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Report Arrives on Obama-Blagojevich Staff Contacts
WSJ ^ | December 22, 2008 | JONATHAN WEISMAN

Posted on 12/21/2008 11:34:05 PM PST by Red Steel

Barack Obama has said that when all is revealed, it will be clear that neither he nor his staff had any contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that could be considered improper.

The president-elect's office says it will release on Monday the promised report giving a full accounting of those contacts, and Obama aides say the official under the most scrutiny -- Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel -- will be exonerated after weeks of innuendo that they have long said was unfair.

Journalists, readers and viewers may be busy wrapping presents, lighting their menorahs or just eating when the report is released -- while Mr. Obama is in Hawaii and out of public view.

But there will be no revelations worth burying during the holidays anyway, transition sources say.

Nobody has accused Mr. Obama or his staff of legal wrongdoing. But the transition team's sometimes awkward handling of the issue has raised anticipation of just what the report might

-snip-

The day of Mr. Blagojevich's arrest, the president-elect said he couldn't comment on the governor's alleged efforts to sell Mr. Obama's vacated Senate seat. The next day, he did comment, calling for Mr. Blagojevich's resignation and offering assurances that neither he nor his aides were involved in any deal making.

Then he promised to account for any and all contacts between his staff and the governor's, setting a release within days. Finally, he said the account was complete, but he wouldn't release it until Christmas week.

-snip-

Regardless of how clean the Obama camp is, the release of the report isn't likely to be clean.

-snip-

The coming Blagojevich release will have the same effect.

"The contacts are a potential Pandora's box," Mr. Bonjean said. "They'll take reporters in all different directions, like having dozens of little rabbits running around

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: bho2008; blago; blagojevich; bleepgate; corruption; democrats; obama; obamagate; probe; rahm; rahmemanuel
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Obama has already preordained he and his staff have done nothing wrong.
1 posted on 12/21/2008 11:34:05 PM PST by Red Steel
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To: Red Steel

Yeah, I believe him too. /s


2 posted on 12/21/2008 11:37:45 PM PST by kcvl
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To: Red Steel

I suspect that the MSM media already have the bodies of their stories trumpeting 0’s integrity prewritten.


3 posted on 12/21/2008 11:43:57 PM PST by Tempest (Obama is not my president.)
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To: Red Steel

Gomer Pyle: Surprise, surprise, surprise!


4 posted on 12/21/2008 11:51:31 PM PST by OL Hickory (Where is the America I knew as a boy?)
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To: Red Steel

Nothing like approving your own “accounting” to instill confidence. What a giant load of dung.

Independent review, then we’d be talkin’.


5 posted on 12/21/2008 11:58:55 PM PST by KJC1
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To: Red Steel
Can you even imagine if President Bush, Reagan, Nixon, Ford, or ANY other Republican had come out with a report on themselves and expected the press to swallow it whole as if it had come from an authoritative third party?
6 posted on 12/22/2008 12:01:30 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Barack Obama: In Error and arrogant -- he's errogant!)
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To: Red Steel
"The contacts are a potential Pandora's box," Mr. Bonjean said. "They'll take reporters in all different directions, like having dozens of little rabbits running around...."

Sure. They'll be in Alaska trying to find out where Sarah Palin buys her underwear.

7 posted on 12/22/2008 12:03:57 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Red Steel

Oh right. Like I am going to believe him. The guy won’t even release his bc. How can we believe someone that straight out of the shoot started lying?


8 posted on 12/22/2008 12:05:58 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: freekitty

I agree, I’m tired of all the lies.

Sadly from W or Obama


9 posted on 12/22/2008 12:25:59 AM PST by GoreNoMore
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To: Red Steel

0bama, Emmanuel and all his henchmen are obviously as pure as the driven snow.


10 posted on 12/22/2008 12:50:10 AM PST by little jeremiah (Leave illusion, come to the truth. Leave the darkness, come to the light.)
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To: Red Steel
The prosecutor sprung the trap early enough to prevent the entanglement of any “big fish”...
That was the plan....

In fact, I've heard lawyers say the early arrest of Blago, will probably make it impossible to get a conviction.

Again, that may have been the plan...

11 posted on 12/22/2008 1:08:20 AM PST by river rat (Semper Fi - You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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Comment #12 Removed by Moderator

To: Red Steel

obama originally said it wasn’t “percieved” that he had any contacts with Blago. He’s just building on that, and the press will follow his lead. Now, his staff has done nothing wrong. He’s a liar.

obama is a Liar.


13 posted on 12/22/2008 3:06:08 AM PST by Bluebird Singing
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To: Red Steel
Barack Obama has said that when all is revealed, it will be clear that neither he nor his staff had any contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that could be considered improper.

Dan Rather is gathering all the necessary paper work now.

14 posted on 12/22/2008 3:09:35 AM PST by bikerman
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To: Red Steel

The contacts most likely were with Blago’s chief of staff who immediately resigned after his arrest.


15 posted on 12/22/2008 3:24:30 AM PST by Carley
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To: Red Steel
How can any (competent) reporter write about Obama's in-house report on his non-involvement with Gov. Blago without referencing Nixon's in-house report on Whitewater? Ah, but mentioning that would immediately reveal the bigotry of the American press.

Believe Nixon? Never. Whatever he says MUST be a lie.

Believe Obama? Always. Whatever he says MUST be true.

See "Johnny Dean," below.

Congressman Billybob

Latest article, "Come Back to 1600, Johnny Dean, Johnny Dean"

The Declaration, the Constitution, parts of the Federalist, and America's Owner's Manual, here.

16 posted on 12/22/2008 5:46:53 AM PST by Congressman Billybob (Latest book: www.AmericasOwnersManual.com)
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To: Red Steel

Obama will exonerate himself.

Case closed.

Shades of the Clinton administration....


17 posted on 12/22/2008 5:50:48 AM PST by Peter W. Kessler (Dirt is for racing... asphalt is for getting there.)
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To: Red Steel
The coming Blagojevich release will have the same effect.

Does this refer to Obama's release or is Blago supposed to release something as well?

18 posted on 12/22/2008 6:01:52 AM PST by randita
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To: randita
Obama's release or is Blago supposed to release something as well?

I'm going to be sick....

19 posted on 12/22/2008 6:07:57 AM PST by Hegewisch Dupa
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To: GoreNoMore

I know.


20 posted on 12/22/2008 7:10:27 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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