Governor Arrested

[SuperScout]

Originally Posted by phuloi

A real piece of work, this gangster. He reminds me of John Gotti, the Teflon Don.

And ironically, da guv bragged about his "tefloness" on and off camera, just about the way that John Gotti did. We all know what ultimately happened to the Teflon Don, so maybe we'll get lucky and have that fate repeated by Da Guv.

Abuse of power, such as demonstrated and manifested by the governor of Illinois, is one of the three worst crimes in my book. The other two, treason and child abuse and/or child porn are the other two; the latter two deserve an automatic death sentence.

[darrels joy]

The Real Estate of Luis Guttierez


Today, the state of Illinois, and the nation, is dealing with the stunning news of the indictment of Rod Blagojevich.


Lost in the shuffle will be this investigative report by the Chicago Tribune of Congressman Luis Gutierrez.

In half a dozen deals with campaign supporters since 2002, Gutierrez has made about $421,000 by investing his money in real estate deals and exiting a short time later.

The congressman says he made a profit in five of those deals but lost a small amount of money on the sixth.

Gutierrez said his real estate investments were appropriate and that he shared the same risk as any other investor."I don't believe in the stock market," Gutierrez said. "It always causes conflicts of interest."

Among the reasons his real estate dealings do not cause conflicts, Gutierrez has said, is that he never interferes in local zoning matters. But the Tribune reported in October that Gutierrez sent a letter to Mayor Richard Daley seeking support for a controversial project built by one of the congressman's political donors who also had lent him money. The newspaper reported that federal authorities investigating zoning matters have shown interest in the Gutierrez letter.

Further, Karbowski and several of the developers who did real estate deals with Gutierrez obtained key zoning changes for other projects from Ald. Manuel Flores (1st), his former aide and political ally.

Gutierrez is among a handful of candidates under consideration to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama, and if he is chosen, Flores is among those considering a step up to the congressman's seat.Both Flores and Gutierrez rent space for their government offices from Karbowski. Taxpayers pay $4,000 a month for Gutierrez to rent space for his district office in Karbowski's building.

The report details five different real estate transactions that Gutierrez did with multiple different donors. In some of these transactions, donors actually gave Gutierrez money. In other transactions, Gutierrez was built a property by these donors. These deals netted Gutierrez $420,000 in profits. Gutierrez maintains that he got the same deal anyone else would and that there was no quid pro quo. Yet, the Tribune discovered a letter that Gutierrez wrote to Richard Daley seeking support for a project backed by one of these very donors.

Furthermore, on one of the properties, 1634 N. Hermitage, Gutierrez bought a piece of land from a donor. Then, he had the very same donor build him a home worth roughly $800,000. This property was intended to become the primary residence for Gutierrez. In other words, this is where Gutierrez supposedly intended to live. Yet, when the property was completed, Gutierrez changed his mind. He wanted to sell, and the builder himself bought the property from Gutierrez for a profit, for Gutierrez, of $182,000. Now, why would a builder ever pay a premium for a property they themselves built? If anyone knows the real cost of a building it is the builder. Yet, this builder paid a premium of $182,000 for this property. Everyone involved is further claiming that this profit didn't come with any quid pro quo.

If Blagojevich is the extreme in Illinois politics, then Gutierrez is the everyday. It is difficult if not impossible to tell if Gutierrez really did do anything wrong. It certainly looks awfully suspicious. Gutierrez claimed that he doesn't like stock deals because there is an inherent conflict of interest. It appears that there is nothing but conflict of interest in these deals.

If anyone wants to know the extreme of Illinois corruption, examine the case of Rod Blagojevich. If you want to know how business is conducted daily, examine the case of Luis Gutierrez.

Posted by mike volpe at 00-08:00>11:25 AM
00-08:00>
00-08:00>http://theeprovocateur.blogspot.com/...guttierez.html

[darrels joy]

ABC's Ross: Governor Blagojevich Called Obama A 'Motherf***er'


By Noel Sheppard
December 9, 2008 - 12:29 ET

As more comes out about Tuesday's arrest of Democrat Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, it has been learned that he was caught on tape referring to Barack Obama as a "motherf***er".

I kid you not.

As reported moments ago by ABC's Brian Ross (h/t NB reader Steve):

"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on November 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit. [...]

The FBI affidavit said Blagojevich had been told by an adviser "the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the President-elect's pick to the Senate."

Told by two other advisers he has to "suck it up" for two years, the FBI says it heard Blagojevich complain he has to give this "motherf***er [the President-elect] his Senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him."

The Governor is heard saying he will pick another candidate "before I just give f***ing [Senate Candidate l] a f***ing Senate seat and I don't get anything."

Wow! Think this revelation will be widely reported by Obama-loving media?

Stay tuned.

Post facto thought: doesn't Ross's piece indicate that Obama was actually involved in this pay for play? Read this section again (emphasis added):

The FBI affidavit said Blagojevich had been told by an adviser "the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the President-elect's pick to the Senate."

Doesn't that suggest Blago, or someone in his office, was told by someone affiliated with Obama that if he appoints Obama's pick, his wife will be placed on paid corporate boards?

Doesn't that mean the president-elect offered a sitting governor a de facto bribe to appoint the Senator he supports?

Think this will get a lot of media attention and scrutiny? NO

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sh...ama-motherf-er

[1CAVCCO15MED]

And Blagojevich himself, in taped conversations cited by prosecutors, suggested that Obama wouldn't be helpful to him. Even if the governor was to appoint a candidate favored by the Obama team, Blagojevich said, "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation

[39mto39g]

Obama is knee deep in Chicago politics, He is also going to be knee deep in this.
So what happens if Obama is found doing something Illegal?
Just one more thing to add to Obamas list that Dems just don't care about.
Amazing

Ron

[Stick]

Didn't Obama run on a single word platform, "Change?"
Guess it's cumin to Illinois now but wow be BHO if he's found to be on the same campaign funding trail as the Illinois Governor. Ain't seen anyone from the Obama camp explain yet where he got the millions of dollars to be able to run a prime time nationwide television network show errrr campaign commercial, and funded his multibillion dollar campaign fund. Almost twice as much as any canidate for President has ever spent before.
God Bless Obama. He will be our next President.

[Seascamp]

Hubba bubba, that Guv has trubba. According to the article, the Guv was levering the field and seriously threatening to appoint himself as the replacement Senator. It will be informative to see what strings are pulled to get his butt off the sizzle skittle, but I doubt he’ll get his oversized hand out of the Illinois corruption candy jar. I mean that guy is totally enabled and going for it. He he, you go Guv, get that brass ring.

Scamp

[39mto39g]

The mistake , IMO, that the feds made is not letting him take a deal. I'm not sure talking about a crime is the same as doing a crime. I don't believe any money exchanged hands.
A good lawyer has got to be ringing his hands. I mean, If I say I am going to steal a car and don't steal a car, did I break the law?

Ron

[darrels joy]

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk...y-account.html

[phuloi]

Blagojevich Scandal: What Did Obama Know, and When Did He Know It?

Tuesday, December 9, 2008 7:04 PM

By: David A. Patten Article Font Size






Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich wanted “something big” from the Obama administration in return for naming its preferred candidate to fill Obama’s Senate seat — and he delivered an expletive-filled tirade when Obama’s representatives apparently refused to go along.

Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested Tuesday on charges that they tried to “sell” the U.S. Senate seat that Obama recently vacated. Under Illinois law, naming a replacement falls to Blagojevich.

The FBI says it taped Blagojevich complaining that Obama advisers were telling him that he had to “suck it up . . . and give this mother----er [the President-elect]] his senator. F--- him. For nothing? F--- him.”

Obama briefly addressed the arrests Tuesday afternoon, telling the media, “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening. It’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.”

The criminal complaint was announced Tuesday by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who came to national prominence during the investigation that led to the conviction of Scooter Libby on charges related to the Valerie Plame case.

Fitzgerald stated Tuesday that “there is no allegation in the complaint that the president-elect was aware of it and that is all I can say,” according to ABCNews.com.

The 76-page criminal complaint refers to the president-elect and his representatives at least 40 times, however.

Item No. 99 in the document states that Blagojevich and Harris spoke on Nov. 7 with “Adviser B,” a Washington, D.C.-based consultant presumably working on behalf of the Obama transition team.

During the call, Blagojevich indicated that he would appoint a person the complaint identifies only as “Senate Candidate 1” -- presumably a candidate preferred by the Obama administration -- in return for Blagojevich being appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services by Obama.

Candidate 1 is generally believed to be Obama insider Valerie Jarrett, who has been mentioned as among the favorites to replace Obama in the Senate.

Harris stated “we wanted our [request] to be reasonable and rather than . . . make it look like some sort of selfish grab for a quid pro quo.

During the call, Blagojevich stated he was hurting “financially.” And Harris said the “financial security” of the Blagojevich family was an issue. At one point, Blagojevich stated outright, “I want to make money,” according to the indictment.

Also discussed during that conference call was a “three-way deal” between the SEIU union, Blagojevich, and Obama. The deal was that Blagojevich would appoint Obama’s preferred candidate, and in return Obama would help Blagojevich win the SEIU appointment to head an organization called “Change to Win.”

ChangetoWin.org describes itself as an organization created by “seven unions and six million workers” to “restore the American Dream of the 21st Century.”

Harris said the three-way deal would give Obama a “buffer so there is no obvious quid pro quo for [the appointment of Senate Candidate 1]. The criminal complaint states, “Adviser B said that he liked the idea of the three-way deal.”

Three days later, the indictment said, Blagojevich told Harris it was unlikely that Obama would name him Secretary of Health and Human Services, or appoint him to be an ambassador, due to the investigation looming over him.

The complaint states that Adviser B and another consultant are believed to have participated in a call during which Blagojevich said they were telling him to “suck it up” for two years, and give this “motherf---er [the President-elect] his senator. F--- him. For nothing? F--- him.”

Next, states the complaint, Blagojevich says he would appoint another candidate, Senate Candidate 4, “before I just give f---ing [Senate Candidate 1] a f---ing Senate seat and I don’t get anything.”

Senate Candidate 4, the complaint states, is a deputy governor of the State of Illinois. Dean Martinez, Bob Greenlee, and Louanner Peters currently serve as deputy governors.

During the conversations with Obama’s representatives, Blagojevich repeatedly made it clear he would not agree to name “Senate Candidate 1” to fill the position without a quid pro quo from the White House, if only indirectly, according to the complaint. Blagojevich stated he wanted to make $250,000 to $300,000 annually.

The criminal complaint indicates Blagojevich and his staff were confident they could exact something from at least one candidate for the seat, Senate Candidate 5. Senate Candidate 5 is not identified.

Based on the complaint, it remains unclear whether any close Obama associate knew that Blagojevich was seeking monetary gain in return for the Senate appointment. It is possible that having such knowledge without reporting it to authorities in a timely way could raise serious legal issues.

If nothing else, the complaints represent an embarrassment to Obama given his support for Blagojevich’s gubernatorial reelection bid.

The RNC responded to the indictments in part by circulating an Associated Press report from August 2006 in which Obama stated, “We’ve got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

Also, RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released a statement calling Obama’s reaction to the arrests “insufficient at best.”

He added, “Given the President-elect’s history of supporting and advising Gov. Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue.”








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