Replies

Send this to Tammy...

*** Heads up, days ago.

Obama donates more money from contributors linked to Rezko
January 20, 2008

.............

‘’Recent public information has called into question contributions to the Obama campaign from a donor and fund-raiser,’’ Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. ‘’It is the policy and practice of the campaign to review all such new information and dispose of questionable funds such as the potential illegal ‘straw donations’ that campaigns, like other presidential campaigns this cycle, must address as new facts emerge.”

The decision to dispose of the money came after the Chicago Sun-Times reported on its Web site Saturday and in today’s early edition that Obama is the unnamed ‘’political candidate’’ mentioned in a prosecution document in the Rezko case as having received at least two tainted campaign contributions for his 2004 Senate race. Obama previously gave $44,000 in campaign contributions to charity.

The money his campaign said Saturday would be given away includes three $10,000 contributions from donors the campaign identified as having connections to Rezko: Michel Malek, Craig Morgan and Elie Maloof. Malek is a neurosurgeon who Rezko recommended for appointment to a state board involved with Rezko’s alleged wrongdoing.

AP, Chris Fusco

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/749966,oside_012008.article

“Sun-Times Exclusive: Obama surfaces in Rekzo’s federal corruption case” (Guess who linked them? Fitzgerald)

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/749138,obama20web.article

—Other key revelations in the Sun-Times story are Obama’s feeble attempts to deny knowledge of shady deals, improper campaign donations, and Rezko’s reputation as a slumlord (all while Obama worked for the law firm that represented Rezko’s interests in low-income housing developments):

Obama denies knowing Joseph Aramanda — named as “Individual D” in the indictment, and who received $250,000 in “sham” finder’s fees “demanded by Rezko” — but “Obama’s office hired Aramanda’s son as an intern in 2005, at Rezko’s urging,” reports the Sun-Times.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/749138,obama20web.article

“Rezko is one of Obama’s earliest political patrons,” and although Obama claims he’s only received $60,000 from Rezko’s fundraising, the Sun-Times found that “[i]n 13 years in politics, Obama has gotten at least $168,000 in campaign donations from Rezko, his family and business associates.”

Rezko is an infamous slumlord, although — despite having worked on dozens of real estate deals that benefited his client Rezko — Obama “said he was unaware of problems with the buildings and minimized the legal work he’d done.” (So much for the “little people.”)

*
Others from the Sun Times:

Barack Obama and his slumlord patron
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article

Why didn’t City Hall stop him?
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/355099,cst-nws-rez24a.article

Obama’s letters for Rezko
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article

Rezko cash triple what Obama says
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article

Obama: I didn’t know about Rezko problems
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/355098,CST-NWS-obama24.article

Obama ducks the questions
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/356207,CST-EDT-carol25.article

City should have cut off Rezko: aldermen
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/358965,CST-NWS-rezko26.article

“I’ve never done any favors for him.’’ - Obama
As a state senator, Barack Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko’s successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens.

The deal included $855,000 in development fees for Rezko and his partner, Allison S. Davis, Obama’s former boss, according to records from the project, which was four blocks outside Obama’s state Senate district.

Obama’s letters, written nearly nine years ago, for the first time show the Democratic presidential hopeful did a political favor for Rezko — a longtime friend, campaign fund-raiser and client of the law firm where Obama worked — who was indicted last fall on federal charges that accuse him of demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business under Gov. Blagojevich.

The letters appear to contradict a statement last December from Obama, who told the Chicago Tribune that, in all the years he’s known Rezko, “I’ve never done any favors for him.’’

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/425305,CST-NWS-obama13.article

But their company, Rezmar Corp., did come up with $1,000 to give to the political campaign fund of Barack Obama, the newly elected state senator whose district included the unheated building....

The building in Englewood was one of 30 Rezmar rehabbed in a series of troubled deals largely financed by taxpayers. Every project ran into financial difficulty. More than half went into foreclosure, a Chicago Sun-Times investigation has found.

“Their buildings were falling apart,’’ said a former city official. “They just didn’t pay attention to the condition of these buildings.’’

Eleven of Rezko’s buildings were in Obama’s state Senate district....

Rezko and Mahru had no construction experience when they created Rezmar in 1989 to rehabilitate apartments for the poor under the Daley administration. Between 1989 and 1998, Rezmar made deals to rehab 30 buildings, a total of 1,025 apartments. The last 15 buildings involved Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland during Obama’s time with the firm.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article

So, it appear Uh-bama wrote letters to help secure a multi-million dollar tax-payer funded contract for his buddy Tony who had little construction experience and would go on to oversee what the City of Chicago considered to be slums.

(this was where Obama’s letters came in)

Two decades ago, Antoin “Tony’’ Rezko was running a food company that peddled hot dogs on Chicago’s beaches. Daniel S. Mahru supplied the ice.

These businessmen had a brainstorm for a new venture — rehabbing rundown buildings for poor black families.

Rezko and Mahru had no construction experience. Yet City Hall gave their new company, Rezmar Corp., a $629,000 loan to help fix up an abandoned apartment building at 46th and Drexel.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/355099,cst-nws-rez24...

(Obama denies knowing Joseph Aramanda — named as “Individual D” in the indictment, and who received $250,000 in “sham” finder’s fees “demanded by Rezko” — but “Obama’s office hired Aramanda’s son as an intern in 2005, at Rezko’s urging,” reports the Sun-Times.)

—Eleven Rezmar buildings were in the state Senate district Obama represented between 1996 and 2004. Many of the buildings ended up in foreclosure, with tenants living in squalid conditions, the Sun-Times reported last year. In one instance, Rezko’s company left tenants without heat for five weeks. Obama said he was unaware of problems with the buildings and minimized the legal work he’d done.

OT: Do you remember seeing this?

Hsu Steered Major Fundraiser to Obama
Campaign Acknowledges Link to Democratic Donor Who Is Now Under Arrest
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090703047.html

(re: above. Make sure you see where Gorenberg /who Hsu introduced to O/ is working now)

I’m holding the rest re: Iraq contract O tried to help Rezko’s company push... you don’t wanna know.

Have some of my disjointed links from a while back... oh, I have more as well:

Hill isn’t the only one with a lockbox... read it... is it me?

Obama didn’t keep senate records (Nov. 14, 2007)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/14/politics/main3503289.shtml

I have to find two letters by Obama (poof), written on behalf of Rezko’s security co. re: the Iraq contract.

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:gCjXz0Y2xcgJ:findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20070807/ai_n19444831+obama+iraq+contract&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17&gl=us

Don’t be duped by Obama didn’t help, read the whole thing.

Note: Since this has disappeared and I found the cache, I have no idea how to get the other two pages.

Found. Also after the Levine post below, (it’s connected and will come in handy later, trust me). This is money, don’t forget the underlined part.

***
I’m an American, I CAN (read the first post, then the second):

http://thirdgenerationchicagonative.blogspot.com/2007/08/anyone-who-did-business-with-stuart.html

But then again:
http://thirdgenerationchicagonative.blogspot.com/2007/06/individual-d-identified.html

But hmmm....

-
Stroger gets campaign fine
April 11, 2007
By Steve Patterson Special to the Daily Southtown
State officials want to slap more than $250,000 in fines on Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s campaign committee for failing to properly report contributions.
Election officials say it is one of the biggest penalties they have leveled and it comes after months of complaints about problems with other Stroger-related campaign accounts. Was he using Seaway bank here too?
But Stroger attorney Burt Odelson says it’s all due to “clerical errors.”
“We’ve had auditors go through all the reports and they’ve straightened everything out,” he said.
Campaign finance fines are regularly negotiated down and first-time violators such as Stroger never face more than 10 percent of the fine initially recommended. The State Board of Elections found 78 contributions to Stroger before the November election that his campaign still has not reported.
“With that many, you’re not looking at a mistake; it’s willful disregard for the law,” said Cindi Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.
Stroger has failed to report $255,816 in donations, the exact amount he’s being fined, records show.
Chicago Sun-Times

Tom Dart and Dick Devine take their shots at Todd as well

-Stroger also took a verbal swing at Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who criticized some of Stroger’s budget cuts, saying it’s easy for Jackson to throw stones without understanding reasons for cuts.
Stroger has been ridiculed by unions.
He was booed by Democrats at a rally for Sen. Barack Obama, and he concedes that he’s bothered by some criticism.

*All in one, except the Iraq contract above

http://nalert.blogspot.com/2008/01/political-corruption-behind-barack_06.html

This goes with the Levine story above:

Obama Says He Regrets Land Deal with Fundraiser
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:a5CTbrvRlt4J:kerryfoxlive.com/wordpress/%3Fp%3D5744+the+watchdogs+levine+obama&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us

Obama’s Rezko ties deeper than land deal

December 23, 2006
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/184540,122306obama.article

Anyone who did business with Stuart Levine should be really nervous, especially since he had been doing a lot of talking

and

Rezko’s $50 mil. Iraq deal
IRAQ CONTRACT | Gov’s staff offered to let firm train 150 power-plant guards in western Illinois, but now plan’s in limbo
http://thirdgenerationchicagonative.blogspot.com/2007/08/anyone-who-did-business-with-stuart.html

Obama Passes on Donations: Campaign Gifts Came From Pair Linked to Indicted Insider Rezko (fourth time btw)

By Ray Gibson and David Jackson, Chicago Tribune

Jun. 8—U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is giving charities some $16,500 in campaign donations from two Chicago businessmen who had financial ties to indicted dealmaker Antoin “Tony” Rezko.

A spokesman for Obama’s presidential campaign on Thursday offered no details about Obama’s relationship with the two contributors.

But the announcement puts an unwanted spotlight on the two local businessmen and underscores Obama’s efforts to distance himself from Rezko, a former friend and fundraiser who has become a public relations problem for Obama’s presidential campaign. Rezko has pleaded not guilty to federal influence peddling and bank fraud charges.

This marks the fourth time that Obama’s campaign has shed contributions made by Rezko and associates to Obama’s House and Senate campaigns. Those contributions totaled more than $33,000.

Last week, the Obama campaign gave charities $5,000 in donations from another Rezko associate shortly after the man was indicted. Ali Ata, the former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, was indicted last week for allegedly using an agency letterhead to provide false information in an effort to secure more than $10 million in loans for Rezko-related business ventures. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

The two contributors whose money is being turned away from the Obama campaign have not been charged with any crimes, but both businessmen have been linked to Rezko deals that are the subject of federal indictments. The campaign announced the actions following inquiries by the Tribune about the contributions.

Federal prosecutors describe both men — without identifying them by name — in court papers outlining charges against Rezko. The Tribune confirmed their identities through sources familiar with the ongoing federal corruption probe. Civil suits over the same transactions also identify them by name. Both are well-known business leaders.

One is Glenview entrepreneur Joseph Aramanda (note: remember this name), who gave at least $10,000 to Obama’s 2004 campaign and has overseen Rezko pizza franchises.

The other is Dr. Paul Ray, chairman of the urology division of Cook County’s Stroger Hospital, who gave $6,500 to Obama. Ray has invested in a Rezko real estate development firm and also engaged in 2004 deals to purchase pizza parlors in Wisconsin that were formerly owned by a Rezko firm.

Both men declined to comment through their attorneys.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the campaign was unclear on how the contributions from Aramanda and Ray came about. Rezko solicited donations for Obama and was one of 85 members of Obama’s 2004 campaign finance committee.

Obama last year gave charities $11,500 to clear his campaign fund of donations that had come directly from Rezko. Obama has denied ever using his government clout to do any favors for Rezko.

Aramanda and Ray were among numerous investors in Rezko land and fast-food ventures — and guests at the political fundraisers Rezko hosted.

Aramanda once served as chief operating officer of a Rezko company, according to court records and business filings.

Wisconsin federal court records show Aramanda has agreed to a nearly $7 million judgment against him for failing to repay loans in connection with his Wisconsin pizza operations. His attorney, Terence Gillespie, declined to comment.

In December, the Tribune reported that Obama hired Aramanda’s son as a 2005 summer intern in Obama’s Capitol Hill office after Rezko recommended the intern. But it wasn’t until this week that the campaign decided to give that money to charity.

Aramanda has been publicly identified as “Individual D” in the pension fraud case against Rezko. He allegedly worked with Rezko to fraudulently obtain $250,000 in consulting fees on a state pension deal, but has not been charged with any crime.

Ray, who earns nearly $347,000 as chairman of Stroger Hospital’s urology division, also has partnered with Rezko in several ventures.

One civil lawsuit over Rezko’s companies contains corporate documents that say Ray personally invested about $1 million in Rezko Enterprises LLC, giving Ray a 2.6 percent stake in that property development firm.

And Ray heads a tax-exempt nonprofit called Urology Education and Research Foundation Inc. that has invested $600,000 in Rezko real estate and business enterprises, according to the charity’s 2004 public tax filings. The foundation took donations from pharmaceutical companies to study the efficacy and safety of drugs. Thomas Anthony Durkin, a criminal defense attorney who represents Ray, declined to comment on any pending court cases but said. “I am quite confident that Paul Ray has done nothing wrong whatsoever.”

Records and interviews show that Ray is the unidentified “Investor 1” in court filings last week that allege Rezko engaged in a scheme to defraud a lending company of more than $10 million. Prosecutors allege that Investor 1 entered into a 2004 purchase of 15 Wisconsin pizza parlors that were formerly owned by a Rezko firm. In an effort to obtain financing for that purchase, Ata wrote a letter to a lending company saying the state would guarantee a portion of a loan, according to the indictment.

Ray is not named as an unindicted co-conspirator in Rezko’s alleged schemes and has not been charged with any crime.

Ray separately faces a pending civil lawsuit over his alleged failure to repay a $647,000 debt stemming from those Wisconsin pizza deals. Ray has denied wrongdoing in that Cook County civil lawsuit.

Randall Samborn of the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago declined to comment on whether Ray played any role in deals leading to the most recent indictment of Rezko and Ata.

rgibson@tribune.com

dyjackson@tribune.com

http://www.redorbit.com/news/politics/961303/obama_passes_on_donations_campaign_gifts_came_from_pair_linked/index.html

Now you’re ready for this (btw, the intern O hired after the donation was Joseph Aramandas son):
Individual D identified:

http://thirdgenerationchicagonative.blogspot.com/2007/06/individual-d-identified.html

(I gave you the whole articles up higher)

Joseph Aramanda - $10500 in Political Contributions for 2004
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/joseph-aramanda.asp?cycle=04

Intern in Obama’s office linked to indicted fundraiser - USATODAY.com
http://asp.usatoday.com/community/utils/idmap/13850621.story

—Better yet, our thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1757974/posts

BTW, you’ll see another name from Individual D identified

This is one of a hundred plus disappeared Sun Times (as well as others) columns that i’m attempting to find.

http://blogrevolution.com/archives/2007/06/18/2316465.html

Find it (weird site)
http://mparent7777-2.blogspot.com/2007/06/obama-lies-about-about-indicted-donors.html

We have a thread, but obviously a dead Sun Times link can’t get you anywhere.

The Thinker sticks to the point:

Obama’s little problem with the truth
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/06/obamas_little_problem_with_the.html

(Will send you a stack on the slamlord Rezko was as well as Obamas involvement on the contracts). Until then, have some video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHsHM0laT8

(Um, no knowledge... even with the feds on him a couple years, 20 year friendship, property together? Yep I believe)

No need to look, here (pdf. left sidebar):
Obama’s letters for Rezko
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/425305,CST-NWS-obama13.article

More, you deserve it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA-vlOf3mAc&feature=related

*Obama and his Rezko ties
DAY ONE OF TWO
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article

*Broken promises, broken homes
DAY TWO OF TWO
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/355099,cst-nws-rez24a.article

^^^Little side things you should know (you’ll see his name a lot, like the story up further):

A headline Barack Obama doesn’t want to see....
Iraqi with ties to Rezko escapes Baghdad jail
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/179340,CST-NWS-iraqi20.article

UPDATED! More problems for Obama: Senator hired intern with ties to Tony Rezko

http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#1906150530534890768

More Obama and Rezko
(remember Stroger, it’s important)
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116653784051802808

Obama watch: More Tony Rezko
(pay close attention to the bottom statement by Obama, then remember in his book he said he’s known him for 17 years back then and 20 re: Real estate deal, it’s not the first time he’s said this... also when he took money from him after indictment)

http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116632477862430207

Speaking of that, read the third from the last paragraph
of this:
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116619453222526395

Obama: I don’t recall re: Rezko RE deal
http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/121104,CST-NWS-brown02.article

(note: again, he does no favors for Rezko re: statement)

Here states:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0611010273nov01,1,2716725.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Snip:

“My working assumption was that as long as I operated in an open, up-front fashion, and all the T’s were crossed and I’s were dotted, that it wouldn’t be an issue,” Obama said. “If it was a neighbor I didn’t know at all, would I have behaved any differently? I felt like the answer was no.”

Obama added: “Tony has been a supporter of mine since my first race for state Senate.”

And he said: “I haven’t been involved with him in any legislative work whatsoever or any government activities of any sort.”

-Now that we have that out of the way...

UPDATED! More problems for Obama: Senator hired intern with ties to Tony Rezko

http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#1906150530534890768

John Kass on Obama mania and the Daleys
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0612220081dec22,1,588574.column?page=1&coll=chi-news-col

—Connections
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116632477862430207

— Top recipients of Rezko campaign cash - Stroger, Blagojevich, Daley, Obama, Lisa Madigan, Michael Madigan, Quinn, Preckwinkle, Gutierrez, Schmidt, Jesse White, Hynes, Troutman, Meeks, and Edgar

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353782,CST-NWS-rezpols23.article

(btw, Gutierrez also did a RE deal with Rez)

A look:

Antoin “Tony’’ Rezko, his family, his businesses and business associates have donated thousands of dollars to politicians since 1989, when he began getting tax dollars to build housing for the poor in Chicago. Rezko has also been a prolific campaign fund-raiser for politicians. These are some of the politicians who’ve benefitted most from Rezko’s political fund-raising (more at www.suntimes.com):

1. John Stroger, ex-Cook County Board president — $148,300 A Rezko company had a contract to maintain pay telephones at the Cook County Jail under Stroger. Also, Rezko has had business ties with Stroger family members and friends.

2. Gov. Blagojevich — $117,652 Rezko has been a longtime supporter and top fund-raiser for Blagojevich, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaigns. As governor, Blagojevich gave jobs and state appointments to Rezko friends. Rezko has been indicted on federal charges that accuse him of demanding kickbacks from companies seeking state business under Blagojevich.

3. Mayor Daley — $55,950 Soon after Daley became mayor 18 years ago, Rezko’s company, Rezmar Corp., got into the low-income housing business with the city. Rezmar ended up getting more than $25 million from the Daley administration to rehab buildings for affordable housing.

4. Sen. Barack Obama — $54,416 Rezko has been friends with Obama for 17 years. As a lawyer at a small Chicago law firm, Obama worked on low-income housing deals involving Rezko’s company. Rezko has been Obama’s political patron since he ran for the Illinois Senate a dozen years ago. Obama has apologized for buying a piece of property from Rezko’s wife last year to expand his yard.

5. Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan — $43,000

6. Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan — $35,500 Madigan got those donations between 1998 and 2000 — “ancient history,’’ according to a Madigan spokesman.

7. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn — $32,000 As state treasurer, Quinn appointed Rezko to serve on a state housing task force.

8. Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) — $31,375 Rezko was the longtime head of Preckwinkle’s campaign-finance committee. Six of Rezko’s troubled housing projects were in Preckwinkle’s ward.

9. Rep. Luis Gutierrez — $27,250 Friends for more than 20 years. Gutierrez was working for then-Mayor Harold Washington when he met Rezko, at the time a top official with a company that had a Chicago Park District concession contract. As alderman, Gutierrez chaired the Chicago City Council Housing Committee that gave Rezko city property to redevelop into affordable housing. Four years ago, Gutierrez paid the lowest price for a riverfront town house in a Rezko development. The congressman sold it last year for a 40 percent profit.

10. John Schmidt — $25,000 Mayor Daley’s former chief of staff, who ran losing campaigns for attorney general and governor.

11. Secretary of State Jesse White — $23,848

12. Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes — $22,500

13. Ald. Arenda Troutman (20th) — $20,750 Most of Rezko’s low-income buildings were in her ward. Rezko’s contractor and his architect also rehabbed a building owned by Troutman’s late father, Benjamin Troutman.

14. State Sen. James Meeks — $20,000

15. Former Gov. Jim Edgar — $18,804 Rezko “was very helpful’’ raising money when Edgar was first elected governor in 1990, according to one of Edgar’s top fund-raisers. While Edgar was governor, Rezko’s company got $9.7 million in state loans to fix up apartments in Chicago.

Have a look at this fundraising report from 2006, see anyone familiar?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/05/us/politics/05obama.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Because I like you, scroll down this wonderful site(cough), post to the two Obama questionnaires.
http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=390

(important tidbits on whether O represented them re: legal firm, other stuff)

BTW, keep this in mind as well (since his church loves Farrakhan), re: mall bomber suspect
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116572712001459149

What’s the blank look... didn’t remember or didn’t know?
Background:

Chicago Tribune buries story on mall bombing plot on page 17
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116567798534241650

***Excerpts from the federal affidavit on the Rockford terror suspect
http://marathonpundit.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html#116563402330959292

Be back with something more on the Iraq
contract. I’m sure everyone knows about Odingo already... but maybe i’ll include those docs and background as well (especially the frequent contact lately).

Here’s a bio (pic included) page on Obama sent to me:

http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_more/obama.htm

-— Obama flipped the script on them real slick (re: pic of Hill and Rezko, they both use the same campaign folks, donors, etc.) ... there are loads of questions to be asked... that will never be.

People should wake up.