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A hysterically funny Email making the rounds is called Chicago Rules and would make me laugh if I didn’t want to cry first. “The guy on the left: He’s Santa Claus. And the guy on the right. . he’s the Easter Bunny! That’s all you need to know” introduces the Barack Obama quote denying any close contact with disgraced and soon to be jailed former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. According to the Email, Obama is alleged to have only acknowledged seeing the former governor from a distance in the stands at a Chicago Bears football game. The Chicago Rules Email...

With morally-warped exhibitionist 'Hot' Rod Blagojevich checking-into the Gray Bar Hotel for a spell, you're now looking at FOUR of the last six Illinois governors sent to federal penitentiary- if anyone's still keeping count. The equivalent of batting .666... isn't that special. Anyhoo, you people sure do know how to pick a winner... and what a swell president you sent us! As for the shockingly-corrupt Illinois Democratic 'machine', at least they're getting caught, I guess- tho it's hard to say the convictions have produced any sort of deterrent effect.Call it the Illinois Institute of Kleptocracy... just the way things 'work' in the world's biggest cow...

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says he didn't know former Gov. Rod Blagojevich had a brother until Blagojevich was indicted, and therefore couldn't have been working with the brother on a backroom deal for Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. "I have said from the beginning that I publicly and transparently sought [the appointment]," Jackson writes in an op-ed piece published in a few Illinois newspapers this week. "I did nothing illegal, unethical or inappropriate." Still, a Congressional Ethics Committee last week announced it would continue investigating allegations Jackson sent emissaries to offer campaign cash in exchange for the seat, and...

Yesterday, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for, among other things, attempting to "sell" the US Senate seat that was once held by President Barack Obama. Blagojevich's punishment comes on the heels of the U.S. House Ethics Committee's decision to continue its investigation into Congressman Jesse Jackson's role in the same scheme. On December 2, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was continuing its investigation of Jackson for his alleged public campaign to "buy" the Senate seat in question. It is alleged by investigators that Jackson may have made unlawful use of...

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE www.nationalreview.com Michelle Malkin December 9, 2011 12:00 A.M. Holder, Blago, Richardson: Triangle of Sleaze A rough week for the Obama administration’s corruptocracy. It was a rough week for the corruptocracy. White House officials better ho-ho-hold on tight because the sleigh ride isn’t going to get any smoother. On Wednesday, disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich (D., Ill.) received a 14-year prison sentence for scheming to sell Pres. Barack Obama’s Senate seat, along with several other pay-to-play schemes. Blago played the distressed daddy for the federal judge, invoking his young daughters and wife (who held her notoriously foul tongue...

Rod Blagojevich’s sentencing started off with a surprise admission from his legal team that acknowledged the disgraced Illinois governor had engaged in corruption — which was followed by a lengthy apology in which Blagojevich claimed he didn’t realize that he was doing anything wrong. The strategy apparently impressed the judge only enough to reduce the potential sentence from 20 years, but still slammed Blagojevich with a 14-year sentence: Disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison after making a final plea for leniency, acknowledging his guilt and saying, “I am unbelievably sorry.” “I believe he...

Rod Blagojevich's sentencing hearing has ended for the day, with the defense emphasizing the damage a long prison sentence would have on Blagojevich’s family. Lawyer Aaron Goldstein also read a letter read to the court from Blagojevich’s wife, Patti. “Your honor, I ask you humbly with the life of my husband and the childhood of my daughters in your hands, be merciful,” she wrote to U.S. District Judge James Zagel. Her husband’s worst fear was that he would not be able to see his daughters grow up, Goldstein said, prompting both Rod and Patti Blagojevich to tear up as they...

Antoin “Tony” Rezko was sentenced today to 10½ years in prison for extorting millions of dollars from firms seeking state business or regulatory approval while he was a top fundraiser and adviser to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko's daughter broke down sobbing in the courtroom as U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve handed down the sentence. Rezko apologized to the judge, saying, “I come to ask for God's forgiveness and the court's mercy." "You were engaged in a very, very serious offense, Mr. Rezko" the judge said as she imposed the sentence. Several family members called out 'we love you" to...

CHICAGO—A federal judge on Monday delayed the sentencing for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on multiple corruption convictions, including attempted extortion for trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat in exchange for campaign donations or a high-paying job. A three-sentence notice posted electronically by U.S. District Judge James Zagel said simply that Mr. Blagojevich's Oct. 6 sentencing date has been "stricken until further order by the court." ... Mr. Blagojevich faces a maximum sentence of around 300 years in prison—though federal guidelines dictate he get far less. Most legal experts say Judge Zagel is likely...

CHICAGO (WLS) - Former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich's trials and tribulations have inspired one airlines to seize the opportunity to make a quick buck. An e-mail ad from Spirit Airlines debuted on Tuesday and features a man with a Blagojevich-like hairstyle behind bars with the tag line, "We got these fares and they're f-ing golden." "We've got these fares and they are f-ing golden starting from just $17 each way, based on roundtrip purchase. We are guilty of selling seats but don't expect this sale to serve much time. Get booked now," the ad says.

The activist old media does not want to make this connection. Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich go way back. They emerged from the same cesspool that is Illinois/Chicago politics. Obama and Rahm Emanuel helped run Blago’s first campaign for Governor of Illinois, which he has now thoroughly disgraced (if that is possible with the governorship of that state.) Now that Blago has been convicted of trying to sell the “Obama Senate seat,” the media will work overtime to keep their beloved Dear Leader out of this. They might even try to make Obama a victim of sorts. Meanwhile, Obama played...

A jury has convicted Rod Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and other corruption charges.

Developing...

The government of the United States declared today they have tired of the Rod Blagojevich road show. Prosecutor Reid Schar asked a federal judge to rein in the impeached former governor, accusing Blagojevich of using his frequent public appearances as a calculated strategy to taint the jury for his upcoming trial. “At some point, enough is enough,” Schar told judge James Zagel. “If he wants to continue to lie, he ought to be called on it.” At issue, is the former governor’s continuing assertion that prosecutors are withholding tapes which might bolster his claims of innocence. Schar said Blagojevich knows...

This, the first of a series of articles on the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood, establishes that three individuals other than Obama are listed in public records as owners and taxpayers on the property. Barack Obama is not among at least three people listed as current owners and taxpayers of the mansion his family calls home in Chicago's upscale Kenwood neighborhood, according to public records. WND reported in December 2008 that William Miceli, the attorney for convicted political operative Tony Rezko and a fundraiser for Obama, owns the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood.

Rod Blagojevich asked Monday for notes from the FBI’s interviews with President Barack Obama conducted during the agency’s investigation of the former Illinois governor. The ousted Democrat filed a motion in U.S. District Court on Monday morning, The Associated Press reported. Blagojevich made a similar request – which was rejected – ahead of his first trial last year. SNIP The FBI notes, Blagojevich’s attorneys say in the filing, could “go directly to the heart of testimony of several government witnesses.” One of those witnesses is Tom Balanoff, an Obama ally and the president of the Service Employees International Union Illinois...

A onetime Tony Rezko business partner, who once was a Chicago cop and chief executive of a company that won a $50 million security contract in Iraq, has pleaded guilty to federal charges in Chicago after he cooperated with authorities. Daniel T. Frawley pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to bank fraud and structuring transactions — a plea that came about two weeks after his charges were made public.

Congressman told FBI he asked for -- and got -- free home upgrades ### Convicted political fixer Tony Rezko gave U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez free upgrades on a riverfront town house after the congressman asked for them, Gutierrez told the FBI, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Gutierrez's comments to federal agents in a previously undisclosed 2008 interview contradict what the congressman told the Sun-Times in 2006 about the purchase. "I walked in with my wife -- as any other consumer could have -- and purchased the unit at the listed price, with no considerations," the Northwest Side congressman said then,...

... Just tell me about this scandal.  (Leans back, folds arms across chest.  Looks outside – then back to me) Ok then – I’ll point your nose in the right direction.  Enough people are sniffing in the same garbage pile anyways, including the Times.  Though I suspect they are burying it at the moment, or trying to.  They are still heavily invested in Obama, but that may change soon… Go back to Chicago.  That is the key.  There is other crap around the White House, other things that could trip them up, but Chicago is where the real heavy deal...

Our latest interview with the White House Insider reveals a Democratic Party civil war, with growing opposition to the Obama White House. Author’s Note: This interview took place for nearly two hours over the weekend at the office of the White House Insider. We wish to extend our gratitude for their making time to meet with us despite an extremely demanding schedule. The information contained in this interview is among the most in depth and fascinating to date, and due to the extent of information, will come in two installments. Here is installment one:

That sound you hear is Rahm Emanuel exhaling. A federal judge in Chicago today granted a defense request to delay the retrial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) from January until April 20, a Chicago source confirms. That would put the trial after the Feb. 22 election and even after a runoff, if necessary, slated for April 5.

On the eave of the biggest rush to run for Chicago Mayor in recent memory, Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been hit with more allegations of being involved in a scheme to buy a Senate seat from disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Additionally, there is a hint that Jackson was involved with a woman flown several times to Chicago by a campaign contributor. An Indian-American businessman has told federal authorities that he was asked by Congressman Jackson to begin raising money for Rod Blagojevich so that Blago might appoint Jackson to the open Senate seat that Obama vacated when he took the...

Mayor Daley has announced he will not be seeking another term. Details as they become available.

Going to a comic convention is tons of fun, and getting your photo taken with a celeb can totally make one's day! But ask yourself this question: When is a picture with disgraced ex-governor Rod Blagojevich much better than one taken with hottie cylon-babe Tricia Helfer? Check out this cartoon and see for yourself!

CHICAGO (AP) - The juror who was the lone holdout on some counts at former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich's political corruption trial has said she had a responsibility to follow her conscience and that she stands by her vote. "I could never live with myself if I went along with the rest of the jury," JoAnn Chiakulas told the Chicago Tribune in her first media interview since the trial ended. "I didn't believe it was the correct vote for me."

E-mails and other records of Dr. Eric Whitaker -- one of President Obama's best friends -- have been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury... The investigation involves "faith-based initiatives" and health-awareness campaigns funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health when Whitaker ran the agency for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich... Obama has said he recommended Whitaker for that job, which Whitaker landed in April 2003. The president's friend resigned in October 2007 to join Obama's wife, Michelle, as an executive at the University of Chicago Medical Center. On Friday, Whitaker defended his work as the state's former top health official,...

Ya gotta see it to believe it.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Sunday that he would call a host of high-profile witnesses -- including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel -- to testify if he is retried on corruption charges. Blagojevich, in a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday," said he was ready for a second trial on charges that he tried to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Federal prosecutors have vowed to retry Blagojevich after a jury deadlocked on all but one of 24 criminal counts the government brought against the fiery Democrat.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich recognizes that daunting challenges await as prosecutors prepare to mount a new effort to convict him on corruption charges, but he told ABC News Friday he sees a triumphant political comeback in his future that will be no less dramatic than the one pulled off by Winston Churchill. Snip Blagojevich told ABC News that shortly after his 2008 arrest, investigators tried to convince him to offer damaging information on "folks in higher places" in exchange for lenience. Blagojevich said that Obama, even more than himself, had a longstanding, close association with Antoin "Tony" Rezko,...

On the one hand, I don’t believe a word he says, including “and” and “the.” And if you pay close attention, you’ll see that he never suggests that The One is guilty of anything, merely that the feds wanted to know if he was. On the other hand, if there’s even a remote possibility that he knows something incriminating — and given the fact that he’s produced no evidence thus far that Obama’s guilty of anything (except lying, natch), I’m guessing that he doesn’t — this is hotter than the Rima Fakih video. By the way, if you’re in Chicago...

Elvis Presley impersonators and a colorful inflatable bounce house are making for a festive auction of items connected to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. A life-sized statue of Elvis Presley and a neon "Governor Blagojevich" sign were among the hot items available Thursday after a suburban Chicago storage facility evicted material being stored by Blagojevich's campaign fund. The statue sold for $20,500. Other items included a $120 plaque rewarding Blagojevich for political leadership.

Chicago (AP) -- Former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich says all he's guilty of is some "political horse trading" and that if that's a crime, prosecutors need to charge every politician in America. . . .

<p>John Grover, 52, a juror from Joliet, said he grew so frustrated after three days of deliberating on the same charge that he yelled at the woman who refused to join the other 11 in agreeing to convict.</p> <p>"I gave her a piece of my mind," Grover said. "If it wasn't for that one lady, we'd have had him convicted on probably 80 percent of (the indictment)."</p>

Chicago - Jurors who handed down a single guilty verdict against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich have said there was one hold out who kept them from convicting Blagojevich of one of the most serious allegations: that he tried to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. Sources tell CBS 2 News that the holdout juror is Jo Ann Chiakulas, a retired state employee. She used to work for the Illinois Department of Public Health, had been a director of teen counseling for the Chicago Urban League

A juror in the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich says the panel was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting the former Illinois governor of trying to sell or trade President Obama's former Senate seat. Juror Erik Sarnello of Itasca, Ill., said a female holdout "just didn't see what we all saw." The 21-year-old Sarnello said the counts around the Senate seat were "the most obvious." The jury convicted Blagojevich Tuesday of a lesser charge, lying to federal agents, but could not reach an agreement on the remaining 23 charges.

CHICAGO – "Blago on Trial, The Sequel" promises to be as circus-like and nearly as expensive as the first trial of the former Illinois governor. And in a state with a huge budget deficit, some people would prefer not to see it at all. But the next round could also look different if prosecutors adjust their strategy after listening to jurors who deadlocked on all but one charge against Rod Blagojevich. And despite their defiance after the verdict, defense attorneys could offer a few surprises too — if they are still on the job. Could prosecutors decide to call witnesses...

Share We’ve all been wondering how in the world Blago could have escaped the other 23 counts he was charged with. Today, it has been revealed it was an 11:1 vote and the holdout was a woman who could not be swayed. Chicago Local News writes: “Overall, I’d say everyone was pretty respectful. In the beginning, it was a little more heated, a lot more emotions, voting was defensive. And then we checked ourselves and took emotion out of it,” said Sarnello. “To me, it was pretty clear where we were gonna end about the third day.” They ended in...

Moments after a rare setback, a chastened U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was acting nothing like the swaggering prosecutor who just 20 months earlier proclaimed he had arrested a sitting governor to stop a political crime spree. -snip- Fitzgerald's reticence stood in sharp contrast to the reaction of Blagojevich's father-and-son defense team. Sam Adam and his son Sam Adam Jr. launched into a diatribe against the city's longest-serving U.S. attorney after hearing the jury's verdict, calling him "nuts" and accusing him of running a "banana republic." In what clearly will become their mantra in the months leading up to a promised...

CHICAGO — U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says the government is getting ready for a retrial against ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). Fitzgerald spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. The judge declared a mistrial in the other 23 counts against him. Fitzgerald thanked the jury for their service and said he didn't have any other comment. Prosecutors had accused Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat among other allegations. Blagojevich had maintained that he did no wrongdoing. THIS IS A BREAKING...

A federal judge says he intends to declare a mistrial on the remaining counts in the political corruption trial of ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. There were 23 other counts against Blagojevich and four against his brother. The jury delivered its verdict on Tuesday.

Former governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on only one of 24 counts against him. The jury appears hung on the others. The guilty verdict was on Count 24: providing false statements to officers. After the reading, the jury was thanked and asked to return to the jury room. *snip* Before the verdict was read, Judge Zagel said that there may not be verdicts in all 24 counts with which Blagojevich is charged -- and that any counts dealing with forfeiture will be dealt with on Wednesday morning.

CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal judge says he intends to declare a mistrial on the remaining counts in the political corruption trial of ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. There were 23 other counts against Blagojevich and four against his brother.

Lawyers in the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial have been summoned back to the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse by U.S. District Judge James Zagel and are beginning to congregate in his courtroom this afternoon. Blagojevich and his brother, Robert, have also been told to come to the courthouse, and the former governor was seen leaving his home around 3:15 p.m. It is not yet clear what prompted this, but it comes after the jury sent a note this morning to the judge that indicated it might be getting close to concluding its deliberations. In the note, jurors asked for two things: a...

ury Agrees on Only 2 Counts; Has Yet to Discuss 11 Counts in 12 Days of Deliberations. The jury deliberating the case of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has come to agreement on only two of the 24 counts. Of the 22 remaining counts, the jurors said that they haven't discussed 11 counts of wire fraud. Of the 11 counts they have discussed but have been unable to reach agreement on, they indicated that they appear to be deadlocked.

People are assembling for a scheduled 11 a.m. hearing in which we expect to get more information on the jury's deadlock. Robert Blagojevich walks in the 25th floor courtroom alongside his wife, Julie, and son, Alex. "Good morning," he says to the reporters assembling in the hall. A few minutes later, the father and son Sam Adams walk in, all smiles. Sam Sr. is dressed in a tan three-piece suit. There's a line of people running all the way down the hallway of the 25th floor. Some are members of the public, hoping to slip into the courtroom -- even...

In Illinois, the Republican Senate nominee, Rep. Mark Kirk, is making a two-step connection between Saddam Hussein and Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias. Kirk accuses Broadway Bank (the shuttered institution run by Giannoulias' family) of giving a loan to an Iraqi businessman connected to Saddam Hussein, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Kirk said that in 2006, Broadway Bank loaned $22.75 million to Nadhmi Auchi and Tony Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2008. Giannoulias' campaign responded that he left the bank a few months before the loan was approved. "Come on, again, that's political smokescreens,...

EXCERPT That feeling is heightened by speculation that Fitzgerald, the longest-serving U.S. attorney in Chicago history, may have stayed in his post largely to shepherd the Blagojevich case. And no matter what the jury decides, the trial's end is almost certain to rekindle interest in the top prosecutor's possible next move, a popular parlor game in local legal and political circles. Many have wondered in recent years whether Fitzgerald's Chicago tenure was winding down and if he would seek a higher post within the Justice Department or forge a career in private practice. Shortly after President Obama took office, there...

The Corruption Trial of Rod Blagojevich was supposed to be Explosive – What happened? Ever since impeached Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on December 9th, 2008 he has not only maintained his innocence but insisted repeatedly that he would expose the truth on the stand. After the prosecution rested its case weeks earlier than expected, Blagojevich's defense team rested after only two days – and without the testimony of the defendant who assured the public it would hear his story. Many expected the defense to call well known figures such as: Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin,...

It’s a wild political climate out there. In keeping with the blistering heat afflicting previously ultra-safe incumbents, a happily retired Queens businessman by the name of Bob Turner thinks he can unseat his Democratic congressman, six-term representative Anthony Weiner. It’s a long shot, but crazier things have happened. Just ask Sen. Scott Brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...