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If you haven’t heard already, Drudge is reporting that Newt’s ex-wife has unloaded on him in a 2 hour interview with ABC News. Suddenly, ABC News went into a civil war over when to air the video because of the South Carolina Primary this weekend. Here are the details from Drudge: Marianne Gingrich has said she could end her ex-husband’s career with a single interview. Earlier this week, she sat before ABCNEWS cameras, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. She spoke to ABCNEWS reporter Brian Ross for two hours, and her explosive revelations are set to rock the trail.... ...Levin covered...

CHICAGO — More than three years after his conviction on fraud and bribery charges, Antoin Rezko, a former real estate mogul and a once-powerful fund-raiser with ties to President Obama’s early political career, was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 and a half years in prison. The trial drew national attention primarily because of Mr. Rezko’s relationship with Mr. Obama, who was at the time in a tight race with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination. “Boneheaded” was the word Mr. Obama used then to describe his part in a real estate transaction made with Mr. Rezko in 2005,...

A U.S. judge on Tuesday sentenced Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a former Chicago fundraiser for President Barack Obama, to 10-1/2 years in prison for corruption and extortion. Rezko's conviction was among a slew of guilty pleas that led to the conviction in two trials of former Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and several of his aides. A Syrian immigrant who earned millions in the real estate and restaurant businesses, Rezko has been imprisoned since his 2008 conviction on 16 fraud and attempted bribery counts. "Enough is enough. Corruption in Illinois has to stop," U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve in handing...

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...

While it's true that President Obama began his political career in the living room of former Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, his first political sponsor and major fundraiser was Antoin "Tony" Rezko. The pair go back to the 1990s and Obama's state Senate years, but they are best known for the still-not-completely-explained 2005 real estate deal that allowed the Obamas to buy their Chicago South Side mansion, while Rezko's wife bought a narrow strip of the home's lot on the same day. At that time, Rezko was under federal investigation for influence peddling and fraud while serving...

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...

Long known as the “political fixer,” who was friends with a politically young Barack Obama, Tony Rezko once grabbed headlines in a presidential campaign. At the same time in Illinois, Rezko’s name was synonymous with a federal investigation into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But since Rezko volunteered to go jail after his 2008 conviction, he’s settled in as not much more than a footnote in both politics and corruption. That’s partly because the investigation into Blagojevich exploded after Rezko’s trial, taking a new turn involving the sale of President Obama’s U.S. Senate seat — conduct that happened when Rezko was...

Daniel Frawley deposition and testimony could lead to Obama arrest or investigation, Ulsterman White House Insider report, FDIC vs Mutual Bank, Where is House Judiciary Committee? “You said earlier that Obama was more confident these days though… He is. Pelosi backed off. Issa appears to have done the same. Holder is holding the line. Information coming out of Chicago is still being limited – clamped down upon. That doesn’t mean they aren’t nervous. They are. Watch the Blagojevich thing – the trial. The deal to be made. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And what happened to Rezko? That’s part of...

Barack Obama’s three closest friends — Valerie Jarrett, Martin Nesbitt and Dr. Eric Whitaker — sat down in the study of Mr. Nesbitt’s house in Chicago for one of their increasingly frequent heart-to-hearts. ... In the presidential campaign, the Obamas had a “no new friends” rule, surrounding themselves with a coterie of familiar faces. Even if the Obamas lift that rule in Washington, newcomers are unlikely to replicate the intensity of this group’s ties, formed over more than a decade ... They vacationed together: in December, with the Obamas in Hawaii; in August, with Ms. Jarrett on Martha’s Vineyard. Mr....

Reggie’s the best athlete I know - Obama The rumors of Obama’s gayness abound, but the press is muzzled by the CFR like a trained lapdog. The Globe however ran an article recently about Donald Young, one of Obama’s alleged “gay lovers”, who was found murdered in Chicago. He was a gay choir director at the now infamous Trinity Church and reputedly a friend of Obama’s. Young’s mother thinks he was killed to protect Obama’s secret gay life during the campaign. This was reported by Larry Sinclair during the campaign. The media choose to bury the story. An article ran...

Federal prosecutors say Tony Rezko deserves to spend up to 15 years in prison for his crimes in two separate cases and that he damaged his own credibility by lying to the court. Prosecutors for the first time publicly addressed why they never called the convicted political fund-raiser to the witness stand after he began cooperating in 2008. They say in more than 19 meetings with them, he did not fully tell the truth about his own wrongdoing until he was confronted by agents with new information. Prosecutors said juries would never have accepted his word. “Rezko’s cooperation was heavily...

Guys like Bill Cellini don't get indicted in Illinois. And the puppet masters don't sit at the defense table in federal court, tapping their fingers, waiting for the jury to pronounce judgment. *snip* They're Democrats, they're Republicans. They're the bosses of the Combine. *snip* All involved should know that their ((prosecutors)) work is appreciated, by every taxpayer in this thoroughly corrupt state who've wondered how the puppet masters of the Combine keep getting away with it. On Tuesday, they didn't get away with it. And Bill Cellini went down.

Officers and directors of Mutual Bank issued $10.5 million in "imprudent" dividends, spent $250,000 of the bank's money on a wedding, and paid $495,000 in defense costs for a spouse's Medicaid fraud case before the Harvey-based lender failed in July 2009, a federal regulator alleged last week. Mutual was the bank that financed the purchase by the wife of political fundraiser Tony Rezko of a side lot in a deal that enabled Barack Obama to buy his dream house.In a lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois last week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp....

Why was Obama promoting Capri Capital and other investment firms at the same time that Rezko, Levine and Cellini were shaking them down?” “Why did Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Justice Department wait until December 2008 to arrest Rod Blagojevich?” “Why was Tony Rezko’s sentencing delayed?” Do not be fooled by the investigation of Jesse Jackson Jr. in the so called selling of Obama’s senate seat. This was a well crafted diversion intended to take the attention away from Obama’s earlier involvement in Chicago corruption with Tony Rezko, Stuart Levine, et al. The investigation of Jackson is another diversion. I...

A judge has delayed sentencing for Antoin “Tony” Rezko, a top fundraiser and adviser to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko, convicted on corruption charges, was scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 21. But prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve to move the sentencing because another corruption trial connected to the Blagojevich administration starts this week – and includes allegations of an extortion plot involving Rezko. Prosecutors most directly involved in the Rezko sentencing are also handling the prosecution of William Cellini, a Springfield powerbroker whose trial on charges including attempted extortion and fraud starts this morning. In...

Earlier this past August I was helped by Jerome Corsi and WND in getting the information out concerning the Rezko “buffer zone” that she, Rita Rezko deeded to the Trust that owns the Hyde Park Mansion the Obama‘s call their home in Chicago. In my last report which was reported in WND Tax fraud suspected in Obama land deal the one thing that I could not quite put my finger on was the lack of documentation concerning the separate real estate transaction that took place in 02/2006. It is well known that the Obama’s claim to have paid $104,500.00 for...

Why Illinois Should Invest Its Own Money William Cellini, one of Springfield’s most enduring slimeballs, is finally about to get his day in federal court. According to the Springfield State Journal-Register: The government has charged Cellini with conspiring to commit extortion with [Tony] Rezko, [Chris] Kelly and ex-TRS board member and Cellini ally Stuart Levine. Prosecutors said the four men conspired in the spring of 2004 to withhold $220 million in Teachers' Retirement System investment funds from a firm named Capri Capital unless Thomas Rosenberg, a principal in the firm, made a $1.5 million campaign contribution to Blagojevich or paid...

A Huge Housing Bargain -- but Not for You Roger Arnold 08/18/11 - 05:49 PM EDTThis column by Roger Arnold originally appeared on RealMoney on Aug. 11. For a free trial to RealMoney, follow . NEW YORK () -- The largest transfer of wealth from the public to private sector is about to begin. The federal government will be bulk-selling the massive portfolio of foreclosed homes now owned by HUD, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private investors -- vulture funds. These homes, which are now the property of the U.S. government, the U.S. taxpayer, U.S. citizens collectively, are going...

Just how many felonies does Barack Hussein Obama need to commit before anyone in the US Government speaks out? Millions of Americans are asking that question. We now learn that the Cook County Assessor’s Office confirms that Obama has likely committed real estate and tax fraud in a deal with Tony Rezko in Chicago. Add to that Presidential eligibility fraud, birth certificate fraud, Social Security Number fraud and Selective Service registration fraud.

WND was assisted in the inquiry by an expert debt collector who had access to professional databases used by debt collection agencies and skip-tracing companies with proprietary "skip-trace" software designed to find debtors who have attempted to run away to avoid payment. WND's source wishes to remain anonymous to prevent the type of retaliation faced by other experts who have been cut off from using proprietary databases in their attempt to search Obama's records. The expert lives in the U.S. Southeast and has more than 10 years of experience in the financial and debt collection industries. He describes himself as...

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.

During a two-part interview on Fox News Channel′s Sean Hannity Show, Donald Trump continued his scorn for President Barack Obama. In addition to raising the unresolved questions about Obama′s birth certificate and college records, Trump returned to another unresolved mystery, Obama′s connections with convicted felon Tony Rezko. Antoin ′Tony′ Rezko, a Syrian immigrant, was a Chicago businessman and prominent fundraiser for Illinois politicians, including both Barack Obama and former governor, Rod Blagojevich. A federal investigation, known as Operation Board Games, headed by maverick Justice Department attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, unraveled a syndicate of Illinois politicians and businessman in one of the...

The RNC released this web video titled “Lapse in Judgement” back in 2008. http://youtu.be/Aj4_rtyfFu8 The ad revealed Barack Obama’s dealings with convicted felon and close friend Tony Rezko. This great ad described Obama’s relationship with the Chicago crook. Unfortunately, the left-wing media didn’t do its job and protected Obama from any honest attacks during the 2008 campaign. Today Donald Trump went after Obama’s close ties to convicted criminal Tony Rezko. IB Times reported: President Obama “never did a deal in his life except with Tony Rezko,” said Donald Trump on Fox News. “People should look into that one,” he added....

President Obama “never did a deal in his life except with Tony Rezko,” said Donald Trump on Fox News. “People should look into that one,” he added. Trump once again went on the offensive against Obama. His previous point of attack was doubts over Obama’s birthplace. Now, it’s the latter’s long history with Tony Rezko, who Hillary Clinton in 2008 called a “slum landlord.” Rezko is am Illinoisan political fundraiser who was convicted for fraud and bribery in 2008. He was accused of using his political position to extort money from businesses seeking contracts from the Illinois Teachers System Board...

White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe yesterday suggested that Donald Trump is a “sideshow” with “zero chance” of being elected President. Plouffe likely expected that there was “zero chance” Trump would hear such remarks and not be eager to retaliate, which of course he did Trump’s response on Fox & Friends this morning: “Obviously I hit a nerve because they’re fighting me I don’t hear them talking about Mr. Pawlenty or anybody else. They’re talking only about Trump. And I can tell you, I’m their worst nightmare. I am not the person that they want to run against. And they...

CHICAGO – Lawyers for Rod R. Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois, are asking a judge for access to notes from an interview President Obama had with federal authorities over his former Senate seat. The request was made in a motion filed Monday in advance of Mr. Blagojevich’s April 20 retrial on federal corruption charges. The judge rejected a similar request before Mr. Blagojevich’s first trial last summer. Mr. Blagojevich will be tried again on 20 counts after the jury in the first trial was deadlocked on most charges. Prosecutors claim that Mr. Blagojevich tried to sell the Senate seat...

Rod Blagojevich wants to cancel his retrial, asking to be sentenced immediately, however, prosecutors and the judge would have to approve of the request. His lawyers filed a five-page motion asking to proceed to sentencing right away and avoid a retrial that’s set to begin April 20. “A second prosecution of this case is an irresponsible use of taxpayer funds in light of the current economic crisis and Blagojevich’s imminent sentencing on the conviction from the first trial,” lawyers wrote in the motion. U.S. District Judge James Zagel and federal prosecutors would have to agree however, to dismiss the remaining...

PRINCETON, NJ -- President Barack Obama averaged 46% job approval the week of Feb. 28-March 6, his lowest weekly average since mid-December. Obama's weekly approval rating had steadily improved from mid-December to late January, peaking at 50% during the final two weeks in January, before dropping below that mark in February. Trend, November 2010-March 2011: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president? Obama is now essentially back to where he was in the immediate post-election phase of 2010. The decline could be due to a number of issues the administration is...

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.

Rev. Peterson To FBI: Place Farrakhan on Domestic Enemies List Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action, is calling on the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to keep a close eye on Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan after his “Saviour’s Day 2011” speech predicting America’s doom. Farrakhan warned, “What you’re looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt…Libya, in Bahrain…what you see happening there…you’d better prepare because it will be coming to your door, America.” Rev. Peterson said, “Louis Farrakhan is a domestic enemy of the United States of America and should be placed at the top of...

In an exclusive interview with Newsmax.TV Friday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said President Barack Obama’s decision not to fully enforce the Defense of Marriage law has sparked a constitutional crisis as he has directly violated his constitutional duties by arbitrarily suspending a law. Gingrich for the first time raised the specter of Obama’s removal from office, noting that, if a “President Sarah Palin” had taken a similar action, there would have been immediate calls for her impeachment. Obama Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday that the administration will not defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act...

The brilliant people at Wikileaks have produced a very useful collection of articles about stories removed from media websites following legal threats from an Iraqi billionaire The British-based Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi has become a highly controversial figure in the United States after being linked to Chicago-based businessman Tony Rezko - the weak link in the Obama campaign. The freedom of information site Wikileaks has now published some fascinating material about Auchi's attempts to stop people writing about him. Auchi was convicted of fraud by the French courts in 2003 for his involvement in illegal payments surrounding a deal he...

Sentencing was postponed today for a tired and gaunt-looking Antoin "Tony" Rezko in case he still testifies at the retrial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, scheduled to begin in April. However his attorney made it clear that he is not willing to wait beyond September. Now housed in a county facility, Rezko is not able to go outside or have contact with his family beyond seeing them briefly from behind a glass façade. "I have not had fresh air since my conviction,'' Rezko told U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. "I have no contact visit...

Two years after his conviction, Tony Rezko’s lawyers are asking for a new trial. And if two years was too long to wait to ask, blame the government -- and the U.S. Supreme Court, they say. Rezko’s lawyers argued in a Tuesday filing that the businessman who was once part of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s inner circle, started talks with the feds right after his June, 2008 conviction. At the time, Rezko volunteered to be taken into custody. “As this court is aware, Rezko began cooperating with the government shortly after the jury returned its verdict and, at the government’s...

  Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) admitted to the FBI that he accepted free upgrades on a town home he purchased from convicted Chicago influence-peddler Tony Rezko, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The congressman has previously been the subject of a federal investigation for engaging in real estate deals with a developer named Calvin Boender.During a 2008 interview with the FBI, Gutierrez reportedly said that he asked Rezko for upgrades on the town house before purchasing it. The congressman claimed that the price of the home had risen by $35,000 since he had first considered buying it, and Rezko agreed...

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:

It appears that President Obama has pulled strings to help his shady banker friend win a tight U.S. Senate race by delaying an overdue federal report on his mob-connected bank’s failure until after the election. Federal regulators will conveniently postpone issuing a material loss report on Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias’ Chicago bank (Broadway Bank) because releasing it before the election could create "another political headache" for Giannoulias in a “close contest” with his Republican opponent, reports the state’s largest newspaper. Currently Illinois State Treasurer, Giannoulias helped operate the family bank before it was shut down in April for...

In 2010, the citizens of Illinois should send to the Capitol a senator who will bring expertise and independence. The candidate who fits that bill is Mark Kirk. Today the Tribune endorses Kirk, a Republican, for the U.S. Senate seat that Roland Burris soon vacates. To understand our verdict, watch Giannoulias and Kirk's appearance before us this week. You'll find the video at chicagotribune.com/senate. Judge each man's depth and preparedness for the job. Judge knowledge and scope. Judge accomplishment. Judge which candidate has a proven record of thoughtful independence — of bucking his party when the good of this nation...

A onetime top fundraiser for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich who was already convicted of taking kickbacks from state contractors pleaded guilty Friday in a separate scheme involving the bogus sale of his pizza restaurants. After the plea by Antoin "Tony" Rezko, his lawyer touted his client as "ready and willing" to be a "formidable witness" at Blagojevich's retrial, though prosecutors didn't put him on the stand for the former governor's trial this summer. Rezko pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in connection with $10 million in fraudulent loans he arranged for business partners to buy a chain...

TRIAL NO. 2 | Lawyer says ex-top adviser to gov 'willing and able' to talk -- but 'it's government's call to decide' ### Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a convicted former top adviser of Rod Blagojevich, is ready to testify at the former governor's upcoming federal corruption trial, Rezko's lawyer said Friday. Rezko is "ready, willing and able to testify" against Blagojevich and his wife, Patti, defense attorney Joe Duffy said after a federal hearing where Rezko pleaded guilty to a new fraud charge. "It's the government's call to decide" who to use as a witness, Duffy said. But Rezko would be...

The abject failure of the Obama administration is painfully obvious. Herman Cain described the situation: Millions of voters have come to realize that this presidency lacks leadership, direction, decisiveness, economic urgency and, most of all, solutions. This combination of deficiencies has produced a more than uninspired citizenry, except for the most loyal and misled supporters of the president. While many recognize the failure, few are aware of the potential dangers ahead

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has reopened a long-running feud with Fox News Channel, branding the conservative U.S. cable network as "ultimately destructive for the long-term growth" of the United States. In an interview published Tuesday by Rolling Stone magazine, Obama took specific aim at Fox's Australian-born chairman and chief executive, accusing Rupert Murdoch of being more concerned about generating profits than promoting an agenda to improve America's well-being. The U.S. president likened Murdoch to William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper baron whose sensational publications produced the term 'yellow' journalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Those who read this space know I am not a fan of the Republicans’ vaunted “Pledge to America.” I’m for simple pledges, the kind that get back to basics. If the Republican party is interested in making a pledge like that — a pledge that will resonate with the vast majority of the American people — here’s a suggestion: Promise an unwavering commitment to the principle of equal protection of the law for every American citizen. Promise, therefore, that Congress will investigate weighty allegations that the Obama Justice Department is engaged in racist law-enforcement practices. Promise, moreover, that any executive-branch...

Hung on all but one count. After a trial that lasted more than six weeks followed by 14 days of jury deliberations, ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich is found guilty of just one of the 24 counts against him. The jury unanimously agreed that Blagojevich was guilty of the final count in the indictment, count 24, giving false statements to the F.B.I. After the jury’s verdict was read, the government quickly said they would retry the case. A hearing is scheduled for August 26th.

It appears the jury may be on the verge of announcing a verdict. The six men and six women sent out a note this morning asking for two things -- first, a copy of the oath they took when they were seated, and second, instructions on how to fill out their verdict form if they can't reach a unanimous decision on a certain count. Judge James Zagel is sending them a note in response. He also ordered -- since "the tenor of the note" indicated that a verdict is imminent -- that the defendants, Rod and Robert Blagojevich, stay within...

When he announced the charges in late 2008, Chicago's U.S. attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, came at Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich with all the bravado of Eliot Ness going after Al Capone in the movie "The Untouchables." He told a throng of reporters that Blagojevich had embarked on a "corruption crime spree" and added, with a touch of the melodramatic, that the Democratic governor's crimes "would make Lincoln turn over in his grave." Blagojevich responded by hitting the talk show circuit, calling the charges unfounded and criticizing Fitzgerald. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, shown here in June, is seen as a "prosecutor's prosecutor"...

The jury in the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial told the judge Wednesday afternoon that they couldn't reach a decision on a number of counts. "We've gone beyond reasonable attempts [to reach a verdict]," meaning they can't reach a decision on certain counts. Judge James Zagel has asked for clarification to see if they have reached a unanimous decision on any of the counts, then proceed from there. If the jury is deadlocked, Zagel could enforce the Allen charge, which encourages the jury to re-examine their positions and work diligently towards a verdict. Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/rod-blagojevich-jury-allen-charge-corruption-trial-100457239.html#ixzz0wKtPTsRI

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,...