The Nauseating Mess of Democratic Corruption in Illinois
And now the Rezko trial is brining in Gov. Blagojevich (D-IL);
A Chicago businessman-turned-Hollywood producer who believed he was being shaken down by two of Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund-raisers threatened to “take them down” if they didn’t back off, according to a recording played at the Tony Rezko corruption trial today.
And the governor was made aware of the “situation” and agreed the producer shouldn’t get any more state business, star prosecution witness Stuart Levine testified this afternoon.
The secretly recorded, May 2004 conversation was between Levine and longtime Illinois Republican Party power William Cellini.
An agitated-sounding Cellini is heard telling Levine about a conversation he had with Tom Rosenberg, a principal in the firm Capri Capital who also has produced movies including the hit “Million Dollar Baby.”
According to prosecutors, Levine and Cellini had plotted to shake down Rosenberg for a $1.5 million campaign contribution for Blagojevich in exchange for the $220 million investment deal he sought from a state board. Cellini has not been charged with any crime.
Levine, who has pleaded guilty to taking part with Rezko in schemes to get kickbacks from companies seeking state business, testified that the decision to approach Rosenberg for cash came after Rezko and fellow Blagojevich fund-raiser Chris Kelly learned Rosenberg won big-money deals with the state but hadn’t given to Blagojevich’s campaign fund.
It is a very tangled web in Illinois politics - as can be seen by the connection to a GOPer, who seems to have been shaking people down to get donations for a Democrat. As Matt and I have pointed out, Obama is hip-deep in Rezko…pretty much, Obama is as tight with Rezko as he is with Wright, and could no more disown him than he could disown his grandmother.
The center of this corruption is, of course, the relentlessly corrupt Chicago Democratic machine. When Matt and I were writing Caucus of Corruption, it required great care to keep everything straight - so many people connected to so many others, all of whom have shady dealings. From what we were able to learn, nothing gets done in Chicago without corruption having a hand in - bribes, kickbacks, use of government property and employees on political campaigns, sweetheart deals…its all in there, and none of it really gets stopped because Chicago is a one-party city, and Democrats simply will not call their own to account. Please note that this trial is a Federal trial, not a State trial.
Rezko has been one of those twilight figures - the man who facilitates the corruption…and he’s Obama’s good friend; indeed, such a friend that he, Rezko, purchased a piece of property which is perfectly worthless for Rezko, but by making the purchase helped substantially knock down the price Obama paid for his swank home. Back in 2006, Democrats were calling for the heads of any GOPer who was even remotely connected to corrupt GOP operator Jack Abramoff…well, Obama’s connections to Rezko are at least as strong as DeLay’s connections to Abramoff…so, what will you Democrats do, now that you know how corrupt Rezko - and the whole Democratic political system in Chicago - is?
105 comments April 3rd, 2008
