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Even before he was elected governor in 2002, Rod Blagojevich and three of his closest friends schemed about ways to enrich themselves by controlling state government, the former governor's former chief of staff alleged as part of a plea agreement today with federal prosecutors. When Blagojevich took office, his three friends became key players in his administration and met repeatedly with the governor to share moneymaking ideas and get updates on their plans to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars that they could split up later, former top aide Alonzo "Lon" Monk alleged. Monk, who also was a groomsman...

The state’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.5 percent in September, the highest level in 26 years, and up from 10 percent in August and from 6.7 percent in September 2008, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said today. The average over the past three months increased .1 percent to 10.3 percent, the highest level since December 1983. The state’s rate continued to exceed the nation’s 9.8 percent rate. The state lost 14,200 jobs during the month, the 20th consecutive monthly loss, and the state’s job total stood at 5,634,700, its lowest level since December 1995, the agency said. Over the...

Obama Appointee Tied to Effort to Unionize Home Health-Care Workers October 15, 2009 The plot thickens -- as in SEIU's pay-to-play plots in state government, including its most recent naked power grab: Its repugnant effort to intervene between children with disabilities and their parents by making home health care workers for disabled children in Illinois a closed shop. In an editorial today on President Obama’s nominee to head the National Labor Relations Board, the Wall Street Journal shines a light on Craig Becker, an associate general counsel at SEIU whose career is traced back to Gov. Rod Blagojevich:One of the...

Rod Blagojevich has a message to his former political cronies: "If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me." And given his close, 14-year relationship with Barack Obama and Tony Rezko, this can only be bad news for the White House. Unlike many criminal defendants who keep a low profile prior to trial, the impeached former Illinois governor has his own website. "Blago" and his wife Patti--the daughter of powerful Chicago Alderman Richard Mell--have made numerous media appearances. And now a book. "The Governor", released September by Phoenix Books hasn't been treated very seriously by reviewers -- perhaps...

Police investigating the death of Christopher Kelly, a former top fundraiser for ex- Gov. Rod Blagojevich, interviewed Kelly's girlfriend Monday as more details emerged about their relationship and Kelly's final hours. Country Club Hills Police Chief Regina Evans met with Clarissa Flores-Buhelos at her attorney's Chicago office and afterward would only say Flores-Buhelos was "cooperating, but the investigation continues." Kelly, 51, who was facing heavy pressure by Blagojevich prosecutors to cooperate in the corruption case against his former close friend, died Saturday morning just hours after authorities say Flores-Buhelos brought him to a suburban hospital with signs of a drug...

Police are investigating the death of the former chief fundraiser for ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a "death-suicide," an Illinois mayor said Sunday. Christopher Kelly, 51, was former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's chief fundraiser. Financier Christopher Kelly told police shortly before he died Saturday that he took an "overdose of drugs," said Dwight Welch, mayor of Country Club Hills, Illinois. Country Club Hills police found several drugs in Kelly's black 2007 Cadillac Escalade, but they were not sure yet whether they were prescribed, Welch said. Country Club Hills is about 27 miles south of Chicago. Kelly had recently undergone surgery...

Country Club Hills mayor Dwight Welch said today that the girlfriend of Christopher Kelly has "lawyered up" and is no longer talking to police investigating the Saturday death of the former top Rod Blagojevich adviser. Meanwhile, the Cook County medical examiner's office said this afternoon following an autopsy that a determination of cause and manner of Kelly's death was "pending further studies," meaning officials need to conduct additional investigations to officially rule whether Kelly committed suicide. At a morning press conference, Welch also said police are searching for a man who went to Oak Forest Hospital while Kelly was being...

former chief fundraiser for ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Christopher Kelly has died today at the age of 51. No details are available yet, but Chicago Times writes that apparently the death was caused by an Aspirin overdose. Rod Blagojevich, who is in NY and not available for comments, released a statement about the death of Christopher Kelly and wrote the following. "I am deeply saddened to hear that Chris has died. My heart goes out to his wife Carmen, his three daughters Grace, Jacqueline and Claire and his entire family. They are in our prayers." Blagojevich was arrested on federal...

Once again we're reminded that political corruption has a cost and that the Chicago Way is not some game or performance art by jesters. On Saturday, we were reminded by Christopher Kelly, friend to politicians. He was pronounced dead after taking an overdose of medication, just days after he pleaded guilty to more federal corruption charges. It happens every so often, that we're reminded. * * * But it is in our nature to forget, because the dead aren't active and our politicians are awfully busy. Their mouthpieces will tell us, as they've told us in the past, that a...

Kelly’s death comes just four days after he pleaded guilty to a scheme involving $8.5 million in fraud at O’Hare Airport. It was the second conviction this year -- he still faced trial along with the ex-governor, in June. Kelly had been indicted three times since 2007 but refused to become a cooperating witness. When he pleaded guilty to the O’Hare scheme Tuesday, Kelly spoke of feeling intense pressure by prosecutors to abandon his loyalty to Blagojevich and cooperate with the feds. Chicago police are investigating Kelly’s death. A source familiar with the investigation told the Chicago

A former chief fundraiser for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich died Saturday, just days before he was to report to prison to begin a three-year sentence for tax offenses that included using his company's money to pay gambling debts and claiming it as a business expense.Kelly, a suburban roofing contractor and Blagojevich's longtime fundraiser, was charged along with the former governor in an indictment alleging Blagojevich sought to sell or trade President Barack Obama's former seat in the U.S. Senate.

A key figure in ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's federal corruption case died Saturday of an apparent "aspirin overdose," a law enforcement source told the Chicago Sun-Times. Christopher Kelly, 51, was Blagojevich's former chief fundraiser, and was described by the newspaper as "go-to" guy in the ex-governor's administration.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told the Tribune today they have been notified that Christopher Kelly, a key figure in the federal corruption probe into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is dead. The Cook County medical examiner’s office today confirmed that a body identified as Christopher Kelly was brought to the morgue from Stroger Hospital. The office would not provide any details, including his age, address and manner of death, because the family had not yet arrived at the office. Kelly’s attorney, Michael Monico, declined to comment today when reached by a Tribune reporter. Kelly is a former confidant...

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told the Tribune today they have been notified that Christopher Kelly, a key figure into the federal corruption probe into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is dead.

Politics: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich may have played the race card in a cynical attempt to save his political skin, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others are no less cynical or offensive in their actions.The controversy over Blago's appointment of renowned empty suit and former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat could have been avoided had Illinois Democrats obeyed their initial impulse and passed legislation calling for a special election. Illinois' senior senator, Dick Durbin, among others, was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the idea, but now is among those...

Rod Blagojevich (is) the former Illinois governor who tried to sell Obama's seat in congress. When Obama was asked by the press if he had ever met Governor Blagojevich, Obama replied, "I only saw Rod Blagojevich one time ... and that was in the stands and from a distance at a Chicago Bears Football Game."

Rod Blagojevich blames everyone but himself for his unceremonious ouster from the Illinois Governor’s office. Nothing new there. What is new is that you can read his off-the-wall accusations and circuitous logic in the leisure of your own home. Blagojevich’s book, which was supposed to drop on Sept. 8 is available for purchase now at a few local bookstores.

Politics: Should the election law in Massachusetts be changed to keep Ted Kennedy's seat filled and get ObamaCare passed? As in Minnesota and Illinois, the voters might lose again.Recognizing his own mortality and waging a valiant battle against brain cancer, Kennedy has written a letter to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, state Senate President Theresa Murray and state House Speaker Robert DeLeo asking them to change the law so his seat might be filled immediately until a special election could be held. His letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Boston Globe, does not specially mention his illness or...

On Tuesday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation to assure that Illinois Politicians are no longer allowed to profiteer from illegal activities while in office. The legislation written by Illinois State Representative, Jack Franks (D), was first proposed in the period following Impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest last December. The new legislation would prohibit any Convicted, "elected" Illinois official from profiting from...

Reporting from Chicago -- At least one sign in Illinois -- welcoming drivers to the state's International Port District -- still proclaims Rod R. Blagojevich to be governor. After Blagojevich was impeached and ousted from office following his arrest on federal corruption charges, Gov. Pat Quinn called for a cleansing of the Blagojevich name from signs across the state. The 32 such signs above Illinois Tollway plazas were removed immediately. Yet the painted sign near the top of a 41-story grain elevator near Lake Calumet still bears the disgraced former governor's name. "The good news is it's flaking off," said...

The corruption scandal surrounding former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich shocked many and made the governor a popular topic on the late-night talk show circuit. Now a Chicago artist has put together a show that takes a playful look at the governor's run-in with the law. A three-day show called "Run, Blago, Run!" opened on Friday at a Chicago-area art gallery. The Chicago Tribune reports that the show was organized by artist Ray Noland who popularized various images of Blagojevich jogging in his tracksuit by plastering them on walls around the city. Among the works that will be exhibited at the...

Climate Change: A switch of four Republican votes would have defeated Waxman-Markey, the Democrats' global warming legislation. But like the Clinton Btu tax, the bill could die in the Senate and turn the House over to the GOP. What were these RINOs thinking? The GOP is supposed to be the party of low taxes and free markets. Rep. Mike Castle, one of the eight offered an explanation right off of President Obama's teleprompter...Illinois Republican Mark Kirk, who has senatorial ambitions to replace the choice of impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sen. Roland Burris, demonstrates why GOP fortunes in the Land...

At last, Roland Burris has made a decision as senator that we can endorse wholeheartedly.He will not run next year for his Senate seat.Thank goodness.At least one chapter in the sad show that is Illinois politics can soon come to an end.You'll remember, of course, that Burris began shredding his own credibility and the legacy of his decades of state service when he accepted the Senate appointment from our radioactive governor, Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich anointed Burris, just as the governor was getting tossed from office for allegedly trying to sell that very Senate appointment. Recall, too, that we have state...

Politics: The career of Roland Burris, a political cipher from Illinois who became a U.S. senator and the lamest of ducks, is over. He can now retire into the obscurity he so richly deserves.Having obtained the seat under a cloud of typical Illinois corruption, Burris announced Friday he won't run for a full term in 2010. He was appointed by the former and recently impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich who, among his other accomplishments, tried to auction off the seat formerly held by Barack Obama. Blagojevich was forced out of office and may soon join other Illinois governors who went on...

Sneed has learned that U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has decided not to seek election to a seat he fought the government to keep...To wit: Burris, whose decision to vie for Barack Obama's seat landed him in the midst of a federal pay-to-play corruption probe of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, decided to end his 20-year political career at the end of his term... "because he was primarily concerned about his legacy," a source close to Burris told Sneed.

Burris Won't Run in 2010 By Emily Pierce Roll Call Staff July 9, 2009, 6:14 p.m. Burris Won't Run in 2010 House Chairmen Thumb Noses at White House Health Care Deal Updated: 6:48 p.m. Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) will announce Friday that he will not seek election to a full term in 2010, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Burris’ office issued a press release Thursday evening saying the Senator would make a “major announcement” Friday during a scheduled speech at the Chicago South Loop Hotel. However, his spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Burris’ decision is likely based on...

Illinois Sen. Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury for statements he made before an Illinois House impeachment committee because there isn't enough evidence to support the charge, the state prosecutor investigating the case said Friday. Sangamon County State's Attorney John Schmidt said that while some of Burris' statements were vague, they wouldn't support a perjury charge.

SPRINGFIELD -- A key figure in the perjury investigation of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris died in an automobile accident Monday, authorities in far west-suburban Kendall County confirmed Tuesday. John Ruff, of Sandwich, Ill., was killed shortly before 3 p.m. when his 2001 BMW convertible crossed an oncoming lane of traffic and collided with a tree while he was driving eastbound on Rogers Road near Oak Brook Road in unincorporated Plano, said Kendall County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Pearson. John Ruff, a key figure in the perjury investigation of U.S. Sen. Roland Burris was killed in an automobile accident Monday in Kendall...

Just two weeks before his arrest on corruption charges, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich floated a plan to nominate to the U.S. Senate the daughter of his biggest political rival in return for concessions on his pet projects, people familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. Blagojevich told fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin he was thinking of naming Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the seat vacated when Barack Obama won the presidential election, according to two Durbin aides who spoke on condition of anonymity

Had Nancy Pelosi not meltded down herself only weeks earlier, the meltdown by Roland Burris yesterday would have gone down as something more extraordinary. That said, there should be no doubt that Burris has not been honest, very little doubt that he at least deserves to be investigated, and certainly a strong suspicion that he only received his Senate seat through a quid pro quo. It's of course the irony of ironies that prior to all of this coming out everyone portrayed Burris as an individual of impeccable character and ethics.

Crap Matthews just had an interview with Burris, and ambushed him with a taped phone recording, that clearly gives evidence that Burris engaged in 'Pay for Play' to get his Senate seat!!!

(Select Local Story #4 - video only) All the media is carrying Roland Burris' prepared remarks, denying any "pay to play" allegations. But what this story shows is a frustrated and angry Burris yelling at WLS-TV reporter Jason Knowles when ambushed early in the day outside his home. That segment begins about 1 minute into the video.

Wiretap: Burris Offered To Write Ex-Gov. A Check Senator Suggested Contribution To Rod Blagojevich Before He Was Appointed, Later Decided Against It CHICAGO (CBS) ― Sen. Roland Burris was recorded on an FBI wiretap suggesting that he could write a check to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign before the ousted governor appointed Burris to the Senate, reports CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago. The details of the conversation emerged after a federal judge said Tuesday he would allow the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to hear a federal wiretap of former Blagojevich's brother, Rob, having a fund-raising conversation with Burris. Sources tell...

The arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich in December cast a shadowy light on the relationships among four leading players in the Illinois Democratic Party—Blagojevich, Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and David Axelrod. The new president and his two aides would like to minimize their dealings with the disgraced ex-governor. But the record tells a more complex story By David Bernstein (page 1 of 4) In the days following his arrest on corruption charges last December 9th, Governor Rod Blagojevich did his best to appear busy. He visited his 16th-floor suite at the Thompson Center, once even showing up in a jogging...

In the days following his arrest on corruption charges last December 9th, Governor Rod Blagojevich did his best to appear busy. He visited his 16th-floor suite at the Thompson Center, once even showing up in a jogging outfit. He signed bills, issued press releases, expunged criminal records. And he hardly wasted an opportunity to sling mud at other local Democrats, taking particular delight in sullying the veneer of President-elect Barack Obama and his Chicago team headed for the White House. “Give me a chance to call in witnesses like Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff, who said there was...

CHICAGO - Just when we thought we'd heard "bleep'n" everything. A Chicago-area company is marketing hair products inspired by ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The shampoo and conditioner carry the brand name "BLAGO It's Bleep'n Golden!"

Congressman Jesee Jackson Jr. made his first public appearance in a month since former governor Rod Blagojevich was indicted. "I offered the former governor nothing and the former governor of Illinois offered me nothing." Said Jackson, Saturday afternoon at an immigration forum on the city's southeast side. Jackson admits he lobbied for the vacant senate seat now held by Roland Burris. But says he did not engage in "pay-to-play" in that quest. While Jackson faces no criminal charges, the House of Representatives is investigating possible ethical violations. Jackson says he is co-operating fully and handing over key documents. "The exact...

Blagojevich fundraiser linked to Richardson Lobbyist was employed by CDR, gave to governor's campaigns By Steve Terrell | The New Mexican 4/24/2009 Impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's chief fundraiser worked for the California investment company that's at the center of the grand jury investigation that sidetracked New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's political career, Bloomberg.com reported Friday. That fundraiser, Springfield, Ill., lobbyist Milan Petrovic, also contributed about $20,000 to Richardson political campaigns, according to campaign finance records. The New York-based financial publication said Petrovic clients and other associates also contributed more than $50,000 to Richardson's campaign for re-election as governor. Petrovic's...

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has a new favorite governor. "You know when I was governor of Illinois my second-favorite governor in American was Arnold Schwarzenegger," Blagojevich said at a promotional event Friday in Pasadena. "Now that I'm not governor, he's my favorite governor."

Apparently the irony was lost on Meredith . . . Interviewing Blago this morning, Meredith Vieira, co-anchor of NBC’s Today show, twice suggested to Rod Blagojevich that the former Illinois governor would have demeaned himself to appear on a reality show . . . on NBC. The two talked after a judge turned down the indicted Blago’s request to travel to Costa Rica to be a member of the cast of “I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!” MEREDITH VIEIRA: A lot of people are wondering why a former governor would want to be on a show like this....

On Tuesday, a federal judge rejected a request by Mr. Blagojevich, who is awaiting trial in a corruption case, that he be allowed to travel to a Costa Rican jungle to take part in the taping of a “Survivor”-type reality television show, “I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!” Mr. Blagojevich, who once had national political aspirations, said outside court that to support his family, he needed the television work, which would have brought him $123,000 had he survived 12 episodes and been dubbed “king of the jungle” over other contestants like Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of...

Ignoring all appearances of impropriety, NBC is wrangling to give Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) a deal which could be considered hush money. The peacock network has announced that it's agreed to hire the indicted former Illinois governor for a reality TV series... If so, Blago will be in a position to, potentially, take home a hefty paycheck; the deal, if it follows the practices of other reality TV shows, would also restrict what he can say to the media....

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has made a deal to star in NBC's upcoming summer reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, the network confirms. "Rod Blagojevich will be a participant on the show pending the court's approval," said NBC in a statement. NBC has been looking for household names for its version of the U.K. hit, which launches June 1. With NBC taking the unusually intensive step of airing the show five nights a week at 8 p.m. for four weeks -- a successful launch could help fuel the network's entire summer schedule. According to the Chicago Tribune,...

Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. went to see the Illinois governor in December to press for an appointment to the United States Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama.

Former Illinois Governor Rod 'Blago' Blagojevich's 75-page federal criminal indictment on corruption charges. The indictment also names John Harris, Blagojevich's former chief of staff; his brother Robert Blagojevich; lobbyist Alonzo Monk; Christopher Kelly, Blagojevich's former campaign fund chair; and William F. Cellini, Sr., an Illinois businessman previously indicted in October 2008. You can read Blagojevich's complete indictment below.

Attorneys: Rahm Emanuel was alleged extortion victimBy Mike Robinson Associated Press CHICAGO -- President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was the congressman targeted by an alleged extortion plan described in the indictment against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to attorneys familiar with the case. At the time, in 2006, Emanuel was the congressman from the 5th District on Chicago’s North Side. The attorneys spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the congressman isn’t named and the information is secret grand jury material. The indictment says the congressman sought a $2 million grant for a school. But Blagojevich allegedly...

The New York Times is once again filtering content to protect its Chosen One. Their Friday report on the indictment of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich covers up the document's many allegations against Barack Obama's "political patron" and longtime friend and fund-raiser, Tony Rezko... Fund-raising and real estate. The two areas in which Rezko has been identified with Obama are the same two areas which the indictment now portrays Rezko as being involved with Blagojevich... And those "others known and unknown to the Grand Jury" to whom the Blagojevich indictment refers? (Can anyone say, unindicted co-conspirator?) Don't expect to read...

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, his brother Rob and Christopher Kelly, a former top fundraiser for Blagojevich, were all indicted today on corruption charges, the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago announced. Also charged in the indictment were Lon Monk, a lobbyist and former Blagojevich chief of staff; John Harris, also a former chief of staff to Blagojevich; and William Cellini, a Springfield insider for decades. The indictment comes four months after Blagojevich was arrested and charged with engaging in pay-to-play politics in a sweeping federal complaint that accused him of trading state jobs, contracts and regulatory favors for campaign contributions. The...

Faced with a looming deadline to indict ousted Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, federal prosecutors in Chicago say there will be a court filing about a "significant criminal matter." The U.S. Attorney's office said it plans to issue a press release and court filing later Thursday. It did not say what case the filing pertained to. The office has been working on the indictment against Blagojevich that's expected as early as Thursday. The 52-year-old is accused of scheming to sell or trade President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

CHICAGO (AP) — An indictment is expected as early as Thursday charging ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich with presiding over state government awash in political corruption. The indictment U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald is expected to produce would replace a complaint charging Blagojevich with plotting to trade or sell President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat and a host of other corruption. While timing of grand jury meetings is never disclosed, Thursday is believed to be the last before a Tuesday deadline for the complaint to be replaced. Fitzgerald could ask U.S. District Court Chief Judge James F. Holderman for...