the moment, the White House seems open to the idea of losing Obama’s old seat rather than putting the president’s prestige on the line for Giannoulias, the brash and boyish Illinois state treasurer — and onetime Obama basketball buddy — whose campaign has been rocked by the financial meltdown of his family’s bank.
Judging from the disclosures from the “investigative reports” there involvement and then there’s involvement. Behind the scenes wheeling, dealing, and arm-twisting are one thing. Actual public commitment is something different again.
And while we’re on the subject of the Illinois Senate seat:
April 22, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — Federal regulators may move as soon as Friday to seize the assets of Broadway Bank, which is owned by State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ family.
The bank’s failure is a big issue in Giannoulias’ campaign against Congressman Mark Kirk for the U.S. Senate.
The FDIC is deciding which bank will take over Broadway’s operation. The transition typically happens after the last customer leaves on a Friday afternoon. In Broadway Bank’s case, ABC7 has learned efforts are underway to keep it from becoming political theater.
For some reason I didn’t think 2010 was a particularly good year for Democrats to be nominating a banker to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Barack Obama and now held by Blagojevich appointee Roland Burris, particular a banker whose bank was about to fail. If the Illinois Democratic Party keeps shooting itself in the foot, Mark Kirk may be going to the U. S. Senate.
However, never underestimate the Illinois Republican Party’s ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They’ve got their own disgraced governor to atone for and of their nomination of Alan Keyes for the U. S. Senate (he was defeated by Barack Obama) the less said the better.
One wonders if Durbin doesn’t want to get too close to Giannoulias at this time because he is trying to position himself to replace Harry Reid when he loses in November. Schumer is his main opponent and Schumer’s main problem is his closeness to Wall Street.
As to lying, one can’t lie to federal investigators under oath or not. I don’t like that rule at all. The FBI can lie to a perp; the perp should be able to lie to the FBI.