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Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested On Federal Charges

Big Chris

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Great day for gun owners in Illinois, this man once said he'd veto any Carry Bill.


http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/Gov.Blagojevich.Federal.2.883154.html

Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested On Federal Charges CHICAGO (CBS) ― Authorities in Chicago have arrested Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal charges.

U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Randall Samborn says both Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested Tuesday. Authorities aren't yet releasing details about those charges.

Federal prosecutors have investigated Blagojevich's administration for at least three years. They've been looking at everything from how he hired people for state jobs to the actions of friends and contributors.

Blagojevich fundraiser Tony Rezko awaits sentencing on a federal corruption conviction in which he was charged with shaking down businesses wanting to do state work for campaign contributions.

The governor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Federal agents made undercover tape recordings of Gov. Rod Blagojevich with the help of one of his closest advisers, according to a published report issued Friday.

The Chicago Tribune reported that former Blagojevich aide John Wyma helped with an investigation that led to tapings of Blagojevich and others.

Wyma was Blagojevich's chief of staff when the governor was representing the Illinois' 5th District in Congress, and his name has been tied to aspects of the federal investigation, including a recent subpoena.

In October, federal prosecutors subpoenaed records from Mokena-based Provena Hospital regarding Wyma's work for the hospital. Wyma was registered to represent Provena when it got approval from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board in April 2004 to proceed with development of an open-heart surgery unit in Elgin.

The federal subpoena sought information on the hospital's push for state approval of the heart program and a $25,000 donation the company's for-profit affiliate gave to Blagojevich's campaign fund.

In 2005, Wyma was involved in a real estate deal with the governor's wife, Patricia Blagojevich, who has a home-based real estate company. Wyma client Mark Wight sold a $650,000 condominium to Wyma, paying the first lady a $30,000 commission. Wight's architecture firm later won $10 million in no-bid state contracts for tollway work.

Investigators are looking into allegations of corruption, involving Blagojevich and the Health Facilities Planning Board, as well as the Teachers Retirement System. The investigation has been going on for several years, and initially, Blagojevich dismissed the claims. But the probe later resulted in the indictment and conviction of Antoin "Tony" Rezko, Blagojevich's chief political fundraiser.

In another development, FBI agents searched two Joliet businesses owned by Harish Bhatt, a longtime Blagojevich supporter.

Agents descended upon Basinger and Essington pharmacies early in the morning and combed through paperwork. The FBI would only say it's part of an ongoing federal investigation.

Bhatt told reporters agents weren't looking into him, adding, "We have nothing to do with it."

Last year, the Tribune named Bhatt as being part of an ongoing investigation into Blagojevich's administration. The paper reported state police were looking into whether Bhatt solicited campaign donations in exchange for state favors.

Bhatt and Blagojevich go back years. Bhatt has raised thousands of dollars for the governor. And just this year, another Blagojevich fundraiser, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, was convicted on pay-to-play corruption charges.

CBS 2's "Truth in Politics" reported two months ago that federal investigators believe they have enough evidence to charge the governor with tax fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

A Blagojevich spokesperson says there is no indication the Joliet raids have anything to do with the governor's administration, so he is issuing no formal comment.

A decision to file criminal charges, though, will not be made by the FBI and IRS agents currently crawling all over the governor's personal and political affairs. Before a sitting governor can be charged, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald will need to get a green light from his Justice Department superiors in Washington.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. (© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
 

deepdiver

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I was going to post this earlier but held off waiting to see in what ways it could be tied to OC so people didn't get upset about OT postings. I think though, that this is another brick out of the wall of corruption in IL, corruption that ironically appears controlled, directed and reveled in by the most anti-gunners in the state.

Given that there is still speculation that Daley will eventually be taken down by some of the Tony Rezko dealings, this may be the beginning of the end of the control by the strongest anti-gun nuts in IL.
 

zrukman

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Good Riddance! Maybe Daley will go down next with his ties to Tony Rezko. It's funny that the most corrupt are usually anti-gun. They fear that they will lose controland power if the people ever find out the truth.Their worries are not about the citizen using a gunfor self defense, but the citizen using the guns in revolt against the corrupt leaders.

Even though I grew up there.....I HATE CHICAGO!!! :cuss:
 

junglebob

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BigChris, Not only is Blagojevich against any LTC bill, but he vetoed SB2165 (Obama voted against it) The Homeowner Protection Bill. This bill gave someone violating a local ordinace against firearm ownership an affirmative defense if they were protecting their life or anothers. So if you were in one of those Chicago suburbs that had a handgun ban and used your handgun to defend yourself in your home you couldn't be fined or jailed for breaking the ordinance. That bill did pass over the governors veto by a 3 to 1 margin, and became law.
 

deepdiver

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Shotgun wrote:
"Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested On Federal Charges"


:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I haven't stopped smiling since I heard....
You, me and all my IL friends and relatives. One of my best friends does a lot of business in IL and said this morning that his IL clients have been "as giddy as school girls" over the news.
 

Task Force 16

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This could come back to bite Obama in the hind quarters as well? Anybody taking bets on the Governors survivability if he tries getting his charges reduced by ratting out other officials?
 

FreedomJoyAdventure

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I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl to see Blagojevich, one of the most anti-gun politicians in America, exposed for the corrupt worm he truly is. Hopefully they can do the same for Daley. And if there's any Obama connection, I'd love to see that exposed and prosecuted to the fullest for sure.

I have not been a big fan of the FBI since Waco and Ruby Ridge, but this scores some points with me for sure.

Blagojevich, skini mi se!
 

Task Force 16

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I heard last night on the news that the Lt Governor has resigned. Turns out he may be asdirty as the Governor, too.

Oooooh this is going to get interesting. You gotta wonder how many other appointments the Governor has "sold".
 

junglebob

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Are you sure that wasn't deputy governor, someone who is on his staff resigning? I have't heard anything about Lt. Gov. Quinn resigning and I am sure it would have been big news here.
 

trailblazer2003

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So far the Lt Gov hasn't been implicated in the corruption scandle. The IL Att General, and several other politicians are trying to get Blago out ASAP so the Lt Gov can take charge and get things back on the straight path.
 

Task Force 16

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junglebob wrote:
Are you sure that wasn't deputy governor, someone who is on his staff resigning? I have't heard anything about Lt. Gov. Quinn resigning and I am sure it would have been big news here.
hmm... that might have been it. I might have mistakenly though of the #2 guy when they said Deputy. :banghead:
 
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