Posted on 10/03/2008 7:19:22 AM PDT by Gopher Broke
FBI Raids Obama Friend's Home
Andrea Billups
Washington Times
October 3, 2008
The FBI on Wednesday raided the county offices of a former Illinois state senator who is a poker-playing buddy of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
According to Chicago authorities, the FBI visited the offices in Joliet, Ill., of Will County executive Larry Walsh, a longtime friend of Mr. Obama's, and his chief of staff Matt Ryan.
Mr. Walsh, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, was endorsed by Mr. Obama in his county executive election bid. With the support of some of Mr. Obama's U.S. Senate volunteers, he easily defeated incumbent Republican Joseph Mikan.
Will County auditor Steve Weber confirmed that his office had been asked by the FBI to assist in an investigation, but he did not elaborate on the specifics.
Two FBI agents out of Chicago reportedly spent more than an hour in the Will County offices on Wednesday morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Maybe Rezko is talking
Bookmark!!
Really? Geez, there is no end to the McCain/Palin ads in NW Ohio.
Larry Walsh
The FBI conducted a raid on the offices of Larry Walsh, Will County executive and former Illinois state senator, as part of a probe into corruption tied to earmarks and lobbyists. The raid comes after the FBI met with the county auditor to investigate his complaints about one of his aides taking money from lobbyists for favorable treatment. Walsh endorsed Barack Obama this year, and Obama supported Walsh in his current position.
Sources say the investigation centers on Will County Executive Larry Walsh’s office. Walsh, who faces Joliet businessman Dan Kennison in the November election, was outraged by rumors that investigators were looking into whether one of his employees was improperly accepting payments from a lobbying firm hired by the county.
Walsh, a Democrat, blamed the accusations on gutter politics. Weber is a Republican who also faces a November challenger, Democrat Kevin Duffy Blackburn.
“I am thoroughly disgusted in the negativity and the sewer activities that are taking place in this campaign,” Walsh said. “There is nothing to this story. This is a fabrication coming from a political campaign trying to smear my reputation and my staff, and they will stop at nothing until they get that job done.”
Is there any evidence that the big O has ANY friends, period? Because narcissists who plan to rule the world would really not need nor identify with “having friends”, just people they can use on the way up.
If he loses this election, his make-believe social pool of friends will shrink in a hurry...
Name sounded familiar. There was a Larry Walsh investigating the Clinton’s/Whitewater, but I don’t think it’s the same guy.
An October surprise?
Did you see this?
Jack Riley
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hey Spare me – this is Jack Riley – Why don’t you repeat your smack to my face or are you just a Democrat flunky who wants to hide behind a pseudonym.
The facts are County Tax-payers pay Larry Walsh and all his family members who work for the county over $1,000,000 per year. Next Walsh hires a political lobbyist Matt Ryan as his chief of staff (has no experience) for $104,000 per year and then he needs to hire a lobbyist in Washington for $120,000 per year to get earmarks and grants.
But here is the “piece de resistance” Walsh has to hire his own grant writer – So Walsh rams through the County Board a contact for Lois Mayer as his grant writer for $70,000 per year telling the County Board Lois Mayer will be a full time contact employee (that’s 40 hours per week) but she also has another full time paid job as Administrator of the Immanuel EV Lutheran Preschool.
Do you know what Lois Mayer’s nick name is at the County? “The ghost of the Emco building” because she is never in her office or at work. How much money does Walsh and his friends expect taxpayers to give them? So don’t give me your smack – I am not a ghost pay roller – just ask the Deputy in the County Building.
I am tired of being the second floor’s punching bag. I will put my credentials up against Matt Ryan any day. I have a BS in Economics specializing in Econometrics and a Masters in Business Administration in Accounting and Finance. I was an Executive for a Fortune 10 Company running business all over the United States including starting a new business in the People’s Republic of China. Now I work as a Financial Analyst for County Auditor Steve Weber (note the correct spelling it’s WEBER). I work for my money and it is MR. WEBER to you.
http://willcountywatcher.wordpress.com/
Rezko Rumpus!! Is this Fitz going after Blago, or Fitz going after Obama, ......or both??
Believe me, there are far, far bigger fish to fry.
Numerous reports the last 72 hours that Rezko IS INDEED talking!!
ping
//
OBAMA READY TO RUN U.S. SEN. BARACK OBAMA HASN’T OFFICIALLY DECIDED, BUT LARRY WALSH , HIS FRIEND AND SUPPORTER, BELIEVES:
Herald News, The (Joliet, IL) - January 17, 2007
Author: By Cindy Wojdyla Cain
JOLIET - A few years back, Barack Obama and Larry Walsh were state Senate seatmates who became friends and poker buddies.
Now both men are poised to leap into a game with much higher stakes: a race for the White House.
If U.S. Sen. Barack Obama commits in February to a presidential campaign, it appears Will County Executive Walsh is all in.
Shortly after Obama announced Tuesday he was exploring a run for president and had filed federal paperwork to raise money, Walsh and about 100 other supporters listened in on a conference call as Obama outlined a plan of action for his exploratory committee.
“He just laid a very, very broad agenda of issues, ideas and thoughts he wanted us to work on,” the Elwood Democrat reported.
“... We will create a network here,” Walsh added. “Illinois is his home, his base. I know without a doubt he wants a huge showing coming out of Illinois. That is our basic goal.”
Walsh said he would act as Obama ‘s “eyes and ears” in this part of the state.
“We will bring back ideas and comments from our constituents to him,” Walsh said.
Walsh and Obama both served in the state Senate until November 2004 when Obama won his race for the U.S. Senate and Walsh was elected county executive.
Walsh is close to Obama , said Myron Brick, chairman of the Will County Democratic Party.
” Larry was the first guy in the (state) Senate to endorse Barack’s run for the U.S. Senate,” Brick said. “Barack will never forget it. This is a great thing for Will County.”
(snip)
Hmmm...that's a legislator of some kind, ---Blago doesn't do earmarks.....could it be....we need more info on Walsh's "special projects" he's been involved in.
Post #54
Sorry ... no link.
That's what my sister said also. She said ads and McCain signs everywhere. Pay no attention to the Saab yuppie, he's seriously spamming the FReeper threads with this nonsense.
He’ll be thrown under the bus with all the others in no time flat.
(no link)
Obama will try to crack airport spat
Daily Southtown (Chicago, IL) - August 16, 2005
Author: Guy Tridgell, Staff writer
Will County, Jackson in bitter battle over Peotone project
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama will take a crack at stopping the bickering over the south suburban airport.
Obama (D-Illinois) is hosting a meeting Monday of the political forces fighting for control of the proposed airport.
Invited are U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd), of Chicago, state Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) and Will County Executive Larry Walsh .
Walsh said Obama called about a month ago, offering to broker a meeting involving Walsh , Halvorson and Jackson.
“He asked if I would be willing to sit down with him and Congressman Jackson,” Walsh said. “I told him, point blank, I will meet anytime, anywhere.”
(snip)
Halvorson also failed at attempts to get the factions together.
But Obama is close with Jackson.
And Halvorson and Walsh served in the state senate with Obama for almost a decade.
Walsh even sat next to Obama in the state Senate. The two friends regularly got together in Springfield to play poker.
“If there is an opportunity that something could be accomplished, it would be Barack,” Walsh said. “I would think Sen. Obama would be able to do the job.”
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