Free Republic

How 'bout a little refresher re. Obama political Godfather  and actual (16-count!) convicted felon Tony Rezko...? The Syrian-born Rezko is an infamous Chicago slumlord, fast-food restauranteur, and sleazy political operator who played a key role in the Blagojevich case- as well as the unlikley ascension to power of Barrack Hussein Obama.Obama's longtime ally, friend, and top fundraiser was found guilty of 16/24 counts of felony influence peddling back in June 2008. Of course the story was mostly buried/detached from his bud Barry in the run-up to that year's most unfortunate (for us) presidential election whilst the jury convicted Rezko of wire...

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Natasha Korecki followed every step of Blagojevich’s downfall. She details his demise in a new book — Only in Chicago: How the Rod Blagojevich Scandal Engulfed Illinois; Embroiled Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, and Jesse Jackson, Jr.; and Enthralled the Nation. The book raises the question of whether Jesse Jackson Jr., the congressman son of the famed civil rights leader, plotted to arrange a pardon for Blagojevich from President Barack Obama.

An upcoming book about Rod Blagojevich says undercover tape-recordings caught the former governor saying he had heard that convicted influence peddler Antoin "Tony" Rezko secretly channeled $25,000 in cash to Barack Obama, but federal authorities did not deem the claim credible. The book, "Golden: How Rod Blagojevich Talked Himself Out of the Governor's Office and into Prison," suggests Blagojevich was talking about an undisclosed payment to help Obama with his 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

CHICAGO—U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who defeated a primary challenge this year despite being the target of a House ethics investigation, has been on a medical leave for two weeks and is being treated for exhaustion, his office announced Monday. In a three-sentence news release, Jackson's office disclosed that the Democrat went on leave June 10 but did not provide further details, including how long he would be away. In the release, he asked that his family's privacy be respected.

Convicted political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko has granted his first television interview since he went to prison for corruption. "I was indicted, tried and convicted for a crime I did not commit," he told ABC7's Charles Thomas. "Here I am serving a 10 and a 1/2 year sentence that I believe I do not deserve." Rezko was the wealthiest and most influential member of former governor Rod Blagojevich's inner circle. As he sits in the federal penitentiary in downstate Pekin, Ill., four years after his conviction, Rezko still says he did not do it. At least not the 16 fraud,...

Documents obtained by The Daily Caller show that President Barack Obama’s close friend Eric Whitaker, who runs the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Urban Health Initiative, spoke at Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Chicago-area church in 2006. Whitaker was a speaker at Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ during a Sept. 17, 2006 “Health Care Justice Forum,” according to a church bulletin TheDC obtained. The bulletin is no longer on the church’s website. Whitaker made headline news Monday when New York Times bestselling author Edward Klein alleged during a radio interview with Sean Hannity that Whitaker offered Wright $150,000 to stay silent...

Eric Whitaker has been friends with Obama ever since...". Whitaker — who now runs the Urban Health Initiative (UHI) out of the University of Chicago Medical Center — often vacations with the first family, is a regular golf partner of Obama and has organized Chicago-area parties when the president visits the Windy City. Publicly released visitor logs show “Eric Whitaker” officially visited the White House 7 times during the Obama admin..." Whitaker had purportedly offered Rev. Jeremiah Wright — an infamous and challenging weight on Obama’s 2008 campaign — $150,000 to stay silent..."

CHICAGO (AP) — On his last full day of freedom, Rod Blagojevich will do what he loved doing while Illinois governor and as he unsuccessfully defended himself against corruption charges: He'll step up to a microphone and talk.Blagojevich, known for colorful speeches and a habit of quoting historical figures, is set to speak outside his Chicago home Wednesday evening. The 55-year-old Democrat is due to report to a Colorado prison on Thursday to begin a 14-year sentence, making him the state's second governor in a row to go to prison for corruption.More than 50 reporters were swarming his home by...

Bureau of Prisons assigns number to Blagojevich (FBI mugshot of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich) The Federal Bureau of Prisons has given Blagojevich the number 40892-424. Typically, once inmates are assigned a number, it is their individual number throughout their prison term. It is also typically affixed to their prison clothes. The 55-year-old Blagojevich has been ordered to report to prison on March 15. While he has asked to be incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in Colorado, he could be sent elsewhere. Blagojevich in December received a 14-year sentence. He was sentenced on 18 corruption-related counts, including charges that...

Chicago area has most corruption convictions in nation, UIC study says The Chicago area logged the most public corruption convictions of any federal jurisdiction in the United States during the past 36 years, according to a report released today by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Federal prosecutors secured a total of 1,531 public corruption convictions in the Northern District of Illinois since 1976, said Dick Simpson, head of the university’s political science department. Meanwhile, Illinois logged 1,828 public corruption convictions, the third most of any state, according to the report. Only California and New York had more. But those...

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...

According to some child psychologists, there is a demonstrable tendency among children who have been victimized by bullies to progress to becoming aggressors themselves. Another symptom associated with bullies is a pronounced tendency for such persons to also be braggarts. It does make you wonder. What exactly happened on the playground at recess when Rahm Emanuel was growing up? When it was announced that Bill Daley was leaving the position of White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel came to the defense of his successor at the White House. Emanuel was quoted as saying, “Historically, the modern Chief of Staff...

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...

Jackson On Blagojevich Sentence: ‘Sad Day For Illinois’December 8, 2011 9:50 PM CHICAGO (CBS) – U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) was speaking out for the first time on Thursday about the 14-year sentence handed down to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. As CBS 2′s Mike Parker reports, at a rally for Chicago postal workers, Jackson declared that the Blagojevich scandal has “shamed our state.” He also said Blagojevich’s sentencing was “a sad day for Illinois, a very sad day for (Blagojevich’s) wife and for his family. No one is shouting with glee, with excitement over what happened and transpired.”

Racetracks exist at the pleasure of the state. As highly regulated businesses, they need the blessing of the state to set up shop, to open for business, to continue from year to year. If they want to hold more races per day than they used to, or to be open more days per week, or more weeks per year, they need the permission of the state. And, as in most states, the Illinois gaming commission is run, for the most part, by the governor. In 1969, Governor Otto Kerner (D, The Stables) was discovered to have accepted bribes (in the...

Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a national spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday, one of the stiffest penalties imposed for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics.

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...

NO BLAGO plate up for sale on eBay the day of Blagojevich sentencing! (Vanity) Hey FReepers, Since I’ve been on this forum for over a decade I hope you’ll excuse this one little indulgence. I believe the FR community will find this news pretty cool. This is a vanity thread about a vanity license plate I’m selling on eBay this week. I am the proud owner (soon to be former owner) of the only NO BLAGO license plate in Illinois. I’m surprised someone in the lamestream media never noticed that and asked me about the item. (Ironically, if you...

A federal judge sentenced Tony Rezko to 10 1/2 years in prison Tuesday, describing his actions under Rod Blagojevich’s tenure as “selfish and corrupt.” Rezko has already served about 44 months. His daughter burst into tears at hearing the sentence. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she found it offensive that Rezko put at risk the Teachers’ Retirement System by scheming for kickbacks with a board member in 2004. “You put their retirements at risk for your own greed and your own thirst for power,” St. Eve said. A pale, thin Rezko gave a brief statement before he learned...