Posted on 12/10/2008 10:49:22 AM PST by traumer
Barack Obama has called on Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign following his arrest on charges that he tried to "sell" Mr Obama's senate seat.
Mr Blagojevich has the authority, as governor, to pick Mr Obama's successor.
FBI investigators said telephone intercepts showed that Mr Blagojevich had been offered campaign cash by a man who was interested in taking the seat.
Federal agents quoted by ABC News named Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr as the man who offered Mr Blagojevich the money.
In transcripts of telephone conversations released by the FBI on Tuesday, Mr Blagojevich is quoted saying that a man referred to by officials as Senate Candidate 5 would "raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him a Senator".
When asked whether he was Senate Candidate 5, Mr Jackson said "I don't know".
Mr Jackson, son of the prominent civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson Sr, told ABC news he had been asked to talk to "share with [federal investigators] my insights and thoughts about the selection process".
But he insisted he was "not a target of this investigation".
Special election
Prosecutors said Mr Obama, who is not close to Mr Blagojevich, was not involved in the alleged wrongdoing.
Mr Obama's official spokesman said the President-elect wanted Mr Blagojevich to resign.
"Under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois."
And he said that the Mr Obama was keen for the Illinois legislature to consider holding a special election to fill the seat.
Lawmakers in Illinois have said they could hold a special legislative session as early as Monday to work out the details of the special election.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Who?— Gov Palin?
Just yesterday 0 said “it’s a sad day for Illinois but beyond that I think it’s inappropriate to comment.”
I bet they got 0 on the wiretaps too.
24 hours later, the big Zero decides to courageously follow the lead of the rest of the world ...
Gee, I didn’t think he should at first... but now that Obama says so......
As I stated elsewhere on another thread, this statement by Obama’s spokesman does NOT seek Blagojevich’s removal or resignation.
Fitzpatrick rolled up the investigation before Obama was going to be implicated. Just sickening. This country has become so corrupt.
Maybe just maybe 5 Justices in SCOTUS still care about the Constitution. If the citizens (Cort & Leo) stand up to this incredible corruption then maybe the Justices will enforce the Constitution and we will send a strong message to this political criminal scum that we will not take it anymore.
We have been played people. Fitzpatrick rolled up the case to avoid Obama, Emmanuel & Axelrod being implicated. Poor Blago is an idiot.
Rush said that Daley runs Illinois and Chicago. It would be nice if Rush had the guts to mention Cort’s case.
Evita would know.
Maybe “knowing” is how Evita got SOS?
1984
Then the Governor should “out” Barry’s involvement in the fiasco; maybe we can get a twofer!
Why should BO be able to call all the shots in Illinois?
No he didn't. Sheesh, do you honestly think that he would let the information released on the very first day include people so close to Obama? Do you not think that if Fitz was in the tank that Team O could have put together at least conveyed one iota of competence on the day the story broke, instead of bumbling around contradicting themselves and looking like a bunch of lying crooks.
I know it is hard to believe, but maybe, just maybe, Fitz has a whole lot of sh*t on these guys that he decided to hold off on releasing ... I know its hard to believe, but we usually don't have all the facts at this point and there has hardly been enough time to conclusively determine that Fitz is in the tank.
Here is the best analysis thus far on the "Fitz is in the tank" topic:
Nope. Fitz said in the news conference that after the Tribune published the story late last week Blago was being recorded, his phone conversations did a 180 and they were moving to "undo" the deal with #5. That was the reason, not that Fitz was protecting anyone. Oh, Fitz also said "there was nothing in this complaint" implicating BO. Fitz has been working for years, Rezko has been singing and this thing ain't over by a longshot...
Ill. governor meeting with Obama today
By Carol Sowers
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 10:39 a.m.
CHICAGO, ILL. — Now that Barack Obama will be moving to the White
House, his seat in the U.S. Senate representing Illinois will have to
be filled.
That’s one of Obama’s first priorities today.
He’s meeting with Governor Rod Blagojevich this afternoon in Chicago
to discuss it.
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=217582
- November 5, 2008
While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite
to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a “kingmaker,”
Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod said, “I know he’s talked to the
governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have
surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”
- November 23, 2008
Asked what contact he’d had with the governor’s office about his
replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today said “I had no
contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not
aware of what was happening.”
- December 9, 2008
Axelrod this evening issued a statement saying. “I was mistaken when I
told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken
directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did
not then or at any time discuss the subject.”
- December 9, 2008
Perhaps after Obama has had more experience he will learn how to lie better.
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