Illinois AG Asks High Court to Declare Gov. Unfit
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS
The Associated Press
Friday, December 12, 2008; 1:56 PM
In an unprecedented move, the Illinois attorney general asked the state’s highest court Friday to strip scandal-plagued Gov. Rod Blagojevich of his powers. Lisa Madigan took the action as pressure on the governor intensified to step down and lawmakers considered impeachment. And the fallout over the scandal continued Friday as the governor’s chief of staff resigned; John Harris was arrested along with the governor on Tuesday.
Madigan said that she took the action with the Supreme Court because she thinks that this is a faster way to strip Blagojevich of his power than through impeachment, which could take several weeks. "I recognize that this is an extraordinary request, but these are extraordinary circumstances," Madigan said at a news conference. It was not immediately clear when the Supreme Court might take up the matter. The justices also have the discretion to deny the attorney general’s request…
The attorney general asked the court for a temporary restraining order or an injunction that prevents Blagojevich from serving as governor. The filing says he is "unable to serve as governor due to disability and should not rightfully continue to hold that office."
"The pervasive nature and severity of these pending charges disable Mr. Blagojevich from making effective decisions on critical, time-sensitive issues," the filing said. The filing asks that the lieutenant governor assume Blagojevich’s powers…
Rahm Emanuel Gave Blagojevich List Of ‘Acceptable’ Senate Candidates
The Huffington Post
December 12, 2008 09:55 AM
President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel had direct conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich about Obama’s replacement in the US Senate, FOX News Chicago reports. Citing "a source familiar with the investigation," Fox says that Emanuel had "multiple conversations" with Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris, who was also arrested Tuesday on federal corruption charges, about the seat and that they we’re "likely recorded and in FBI possession."
Fox’s source said that Emanuel gave the governor’s office a list of "candidates that would be acceptable to President-elect Barack Obama" but no "quid pro quo" or "dealmaking" is suspected.
Meanwhile, an angry Emanuel says he won’t go to work because of the media stakeout. He told an ABC News cameraman that has received death threats…
Blagojevich fundraiser held by Jackson allies Saturday
By David Kidwell, John Chase and Dan Mihalopoulos
Chicago Tribune
December 12, 2008
As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois’ next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for Blagojevich’s campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job, the Tribune has learned.
Blagojevich made an appearance at an Oct. 31 luncheon meeting at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg sponsored by Oak Brook businessman Raghuveer Nayak, a major Blagojevich supporter who also has fundraising and business ties to the Jackson family, according to several attendees and public records.
Two businessmen who attended the meeting and spoke to the Tribune on the condition of anonymity said that Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi privately told many of the more than two dozen attendees the fundraising effort was aimed at supporting Jackson’s bid for the Senate…
On July 1, 1971, Nixon instructs Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman to have someone break into the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.:"I can’t have a high-minded lawyer … I want a son-of-a-bitch. I want someone just as tough as I am. … We’re up against an enemy, a conspiracy that will use any means. We are going to use any means… . Get it done. I want it done. I want the Brookings Institution cleaned out and have it cleaned out in a way that has somebody else take the blame."
On April 4, 1972, Nixon discusses the press with Haldeman:
NIXON: “Return the calls to those poor dumb bastards … who I know are our friends. Now do it … We made the same mistake [Dwight] Eisenhower made, but not as bad as Eisenhower made, because he sucked the Times too much … God damn it, don’t talk to them for a while. Will you enforce that now?’HALDEMAN: "I’ll try."On May 18, 1972, Nixon talks to Henry Kissinger about the National Security Adviser’s meeting with Ivy League college presidents regarding the war in Vietnam:NIXON: "The Ivy League presidents? Why, I’ll never let those sons-of-bitches in the White House again. Never, never, never. They’re finished. The Ivy League schools are finished … Henry, I would never have had them in. Don’t do that again … They came out against us when it was tough … Don’t ever go to an Ivy League school again, ever. Never, never, never."
On Nov. 14, 1972, Nixon talks with his aide Charles Colson about his landslide re-election victory over Democrat George McGovern:
NIXON: "What in the hell did you think of McGovern’s statement on the election? Wasn’t that the sour grapes crap again?”COLSON: “Well, it’s unbelievable, the arrogance of the guy … God, what a bad man. Just awfully glad we got him buried and put away for good. I think he is.”NIXON: “Oh, he’s buried. He’s buried."
On Dec. 9, 1972, Nixon talks to Colson about the appointment of building trades union leader Peter Brennan as secretary of labor:
NIXON: "The idea, they finally think the appointment of a working man makes them think we’re for the working man.”COLSON: “That’s precisely it.”NIXON: “They talk about all the tokenism. We appoint blacks, and they don’t think we’re for blacks. Mexicans. They don’t think we’re for Mexicans. But a working man, by golly, that is really something."
… But the WSJ ignores the key detail from the next day–a detal that, I pointed out, makes it clear that Obama’s team had been contacted and then rebuffed Blago’s efforts. On the 11th, after all, Blago said, “they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them." That makes it clear, I think, that Blago did approach Obama’s team. And Obama’s team said no. Jarrett’s withdrawal was simply the public expression of what someone in Obama’s team had privately already said to Blago: Fuck you…
I haven’t followed this too closely on account of terminal weariness…however, I did see the Blago man talking about how he promised his mother that he’d never take a bribe because for one “it was dishones” and furthermore “it was illegal”. I did not get the context of why he was talking about the promises he made to his mother or why his mother was imploring him never to take a bribe (one imagines that his mother knew something about the boy’s character that escaped even himself), but I thought it was an awfully goddamn strange set of public statements to be making from a governor of a United State. What a pitiful farce. Elliot Spitzer got caught with his pants down and was history within hours….this guy has one hand in the cookie jar and the other holding a cudgel and he is still there??
That transcript really does take the cake. I’ll take old philanderers like Clinton and Spitzer over the guy who lies to his mommy any time…
I’m just as appalled as everyone else by the blatancy of Blago’s effort to make a deal over the appointment. He’s in debt for about half a million, I read and needs money. And he thought he had a way to get some — besides just being wacko to start with.
But, instead of black and white, there’s a little more gray in this whole area of political deals. Outright quid pro quo is certainly black, especially when actual cash is involved. But what about Hillary’s bargaining with Obama to help her retire her campaign debt — and their public leaks that he wasn’t doing enough, with the implication that she wouldn’t quiet down until he did? Of course, all he did was do some fund-raising, which seems OK. And, in the end, he didn’t give her what she wanted, the VP; and she seemed genuinely surprised by the SoS offer, so that must not have been a deal. I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong — but where is the line?