Illinois Governor Tried to Sell Obama's Senate Seat.
 

CHICAGO – Federal authorities arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if "they're not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it."

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was "a valuable thing — you just don't give it away for nothing."

The affidavit said Blagojevich also discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

It said Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director's fees.

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president's cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor's office. He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit. And he allegedly said a Senate seat would also provide him with corporate contacts if he needed a job and present an opportunity for his wife to work as a lobbyist.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/...rruption_probe

This guy is a Class A jerk.

It's like I said before, you can't walk thru the political playground without getting your feet dirty...in this case, he was kicking up some mud.

If you remember, he went in with the purpose of cleaning up the corruption left by Governor Ryan.

Haha! He did a good job didn't he. What a scumbag.

Gotta love that Chicago party of "change."

How about we not jump to the conclusion that Blago's actions are associated with our President-elect? There are millions of voters in Illinois who have hated Blago (and his corruption) for years now. Legislators who have introduced legislation just so we can kick him out.

Blago is not the posterboy for all of Illinois. It's sad that not only do we have to deal with Chicago being seen as nothing but a machine politics city, but now we have this to deal with.

When I first saw the headline, I thought it must be fake a la Onion. Too over-the-top . . . is that hair really his?

Apparently everything the man does is a little too over the top. There's been rumors floating around that he was thinking of appointing himself to Obama's senate seat since September.

This household voted yes on the legislation to remove political figures. I can't speak for myself (since I'm new here) but my boyfriend, his family, all his friends - each one has a different reason to hate the guy. 90% of which are longtime democrat supporters.

I don't know if that's some type of toupe, but I think his hair is a riot.

Sometimes if it looks like a duck...

I agree. Bman does not represent all of Illinois. There are other Illinois politicians who have done good things for the state.

The worst part is that people associate this type of going on with the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago. Chicago's a really nice place, and I really like it here. Illinois is a nice state - the people in general, even immigrant populations, have that mid-western charm, are friendly, and on the whole, are just good people.

It's too bad that more people won't associate the real Chicago or the real Illinois with the city or state, just the corrupt politicians that have come out of it (and let's face it, there have been more than a few).

Honestly, the reactions that I get when I tell people that I've moved here is "Why would you move there?! You're gonna get murdered!" or "You moving in with all the corrupt politicians?" I don't blame my family members because they all live in a rural area - they said the murder thing when I moved to Erie, PA too. My friends, however, were all surprised that I would want to live in such a "dangerous place". I don't feel like it's dangerous at all - if you have a little bit of street smarts and learn your neighborhood you shouldn't have too many worries. Locked doors, flashlights at night, cell phones always, and being aware of your surroundings go a long way. It's no more dangerous than any other large city.

I understand it can be annoying, but these types of generalizations happen no matter where you live. Whether you say you're from Chicago, Boston, Texas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, wherever, you're going to get snap judgments from people about that city or that area of the country (sort of how you chose to list "Podunk, Iowa"). It's not something everyone has to accept, but it's something we all have to live with, no matter where we live.

All of us Detroiters reading this are saying.....

boooooo hooooooo How does it feel?

Probably the same as all the Northerners, Southerners, West Coasters, and other people from geographic areas that have been slighted on this board?

No area of the country has been spared from the generalizations on the board.

You know, I am becoming a huge proponent of psych evaluations for those seeking high office from governorships, senators (only because they are around for 7 years) to above...



That being said, I am nuttier than a fruitcake... Guess I am not running for office... LOL... :D