From the Washington Post:
U.S. attorney says Blagojevich went on a "crime spree," trying to "sell" Obama's vacant Senate seat and shaking down contractors for campaign funds.
From The New York Times:
Illinois Governor in Corruption Scandal
Charged in Scheme to Sell Obama’s Seat to Highest Bidder
By MONICA DAVEY and JACK HEALY 7 minutes ago
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois was arrested and charged with corruption, including an allegation that he conspired to profit from appointing a senator to succeed Barack Obama.
* PDFs: News Release | Criminal Complaint (Contains Profanity)
* Text: Justice Dept. Briefing
* Comment Post a Comment | Read (482)
*
Back Story With The Times’s Monica Davey
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald discussed the charges against Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois at a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday.
Frank Polich/Reuters
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald discussed the charges against Mr. Blagojevich at a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday.
* Times Topics: Rod R. Blagojevich
* Picking Obama Successor Puts Spotlight on Governor (Nov. 13)
Democracy Customer Complaints Department
2 hours ago
27 comments:
That Piece of Excrement is worse than a Republican! In Texas, we'd give him a sleigh ride through the cactus.
He taints the Obama Presidency with his dark deeds. Oh!!!, The shame of it all!!!
It's lucky that Blago's going to get a speedy Impeachment Trial. He'd better beg for a lengthy prison term, 'cause I hear that Lake Michigan gets pretty cold at this time of year.
Llort
Fitz brought this to a head as a complaint, not an indictment..in order to keep the person that gets Obama's seat from being tainted.
Smart move on Fitz's part..he actually issued a plea for folks to come forward with more evidence during his presser.
What an arrogant, corrupt dumbass. I hope they throw the book at him.
Do you know what Blago called Obama? Let's just say that he used the F-word a few times. Nothing Flattering.
This BUM may have just cost the Democrats a Fillibuster-proof Senate.
Llort
What can you say, other than "typical politician"? Alabama has had its share of corrupt governors and state legislators before, so this is nothing new.
"Alright, time for a crime spree!"
"Oh, no, Beta!"
There's no such thing as a filibuster-proof Senate when talking about Democrats.
You know that they are trying to tie Obama to this Blago dude, don't you? I have already heard via the radio talk waves that the hounds are digging for anything that will paint Obama as tainted because of his affiliation with him.
Blago is a bastard. And Fitzgerald is thorough. If there were anything, ANYTHING, he would not have made a point of saying "there is no connection between any of these allegations and President Elect Obama."
I'm amazed it took them this long to get Blagojevich.
Sorry, Dusty, I shouldn't be quoting what I can't exactly remember. The correct word is "complaints," not "allegations". I keep wanting to say "indictments."
The right wingnuts better watch their mouths. I would not be surprised that given what Blago said about Obama and his team only offering "appreciation" if he picked the person they wanted that maybe someone on Obama's team reported on that bastard as well.
This is the problem with living in Utah. It's hard to keep up. Kavtch, you and Dcup are no doubt closer to all this. You too Dusty. Aren't you from Chicago? This kind of "Pay to Play" policy seems to be an old and well tolerated tradition. He was pretty brazen. Mayor Daily had his well oiled "machine."
yup, Alaska isn't the only state with an idiot for governor.
hey, I'm a born and raised south side Chicago girl and I'm damn proud of my roots...but this takes the cake! dirty politics in chicago AND illinois is institutionalized, it's a way of life here. what pisses me off is that the repubs are probably going to tie this to Obama somehow, that he knew of it.
as a chicago gal who knows how the game is played, I say Rahm Emmanuel threw Gov. Blowjobovich under the wheels to keep the dirt from flying onto the new Prez -- smart guy!
(Greetings saw you at Macrum's blog)
We saw this kind of thing happen with the 2002 Winter Olympics.
How quick we all forget that corruption isn't something restricted to region, party, or nation.
Whoever commented on Texas, don't throw stones. Texas history shows a long record of corruption, it's where I first studied history.
I find this interesting in that as soon as Blagojevich put pressure on a bank to preserve the credit channel for Republic Windows where the workers had stood their ground, the federal government swoops in and throws up the dirty linens in the 11th hour of the Bush administration.
Allegations are all there is at this time (and a suspiciously leaky and dangerously loose language'd federal investigators office.)
I don't know what he's guilty of or not, that's why I like trials especially when I don't like the accused like this guy.
It saves me from being a judgmental asshole.
I'd like to see him appoint a new Senator while in jail before the state legislature takes advantage of a strange situation the Federal government has helped set up.
Honestly, a federal arrest of a head of state of a state makes me nervous. I seriously want to hear and or see what if any involvement Illinois law enforcement had in this and why or why not.
I may be a Democrat but I do understand that States have rights and the arrest and detention of the top State official head of Illinois military, the man with pardon power and in many ways on a par with President is a serious serious matter. The media is playing it as a "joke", but it's a Constitutional crisis.
I'm an old Texas girl, and yes, there is corruption in Texas politics, Georgia politics, Mississippi politics, Louisiana politics, Utah politics, Nevada politics, Idaho politics.... I'm sure I'm leaving somebody out, but what do most of these States have in common??? Oh, I left out Arizona. Yeah, that's better. Now, the question again... What do they have in common? They're ruby red. Redneck. Ruled by cracker men. Sorry. I am opinionated, but I have come by my cracker opinions honestly. So, let's all chill out and wait for the trial.
Oh hell, I left out Georgia. Sorry Dcup, Comrade Kevin.
yeah, but how many states can boast that they've had three governors in the federal pen? and pretty soon a fourth! YAY!
Yeah, Linda you guys win that one.
He is so an asshole! and lord knows we don't need any more of those! Disgusting guy, I hope they take him apart piece by piece!
Even if Texas is every bit as corrupt as you say it is, the point remains that Texans do get rough on their disgraced politicians, the 1970s Sharpstown Bank Stock Fraud Scandal being case and point. Several Texas Bigshots were sent packing!
I repeat, a Texas Style Sleighride through the Cactus is what Blago would get in Texas, with a liberal does of Prickly Pears and Horse Cripplers.
How about Tom Delay carving up Texas to suit his fancy, trying to keep a thuglican lock on the state?
And Anonymous Texan, you don't have to go back to the '70's to drag someone through the cactus. You have plenty of scoundrels, take you digraced current occupant of the White House? Doesn't it embarrass you a little that that prick calls himself a fucking Texan. It embarrasses me and I haven't been back since the early '80s. I be it relieves the hell out of a lot of citizen of his real home state, Connecticut that he pretends to be a Texan.
Do you really think Barack's out of the woods yet on this Blagojovich thing? Blago has already tainted Jessee Jackson Jr. (aka Candidate #5) in this scandal. This is the type of sleazeball that would do anything, including and especially including the selloing out of a President, just so he doesn't have to spend a minute in jail. This BUM will do ANYTHING, just so he can crap more in back and urinate more in front in the free world where he doesn't belong. If Blago had ANY Honor, he take is Service Revolver and use it to save the Taxpayers the cost of his Prosecution and Incarceration.
Gee, I was kind of hoping Blago would do just that. Take the honorable way out. But I'm afraid you're right. He's going to go down grasping at straws.
Utah Egavas:
I don't agree with you that Bush has horns, at least until last August when he sprouted them. Since then, if my info is correct, he has doubled the Money Supply to try to bailout the worthless. Currently, the UAW is the target for the bailout.
The Doubleing the Money Supply, if you work through the equation MV=PT is the same as arbirarily doubling prices with the same stroke of a pen that signs a tax bill.
Bush goes away in 40 days. You need to concern yourself with Obama's catering to the UAW in much the same way that FDR did whene he prolonged the Great Depression (that Herbert Hoover started by increasing taxes in a Recession) by five years by kowtowing to the Unions.
It was fun messing with you, but I am turning in my horns and pointed teeth,
Your former Troll,
Llort
PS: I hope that you have at least learned how to spell my name right.
It's not a red or blue issue, and then you wend and name Georgia twice.
Corruption is a human condition and it follows us everywhere in every group in every enterprise from cradle to grave.
The perpetual nature of corruption is why we should never trust anyone in government or authority.
Texas punish a corrupt politico... that's a hoot.
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