Rod R. Blagojevich, this state’s ousted governor, was charged on Thursday with 16 felony counts, among them racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud and extortion conspiracy in a wide-ranging scheme to deprive residents of “honest government,” prosecutors said, including trying to leverage his authority to pick someone to fill President Obama’s former Senate seat.
Five of his closest advisers, including his brother, Robert, a top fundraiser, and two former chiefs of staff, were also charged in the 19-count indictment.
Prosecutors said Mr. Blagojevich used numerous elements of his state work ”” including appointing people to state boards, investing state money and signing legislation ”” as a way to seek money, campaign contributions and jobs for himself and others.
Chicago Politics..go figure. I wonder if they will call any of the voters to the witness stand. Oh, I guess that’s impossible many are residing in cemeteries. Who will this guy take down with him?
I hope the prosecuters didn’t mess this up.
Dcn Dale: Keep in mind that, at the time the Illinois applied to be become a state, prominent citizens within Illinois, some prominent citizens bribed the census-takers to inflate the population count, so that Illinois ended up being admitted to the Union as a State when it fell far short of the 50,000 figure needed for admission.
Is it any wonder that 190 years later, our public life is still on the dodgy side. Illinois was, in the words of Robert Penn Warren, “conceived in sin and born in corruption.”
Kevin Babb
Diocese of Springfield (home of the grave in which A. Lincoln, Esq.’s body is currently spinning)
Ooooo! It’s a fun time here in Chi-Town. Br. Michael, I am with you in your hoping; but the prosecutor, U.S. Atty. Peter Fitzgerald is an amazingly tough, intellegent, and thorough attorney who would not have brought this indictment unless he felt he had a solid case. I also believe he is a man of devout Catholic faith who is professionally and personally outraged at the violation Blago made of his public office.
I pray for Fitzgerald often. He’s the best thing to have happened to us here in Chicago. It will be interesting to read the details in tomorrow’s paper.
Politicians are constantly selling power. Blago just did it a little too openly.
A bad hair day indeed. How far will the smoking gun lead?