Free Republic

Lawmakers from both parties have called for John Lausch to keep his job President Joe Biden is forcing Chicago's top federal prosecutor to resign amid ongoing criminal probes of powerful Illinois Democrats and their associates. U.S. attorney John Lausch is prosecuting close confidants of Democrat boss Mike Madigan, an ally of former president Barack Obama who resigned from the state legislature Thursday after a decades-long reign in Springfield. Lausch's office will also prosecute Chicago alderman Edward Burke (D.), an influential figure accused of strong-arming businesses into retaining his law firm. Lausch's abrupt removal has drawn bipartisan criticism from Illinois lawmakers...

One of the most powerful aldermen in Chicago's history has pleaded not guilty to federal political corruption charges. Alderman Edward Burke, 75, was straight faced throughout a very quick arraignment Tuesday morning. Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Burke and his two co-defendants; the alderman’s ward employee Pete Andrews and Real Estate Developer Charles Cui.

Edward Burke Jr. was arrested at his home in Winnetka after a family member told police he pushed her and authorities reported finding him “highly intoxicated” and “belligerent.” But by the end of the next business day, the domestic battery charge had been dropped. The swift reversal occurred after the accused man — the son of Edward Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman who is now charged with attempted extortion — managed to get his case before a Cook County judge, apparently without the assistance of an attorney and despite the fact he wasn’t due in court for another week. The arrest...

Yellow Vests protester Eric Drouet says he attempted to stage a protest in Paris Wednesday night to: "show the French that we are not free"..... In Washington the political change with a new session of Congress Thursday...... Seven are dead and eight injured, some critically, after a fiery accident on I-75 near Gainesville, Florida Thursday..... A legendary Chicago machine politician is under federal indictment for attempted extortion...... A group of 11 men are being tried in Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi..... Israel's Attorney General Avechai Mandelblit says: "I an working with the Chief Prosecutor and spend...

As we watch Obama govern, we don’t need to look far to find where he learned Chicago-style politics. One of his professors was Alderman Edward M. Burke, boss of the Chicago City Council. Ed Burke After Alderman Fred Roti was convicted on 2 RICO, 5 bribery and 4 extortion charges, the Outfit lost much of its leverage over city business. Over time, Burke stepped into the void and centralized legislative power in his own office. As chair of the Finance Committee, Burke gained control over the purse strings, and the City of Chicago carries a big purse. The Chicago Sun-Times...

Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel Wes Hanscom told a City Council panel that City Hall is preparing to sue ticket resellers who make a killing on the Internet but leave taxpayers in the lurch. The crackdown can't come soon enough for Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th). He believes that as much as $16 million in amusement taxes is slipping through the city's fingers because of growing Internet purchases. $4.2 mil. loss on Sox postseason? "One registered ticket broker paid $140,000 in amusement tax on White Sox postseason. EBay, it is estimated, is 20 times the size of that broker....